It took a lot longer than normal to get the meeting called to order because everyone wanted to hear Jack and Tina’s story. After he told it three times, Jack had finally asked them to wait until the whole group was there. Then he would tell everyone at the same time.
“So I was standing at the pump waiting on her to come back out and I hear this guy scream. I didn’t know what the hell was going on so I ran in there,” Jack said as he was wrapping up their adventures. “It’s a good thing, too. She was about to kill these two guys that—”
“I was not!” Tina protested.
“Was one guy knocked out on the floor in a pool of his own blood? And was the other guy down on the floor puking his guts out after you stabbed him with an ink pen and kicked him in ‘nads?”
“Well, yeah, but...”
“And were you not trying to kick that same guy’s ribs in?”
“Yeah, but…”
“Like I said, I got there just in time to prevent her from killing these two guys. Anyway, we hauled ass out of there before the cops showed up and… here we are.”
Tina burned with embarrassment as Jack over-sensationalized the ruckus while everyone looked at her… then Greg, the Sons Treasurer, made a big show of scooting his chair a little bit farther away from her, much to the delight of the crowd.
“Jesus, Jack. You better not piss her off or the cops will be the least of your worries,” Brett said.
Brett’s comment started the ribbing, and though she felt like she would die of embarrassment, she couldn’t stop smiling.
“It’s okay,” Michelle, the wife of the club President, said as she tried to ease Tina’s embarrassment. “We only pick on you if we like you.”
“That’s good. I’d hate to see what it’s like if you didn’t like me.”
Laughter rolled around the room again before Seth, the club President, spoke. “Sounds like you had… uhhh… an interesting week. But what did you want to talk to us about?”
Tina watched as Jack got to his feet. He was only the Vice-President of the club—a title consistently forced upon him—but he was clearly the leader. “First order of business. I want to thank each and every one of you for all you have brought to the Sons. It has been a privilege, and an honor, knowing each and every one of you.”
Jack waited while the Sons murmured in acknowledgement and returned his compliment. “What I wanted to tell everyone today is that I am going to pull one more job, and then I am closing up shop. The Sons may continue as a club, but I will no longer be a member, and…”
Tina flinched slightly at the uproar that last statement caused.
“Wait! Wait a minute! Let me finish!” Jack fanned the air with his hands as he called for quiet. “I’m dropping out of the business. I’m going to start a new life with a new identity.”
“Jack, this is your club!” Brett protested.
“It’s our club,” Jack countered. “It’s bigger than one person. But I can’t do this anymore. I have… other plans,” he said as he stared into Tina’s eyes.
Tina had to look away lest she was afraid she would start to cry.
“But! Before I do that, I plan to go out with a bang,” he continued.
“How?” Rachael asked.
“You know those Ferraris we stole? I’m going to steal them again.”
“What?” several voices shouted at once.
“That’s right. I’m going to take them right out from under the cops’ noses.”
“You’re crazy!” Rog said.
“You have a plan? Seth asked quietly.
“I do. But it’s high risk. I know we are all in this together, but that was then. This is now. If anyone wants to back out, now’s the time. No hard feelings.”
Seth looked at Michelle and she met his eyes and nodded slightly. “We’re in,” Seth said.
“We are too,” Nic said.
“I’m in,” Tina said.
There was a pause at first, but then Greg elected to join in, followed by Rachael, Brett, and then Cheryl. Jack waited. The people he had to have were on board, but after another pause, the remainder of the Sons joined in as well.
“Thank you,” Jack breathed, touched that every member backed him.
***
Jack spent the next two hours going over his plan. Several members offered ideas that were incorporated into the plan as the details were fleshed out. As the afternoon progressed Tina witnessed a transformation in the group. They had started out in begrudging support, probably out of loyalty to Jack, but as the plan came together the grim faces began to lighten. By the time the meeting was drawing to a close the Desert Sons were upbeat and excited.
“Same deal as before—but with no holdback for the club—agreed?” Jack said as the meeting drew to a close.
Seth waited a moment, then took charge. “All in favor?”
A chorus of Aye’s was heard.
“Any opposed?”
The only sound was the whisper of the air conditioning.
“We’re in, Jack,” Seth said.
“Great! Any hint on the cars? Anything at all?” Jack asked as he looked at Cheryl and Brett, the two responsible for finding customers.
