Carla stuttered to a halt and Elle almost careened into her as they both took in the scene that awaited them outside. Whoever had pulled up on the motorcycled was tall, and big like a body builder, his muscles bulging inside the sleeves of his patch covered leather jacket. He wore a dark helmet and as he took it off it revealed lank, greasy medium brown hair and a bandana that covered the bottom half of his face. The sunglass concealed the rest. It was most definitely not Joel.
And standing directly in his path, was Honey. The stranger was still on his motorcycle, his head moving as he scanned over them and even with the sunglasses Elle felt a shiver pass through her as that gaze landed on her. It seemed to hold for an extra moment longer than all the rest, and Honey seemed to notice.
“Hey, asshole,” he said, his voice sounding insolent and casual but Elle knew him enough to hear the strain underneath, the violence just barely leashed, waiting to lash out at a moment’s notice.
“Who you calling asshole, you fucking hillbilly farmer?” The man’s voice was low and deep and spoke of a complete uncaring. It wasn’t like Honey, who used the casualness as a mask, his was real. Elle could hear it in his tone, could feel it in the way he sat on his motorcycle with out a care in the world. As if he hadn’t just ridden into the business of a rival motorcycle gang. Because that’s what he was doing. And he wasn’t even the least little bit worried about it. And that fact worried Elle a lot. And she could tell it worried Carla too, by the little crease that formed between her dark eyebrows and the way her blue eyes never left the tableau playing out in front of them.
“I’m calling you an asshole, and a coward at that. You couldn’t handle going to the clubhouse where you might be outgunned and outnumbered? No, you had to come here, where the only fight you’re going to get is from these women. Bet you weren’t planning on me being here, were ya?” Honey spit out the words, taking a threatening step closer and Elle held her breath as the man on the bike threw one leg over and stood. He was at least six inches taller than Honey, and twice as wide and his fists were like bricks of concrete as he clenched them, taking a step towards them.
“I came here because I have a message to deliver. From the president of the Nomads,” the brute said, his voice a little more strained now and Elle feared that Honey had pushed a button calling him a coward.
“Well, we don’t want to hear it, so…fuck off,” Honey growled back at him, raising both hands as he sent him the middle finger. Elle shifted nervously from where she stood just a few feet away, praying that Honey wouldn’t push the man too far.
“I think you really are going to want to hear it,” the biker said, crossing his massive arms over his chest as he stared down contemptuously at Honey, “A little pussy like you isn’t going to stop be from doing my job. I’ve got orders from the president himself.”
“Well you can take those orders and shove them right back up your president’s asshole where they came from–” Honey’s words cut off abruptly as he moved, faster than Elle even thought possible of a man with his bulk and size, grabbed the front of Honey’s own jacket and pulled him up until his feet were dangling inches off the ground and they were face to face.
Even with the glasses and bandana covering most of his face the vicious intent that passed over the man’s features was plain for Elle to read. Without thinking, she was rushing forward, ignoring Carla’s effort to stop her.
A moment later she reached up, pulling at Honey to try and get him loose but it was like wrestling with a machine, so she did the only other thing she could think of. She pushed herself in between the two men, tried to use all her strength to separate them but she might as well have been pushing on two boulders for all the effect she had.
“Hey! Hey, you! Look at me. Listen to me!” Elle shouted, trying to catch the massive brute’s attentions and when he turned his head to look down at her she almost regretted her decision.
“Please just, let him go and I– We’ll listen to your message, okay? Just, you have to put him down first.”
“Elle, what are you–”
“Shut up, Honey,” Elle hissed over her shoulder, her heart racing with fear and uncertainty as she turned back to the man who still looked intent on choking the life from Honey. She wasn’t about to let that happen, not if there was anything she could do to stop it.
“Why don’t we start over, okay?” she said, trying desperately to keep the trembling out of her voice as she forced a cheerful smile on her face, “My name is Elle. And you are?” She held out her hand, well, as much as she could as she was still squashed in between the two men but she could see some of the rage leave the man’s eyes and a curious disbelief start to take its place.
“It doesn’t matter who I am,” he said gruffly.
“Oh, I’m sure that’s not true. You must be someone really important if your president trusted you to come out here with the message all by yourself. You should believe in yourself! Don’t talk down about yourself like that. When you do it often enough, you might just start to think that it’s true.”
He just stared at her blankly, that disbelief growing. Elle held her breath, her thoughts jumbled and panicked and she couldn’t’ think of anything to say that wasn’t even more ridiculous so she just stayed silent and smiled up at him for all she was worth.
Finally, he let go of Honey, shoving him back a few steps and sending a warning glance after him as Elle sighed in relief. Then he turned his gaze back to her and there was more than curiosity or disbelief in his gaze as he stared at her from behind the amber lens of the sunglasses.
“You’re funny,” he said softly, “But funny isn’t going to save you. Here’s my message. The president of the Nomads wants to make a deal with Honey Bud Farms and the Cruisers. He wants a cut of the weed you’re growing, at fifty percent cost. Or else there will be consequences.”
“Fifty percent!” Carla muttered in shock from behind her but Elle was too nervous to look back, too afraid to take her eyes off the giant biker in front of her.
“It’s not a request,” he said, and there was a sense of finality to the words that had another chill of dread shivering through her. Without another word, he turned, got back on his bike, and road away back the way he had come. They all watched in tense silence until long after he had disappeared down the driveway.
