Falcon
We made the national news. Well, Leo made the national news. There was no mention of the gang of bikers who had taken out all of his men prior to police showing up to make one of the largest drug busts in the nation’s history.
I probably had no business getting out of bed. At least that was what Thomson told me when he helped me from my spot along the wall to one of Nathan’s couches in front of the TV. It was funny when he had to run the other members off, but I couldn’t laugh. My side was hurting too much from where I had been stabbed.
It had been such a pleasant surprise to wake up in one of the spare rooms at Nathan’s house. When I had closed my eyes the last time, I thought it was for the last time. Then, to wake up and find myself surrounded by the people I cared about the most was amazing. I had the MC and my old lady.
Seeing her standing in the living room, so overcome with emotion that she couldn’t even move, I knew there was no use fighting it anymore. That was my woman right there. She was with us instead of sitting at home pining over her lost brother.
“What do I need to do?” she asked Thomson as he helped me to the couch.
“See if there’s anything left from breakfast this morning. Falcon could probably use something to eat and something to drink,” he told her.
“Yeah, food will be good.” My voice was so rough and scratchy, like sandpaper along my throat. I wasn’t really hungry, but my stomach felt hollow. I needed something heavy to keep me grounded.
After she brought some food and something to drink in the room, Thomson made her sit down next to me instead of letting her run around trying to help. I could tell they had bonded while I was sleeping off the previous night. They acted like brother and sister.
It was official. She was in.
Nathan, however, was nowhere to be seen. He was probably hiding out in his bedroom or outside, just being the moody brat he had become since my incarceration. I didn’t have the time or the energy to worry much about him. There was a lot going on in our world, even as we sat back at Nathan’s house to recover from it.
Clementine put her gentle arms around my neck, and I could feel her relaxing as she hugged me. Her body told me everything I needed to know about the last several hours and how it had affected her.
“You don’t have be strong now,” I assured her. “I’m here for that. You just let yourself go for a while, okay? I’m here. I’m okay. Thomson and the rest of the MC will take care of us.”
We kissed. Our lips met tenderly.
I had heard a lot of people say that the first kiss between a couple was really the best kiss, probably the best kiss those two people would ever share. I had to disagree after that tender kiss we shared on Nathan’s couch. That was the best kiss between us. That kiss was easily the best kiss I had ever had.
I winced as I put my hand behind her head and kissed her again. This time our mouths parted and our tongues met like long lost lovers who had been convinced they would never see each other again. That was how we kissed, and it lasted until we were breathing in each other’s breath.
That kiss became our language. We spoke it fluently as of that moment, and we used that language to tell each other so many things we wouldn’t have said otherwise. She told me she wasn’t just there because she didn’t have anywhere else to go. No, she was there because the fear of losing me was more than she could bear, and she had to make sure I was okay. She told me she wasn’t going to leave my side from that moment on, no matter what happened.
And I told her that I loved her with that kiss. I told her she was the reason I didn’t kill her brother, and she was the reason I had even gone after him in the first place. My rivalry with him ended the moment he took her from me, because he took a backseat to her. He faded from my radar, and I gladly gave up the opportunity to end his life so we could have our own.
When we parted, I could feel all of the eyes in the room on us. It had to been one hell of a kiss to get everyone’s attention.
We didn’t say anything. I just pulled her close to me as we sat and watched the news. I couldn’t have imagined a way to feel safer or more removed from the situation that had unfolded at that warehouse.
According to the news, it was suspected that one of the organizations with drug ties to Leo Richards’s operation was responsible for the attack on his men. The FBI had been brought in on the case because of the nature and scope of Leo’s operation. Apparently, he had been operating across state lines with possible national ties, not just regional. Leo Richards had been a big deal.
Now he was just a has-been.
They reported that the FBI was investigating all of Leo’s ties to other organizations, so by bringing him down, we were possibly bringing down a lot of other groups, and more than likely, nothing would ever get back to us.
They showed video of the rooms where they found Leo’s stashes. They found heroin, cocaine, meth, and marijuana.
“Who the hell sells Mary Jane in this business anymore?” I asked Thomson, cracking up. “With meth and heroin so big right now, I thought only small timers sold pot.”
“Well, they have to get it from somewhere,” Nathan said sourly.
“You know what, man? If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you were on Leo’s payroll. That must suck right about now,” I joked, sort of. I wasn’t kidding completely. There was some truth to the accusation. And I was fairly certain I wasn’t the only one who felt that way.
“Whatever, man,” he said before disappearing again.
“Thomson, get someone to keep an eye on him. We’re going to have to have a meeting soon, once we get a new clubhouse, and he’s out. Got it?”
“Don’t make any decisions right now,” Clementine urged. “He’s been pretty worried.”
I looked at her and gave a little laugh. “I know he has. I’m sure everyone has, but I did a lot of thinking while I was out.”
“You’re kidding, right?” she said flatly.
“No, I’m not. I thought a lot about the MC, about Leo, and about you. I thought a lot about my future, our future, and the future of Rogue Demons. We’re going to have to do some restructuring once we get situated here. I’ve got a lot of work I want to get done, and there is a particular direction I have in mind for the club. I’m going to need your help with that.” I coughed, and it hurt like hell.
“Okay, just take it easy for now,” Clementine said. “Let us take care of you so you can take care of business later.”
“Yeah, I guess.” I leaned my head back and closed my eyes.
I had always been attracted to fast women, like those dark-haired beauties from Greene’s down the street from the old HQ. It was easy to get those women into bed, and they were usually pretty willing to do anything I wanted them to do. And, man, I had some good times with women like that.
Then, things changed. Clementine put her heart into it so heavily, so readily, and she had been able to break down my walls and break through the hardened exterior almost right from the start. I couldn’t help but laugh at how easy she made it look. Instead of being laughably silly and trivial, her emotions pulled the same emotions out of me. She was endearing. She was loveable.
I chuckled as I thought about how quickly she had won me over. Hell, even on the first night, at the store, when I was trying to win her over, she made my desire for her grow just by making me work for it.
It was the first time I had ever pursued someone I couldn’t just have. It was the first time I had to work for a woman beyond buying her a few drinks and telling her a few jokes. Clementine had tried to resist me, and that made her all the more desirable.
Then, I was the one having to resist her. Part of me did it so she would want me more, but part of me did it because I didn’t want to rush into things with her. I had been starting to like her—to really like her and even fall from her—pretty early in all of this. I chuckled again. I was supposed to be winning her over, and she had done it to me.
“What’s so funny?” she asked, tugging on my arm.
“Just laughing at us,” I said. “At the hardened criminal, the one percenter, and at the innocent little virgin he fell in love with.” I looked at her as I said the last part, knowing I was revealing more than I normally would have wanted to, but I didn’t care anymore. I wanted her to know.
“Do you mean it?” she asked, running a hand along my cheek.
“I do.” I looked deep into her blue eyes, and I didn’t have to wait for her to say it back. I knew she felt the same way.
She leaned in and kissed me again. Someone said something about getting a room, but we had one, the living room. They could have left if they really didn’t want to see it, but her lips took my pain away.
My side no longer hurt as long as her lips were pressed against mine. I closed my eyes against the kiss and let myself go.
She pulled away from me slowly, just far enough that she could finally say what I knew had been on her mind for a long time.
“I love you,” she said to me.
“I love you, too, Clementine.” It felt good to say it outright instead of hinting around at it. It felt right.
When I left prison, I had seen her as my revenge. I had been wrong. She wasn’t my revenge. She was my prize.