Saylor Chapter 12

The past week has been a crazy one for me in more than one way. First was the whole news about Bosch and his escape from Leavenworth. It had hit me hard, although Player's confession and talk with me helped put it out of my mind for a bit. Or at least that night. After kissing him and agreeing to give us a chance, he insisted he was staying with me. He wouldn't leave me alone, even though I had Freya and the compound was protected by the wall, Outlaw's cameras and God knows what else. He excused himself later after making Diego come and stand guard outside while he ran back to the clubhouse to get some of his stuff and more guns. I assured him I had enough guns, but he wanted his.

He'd spent every night since with me. He stayed in the guest room, and I stayed in the master bedroom, but we spent as much time as possible together. That was the wonderful part. The bad part was not finding Bosch, although Outlaw and several others were still working on it. Outlaw did find out how he escaped Leavenworth. Remembering him telling us at the clubhouse the following night came to mind.

"Tell us. How did the bastard escape federal custody on a damn military installation?" Player snapped. He'd been steadily growing more pissed about it since finding out last night about Bosch. I put my hand on his arm. He laced his fingers from his other hand through mine and raised them to his lips to place a kiss on each one.

"It's not Outlaw's fault," I reminded him softly.

He sighed. "I know. Outlaw, I'm sorry. I'm not angry at you. I'm pissed at them for letting this happen in the first place. If it's that easy to escape, why don't we hear about them happening all the time? Or do they just cover them up?"

"It's not common. However, Bosch found a way, and I'm pretty sure in order to do it, he had help from more than one person. Here's what I found so far. He complained of chest pain. He was taken to the infirmary in the prison. While there, his heart rate spiked, and his blood pressure dropped. He was having difficulty breathing. They were concerned he might be having a heart attack. They had no means of putting him on life support or performing a complicated surgery. Then he began complaining of severe stomach pain on top of the chest pain. He was vomiting.

"At that point, they made the decision to rush him to the main hospital on the base. They have a secured unit to care for the inmates, so he was taken there under guard. While they were working him up to determine what was wrong with him in order to decide what kind of treatment or surgery he might require, his guards left him shackled to the bed to help an orderly with another inmate who was acting out and fighting and in general beating the hell out of staff.

"When the guards got back, Bosch was gone. The handcuffs were still secured to the rail of the bed. They shut down the hospital and called the guards at the gates to search all vehicles leaving the base. He wasn't found. From there, they conducted a base-wide sweep and nothing. No one knows how he got out. The security cameras at the hospital were on the fritz. Imagine that. To do this, he had help, and they were good. They had at least one IT person helping him."

This made Player swear and slam his fist on the table. I understood his frustration. I felt it, too, but we had to keep our cool. "Outlaw, did you find out if they have any ideas of possible accomplices? What about the staff who worked at the hospital? The guards?"

"They did question them. Supposedly, they all checked out. Some of the hospital staff were dependent spouses of servicemen and women on the base. Others were active-duty personnel and a few regular civilians from the surrounding area who worked on the base. They felt they were innocent. I'm not so sure. I've got their names, especially those working that unit and the guards. I'm digging into them further."

"What about those outside of the base? Is there anyone he might go to who would help him? Family? An old girlfriend or wife?" Player asked.

"He didn't have a girlfriend or wife that I knew of at the time of his arrest. If he had a family, they stayed away from the court-martial," I told them.

"Saylor is right. His last girlfriend before it went to hell for him was a year prior. He has never been married. As for family, he has a father and some cousins. None of them claim to have any contact with him. They didn't write to him in prison or vice versa, nor did they come to visit on visitation days. I found notes that the military has eyes on them just in case he shows up," Outlaw added.

"Shit! What about the people he served with? Would any of them help? Are they sure they got everyone he was in bed with selling those weapons?" This was Player's next question. I answered this one.

"There's always a chance we didn't find them all. I was as thorough as I could be on my end. Who knows who was possibly back in the States helping him or even over there on the other side? They were never arrested or imprisoned, of course. There's even the chance some of the other men and women serving with us had something to do with it. When they took him down, between my work and the Corps' investigation after I turned my evidence over, they found and prosecuted fifteen others. I can't positively say that we got them all."

