Chapter Fifteen

Kelly

Ismile to myself as I lie in bed beside Talon, the thought of staying in bed with him all day is mighty tempting, but I know it's not possible.

"Although I'd rather stay in bed with you, we need to get ourselves to the police station so I can sign off on that deposition. That's priority number one for me. I feel like if we can knock that off our list then my anxiety level will come down."

Talon grabs his cell phone and pecks out a quick message to someone. Tossing his phone aside, he says, "Smoke is going to meet us at the station later this morning."

Before I can respond we're interrupted by a knock at the door. I wait patiently while he answers it. I still don't have any clothes, other than what I was wearing yesterday. Talon comes back with a tray and what appear to be mimosas from the bar.

Handing me a glass he says, "We have a non-alcoholic option that pairs well with breakfast." I could get used to being catered too by this big sexy biker.

I take a sip and feel my face light up. "This is fantastic, just like you. Do you mind if I ask a question?"

"Ask away," he says with an easy smile.

"How long have you been a member of the Savage Legion?"

His smile drops, and I wonder if I've said something wrong. Instead, he takes a mouthful of his drink and asks, "We've talked enough about me, tell me about yourself. What did you do before you started working at the women's shelter?"

"I spent most of my teens helping my parents take care of my younger brother. When I graduated from high school, I went to night school so I could still care for my brother during the day."

"Come again. It sounds like someone was slaving you out."

"No, it wasn't like that. My parents both had to work hard to keep food on the table and a roof over our heads. I love my brother and didn't mind helping out. It might sound like parentification, but it was necessary for our family to survive."

"You deserve a man who can offer you a nice life."

I tell him, "I'd love to fall in love and settle down with the right guy, I don't know if that's right now or in the future. I believe when you know, you know."

"You asked me earlier, what I was looking for in a woman. How about you? What are you looking for in a man."

Looking him in the eyes, I can't help but notice how they're a warm shade of brown with lighter colored flecks. Snatching up all my courage, state boldly, "I'm pretty much looking for someone just like you. The only drawback is that you're not all that bright."

His eyebrows shoot up. "Just how'd you decide that?"

I grin, "It's clear as day to me, because I've been flirting my ass off with you all morning, and you've not taken me up on it."

He chuckles. "Yeah, you are pretty subtle. You forget, I've been an unhappily married man for the last however many years, my flirting game sucks." Handing me a croissant, he asks, "What are you thinking in terms of first contact?"

"Kissing is always good. That should probably happen before we get down to business."

He raises an eyebrow, "I said my game sucks, not that I'm a one brain-celled neanderthal."

I giggle at that, thinking again that conversation between us seems so easy.

He moves closer and picks up a piece of bacon and holds it up for me to eat, "I like that idea, a lot. Kissing you, that is."

I take a big bite and tell him straight up, "I've been through a trauma but that's not going to stop me from embracing a new opportunity at love."

"We can take things slowly."

"That applies to you as well, I don't want to be your rebound woman." I want to be your forever woman… I kept the other half of that sentence unspoken.

"I've always been trapped in a bad marriage, I just didn't realize it was bad until the last couple of years or so, when I watched all my club brothers slowing finding their true loves. I'm ready for a new adventure in my life."

***

After we were done with breakfast, he sets our tray aside and turns to me, cupping my face with his hands. "Thank you for letting me in. I promise you won't ever regret it."

"I'm drawn to you, Talon. Like a moth to a flame."

Dipping his head, he pauses, right before he gets to my lips. In that brief moment as our lips ache to make contact, I understand for the first time, that meeting Talon in the park that evening was providence. This man is my destiny, and I can feel it all the way down to my bones. Being with him feels right.

When our lips meet, he starts out gentle then I feel the excitement building for him. Swiping his tongue boldly against the seam of my lips, he silently demands entrance. Opening to him feels as natural as being on the back of his motorcycle with my arms wrapped around his waist. A torrent of emotions rip through my mind, each stronger than the one before.

After what feels like forever, he pulls back. He gazes into my eyes as though he can see into my very soul. "Talk to me, darlin'. Tell me what you want from me today."

