Star
“The potatoes weren't undercooked?” she asked as he cleaned off his plate.
He shook his head, his mouth full of barely-cooked vegetable.
“And the roast wasn't too tough?” she asked.
“Babe,” he said as he wiped his mouth with his napkin and tossed it on his plate, “everything was fine.” He leaned over and kissed her on the corner of her mouth.
He was lying, of course. The roast had tasted like shoe leather, and the potatoes could have replaced brick on a building's facade. But, at least he was telling lies to spare her feelings. That was something, at least.
Tanner had kept up his visits over the last few days. They weren't just drop-bys for sex, either. He would show up and take her to lunch, or just out for a bike ride around town. They were approaching, almost, a sort of relationship. Hell, she even cooked him dinner a couple times. Not that her cooking was good, or anything. Her mom hadn't exactly been a stellar role model when it came to that kind of thing. But he at least faked enjoying the meals.
Of course, she missed the drop-bys for just sex. They'd been exciting, fun. Somehow, even though they had made a baby, there was a sort of detachment from the emotions, an added heat that really ratcheted everything up a notch.
He grabbed her plate off the table, stacked hers on his, and took them both into the kitchen.
“You sticking around for a little while longer?” she asked as he went into the other room.
“Can't,” Tanner said from the kitchen as he rinsed off the plates and stacked them in the sink. “Going down to he Old Crow for a drink, to see how everything's going.”
“Oh,” she said, feeling a certain loss. Like she was missing him already. “Coming back, afterward?”
“Dunno how late I'll be,” he said as he came back over to her. He ran his fingers through her hair. “Do you want me to?”
She nodded. “Of course I do.”
He leaned down and kissed her, his lips forceful. She returned the kiss, groaning.
“See you soon?” she said after their kiss broke. God, she wished that kiss had turned into something more. They hadn't had sex enough since they'd found out she was pregnant, and all she could think about was his rough hands on her body, how he felt when he was inside her.
“Soon,” he replied as he grabbed his vest off the back of his chair and pulled on his badge of honor. He let himself out.
An emptiness seemed to take over the room, slowly filling the void he left behind when he stepped out the front door.
Maybe life was better with him, rather than without. Star shook her head. What was she getting herself into with this man?
# # #
Tanner
Tanner pulled up at the Old Crow a little while later. He only saw Cam's bike parked next to the door, so he pulled up next to his hog, popped his stand, and killed the engine. He swung his leg off and ambled inside.
Business was slow, and just Jethro was working behind the bar.
“What up, boss?” the grizzled bartender asked as Tanner stepped up to the bar and ordered a beer. Down the way, at the other end of the bar, Cam stood sipping on his own.
Good. Just Cam was here. Him, Tyke, and Blade were three of the only people Tanner could really discuss things with, as far as the Roaming Wolves went. And, unfortunately, Blade had to go underground after the firebombing went wrong. To keep spreading their plans, not to mention what they'd done already, just jeopardized the rest of the club. Keeping everything close was better for everyone. Knowledge was power, but lack of knowledge was deniability.
“Nothing,” Tanner said. “Absolutely nothing. Anybody else been in, besides Cam?”
Jethro shook his head, as he popped the lid off Tanner's requested beer. “This has been about it.” He slid the beer to Tanner.
He caught the beer, took a swig, and headed over to the recruit.
“Tanner,” Cam said as he approached. “What's going on, my man?”
“Cam,” he replied with a sober nod as they clasped hands. “You wanna join me in the back booth?”
“Uh, sure?”
Tanner walked past him and headed to the Blood Warriors booth at the back. In case someone came in, he wanted to have some privacy. Both men settled into the bench and slid around the table.
“So, what's up?” Cam asked.
Tanner leaned forward, almost conspiratorially. “Listen, I still haven't heard from Blade, which means it's you, me, and Tyke on this. Blade could be out a while.”
“Yeah,” Cam replied, nodding enthusiastically as he leaned forward. “I hear you.”
“Which means, I need your help on ways to go after those Roaming Wolves bastards. You feel me?”
“Sure, I hear you. What do you want to do? Like, mess up their bikes or something?”
“Nah,” Tanner replied, shaking his head. “We need to send them a real message. Like what we did the other night, but make sure it hits closer to home.” They needed to make these guys pay, really pay.
“Like . . . what?”
“Like, we do it again, but this time to their clubhouse. We can use the same path down as before, but this time we know there won't be any fuel stored there.”
“Uh, I don't know.” Cam sat back as he blew out a breath. He shot Tanner a quizzical look. “Their clubhouse? I mean, what if some of them are inside it?”
