Chapter 7

Alicia

I hid out in the bathroom to call my handler now that I had a strong phone signal. I paced back and forth waiting for him to answer.

“Alicia, is that you?”

Relieved that he didn’t start out screaming at me this time, I answered, “Yeah, it’s me.”

“We got your text saying you were safe but out of cell phone range. What happened?”

“I’m not entirely certain. I believe a dam broke and flooded out the only road into this area. Maybe it took out the cell phone tower too.” That latter part was bullshit but they didn’t need to know I was in an underground bunker.

“We’ll look into all that. Did you hook back up with your father? We need to know his whereabouts.”

“I told you that I almost got raped by his second-in-command. I’m never going back into that situation. It’s not safe for me.”

“This wasn’t the deal you made with our agency, Alicia,” he said,

“I know but I still have information to exchange for protection for me and my mother.”

“What kind of information?” he asked suspiciously.

“I got a reliable report this morning that my father and all his men had disappeared. Instead there were five dead bodies I didn’t recognize. It’s unclear if they were innocents who stumbled onto their location or someone who had a beef with them.”

“We’ll contact the local sheriff’s office and see if we can get a bead on who these individuals are. Meanwhile, you keep your eyes and ears open for any information related to the cartel, whether it involves your father or not. Got it?”

“Yes. Of course.”

Closing down the call, I wasn’t sure how I felt turning state’s evidence on my own father. It seemed shady but necessary. If I don’t stop him, who will?”

I tried to call my mother again, but she didn’t pick up.

***

This was how I lived the next four days. By the end of it I was a nervous wreck and felt like I’d been living underground my entire life. When I came out to start breakfast on the fifth day, I found Mace fully dressed and with his boots on. “You ready to get the hell outta here and touch grass?” he asked with a bright smile.

Excitement bloomed in my chest, and I returned his bright smile. “Absolutely. I’ve got a bad case of cabin fever.”

“Let’s get going then,” he said eagerly. “Nine went back to the clubhouse with Grit. He took him back in my pickup, so we don’t have to worry about wrangling him into the canoe this morning.”

I’d noticed that his headstrong wolfdog was missing when I came out of my room, but I thought he might be protecting the exterior of the shelter or even hunting for his own breakfast.

We both took a minute to gather up our stuff and stow it in our backpacks before we headed out. I noticed that Mace was moving easier. That must mean he’s healing, I thought to myself.

The minute that I stepped out into the sunshine and took a deep refreshing breath of the cool morning air, I couldn’t help but to feel exhilarated. We headed down to river where Mace had hidden the canoe, and it took us back to the cabin. Gliding across the calmly moving waters was the best thing I’d experienced in a while. On the journey here, I’d been too distracted to take in the scenery. Canoeing was something I planned to do a lot more of once this was all over.

When we got to the cabin, I was surprised to see Mace’s motorcycle parked there. Turning to him, I asked, “Are you sure you’re up to riding your motorcycle?”

“Only always. Are you sure you’re up to being on the back of my bike?

I eyed his motorcycle with new eyes. It was a big sleek Harley with tons of chrome and a smaller padded seat on the back. If I were a gambling kind of girl, I’d bet it would fit me perfectly. I looked back at Mace who was waiting patiently for my answer. Suddenly, I couldn’t keep the smile off my face. Between finally getting away from my father and the man he picked out to be my husband, canoeing, and now getting to ride on the back of motorcycle, my life was quickly looking up. “Yes, I want to ride on the back of your gorgeous motorcycle.”

I swear that Mace’s chest puffed up and he preened a bit as he walked over to his bike and began loading our bags in the luggage compartment. He took a minute to go into the basement and came back with a jet-black helmet and helped me fasten it in place.

For some reason he kept stealing glances at me as he put on his own helmet, helped me onto the back and got onto the bike himself. At first, I thought it might have been because I looked so out of place in a motorcycle helmet. But something about his expression told me he liked the way I looked in it.