Chewing my bottom lip, I try to find the words to tell him that I have practically no experience with sex. Some groping and fumbling moves that barely qualify, happened a few times when I was in college but nothing like this. I'm not technically a virgin, but I might as well be.

"That's me asking permission, in case I wasn't clear," he cajoles me.

I'm struggling to formulate my response when he speaks again.

"You can say no." His voice held a note of sincerity that tugged at my heartstrings.

Blushing like crazy, I tell him, "I want it all with you today, Talon. But first I want to sign that damn deposition so I can be assured the cops aren't going to snatch you away from me. And then you can sweep me off my feet, sweet words and everything you have to offer in the romance department."

Pressing his lips together in an attempt not to smile, he deadpans back, "And my thick cock, right?"

"Of course. What woman would take everything else and leave the best part behind."

"I want to lick your pussy so much it hurts. I need it."

I feel the heat of his words rush straight to my clit, and I'm all about ready to give up on my plans for the day. "Well, I'm nothing if not accommodating."

"You want it right here or something more romantic?" He's offering me that romance I asked him for, and I'd be the queen of fools to turn it down.

I cut him off. "Let's get the legal business out of the way, then I'm all yours."

He throws back his head and laughs. "After we're done with that, I'm gonna take you on a romantic ride. Never let it be said that I don't know how to romance a woman." He grabs a bag from the floor that I hadn't noticed earlier. "I had the prospects fetch you something to wear. I hope it meets with your approval."

After a quick shower, I immediately start pulling on the clothing, excited to discover what kind of location he considers romantic.

I slide on the jeans and light sweater, the jeans are a little snug, but the fit is pretty good. The sweater is teal green and looks nice on me. I don't know which prospect is the personal shopper, but they did well. As I'm pulling on the shoes I wore yesterday, I ask, "Where are we going?"

He shoots me a brilliant grin. "Someplace that's really special to me. A place I think you'll like. He grabs a small backpack from his closet and heads downstairs. I scramble to keep up with my shorter legs.

"We're not going after Cooper, are we? I want to get him but I'm not sure I'm quite up to that right now."

He stops dead in his tracks and turns to look at me. "Babe, that is not my idea of romance. Of fucking course not. If I had my way, I wouldn't want you within a thousand miles of the ignorant fuck."

His hand shoots out to a shelf running along the wall near the entrance and he hands me a helmet. I'm shocked when I realize it's brand new and has my name across the back. It says Kelly in a fancy script. My head jerks up and I gape at Talon for a brief moment. "Wow, your prospects have been busy today."

My eyes drift away because they're becoming tearful, and I don't want him to see how emotional I am at his nice gifts. "So we're not going after Cooper?" I don't know why I asked again. Maybe I just needed to hear it twice to be sure.

"No. Locking horns with that asshole is not on our things to do list today. I do want you to know something. I'll never intentionally put you in harm's way. You can count on me to have your back no matter what. Always remember that, darlin'."

God, it's been so long since a man was this nice to me, that I don't know how to react.

"Thank you," I stammer.

Shooting me a heated look, he replies tightly. "I'm not even joking about protecting you from any and everything that might harm you.

Grinning, I respond playfully, "You know how to make a woman fall head over heels in love with you, that's for sure. You make me feel safe and wanted."

"And cherished. If you were mine, I'd spend a lifetime cherishing you."

Tearing up for real, I glance away. "That would be really sweet, Talon. Honestly, it would."

His hand closes over mine, and he leads me out of the clubhouse.

As we walk towards the parking lot, one of his club brothers is coming towards us from the garage and throws a bunch of keys at him. "Fixed her up as good as new."

"Sweet," Talon exclaims.

"What happened?" I was too distracted yesterday to remember much about my rescue, had he crashed?

"Got sideswiped by Cooper, nothing serious but the fender took a beating."

I feel awful that he could have gotten seriously hurt. Seeing my face, he pulls me close and gives me a kiss on the cheek, "Me and my bike have been in worse scrapes. Come on, let's get the cop shop business done, and then I'll romance the life outta you."