***
It was a long moment before Honey could let out the breath he’d been holding ease painfully from his lungs. He felt like he hadn’t been able to draw in any air at all since Elle had put herself right in the middle of the two men. It was ridiculous, and fool hardy, and incredibly…stupid! It was the stupidest thing he’s ever seen! That she would put herself in danger without even realizing made his blood boil his veins. Elle had to learn an ounce of self preservation or one of these times that she risked herself she was going to end up seriously injured, or worse.
With anger pushing his feet forward, growing with every step, Honey stalked over to where Elle was standing, her arms wrapped around herself and her dark gaze staring off at into space with a distant look in her eyes. They widened in shock as he came to a hard stop just inches from touching her. He had to clench his hands behind his back to stop them from reaching out and shaking her for being so foolish, or the grab her and hold her close to him and never let go, he wasn’t sure which.
“Honey, I–”
“Don’t,” he interrupted harshly, his voice hard and full of anger as he spoke. He couldn’t help it. The picture of her standing in front of that asshole, so small and vulnerable, so easily injured kept playing through his mind like a record on repeat.
“What are you–”
“No, you don’t get to ask the questions here. I ask the questions,” he was so furious, so afraid for her, so lost in his own thoughts that he didn’t notice the way her brows lowered dangerously over her dark, fiery gaze, “What the hell were you thinking, Elle? That man could have killed you with a flick of his wrist.”
“But he didn’t–”
“Do you even realize how much danger you were in? How close you came to being hurt? And for what? I had everything perfectly under control,” he ignored Elle’s snort of disbelief as he kept talking, “there was no reason for you to do that. It was just…it was stupid! That was all it was. It was stupid and foolish and dangerous and you had no right to–”
“I had every right!” Elle cut in, finally breaking through his angry ranting, punctuating her words by stabbing a finger against his chest. Hard. “I had every right, Honey. I’ve told you before. I make my own choices! I’m not a doll that you can put up on a shelf somewhere and take down to play with when you want, and then put me back when you’re done. That’s not how it works!”
Elle took a step forward, each word driven home by that damned finger stabbing at him and he had no choice to take a step back, or else risk breaking a rib or two.
“I chose to step in,” stab, “I chose to take the risk,” stab, “I chose to save you! And if you aren’t man enough to admit it, that is not,” stab, “my,” stab, “problem!” Elle reached forward to stab him again but Honey grabbed her hand, holding it tight between his own.
“Ow, okay, okay. It’s your choice. I get it. Just, next time can you choose something a little less dangerous?”
“I might have just saved your life, Honey! And you can’t even muster a thank you? A ‘thanks’? A ‘good looking out, Elle, I really owe you one’?” She stared up at him waiting, but he couldn’t force out the words she wanted to hear. He was still too full of fear for her, fear that if he encouraged her she’d do something even more reckless next time. No, there wasn’t going to be a next time. He’d make sure of that. He’d keep her safe.
With a sigh of disgust Elle turned away, jerking her hand from his gasp. He reached out after her, desperately searching for what he could say, wondering how she turned the tables so neatly against him but was saved as Joel pulled up driving Carla’s truck, the back loaded with supplies he’d been out picking up.
As Joel walked closer he immediately picked up on the tension still very much present hanging in the air and he went straight to Carla. They were speaking too softly for Honey to overhear but he could imagine the conversation. Carla was telling him about the message from the Nomad’s president and by the look that drew over his face, Joel was none too pleased by the news.
With a muttered curse, Joel jogged over to where Honey still stood, waving for Carla to join them and after a minute, Elle reluctantly came closer as well.
“Carla told me what happened. From her description, it sounds like Scorpion, the Nomad president’s right hand man. If he’s involved, then they’re serious.” Joel stopped, shaking his head and Honey could practically see the gears turning in his mind, working quickly on this new potentially very, very bad situation that had been dumped in their lap.
It was one of the qualities that made him such a good leader himself. He could assess fast, and adapt, improvising when things changed. Because something always went wrong, Honey thought glancing sideways at Elle, who refused to meet his look, always.
“Alright, this is what’s going to happen. I’ll call Hot Wheels. She’s been in talks with the Nomad’s to try and keep them off our backs. She knows them. They know her. Honey, you go with her to the Nomad’s house and make sure nothing goes south–”
“I can’t, Joel. Somebody should stay here, I mean. Someone has to keep El– I mean, everybody safe,” Honey looked up at his friend, pleading in his gaze to understand. Finally, Joel nodded, his quick silver eyes flicking towards Elle for the briefest of seconds before turning back.
“Okay, Honey will stay here. Hot Wheels can take care of herself. But we need to show those pricks that we won’t give in to threats. I have a few people I can talk to, people who are still loyal to the Dirty Cruisers,” he grimaced at that, but continued, “Carla, Elle, you guys stay here. It has to be business as usual. We can’t let them slow us down, not with our first big contract coming due next week. We don’t have time for delays.”
With their orders meted out, everyone disperse. Joel rushing back to the truck, already on the phone and talking to Hot Wheels. Carla was running back up the small incline towards the office and Elle was right behind her, her shoulders stiff and her arms crossed once more over her chest as she walked. He willed her to look back at him, for one little smile in his direction, but none came as they disappeared inside the building.
With a sigh, he turned and headed back to work in the greenhouse. Something always went wrong. Always.