I put my arms around his waist, making sure to avoid his injured side when he revved the engine, and we took off. The faster he rode, the harder I clung to him. The moment we were on the highway, I understood why he loved riding so much. It was a totally different experience from riding in a vehicle. I enjoyed the way the wind blew through my clothing and how the seat vibrated between my legs. Getting to be so close to Mace physically after him keeping his distance for the past few days only made me want him more. I slid my arms more firmly around his waist and laid my cheek against his back, intent upon enjoying every second of this amazing new experience with him.

***

When we pulled up to the Dark Slayers compound, the other prospects at the entrance all rushed out to open the gate and greet him. They wore happy smiles and joked freely with him before allowing him to pass. It drove home to me exactly how much brotherhood meant to these men. It was nice to see how happy it made Mace to spend time with his club brothers.

The clubhouse itself, looked much like a fancy pub, like I’d seen on American TV shows. The building was newish red brick with large smoked-glass windows and double doors in the front. Huge potted plants stood proudly on either side of the doors. A large sign that said Dark Slayers MC hung on the front of the building along with their club logo. It was all well done. Then again, most things in America looked snazzy and new to me.

The inside of their clubhouse was just as nice as the outside, maybe even more so. They had a huge bar that ran along the side of one wall and lots of square tables with chairs. Nine came out of the back and ran up to us. When I saw that he was going to launch himself at Mace the last thing I wanted was for him to tear Mace’s wound open while it was still healing. So, I stepped between the two and he landed on me instead.

Since I’m smaller, he took me all the way down to the ground. I laughed when he tried to put his mouth around my throat like he did with Mace. I put my arm up to block my throat and the poor animal didn’t know what to make of it. I had come to know Nine so well in the last few days. He might look like a wolf and hunt like a wolf, but he loved and played just like a big dog. “Heel, boy!” Mace shouted.

Nine immediately sat on his bottom and his tongue fell out as he panted. I was surprised he was so obedient, especially in a new environment and when he was so worked up, but maybe he knew this place already.

When a pretty redhead yelled at Mace from the bar, he put his hand on the small of my back and guided me over to meet her. Before he could get the words out, she gushed, “Why aren’t you just the prettiest little thing I’ve ever seen.”

I held out my hand and said, “It’s a pleasure to meet you. My name is Alicia.”

She glanced at Mace. “And so polite. You picked a winner with her Mace.” Reaching out to shake my hand, she said, “My name is Rosie and I’m the bartender here. It’s nice to meet you too, I love your accent.” Holding tightly to my hand, she whistled loud and long before yelling, “Hey, Thunder. Come and meet Mace’s new lady.”

Mace didn’t correct her that I wasn’t his lady, so I didn’t either.

An older club member meandered over and extended his hand. Before he could say anything, Rosie asked, “Isn’t she the cutest little thing you’ve ever seen?”

“Oh, yeah,” he responded with a roll of his eyes. “She’s cute as a button.” Turning to the redhead, he added, “Not as cute as you, darlin’ but pretty damn close.”

Rosie just laughed and explained, “This is my old man, Thunder.”

The man straightened his cut by pulling down the bottom and grumbled, “I’m not old.”

Before anyone could reply, Thunder turned to Mace. “Are you ready to get voted in as a club brother today, Mace?”

He nodded, seemingly happy and content. “If my club brothers see fit to vote me in, I’ll make you all proud.”

Thunder clapped him on the back and said, “Save the speech for winning those votes, prospect.”

It was Rosie’s turn to roll her eyes. “Don’t pay any attention to Thunder. It’s been a hundred years since he was a prospect. He doesn’t remember what it was like to be a big ball of excitement and anxiety. Don’t worry about your speech, I’m sure you’ll do just fine.”

“Yes ma’am,” Mace replied. “I’ll remember your words of encouragement when I’m standing before my club brothers today.”

This was a whole new side of Mace that I haven’t seen before, super respectful and mannerly. It was a good look for him.

All too quickly, Storm, their club president stuck his head out of one of the back rooms and called. “Time for church. Hustle. We’ve got a lot to cover today and we’re burnin’ daylight.”