We get onto his bike and I'm far less awkward this time because I'm wearing jeans. I've decided that being on the back of Talon's bike is my happy place.

***

It doesn't take us long to get to the police station. When we enter, the few officers milling about stop moving and stare at us. The tension in the air is palpable. It drives home that they see him as the big bad biker. Glancing over at him, I see he has taken up position slightly in front of me with his body bladed to the side, like he's about to start some shit. I know he's not though. This is his protective stance. It just seems menacing because he's a large man with bulging muscles wearing a cut.

Smoke's deep voice sounds off from the doorway. Unlike yesterday when he was wearing leathers, and looking every bit as tough as Talon, this morning he's wearing a suit. "We're looking for Officer Warens. He's expecting us to give a statement related to the Sandra Ellis case."

Everyone seems to relax, and they begin to go back to what they were doing, clearly still wary of Talon. Jesus, you wouldn't think police officers would be quite this jumpy.

A man comes out of one of the offices. He's not wearing a uniform, but he's got a badge and a gun attached to his belt so I guess he must be one of the detectives dealing with the case. He greets us and introduces himself as Officer Warens.

Once we're settled down into a conference room, Officer Warens reads the deposition Smoke sent and asks, "It is an accurate representation of what happened on the night in question?"

I give him a nod and reply firmly, "Yes. They've typed out exactly what I told them."

He proceeds to ask me in-depth questions about that night, mostly the same types of things that Smoke and Serena did, but with a few new questions tagged on for good measure.

Finally, he leans forward and looks me in the eye. Can you tell me with absolute certainty that Daniel Ellis is the man you saw multiple times that night."

I gesture to him with one hand. "He has an extremely unique appearance. Have you seen anyone else you could confuse with this big biker with distinctive tattoos?"

The officer tries not to smile but I can see the muscles at the corners of his mouth are working overtime to make that happen. "I can't say that I have, Ms. Collins."

"Mr. Ellis isn't someone I would likely mistake for another person. I can vouch for the fact that he was nowhere near his home for at least five hours."

Smoke spoke up, "Since it takes about an hour to get from Mr. Ellis' home to the park that means he couldn't have been at his home for a total of seven hours during the night in question. Plus, we have obtained the GPS data from his truck and cell phone confirming that they did not leave the vicinity of the park from three in the afternoon until nine the next morning. Any change of location recorded, corresponds with Mr. Ellis driving along the mountain track where he encountered Ms. Collins after her accident. The fact that he couldn't be physically present should eliminate him from being a suspect in his wife's murder, and Ms. Collins' signed statement should provide him with an alibi."

Officer Warens nods and states flatly, "I agree, unless new evidence calls Ms. Collins account of the events of that night into question you will not be considered a person of interest in this case." He slides the deposition over to me and I sign it. He scribbles his own signature alongside mine.

Smoke clears his throat before asking, "Can you tell us if there are any other suspects under investigation in this case?"

"I think you know better than that, Mr. Drake. We aren't at liberty to discuss an ongoing investigation, particularly with former suspects or their legal team."

"Of course not," Smoke responds mildly. "I wouldn't want to jeopardize the integrity of your case. Mr. Ellis will want to ensure that his wife's killer is caught."

"It's okay. I know Mr. Ellis will want to know what's going on. Although I can't go into the details of the case, I do have a bit of good news for you. The crime lab has released the scene, so Mr. Ellis can return home."

We all stand up and shake hands politely,

"That is good news. Thanks for letting me know," Talon says, though he doesn't look too happy about it. I can understand why, I'm not sure I'd want to return to my home if it had been the site of a brutal killing.

We take our leave, getting more curious looks from the other officers as we pass them by. When we get to the parking lot, I see Smoke's bike is parked beside Talon's. He reaches into the storage compartment and pulls out his leather vest, stuffing his suit jacket in and slamming down the lid. They stop to have a brief conversation.

Talon asks, "Do you really think they have more suspects? Cos to me it looked like they were pinning all their hopes for solving this case on finding proof that I did it."

