Found in Understanding: Refuge Series Book Three by Debbie Zello (21)

Chapter Twenty-One

I slept late Sunday, which was a real treat for me. With five weeks left of classes and then finals I needed all the rest I could get. My work hours didn’t allow for late night studying, so I crammed all I could into my daytime. Sleeping late was rarely an option.

It was Wednesday before I caught up with Crystal. I told her all about my date with Understanding. Everything except for his unusual name that was so similar to mine. Having that in common delighted me. Like a secret, I could keep for the both of us.

Thursday morning, I left work for my usual walk to class. I was listening to one of my books on tape when the red Harley pulled up in front of me a few parking spaces away. It was the first time I got a good look at the back of his jacket. In bold red letters it read, ‘Hells Gate Keeper.’

Smiling widely, I walked up to Trigger. “Good morning gate keeper.”

“You like that, don’t you? A little intrigue early in the morning. You look beautiful today…every day,” he said, sliding his leg over the seat to stand.

“And you are charming today…every day. Thank you,” I parroted his sentiment.

“Are you having a good week so far?”

“I am, how about yours?”

“It’s improved tenfold just now. I was hoping that you might give me your number. I’d like to be able to talk to you during the week for a few minutes,” he said, taking out his wallet and searching through it. “Here’s my card with all of my numbers on it.” I took the card. It was cleverly worded. “We are very Understanding and you Matter to us.” I scribbled my number on a scrap of paper and handed it to him.

“I’m not much of a conversationalist on the phone. I didn’t have a phone until I left home for college. I wasn’t raised with one in my ear all day,” I said.

“That’s not a big surprise. I have a feeling we were raised very similarly. Be kind to the Earth and its inhabitants, right?”

“Right! I have to get going,” I said, pointing down the sidewalk.

“Are we still on for Saturday? It’s going to be warm and sunny. A perfect day for a short ride.”

“Okay. Can I meet the other gate keepers?”

“I don’t think that’s a good idea. They’re crude, rude and always in the mood. They’re a lot to take in, especially in numbers,” he said frowning.

“I would like to meet your friends. I don’t have a problem with bikers. I find them interesting.”

“We’ll see on Saturday. I’ll pick you up around eleven. Is that good for you?”

“Yes. It will give me some time to do homework before we leave. See you then,” I said waving as I walked.

“Bye, Firelight. Have a good day!” he called after me.

Saturday morning, I was waiting again for Trigger in the TV room. I love to listen to the conversations about what everyone did on Friday night. Most of my dorm mates spent Fridays in the bars trying to forget the week. I spent Friday nights in my room trying to remember the week so I could study what I learned during it. Different strokes for different folks, as my mom used to say.

I heard the deep reverberation of his voice behind me saying, “Thanks, I see her.” I turned toward the pleasant sound and there he was. He had his leathers on and he looked edgy in them.

“Everything okay? You look anxious.”

“You want to meet the clubbers and that has me on edge. I’m worried they’ll taint your opinion of me. You are familiar with the phrase ‘guilty by association?’ I don’t want to be painted with the same brush as them. Don’t get me wrong, we would defend each other to the death. They’re all like brothers to me. But they have an ‘I don’t give a shit attitude,’” he explained.

“You think I can’t handle them? I might surprise you,” I said, walking towards his bike.

“When we get there, stay with me and don’t wander off alone. A woman alone becomes fair game. You’re mine and I don’t share what’s mine. It’s not possession, Neomi, it’s survival. Are you sure you want to go?” he said with his fingers on my cheek.

“I want to go,” I said holding his hand on my cheek. His sharp intake of air told me he was resigned to taking me.

He nodded a few times and then swung his leg over the seat. He righted the bike and said, “Get on and hold tight.” I got on behind him and snaked my arms around his waist. The sissy bar that used to be on the bike had been removed, so I clung to him tightly. He patted my hands first and then my leg as I straddled him. I got a good whiff of the leather jacket and whatever cologne he wore. It was something musky and incredibly delicious.