Mace turned to me. “Just have a seat at the bar and Rosie will look out for you. I don’t know exactly how long our meeting is gonna last. Probably a couple of hours, okay?”

His deep voice sent shivers through me because he was standing close and almost whispering in my ear. My hand came up to grasp the front of his shirt which was showing through his unsnapped cut. “Yeah, that’s fine. Rosie seems really nice.”

“Great. Drinks are on the house here, so don’t try to pay.”

I smiled at him. “I’ll try not to get drunk while you’re gone.”

He flashed me a smile. “Don’t try getting naughty with me. There’s a special place we take naughty girls in this club.”

With that cryptic response, he turned and walked into the meeting room. I slid onto a barstool in front of Rosie and watched two or three dozen brothers go into the meeting room and close the door behind them.

Before Rosie could get turned around to get me a drink, two women slid onto the barstools on either side of me. They were dressed a little wickedly for the daytime, a bit like strippers actually.

One gave me the side-eye. “So you’re with Mace. He’s just a prospect. You know that, right?”

“Yes. I’m aware. Is that supposed to mean something?”

Rosie’s voice sounded a note of warning, “Amelia.”

Ignoring Rosie, Amelia scooted closer. “Of course there’s nothing wrong with dating a prospect. It’s just that they have no real power in the club. I guess as you’re not from around here you don’t know that.”

“I’m not particularly interested in power,” I said. Beside these two women I felt underdressed. Not that I wanted to look like a stripper, but with my braided hair, sweater, and jeans, I felt more like a Sunday school teacher.

The woman on the other side laughed. “I told you Amelia. I can tell by looking that they’re carefree and in love. She just wants him, and he seemed pretty into her as well.”

“No one asked you, Brenda,” Amelia shot back.

Rosie slid a drink across the counter to me. “We serve mocktails until eleven am and then it’s alcohol the rest of the day.”

I took a sip of the drink and discovered it was a fruit mixture that tasted quite delicious. “Rosie, this is really nice.”

Amelia snatched the drink of my hand and stuck her own straw into it. “I’ll be the judge of whether this is decent enough to be served at the Slayer’s clubhouse.”

Rosie opened her mouth, probably to object, but Nine beat her to it. He jumped up and put his huge feet onto Amelia’s thigh making her spill the drink all down the front of her shirt. Then he decided to lick it off, which was hilarious in and of itself. The poor woman started freaking out and yelling, “Get that horrible beast off of me! His tongue is so gross. I can’t stand it. Ugh I’m going to smell like dog spit forever.”

Rosie and Brenda laughed. I smothered back a smile and did my best to pull Nine off the now hysterical woman. I could tell she wanted to go on a long rant but was too grossed out by having dog saliva on her to take the time. We watched her race away towards the bathroom. In the short time I’d known Nine, he had never been anything other than well-mannered, I guessed that he’d not approved of the way Amelia was speaking to me.

Nine propped his head in my lap and gazed up at me with those pretty green eyes as if asking if he’d been a good boy protecting me from the drink stealer. I lifted his head with both hands and gave him a kiss right on the nose and said, “Who’s a good dog?” The other two women just chuckled.

Then a voice came from the staircase behind us. “Dogs are always doing stuff like that. If you had a cat, they wouldn’t be accosting all your friends. You know that, right?”

Rosie leaned over and whispered quickly, “Don’t listen to her. Dusty used to rehome kittens before she left for college. If you give her a minute, she’ll talk you into adopting a cat in no time at all.”

The younger woman walked over and sure enough she had a pretty gray kitten in her arms. “One dog is a handful. I couldn’t possibly take on a cat as well.”

“Sure you could. Cats are very independent. They practically take care of themselves.”

I decided to play this game with her. “I think dogs are friendlier.”

“Not really. Dogs are just brainless idiotic fools that run around looking for a pat on the head.” Stroking the kitten, she practically purred, “Cats are intelligent sensible creatures who make you come to them if you want to be friends.”

“Dogs are man’s best friend,” I pointed out.