"Babe, no one is blaming you if anyone was missed. Christ, you were blown up, shot, and still doing your job from your hospital bed," Player grumbled.

"I tried, but I was in so much pain and reeling. The JAG investigators came and talked to me a couple of times, but I was drugged up part of the time. Maybe I didn't tell them everything they needed to know," I fretted.

That had put an end to the discussion. Player whisked me out of there not long afterward and took me back to the house, where he lectured me for doubting myself, then kissed me until I was boneless and in a whole different frame of mind.

Today, he was supposed to be at work, and I was to go to the VA. He had tried to get me to stay on the compound, but I couldn't. No matter what was happening with Bosch, I had a job and an obligation to those I helped. Sure, the VA would likely understand if I called off. However, I refused to lie and say I was sick when I wasn't. And I refused to cower behind the walls of the compound. Those men and women deserved my time.

When he couldn't talk me into calling off, he arranged for me to have an escort, and he was part of it. I told him it didn't need to be a huge one. Did he listen? Well, according to him, it wasn't huge. To me, having six of them with me, not including him, was too much. What I found interesting was that other than Player, the others had all served in the military. I wondered if it was what had those particular guys coming with us. I had an escort composed of Bull, Bear, Payne, Demon, Maverick, and Slash. Demon, Bull, and Ace had returned with their families the day before from Dublin Falls.

I had to take them to the main office, and they presented their IDs and such to get authorization to enter. When I got to the area where we would hold my session, I introduced them to Dr. Pamplin. He'd been a captain in the military until he got out a few years ago. He still wanted to serve the men and women who defended our country, so he worked for the VA. He was a psychiatrist. Due to the nature of my talks with those who came here, most were seen by medical doctors and mental health providers. I'd had my share of talks with them myself. Player told me not to worry about explaining why they were with me. It was Bull who would explain it. After I made introductions, he got to it.

"Dr. Pamplin, I know you must be wondering why a bunch of bikers are invading your building. No worries, we're here for a lot of reasons. One is that all of us, with the exception of Player, have served in one of the branches. Most of us have never really gotten much care here at the VA, but we've been convinced what an error that is by Saylor. She's Player's woman and has been educating us on what is available as well as what she does here. We want to learn and to help. Our club does a variety of fundraising. We'd like to do one for the veterans. This will help us determine exactly what we want to do and what help is needed. We have another chapter in Dublin Falls that would participate, as well as two other Warriors' chapters in Kentucky and North Carolina, and then friends in other clubs in Tennessee, Virginia, Georgia, North Carolina, and Florida. Oh, and a group of prior military men and women in Virginia who aren't in an MC, but we don't hold it against them," he said with a grin.

Dr. Pamplin laughed. I liked him the most out of the doctors I worked with. He was easygoing, and he knew how to have fun. A lot of people avoided psychiatrists. I understood why they would, but he made people feel safe. While I thought most of the medical and psych doctors were here because they wanted to help, there were a few you knew it was just a paycheck for them. They didn't care if they helped the vets or not. I tried to avoid those ones if I could. It wasn't always possible.

"Bull, it's great to meet you. Any friends of Saylor are always welcome. Being vets yourselves is even better. I take it you want a tour and then to sit in on Saylor's session. Be aware the ones who attend may not be very talkative in front of those they don't know. Maybe if you introduce yourselves and tell them a bit about yourselves and what you did in the military, it might help. Most of them are dealing with life-altering changes, like Saylor has. They get inspired when they see how she's handling everything thrown at her. Today, most of the expected attendees are repeat ones, but there are a few newbies if they show up. If I can answer any questions, please ask. I love the idea of a fundraiser. Oh, and don't be surprised if I ask questions about being in a motorcycle club. I'm fascinated." He grinned as he said the last bit.

All the guys shook his hand again and promised they'd answer whatever they could. Dr. Pamplin excused himself to go see a patient. He seemed reluctant to go. I decided to take them on a tour first. I made sure to take our time since we had plenty of time before my meeting. I liked to come early, make rounds, maybe stop and talk to the patients in the hospital, and then move over to the building where the counseling and education sessions were held.

