ChapterNine
Halloween Night
I’d spent the last few days doing my best to avoid any conversation involving me and the four men I was drawn to more and more as time passed. Surprisingly, or maybe not so much considering who she was, Aunt Flo didn’t have a problem with their proposal. When I listed the cons men generally had, she blew most of them right out of the water. And I had to admit, she wasn’t wrong.
They all picked up after themselves as far as I could tell, had good hygiene, were able and willing to fix just about anything, and they were protective as all get out. Especially regarding Opal who already loved her dads and uncles to pieces. Hence the escort for trick-or-treating being a deadly quad of bikers. It was the first time Lochlan and Gus would be in public with me and Opal in such a blatant manner, and I fully expected to have a dozen questions about it, something I’d likely have to get used to if I decided to pursue a relationship with all of them. Though that might have been more of a foregone conclusion after Jesse marked me.
Which brought up the subject of Josh, who I’d pinned down this morning. He had admitted he might have suggested that we were an item when he saw the interest the guys held for me. That discussion led to an argument that didn’t end well, and I wasn’t sure if he even still considered us friends after I gently but firmly put him in that category.
My heartfelt sigh as I loaded Opal up in the sidecar on the trike I’d bought just for the occasions she could come along was loud enough for her to pick up on.
“Why my mama sad?” She peered up at me with those eyes that looked so much like her daddies’, then I was sighing for a whole different reason. One that I used as I strapped on her little helmet that matched mine.
“I was just thinking of all the boys your dads and uncles are going to scare and run off when you’re older.”
“What about girls?”
I just shook my head at her question and changed the subject, going over our safety protocol again. There was no way I was going to try to explain to a two-year-old that her daddies would be after the boys to keep them from defiling or knocking up their little girl, so they’d probably whole-heartedly welcome a girlfriend instead.
Speaking of daddies, they tooled up on their choppers with Jesse and Coot right behind them. It took less than two minutes for Lochlan to bring up the safety of the sidecar.
“We’re fine, Loch, I promise. We don’t take her out in the middle of a group or at the end of one in case anything happens, so she wouldn’t be in a pile-up. Plus, the speed limit on the frontage road into town is thirty-five, and the deer tend to run away from the noise of motorcycles, not toward them.” Right about then, Aunt Flo pulled up, ready to lead the way, effectively putting an end to the discussion when Coot noticed her license plate.
“Does that say what I think it does?” he murmured to Lochlan, who followed his line of sight. I grinned at the raised eyebrows. I always got a kick out of people's reactions, and so did Aunt Flo for that matter.
A few minutes later, after we made sure we had everything, Opal and I pulled out behind my aunt’s shiny red roadster with its vanity plate reading ‘The Rag,’ heading into town for what would surely be an interesting night of candy collecting.
* * *
The guys were helping Opal separate the loot as my aunt and I watched on in amusement. Turned out, Jesse had a massive sweet tooth for hard candy and kept getting on the wrong end of a toddler every time he tried to talk her into letting him have a piece. As contrary as the other women in her family, she only gave one up when he quit asking. At first, the others gave him shit, but when they saw how serious both him and Opal were about the exchange, I think we all realized they’d bonded a bit more. Without hesitation, my daughter climbed into Jesse’s lap and held out the wrapped sweet for him to take.
Some uncomfortable throat clearing came from the others, drawing my eye to the men that were studiously trying to stay tough in the face of such adorableness. Heart filled with joy, I watched on while Gus and Loch got to share one of their first moments that I’d been fortunate to have the whole of her life.
As I was trying not to get sappy, the doorbell rang, causing a trickle of trepidation to slither down my spine. No one would be coming over this late without calling, not unless it were an emergency. Or worse. Club life was fairly tame out here, but violence wasn’t completely out of the norm, and when you brought in the kind of money required of a Lipstick and Leather chapter, it drew all kinds of people in. Some great, then others quite the opposite.
I’d barely shared a look with Aunt Flo, who put herself between Opal and the doorway, when Gus and Lochlan picked up on our unease and headed in opposite directions—one for the front door and one for the back. With a jerk of Jesse’s head, Coot took up the place next to my aunt, leaving both her and me staring in shock at the overkill. The doorbell went off again before a hard knocking sounded, prompting me to move from my place.
“You know, you guys are all sweet and shit, then you do something like this to remind me you’re not at all harmless.” My muttering was met with shrugs by both men and an askance glance from my aunt. Apparently, she didn’t agree with my assessment, and I was fairly certain it was the first part that she disagreed with. Calling out ahead of myself before Lochlan scared the snot out of someone, I stalked in his direction. I was cautious, concerned about who was at the door, but these men were downright paranoid.
The instant I saw who Loch was talking to, anxiety filled me. There was no good reason for Josh to be standing in my doorway. Either something was very wrong, or he’d stopped by for a social call at an altogether inappropriate time. Since he was wearing his uniform, I braced for bad news, but I never dreamed he’d deliver the bombshell he did.
He looked past Lochlan, making eye contact with me as I neared, and my heart sank at the regret I saw there. “Sevey, I’m sorry to come by so late, but I need you to come downtown with me.” He swallowed before finishing, giving my heart enough time to start racing. “Doc was found a few hours ago at the pullout on River Road. You’re listed as his emergency contact…” I thought it couldn’t get worse, but it did. “I need you to come down to the morgue and identify his body.”
The first emotion hit like a knife to the chest. One of my friends and club members was dead. Then the numb-laced anger started to creep in as I operated on autopilot and told Josh I’d be there as soon as I could be. I missed what happened after that; Gus was suddenly there to guide me back to my family while Lochlan finished up with Josh.
Trying my best to keep my composure, I quietly shared what I knew with my aunt who blanched at the news. She and Doc had hooked up a few times over the years. They were the definition of friends with benefits. I hadn’t known he’d listed me as next of kin, but I did know he didn’t have any family. He’d come along with Aunt Flo well before we’d decided to petition and join with a larger club, handling double duty as both our chaplain and tail gunner. He was sort of the male version of Aunt Flo, and I knew it was going to be a hard blow for the club, her in particular.
“I’m so sorry,” I whispered as I pulled her into a hug. I felt her nod, then her shoulders began to shake as my neck became wet. Opal, never one to let her great-aunt or her mama be upset even if she didn’t understand why, wormed her way between us until we picked her up and cradled her between us.
At that point, I think the men hovering in the background got just how close of a unit the three of us really were. And then they stepped up to help us navigate the loss of a friend and club member without trying to take over.