“I have a guy in South America that offered two million for the GTO… but I dropped it when the cars were impounded,” Cheryl said.
“Get back with him. Tell him unless someone comes forward for the lot, he has a deal.”
“Should I make him put down a deposit?” she asked.
“No. Not yet. I still want to sell these bitches as a lot if we can. You and Brett see what you can dig up. Don’t demand a deposit. We are doing this spec. No point in having to refund the money if we can’t deliver.”
Cheryl pursed her lips in determination. Jack has never failed to come through. Brett and I are going to sell these fuckers if we have blow every millionaire in the world, she thought. “We’ll get it done,” she said confidently.
“Fuckin’ A,” Brett added as he gave her a fist bump.
“Make it happen,” Jack said firmly. “There are three key people in this operation, and you and Brett are two of them.”
“We won’t let you down,” Brett said with a firm nod.
“Anything else?” Jack asked. When nobody spoke up, he turned to Seth. “I’m done.”
“Meeting adjourned,” Seth said. “Jack! I need to talk to you.”
“Okay. What is it?”
“Alone.”
“Oh. Okay. Stick around and we’ll talk later.”
***
“What’s bothering you?” Jack asked Seth after the rest of the Sons had left.
“You need some backup. Let me help.”
“You are helping. You’re going to get us someplace to store the cars and make sure everyone else is getting their tasks done.”
“You and Tina are taking on too much risk. I can help.”
“No. Absolutely not. Right now Tina and I are the only two the cops know about. I intend to keep it that way.”
“I understand. But if one of you gets caught… we need someone else to step in.”
“And that’s you?”
“I don’t think I can ask anyone else. I’m the President of Sons, so it’s my responsibility.”
“Thanks, Seth. I mean that. But no. You have a wife and a career to think about. I don’t want to put you, or any of the Sons, at risk.”
Seth’s jaw was set firmly and his brows furrowed, but his shoulders sagged slightly.. “Okay. At least keep me in the loop on your location and plans. I know you said you were playing this one by ear, but somebody needs to know what is going on in case the shit hits the fan.”
Jack slapped Seth on the shoulder as he chuckled. “Okay. But if the shit truly hits the fan, the best place for you to be is as far away from the shit as possible.”
“There is a lot riding on this. I just want to do everything possible to make sure it goes off without a hitch. Not like last time. Still no clue who tipped the cops?”
“No. It was bound to happen sooner or later I guess.”
“Okay. It still bothers me that they found the cars.”
“Yeah. Me too. I hope whoever tipped the cops chokes on that reward.”
“If they got it. You’re still on the loose.”
“Yeah. And I intend to stay that way.”
***
“What did Seth want?” Marshall asked after all the Sons were gone.
“Nothing much. He just wanted to play a bigger role in the plan.”
Marshall snorted. “He’s always looking for more. More profit. More sales. More responsibility. You would think after a while he would say, ‘Enough!’”
Jack chuckled. “That’s his job. You said yourself that when he became the sales manager, sales really started going up.”
“Yeah. But damn! I’m glad I don’t work for him. He’s on the rest of sales staff all the time.”
Jack chuckled. “Look at it this way: If he couldn’t sell the bikes, they wouldn’t need you to finance them, right?”
Marshall smiled. “I suppose you’re right. He’s a nice guy, but he is just so intense. And he has been getting worse lately. He’s going to give himself a heart attack if he doesn’t slow down. You know what he told me the other day? He wants to buy the dealership.”
“You’re kidding!”
“I’m not kidding. He told me he approached Mr. Hancock about it. He got shot down, but he’s only been there—what, five or six years? And he is already looking to take over?”
“He must be doing better that I thought,” Jack said with a grin. “Maybe that is what I will do when I drop out. I’ll go to work in a Harley dealership. Make big bucks like the finance and sales managers.”
Marshall chuckled. “Sales manager, maybe.”
***
“That was an amazing thing to see this afternoon,” Tina said later that evening as she and Jack snuggled in bed.
“What’s that?”
“How you won them over. By the time the meeting was over you had them eating out of the palm of your hand.”
“They’re good guys.”
“And gals,” she reminded him.
“And gals,” he amended.
“I think they would follow you through the gates of hell.”
“Let’s hope they don’t have to.”