The guys told me they were getting a lot of looks. Some were curious, others surprised or wary. I knew they had to be getting looks of appreciation from a lot of the ladies and some men who either worked there or were vets, even though the guys didn't mention that. I tugged on Player's arm and gestured for him to lower his head. I felt his face brush my lips. I had to resist running my fingers in his short beard. It was softer than I expected, and I found I enjoyed doing it.

"What's up, Juno?" he asked softly. The others were busy talking to a couple of elderly vets.

"How're you guys holding up with all the flirty and come-hither looks you're getting from the ladies and a few men around here?" I asked as I grinned.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Don't lie. I may be blind, but I'm not stupid. There's no way all of you men covered in tattoos and muscles, dressed the way you are, plus being so good-looking in general, aren't getting attention."

"How do you know what we look like?"

"I asked the old ladies to describe you guys, and I've felt your muscles. The rest I have to picture."

"Does mapping out faces with your hands help you to ‘see' us?"

"In my case, yes, it does. It's not true of everyone who's blind."

"Well, Juno, why didn't you ask to feel mine? I know the others wouldn't mind it."

"I was going to the other night, but then I got distracted by some man kissing the hell out of me, and I forgot," I confessed. His kisses made me forget everything else. Hell, I was lucky if I knew my name when he was done with me.

"Guys, Saylor and I need to excuse ourselves for a few minutes. We'll be back," he said suddenly. There were some chuckles. I fought not to blush. I knew what they were thinking, but no way I would have sex here.

"Behave yourselves," Payne teased.

I frowned in his direction. He laughed at me. I gave Freya her command. She knew where to take me based on our years here and what I meant when I said office. Letting her lead the way, she took us to the small office I was allowed to use when I came here. I slipped inside. I was relieved to find it empty. I wasn't the only one who used it, although I was the main one. I heard the click of the lock.

"Brooks, I don't think we need to lock the door for this."

"How do you know? Maybe you'll be so overcome with desire after you see what I look like you'll attack me and steal my virtue," he teased.

"Oh, really, so you think you're some innocent virgin in a historical romance, and I'm the villain trying to steal your virtue? Wow, I think we should turn that around. Or maybe I shouldn't see you if that's what it'll do to me. Hmm," I offered back as I furrowed my forehead and pretended to be thinking about it.

I burst out laughing as I was snagged around the waist and lifted off the ground. I was moved backward then my ass was placed on the desk. He purred in my ear, I swear. It made me shiver. His hands slid up my ribs and paused right below my boobs. I wanted him to keep going, but this wasn't the time or place.

"Nope. There's no changing your mind. I want you to look at me. You should know what your man looks like. God knows I love knowing how beautiful my woman is."

"You say the sweetest things, but I think you need your eyes checked, Brooks."

His beard grazed my cheek. "No, I don't. I have perfect vision. You're gorgeous, and don't ever tell me any different. Now, look at your man," he insisted.

I reached out and found his arms. I pushed him to put enough space between us. Raising my hands, I found the top of his head. He was bending over for me. Running my hands over his head, I found the sides were cut short, almost to the scalp. The top was slightly longer, and the highest point was in the middle. He had it slightly spiked. I knew from the ladies that his hair, beard, and mustache were dark brown. His eyes were brown with amber flecks. This helped me form the beginning of a picture.

I ran my hands down to feel his beard and mustache. I'd had my hands on most of it before, but I still took time to feel the whole thing. He kept it short. His jaw underneath was square and well-formed. No weak chin on him. From there, I traced his lips. Those lips made me forget my name and made me want never to stop kissing him. They were full. I dragged my fingers back and forth over them a few times before tearing myself away to move up.

His nose was straight. It felt masculine if that made sense, and I knew it would fit his face perfectly. Next, I ran my thumbs up his cheekbones to his temples, then circled his brow and ended up running across his eyelids and underneath his eyes. His lashes were long and full, along with his thick eyebrows. Based on this and the physical description from the old ladies, I could imagine what his eyes were like.

The last thing was to run my fingers across his forehead and down to trace his ears. They were well-formed and fit the overall image I'd built in my mind. The women were right. He was a lady killer. No wonder he'd been called Player and had so many women chasing him.

"So what do you think? Will I do?" he asked.

"Brooks, you know you will. You're just, wow. That face and then add it to what your body must be like. How do you walk around without getting mobbed?" I asked, only half teasing.