Smoke shrugs, "Our source on the inside says every lead they had turned out to be a dead end. Sandra's multiple romantic interests were mostly bar rats, and most of them were drinking their lives away in clear view of the public that night. They still haven't tracked down the man she was supposed to meet with the night she died. His profile was newly created, but the IP address led to a coffee shop in San Francisco. The photos he used on his profile were all taken from the internet."

"She was catfished?" Talon says in surprise.

"Can't say for certain," Smoke answers, "But it's looking fishier by the minute."

"So, he's gotta be our guy."

Smoke shakes his head, "He sent her a message at seven that evening cancelling. The cops have ruled him out as a suspect."

"That doesn't make sense, surely they'd want to speak to him anyway?"

Smoke gives him a sympathetic look. "Sorry brother, we can see if Zen has any better luck tracking the guy down, but we might be barking up the wrong tree there." After a thoughtful pause, he asks, "Think back over the last few months before her murder. Did Sandra do or say anything out of the ordinary?"

"Nope. She was just happy go lucky and spending every cent I let her near."

"Did she ever come home looking like she'd been in a fight or accident?"

"Not in the last two years or so."

"What happened a couple of years ago?"

"She had a fender bender, likely because she was driving after having a drink or three. Her car was barely drivable afterward. She looked very much like she hadn't been wearing her seatbelt. She didn't want to make an insurance claim because it might turn into a DUI, so I had to cover all the repairs."

"What was her demeanor like when she came home?"

Looking bewildered Talon answers, "What do you think? She was pissed because her face was bruised, she'd chipped a nail, and it took me three weeks to get her car fixed because I had to order parts. Sandra wasn't the kind of woman who liked being inconvenienced."

"Oh, I remember how she was. Look, you might have to accept that this will turn into a cold case file at some point," Smoke tells him gently.

Talon's anger flares at that. "No, it fucking won't. I'll solve the damn case on my own if I have to. I'm not going to spend the rest of my life with this shitty situation hanging over my head. Even with an alibi, you know how people talk."

"Chill out, brother," Smoke admonishes him. "You're in public where people can see."

I interject, "Smoke's right. When people see you angry in public, they'll let their imagination fill in the blanks as to why."

Talon takes a deep breath. "Any word on Cooper? We've got too many dangerous men in our orbit right now for me breathe easy."

"We lost him, he must have figured out you found him through the cell phone, and he tossed it. But we've got the partial license plate and Zen's good at tracking people electronically. Don't worry, he'll find him. Once he does, you can count on your club brothers to ride with you to deal out a little justice."

Talon seems to calm down a bit. "Alight. I don't know why I'm taking out my frustrations on you of all people, Smoke. You've always been an outstanding brother.

Smoke reaches out and slaps Talon hard on the shoulder. "It's because you know I can take it."

A smile ghosts over Talon's mouth, and he seems to relax a little.

I give his arm a squeeze. "Don't worry, we'll get through this somehow. Look on the bright side, you're not a suspect anymore."

The smile he gives me in return, lights up my world.

Smoke chimes in, "Listen to your new lady friend, Talon. Go somewhere and chill the fuck out. Figure out some way to decompress from this situation before you implode."

I pull him towards his motorcycle. "I've got some ideas on how to work off some of his stress." It's bold, I know, but both men chuckle and in this moment that's enough to make me feel like I helped.

Smoke jumps on his bike and takes off. As Talon helps me on his bike, I ask, "Do you want to make a quick stop by your house and pick up more clothes or make sure they locked the place up after behind themselves?"

His expression goes blank, and he says, "No. I can spoil my day by visiting the scene of my wife's murder anytime. I'm not up for that shit today."

It's clear he's not emotionally capable of dealing with that right now, and that's understandable.

When we are back on the highway, I feel the tension in his shoulders start to lift. I'm holding on tight, feeling his big, warm body pressing up against mine and I rest my head against his back inhaling deeply.

In this moment, I feel safe and at peace here with my protector. I hope I can bring him some comfort too after what he's gone through over the past few weeks.