“You’re a woman. Cats are great for people with anxiety. They’re compassionate, caring and can alert you when you have cancer or are about to have a seizure.’

“I’ll bet dogs could do that with proper training,” I countered.

Rosie whispered, “You’re good at this game.”

Dusty replied totally unruffled, “Yeah, dogs will do it if you train them with dog biscuits. Cats will do it out of love.”

“Don’t cats need to be trained too?” I ask.

Dusty snorted a laugh, “Everyone knows that you don’t train cats. They train you.”

I opened my mouth to object, but Dusty cut me off. “Think about it. If a cat accidentally wanders into your house, what do you do?”

My first response was, “You run out and buy cat food and kitty litter.”

“Exactly,” she said gleefully. “Cats are so precious that no one even thinks of turning them away.”

Finally, I smiled at her. “You got me on that one.”

Her expression turned happy. “Don’t feel bad. I’ve been doing this for a long time. By the way, my dad is Celt, I don’t know if you met him? Big man with an Irish accent.”

“I think I did, though I couldn’t understand him,” I admitted. I was okay with American accents, but one of the brothers sounded like he was speaking another language.

“Don’t worry, I reckon half the people in town have trouble understanding my dad,” she responded with a laugh.

My eyes went to the corridor, I must have looked anxious because Dusty said, “I hear Mace is getting patched in today. Is he excited?”

“I would have to say yes, he is. He seems to be all about his tribe, family, and club.”

Nine put his huge paw on my arm and I held up my hand to his paw, surprised that it was almost the same size. “And his favorite wolfdog. How could I have forgotten such a good boy.”

Dusty laughed at my absurd interaction with Nine. “I’ll let you off the hook because I can see you really are a dog person.”

Brenda added, “And her dog could probably fit your cat into his mouth at once.”

Rosie laughed, but Dusty made a disgruntled sound and walked off in a huff.

Brenda said, “Woops. Guess I should go and apologize. I don’t want Celt on my ass, much less Gracie.”

When she raced off after Dusty, I turned to Rosie, “Gracie’s her mom?”

Rosie nodded and poured me another juice. She poured a measure of vodka in it and slid it across the counter to me. When I glanced at the clock, she just shrugged. “It’s eleven o’clock somewhere in the world right now.”

I took a sip, and it was sweet enough to curl my toes. I swallowed and told Rosie, “Best drink ever.”

She grinned, “Why thank you, ma’am. Now, tell me a little about yourself. Are you really with Mace? You’re both look pretty young.”

“I just turned twenty-one and I think he’s around twenty-five.”

“You two are just babes in the woods,” she responded with an indulgent smile.

“I suppose we are, especially me. I’m coming out of my shell though. Mace took me canoeing, and for a ride on the back of his bike. I grew up on my father’s farm in Mexico and didn’t get to do many fun things, so I’m really excited to be experiencing new things now I’m in America.”

“Mace will be fun companion for you. He’s into all kinds of neat stuff. His whole family is really nice.”

“Yeah, I talked to them on a video call. It was a bit awkward at first. I kind of suggested I thought Mace might be a serial killer.”

Rosie grinned like the Cheshire cat. “Oh wow. I bet that went down well with Ruby! I’ve known his grandmother since I was in high school. She used to be one of my teachers.”

“Let me guess, she was the strict one.”

Rosie nodded, “But she was also the most understanding. She really took time to listen to and understand where we were coming from.

“Well, when I talked to her, she seemed quite feisty.”

“Yeah, she’s gotten a little quirkier as she’s aged. I still like her though. When we have our annual bake sale, she makes piles of frybread. The kids can’t get enough of that stuff.”

I opened my mouth to tell her that Mace made that too, but she cut me off to explain what it’s like.

“Usual frybread is thick and chewy, but Mace’s grandmother’s is much thinner, almost like tortilla chips. Mostly she salts them but sometimes she sprinkles cinnamon and sugar on the top.”

“That actually sounds amazing. I’d love to try the cinnamon ones sometime.”