"Baby, thank you, but how do you not get mobbed? You put me to shame. However, I won't object if you want to check out some of the rest of me. You know, to help you form an accurate impression." His hands landed on top of mine. He brought them to his shoulders.

"We shouldn't."

"Ah, live dangerously. Do it. Tell me if the rest of me matches my face."

Saying the hell with being good, I did as he urged. I ran my hands the breadth of his shoulders. Christ, they seemed to go on forever. He was broad. As I ran my hands down his arms, I could feel the bulging muscles. They were huge. Even when I wasn't blind, a man's arms were one of my weaknesses. I loved what I called arm porn, which was muscular arms, and if they had tattoos, that was even better. I knew he had those, too. My mouth almost watered. His hands, which I'd felt many times, were large, strong, and slightly roughened. I imagined what they'd feel like against the naked skin of my breasts and other private areas. That made my nipples stiffen, and my pussy began to throb. Whoops, it was time to move on.

From there, I went back up to his shoulders and then ran my hands over his chest. Damn, it was broad, too, with prominent pecs, and it tapered down to a slimmer middle and washboard abs. I felt the distinct definition of his abs through his shirt. When I reached his belt, I stopped.

"You have no idea how sexy that was or how much you turned me on. I know we've got to stop, but when we get home, I'll let you finish feeling, I mean, seeing the rest of me. If you'll allow me, I'd love to feel what your body is like. What I can see with my eyes makes me hard. I may just die when I get to feel and see what's underneath your clothes, Juno," he said hoarsely.

Knowing I should leave it alone, I wasn't able to resist. I slipped my hand down to the front of his jeans. I cupped and then gently squeezed the big lump there. He groaned.

"Christ, Saylor, don't, baby. If you do that, I may blow. I'm so turned on by you touching me that I'm having to fight not to strip you bare and take you on this desk. Even if you would say yes, I don't want our first time to be here. I need a bed and time. Maybe one day I'll visit you at work and take you on or over this desk. Hell, even a wall would do."

My whole body flushed hot at the idea. I whimpered as I reluctantly lowered my hand from his erection. I craned my neck. He knew what I wanted. He lowered his head more and captured my mouth. We mutually kissed the hell out of each other before I tore our mouths apart. We were breathing hard.

"God, we have to get out of here, Brooks, before I tell you to fuck me on this desk. Help me keep my mind on why we're here. Later, at home, we'll talk," I promised.

I knew we'd agreed to get to know each other better, and we had been, but I was dying to be with him. It had been so long since I'd had sex, and my desire for him was out of control. I wanted to fondle and then suck his cock and have him inside of me, pounding hard and deep. I pushed at him so he'd move away. I was burning up.

"I'm holding you to it, Saylor. Later, at home, you and I are gonna talk more," he said gruffly.

All I was able to do was nod my head. It took several minutes to get myself under control. I patted to see if my clothing was in place. He told me I looked great. We left the office hand in hand, with Freya trotting along beside me. The whole time we'd been busy, she hadn't made a sound.

We rejoined the others. They made teasing comments about what had taken us so long. Player told them to cool it. They listened, much to my surprise, although I was grateful. I somehow was able to keep them busy until it was closer to time for my session with my group. According to the sign-up sheet I was given, I was expecting fifteen this time.

We went to the room. I liked to get there early and mentally prepare. I was doing so while the guys were seated off to the side, quietly chatting. I was in the zone, as I called it when it was interrupted by one of the last people I wanted to see today. I had to hold back my groan. I thought he was still on vacation. Damn it.

"Saylor, what is going on around here? I hear people talking all over the building about how you have these hulking bikers with you. They're intimidating the patients and the staff. What in the world?" Noah came storming in and yammering at the top of his voice.

The Warriors got quiet. I was torn. Did I let him run his mouth until one of them, most likely my man, shut it for him, or should I be a good person and attempt to save him? Hmm, I hated this choice because the real me wanted him to learn a lesson. Hell, I wanted to be the one to punch him in the mouth.

He'd been an irritation to me for the past year. That's how long he'd been working here. He was supposed to be some kind of resource person for the vets, but from what I heard, most disliked him and didn't ask him shit. He tended to lecture or talk down to them. I'd reported him a couple of times, but so far, nothing had been done about him. I heard him coming closer. Freya moved to stand between us. She didn't growl at him, but she disliked him, too.