Tina remained quiet for a long moment before she spoke again. “You know how you get that feeling that something is going to work? I had that on the first heist. Somehow I just knew it was going to work. I feel like that now.”
“What changed?”
“I don’t know. Maybe it was just seeing how strongly everyone believes in you. If I can do my part, I think this will actually work.”
“I wouldn’t be doing it if I didn’t think it would work.”
“I know. I’m just a little slow sometimes.”
He stroked her softly along her breast and across her nipple. “I like it when you’re slow.”
Marshall and Nic’s tidy little three bedroom house had a split floor plan. With the master suite on the far end of the house they could probably get away with making love, but they were guests, so they had refrained last night. But oh, how she wanted him.
“Stop that. I want you bad enough as it is.”
“Stop what?” he asked as he lightly touched her other nipple.
She shivered slightly. Even through her shirt, his touch was electrifying. “That. We’re guests, so behave.”
“I’m not doing anything,” he insisted just as he lightly flicked her nipple.
She groaned softly and she could feel herself flooding with desire. “You can be a real ass, Jack, you jackass.”
He snickered softly, then he kissed her shoulder as he gently squeezed her breast. “You’re going to hurt my feelings… calling me names like that.”
“I’m going to do a lot more to you than hurt your feelings if you don’t stop!”
“Like what? You gonna to kick my ass?” he growled in mock challenge as he rolled a nipple between finger and thumb.
She shuddered as pleasure roll through her from his pinch. She had tried to warn him off, but if he was going to push, she was going to push back. She reached behind her and took his manhood in her hand. She flopped and wiggled until she had her shirt pulled up above her ass before she shoved back into his crotch and stroked the head of his cock against her ass cheeks. She smiled as he gasped then pushed himself harder into her.
“Fuck…” he sighed as she rubbed him in all the right ways.
“Yes, we are, but you started it,” she said as she tipped her hips away, positioned him, and took him inside.
Jack groaned softly when he slid into her tight, hot wetness. He pushed as far into her as he could as she began to work her ass against him. As they rocked together he slid his hands inside her shirt, cupped her breasts, and held her tight against him. This was the first time they had made love since her fight at the gas station—the fight that showed him this was a woman he could give his heart to without fear or reservation. As she began to hiss and growl while they made love, his head tipped back in pleasure and his mouth opened in a silent scream of ecstasy.
Their position wasn’t good, but she didn’t care as she thrust on him with what little movement she could manage. Having his crotch pressed against her ass as his hands mauled her tits was more than making up for the shallowness of the strokes. She pressed her hand against the bed for additional leverage and put her back into it as she thrust hard and strong. “Come on… come on… fuck me… come on…” she muttered gutturally as she pumped her hips.
He was losing his control. He kissed at her neck and played with her breasts as he tried to draw his thoughts away from his looming orgasm. Fuck… oh, shit… fuck…” he gasped as he began to spool up for release. “I’m going to come… fuck…”
“I want you to come... I want you to come… please come,” she muttered. She was tiring, but she wanted him to reach his orgasm first.
Jack made a strangled sound and gripped her tight as his face twisted up as if in pain. He released an explosive exhale as spilled his essence into her, but still she thrust on him as she panted hard. He held her tight as he began to whimper softly in pleasure.
She heard Jack come, but she was on the verge of her own orgasm. Jack pulled her tighter and tighter into his chest as he tried to fight off the pleasure she was giving him, and that struggle pushed her over the edge. With a soft gasp of her own she stilled her hips as her orgasm poured through her and made her ridged with pleasure until, with another soft gasp, she relaxed.
He loosened his embrace slightly as the searing pleasure came to an end, but he still held her securely to him. He waited until he was sure she was fully out of her orgasm. He wanted—he needed—her to hear his next words.
“I love you, Tina Harris,” he whispered softly into her ear.
Tina shivered in pleasure at his words. There was no hesitation, no qualification this time. “Do you mean that?” she whispered back, and held her breath as she waited for his answer.
“Yes. I’m falling for you, Tina. I’m falling in love with you. After the heist, I want you to come away with me.”
“Where?”
“Anywhere. So long as you are there… I don’t care where I go.”
Tina was quiet as her eyes fill with tears. “I love you too, Jack… and I will follow you anywhere… even through the gates of hell.”