Page 41 of Talon
“Come on.”He hooked an arm around her waist and held her close as they headed inside.“Let’s see what Bonnie’s been working on.”He opened the door and guided her inside.He let her look around.If she’d never been on a bike, she’d likely never been in a Harley store either.He wanted to take her to the racks and find a good jacket that fit her, then find a helmet she liked and get them for her, but he was afraid it would scare her.That she’d think they were moving too fast.
He knew better.He knew from the first night with her that she was the one.It was part of why he didn’t mind getting his brothers involved in her problems.Now he just had to wait for her to come to the same realization.
Talon could only hope she would reach the same conclusion he had, and before Billy decided to get too aggressive, or too much more aggressive, and do something that they would all regret.He almost wanted to find Billy and make sure the devil got his due.He had no doubt that the fuckwad had killed at least two people.He didn’t deserve to be able to live free and target anyone else.Since the legal system didn’t seem to be interested in the truth, Talon thought it might fall to him and the Souls to get shit taken care of.
Sure, they would try to do things the right way, but if that didn’t work, Talon wouldn’t hesitate to make sure his woman was safe, no matter what it took.
“I don’t see anything.”Madison’s voice brought Talon back to the present.
“Keep going,” Talon said.“The mural is on the back wall.”
“Oh.Have you seen it?”She turned and looked at him instead of moving toward the rear of the store.
Talon shook his head.“She’s been talking about it off and on since she and Malice got together.I haven’t been here in a while, at least not since she started the piece, but I’ve heard enough about it to know it’s the back wall and a couple of the elements she’s putting into it.”He had no idea how long a piece of art this big might take, but he suggested it might take more than a few weeks.
“Oh, yeah.I guess that makes sense.”She looked confused but turned and headed for the back of the showroom.
He was watching her, not where they were going or what was in front of them, though he was aware of who was around them and what was going on.He knew that Malice had already been in touch with Hank, the guy who had hired Bonnie and the owner of the shop to be on the lookout for the fuckwad after Madison.They’d made sure everyone, including the women, had seen his photo, just so they would know who to watch for.Talon had no doubt Malice would have shared that picture with Hank.
She stopped, her jaw dropping as she stared at the wall that was still fifteen feet away.He glanced at the wall and saw that there was a lot done, the sky was blue, the skyline was outlined and painted, including an image of the Devil’s Tower, which wasn’t too far from here, but what caught Talon’s attention was the group of bikes and riders on the road that stretched nearly the full length of the wall.
Several of the bikes looked familiar, though that wasn’t uncommon as there were a limited number of styles and models available, especially if you were sticking to Harleys, which Bonnie had told them at dinner one night, that she felt was important since this was for the dealership.What really caught his attention were the faces.They were still rough, and some of them only penciled in but he knew those faces.There were a couple of his brothers, as well as Hank and a couple of other riders he’d met here in town.
Not wanting to leave Madison, he urged her forward, so he could speak with Bonnie without having to raise his voice.
“This is amazing,” he said, still taking in different elements on the wall.“You’ve got so much going on and so many details here.”
“Thank you.”Bonnie put her brush down and stood from where she’d been sitting on the floor working on what looked like details of the road and rocks.She looked over the whole wall, as if she hadn’t been looking at it nearly every day for the last several weeks.“There’s still a lot to be done, but I’m happy with my progress.”
“Have Lurch and Malice seen it yet?”He didn’t want to ask outright but he wasn’t sure putting their faces, along with Tuck and Ghost’s, on the wall, in such a public forum was the best idea.
She shook her head.“They haven’t been in since I got to more than just the landscape, but they approved the sketch.I got permission from everyone who’s face or bike I wanted to use.”She seemed to know where he was going without him having to say it out right.He appreciated that.He didn’t say anything more about it, just nodded.
“Wow.Just wow.”Awe was plain in Madison’s voice.“I wish I could do anything like this.”Her eyes were wide and never seemed to sit still as her gaze flicked from one detail to another as if she didn’t know where to start when taking in the piece.
“It’s not bad now.But I can’t wait to see what it will look like when it’s done,” Bonnie said.“I mean I know what I have in my head and what I put on the concept sketches, but the finished product usually ends up with elements I didn’t plan for.It’s always better for them but I’m excited to see how it turns out.”
“Me too,” Hank said coming up to join them.“I’m loving it so far.Even incomplete, it’s looking better than I imagined.”
“I’m glad to hear that.I hope you like the finished image as much as you hoped.”
“I’m sure I will, sweetheart.If it looks this good at this stage, I can’t imagine that it won’t be spectacular when you’re done.”Hank folded his arms across his chest as he stood and admired the wall.“I’m excited for it.”
The bell over the front door chimed, drawing Hank’s attention.
“You guys need anything, let me know.I’m going to see if they need help,” Hank said, tilting the top of his head toward the front door.Talon watched as he turned and walked in that direction, the whole time, aware that Madison had moved closer to where Bonnie stood and was talking to her.
30
Aftervisitingforalittle while with Bonnie, Talon convinced Madison that she needed to get back to work by enticing her to go get something to eat with him.Breakfast had been early enough that though it was barely noon, her stomach had started to rumble.
“What do you want to do with the rest of the day?”Talon asked as they finished eating.He leaned back in his side of the booth where they sat across from each other in the little out of the way diner he’d brought her to.
“I have no thoughts.My only plan for the next couple of days was to answer questions and spend a couple of days not having to look over my shoulder or wondering if someone is following or watching me.”
Talon reached across the table and covered her hands with one of his.He didn’t say anything for several seconds.When he did speak, his voice was low and soft.
“I’m sorry.I wish I could make it all go away with the snap of my fingers.I can’t.But I want you to stop worrying so much about him and what he’s doing.”He squeezed her hand for a moment then eased his grip.“We’re going to keep you covered.I’m going to make sure he leaves you alone.”