At first, Tanner didn't respond. Cam wasn't acting like a recruit should. He should have been jumping at a chance to follow through, to go above and beyond. To do what he was fucking told.
“And, I mean,” Cam continued, “what if, you know, we get in deeper with the law on this? We already went there once. There's already some evidence we left behind if they figure out what set the first building on fire.”
Tanner shook his head. He should have reported Cam to the rest of the club for that suggestion, and that suggestion alone. He should have just stood up from the table and walked away. He could have had Cam's recruit status revoked on principle.
Well, maybe he could have beat his ass a little bit, teach the kid not to mess around with the Blood Warriors and waste their time.
Unfortunately, the kid was kind of right. Getting deeper into this, and using the same method as before? That was sloppy. Straight-up 100%, grade-A sloppy. He could go to prison over something like this, or risk injuring or killing himself again. What if Blade hadn't saved him? Then his kid would be growing up without a father in its life, just like Tanner was having to deal with now because of the old man passing away.
“Serious question,” Tanner said after his long pause. “You still wanna be in the club?”
Cam took a long drink of his beer. After a while, he nodded. “Yeah. I mean, I'm fine with the fights, the drinking, the riding. All that stuff, Tanner, but,” he leaned forward and looked around, “this whole thing with the Roaming Wolves? This is some fucking shit, isn't it?”
That was easy for him to say. The Wolves hadn't gone after his family, or knocked him unconscious with a baseball bat. Tanner's nostrils flared as he sucked in a breath.
But, he was right. Maybe just one guy, with some of his buddies thrown into the mix, was the one doing all this. Didn't mean they had to firebomb the clubhouse.
After a minute, Tanner nodded. “It's some shit. You're right.” He finished down the rest of his beer and got up from the booth.
“Where you headed?” Cam asked.
“Home, I guess.”
“You out?” Jethro called. “I could use a little help later, if you don't mind.”
“Yeah, sure,” Tanner replied. “Guess I'll be back in a bit.”
He nodded his goodbye to Jethro and walked out the front door and got on his bike. Sundown had passed, and night had come. He started his bike and pulled around in the parking lot. He pulled out onto the highway, but instead of heading towards his place, he headed back to Star's.
Talking with Cam had jogged up the memories of that big Roaming Wolf, of that haunting face he should have known, but didn't. He knew that he wouldn't be getting any sleep tonight. Not unless Star's body was at his side.
The night air whipped past his face and helped to clear his head. There had to be another way to get to this guy. Maybe Blade would have an idea when he finally showed up. But, escalating this situation, that wasn't the right way. If he did something crazy like burn down their clubhouse, that would give them more than enough license to do something even more wild, like come after Star, or his mom, or even set fire to the Blood Warriors clubhouse.
At least, with Brendon, he'd once been a member of the MC. He'd worn the patch, just like Tanner. But, to open up his ol' lady and his mom as targets? Tanner couldn't deal with that.
He was so wrapped up in his thoughts, he hadn't even realized he'd called Star his ol' lady. Was that what she'd slowly become? Maybe. Maybe not. Whatever she was, he couldn't describe the affection he felt for her. That kind of thing just wasn't in his nature.
He pulled up at her place a while later and killed the engine. He parked his bike in front of her apartment and headed inside. He opened the door, just like he lived there, and walked into the living room. He didn't even think about barging in, it just seemed natural to him.
He heard the sink running in the kitchen, and the sound of her scrubbing dishes. He stepped into the kitchen and leaned up against the wall.
Star looked back at him over her shoulder. “Heard your bike pull up, so I figured I'd leave the door unlocked for you.”
“Thanks,” he said as walked over to her.
He suddenly had a powerful need to feel her close to him, to hold her in his arms. Maybe, having her body against his would erase all the doubt he felt about his life, all his confusion about his path forward. He wrapped himself around her waist, leaned his head down to kiss her neck.
She giggled and turned her head to the side.
His teeth came out, nibbled a little, then his tongue came out just barely and brushed her skin.
Her giggles turned to moans as she bent her head to the side. “But . . . I have dishes.”
“Dishes can wait,” he said as he turned her around and pressed his lips to hers. She tasted sweet, like honey.
She groaned as he kissed her, moaned as he pushed his tongue into her mouth. She ran her tongue around his, and they dueled and danced as they kissed against the kitchen sink.
He reached down to her belly and began to pull up her shirt, to expose the soft skin beneath. She pulled back and broke the kiss. “Here?” she asked with a sexy little grin. “In the kitchen?”
“How about in the living room, then?” he asked as he began to backtrack his steps from the kitchen, pulling her with him.