"Noah, I have no idea what you're talking about. I've introduced the guys to a ton of people, and no one has said a word about finding them intimidating. They have permission to be here and a right. If anyone is hesitant, I'll be glad to talk to them. Just give me their names," I said as nicely as possible.

"How would you know if they're intimidated or not? You can't see their faces," he said snarkily.

"Saylor, is there a problem here?" Player asked gruffly. He came to stand next to me. I heard more footsteps.

"This doesn't concern you. This is between me and Saylor. It's a work matter," Noah snapped. I wondered where he got the balls to do it.

"I'm sorry, I was under the impression Saylor's boss was the head of the VA center outreach program. That isn't you," Player said.

"And what makes you say that?"

"First, we've already met Mr. Kendleton, a nice guy. Secondly, even if we hadn't met him, there's no way someone like you is the head of anything. So, you wanna explain why you came in here reprimanding her?" Player's calm voice was bleeding away.

"What does that mean!?" Noah asked, his voice going up an octave.

"Noah, I don't have time to hear you complain about something you know nothing about. My group will be coming in soon. Leave. If anyone is uneasy, they can come to speak to me themselves. You do this every time there are new faces around here. They've done nothing to warrant your censorship."

"They've done nothing? They're a bunch of dangerous bikers who're probably here casing the place to steal drugs or do God knows what. I would think if you care for the patients here the way you say you do, you'd be more careful of the company you keep and bring around here," he said snidely.

I was opening my mouth to put him in his place much harsher, but I should've known my man and his brothers had heard enough. They weren't shy men and had no trouble speaking their minds. It made me happy and, at the same time, made me want to tell them I was capable of handling him. My efforts to be professional and courteous were done.

"I don't know where you get off thinking you know anything about us or our club. It so happens we're here to get an idea of the services provided and the needs of the center for a fundraiser. The one our club is planning to put on. We don't steal, and we sure as hell don't steal or use drugs. As she said, we have permission and a right to be here," Bull informed him. Right on his heels was Player.

"I'd change my attitude from now on when you speak to her, or better yet, don't talk to her at all," Player snapped.

Noah snorted. "Yeah, right, a fundraiser. Why would you have a right to be here?"

"Because all but one of us has served. We have a couple more brothers not here who have as well. We want to know what services are available to us if we need them," Bear told him.

Noah's lack of an immediate comeback told me he didn't know what to say to that. When he finally did say something, he said the wrong thing.

"Who are you to tell me how to speak to her? I'll say whatever I like to Saylor."

A growl came rumbling out of the man at my side. I tried to grab him, but he was too fast. I heard Noah bleat like a sheep, then a thump. I prayed Player hadn't hit him.

"Listen, you little asshole. I don't know what your deal is, but it's obvious you have a problem with Saylor. I don't care why you do. All I care about is her not being exposed to you or your shit. Stay away from her, or else. As for who am I to tell you how to speak to her? I'm Player. I'm her old man. She's my old lady. If you don't know what that means, it means we're married in the biker world. Any and all Warriors will protect and defend her. End of story."

I was thrilled when he called me his old lady. I knew he wanted that, but we hadn't gotten to the point of referring to me as such. There was a choking sound.

"Player, let go of his throat. He's not worth it. He'll go whining to the head of the center. He's a pain in the ass, but believe me, I can handle him." I'd moved over, with help from Freya, and placed my hand on him. It landed on his back.

"Do I have to?" he asked in a slightly pleading tone. I had to work not to laugh. His brothers had no such restraints. They all burst out laughing and called Noah an asshole, tiny dick bastard, dickhead, and more. Player must've let go of him because moments later, I heard the rapid patter of feet moving away. He'd run off.

"If he gets you kicked out, it's your own fault," I told them.

"I doubt we'll be the ones they kick out. That weasel shouldn't work here. Later, you need to fill us in on who he is and what his problem is, but that'll have to wait. Here comes your first attendee," Bull said.

That's when I noted footsteps coming in and hesitating. Forgetting about Noah, I moved forward to greet the person and get whoever it was seated and relaxing. It was time to get to the important part. Noah was a minor inconvenience, after all.