He started the bike and it was loud enough to wake the dead. I love the sound of Harleys. It’s like no other bike made.

He was right about the weather. It was a sunny, warm day, perfect for a ride. New Haven is a very old New England town, settled in the 1600s just a few years after the Pilgrims landed in Massachusetts. It has hundreds of tree-lined streets, unfortunately many of which are one-way.

It took us about twenty minutes to get to his club. We rode down a long driveway to a brick building with a sign that read ‘HGK.’ It looked much like the Skull and Bones frat house at Yale except for the huge six-car garage behind it. I wondered if that was what these guys were…overgrown frat-boys at heart.

He pulled the bike up next to several others parked in front of the building. He put out the kickstand and I got off allowing him to swing his leg over the seat. He turned towards me and pulled me into his arms. “Having you behind me is torture, Neomi. I want to hold you,” he said kissing me sweetly.

“You’re the one that wanted to go for a ride, remember?”

“And I still do. This is just a quick stop to cure your curiosity. We’re not staying long, okay?”

“Why are you so nervous? Do I embarrass you?”

“God no! They’re going to want you. We have women that hang around here, all the time. Some of them think they are the girlfriends of one of the members. The members don’t usually bring their real girlfriends or wives here. That’s why I don’t want you to wonder off,” he explained.

I could see the seriousness in his eyes. I smiled. “I’ll hold your hand the whole time. How’s that?”

“That will be fine. Let’s get this over with,” he said walking towards the door. He opened the door and we walked into a large room with a TV and several couches and chairs. There were some ten or so doors on each side of the room all closed and all with different names on them. I spotted the one that read ‘Trigger.’

Behind the furniture was a kitchen with a large table surrounded with roughly fifteen chairs. Three men were at the table eating. “Trigger! Where the hell have you been?” the largest of the men said.

“Around. Busy,” Trigger, responded.

“Looks like you’ve been chasing a kitty. Does she purr or scratch?” the blonde with a long beard said.

“Both, so mind your manners, Snake. This is Neomi. Neomi, this is Snake, Ray and Geronimo,” Trigger said, pointing to each as he said their names.

“You’re a pretty one, Neomi. Is she for the club?” Geronimo said, glaring at me.

“Absolutely not! She’s mine…alone. She wanted to see the club and meet you assholes. I have no idea why, but she did.”

“She’s probably tired of your little dick and wanted to have a real man,” Snake said, grinning at me.

“You’re wrong about that Snake. Trigger is more than capable of keeping any woman happy. In fact, I’m sure of it seeing what you might have to offer,” I said, glaring back at him. I looked up at Trigger and he smiled.

“Have you seen enough?” he said pulling me close.

“I’ve seen enough, thank you.” We turned and walked out without saying a word of good-bye. We got to his bike before he turned to me and kissed me hard. “You were right again,” I said, breathless from the kiss.

“If you saw them on the street, they wouldn’t be such Neanderthals. But something about being here and they think they have the right to treat women as objects for their pleasure. Unfortunately, in the past I was guilty of that, too,” he said, with a sad look on his face. He got on his bike and I slid in behind him, wrapping my arms around his waist. He grabbed my legs and drew me closer.

I wanted to tell him about how I felt in the month of April. That I allowed myself to make foolish decisions then. That going to his club was one of those decisions and not to feel badly about it. Anything that happens in April is forgivable as well as forgettable. But I didn’t.

We went for a long ride through the back streets and alleyways of New Haven and its suburbs. He took me up East Rock and we looked out over the city. He kissed me there and it was the first time his hand slid on to my butt. He squeezed me and kept me tightly against him. I realized then that this wasn’t going to be casual dating. Much like Royce, it would be a relationship. I was going to fall in love with him. That worried me because I didn’t have a very good track record with love.