Rosie and I talked as the clubhouse filled up with women. I learned that they were called old ladies. It’s what they called women who were married to, or in long term relationships with the brothers. Most of them wore what they referred to as property cuts. I was fascinated by the black leather vests that said property of whichever brother they’re with. I didn’t typically think of myself as property, but it seemed like it was all in good fun. Much like the men had a brotherhood, the women associated with this club had a sisterhood. It made me a little envious as it was something I had never experienced before—only being surrounded by my father and his men.

It took me a minute to realize they were decorating and putting out a massive amount of food for a party to celebrate Mace being patched in as a full member. It was really sweet how they all got together and made something special for each man when it was his turn to join the brotherhood. I really liked everything about this club.

I was even starting to wonder if they really were outlaws. I didn’t see anything untoward going on with these people. Nothing suspicious, like with my father and his men. I didn’t even get a whiff of anything shady. I kept my fingers crossed that everything went off without a hitch for Mace on his special day.

As the women were finishing up, the door to the back room flew open and all the brothers came spilling out, including Mace. And he was proudly wearing his new leather vest. Rosie pointed out that it had what was called a bottom rocker. It meant he was now an official member of the Dark Slayers MC, and I was so happy and proud for him—not because I had any personal affinity for motorcycle clubs, but because it meant so much to him and I wanted to see him happy.

He came to me immediately to show off his new vest. He wasn’t obvious about it, but I could tell he was proud. We stayed for a couple of hours, mixed, mingled, and knocked back a few drinks before we dialed back the drinking, so we weren’t throwing up on each other for the rest of the night.

I wasn’t much of a drinker, and I could tell that Mace wasn’t either. I delighted in each new thing I learned about this man. If I was being honest, he was making it past my defenses a little more each day. I didn’t know if he was after friendship or romance, but I was all about living in the moment until my father or the US Marshall’s service caught up with me and ruined all my fun.

If my handler decided I didn’t do enough to earn my protection, he was gonna throw me to the wolves and make me fend for myself. Best I could hope for was being deported back to Mexico, and the worst? I’d end up in some godforsaken detention center. If my father caught up with me, it was either going to be shotgun wedding time or lights out entirely for me. Neither of those scenarios really worked for me.

Therefore, I laughed and danced and made merry with the man of my dreams. Or he would be the man of my dreams if I were bold enough to dream of such things, and if I was certain enough of my future to believe that I really had one. And when the night came to a close, we staggered upstairs where I expected to have a private room.

I was still a little bit lightheaded from one too many glasses of wine, when I realized the room he took me to only had one bed. Mace had been drinking as well. He brought one finger to his lips as if to say if we don’t tell anyone, they won’t know. Although, he was not wrong about that, I wasn’t ready to lose my virginity to a hot biker on his special day. I stood beside the bed watching as he took off his boots and shirt. I was about to put it to him straight about the sleeping arrangements, when I saw what he was doing. He picked up a bunch of pillows from the sofa and built a little pillow fort down the middle of the bed.

His voice was a bit slurred as he said, “Sorry it’s not a five-star hotel. A lot of the brothers are staying tonight so we gotta share.”

Seeing that sweet gesture made me think why the hell not?

“Fine,” I told him. “But no touching.” Pressing one finger to his naked chest, I repeated my warning one last time. “You keep your hands to yourself, Mister. Got it?”

He raised two fingers like a boy scout and fell onto his side of the bed still wearing his jeans. I couldn’t help but smile because Mace seems like he might just be the most harmless biker in this entire club. I took off my bra but left the rest of my clothing on and climbed onto my side. Reaching over I turned off the beside lamp, feeling amazingly relaxed about sharing a bed with this hot biker that I was crushing pretty hard on.

At some point Nine jumped up onto the bed and slept at our feet, which I have to say made the tiny bed even more crowded. I didn’t remember him following us into the room, but he sure felt comfortable making himself at home. I wasn’t going to begrudge the wolfdog his comfort, and I snuggled down underneath the blanket, feeling more at home at the Slayers clubhouse than I ever thought possible.