Page 40 of Riggs
Chapter Sixteen
Luna
The ride back home from Track's funeral is a somber one. Riggs will not tell me the details surrounding Track's death, partly because the details are club business and partly because he's trying to protect me, but I know it's Rex's handy work. I also know his death is on my hands. The past twenty-four hours Riggs has been carefully gauging my reaction to the whole ordeal. I think he's waiting to see if I'm going to run. I told him before no more running, and I meant it. I have never in my life wished death on someone, but I hope that when Riggs and his club find Rex, they make his death a slow and painful one. Having to look at Track's mom and sister in the eyes, and see the pain they are going through, nearly brought me to my knees.
Exiting the highway, in the direction of New Orleans, Riggs turns left heading in the direction of the bar while the rest of the guys keep right toward the clubhouse. Peering over my shoulder, I see Kiwi still tailing us. Riggs had mentioned earlier we needed to stop by the apartment before going back to the clubhouse.
I'm brought out of my thoughts when I feel Riggs' whole body go tense. Using his right hand, he reaches into his cut, pulling out a gun. Shocked, my eyes go big, and my senses are on high alert. When I look over my shoulder again, I see Kiwi has placed himself inches from us on the left; covering us. He too has drawn his weapon. That's when I see a white sedan headed in our direction at an alarming speed. My breath gets caught in my throat, and my heart rate picks up as I clutch the back of Riggs' cut. Swiftly moving into the other lane, we begin to speed up. Riggs expertly maneuvers his bike through the traffic. We haven't made it into the city yet, but cars and people walking the streets still surround us. Just as I go to look over my shoulder again for the car following us, I startle and nearly jump out of my seat when the rear window of the car driving beside us is shattered by a bullet, causing the vehicle to run off the road. I send a silent prayer the driver is okay. When I peer over my shoulder once again, I see Kiwi returning fire on the white sedan, the same time Riggs' tattooed arm appears in my line of sight as he fires off a few rounds.
Holstering his weapon, Riggs begins to take us on a series of turns as we enter the busy streets of New Orleans. Bile rises in my throat at the thought of a stray bullet hitting an innocent bystander, but when I twist my head around, I no longer see Kiwi or the white car. Not stopping at his apartment Riggs speeds past the bar, and we head in the direction of the clubhouse. Five minutes later we are pulling through the gates and are greeted by Fender, Wick, Nova, and several other brothers. Once we park, Riggs says something to his men, and Fender swiftly jumps on his bike and peels out of the compound. I'm assuming to find Kiwi and the person who was chasing us.Oh God, let Kiwi be okay.
Frozen in place and still clutching the back of Riggs' cut, it takes me a second to realize he's talking to me. "We're okay, baby. We're okay."
Losing my hold on him, Riggs is off his bike in time to catch me as I slump into his arms. Wrapping his arms around me, he holds me until my body stops shaking and I compose myself. He runs his hands through my hair and kisses my neck. Worried about Kiwi, I ask, “Where is Kiwi; is he okay?"
"Kiwi will be fine. He knows how to handle himself."
"Where did he go? Shouldn't he have followed us here?"
Riggs shakes his head. "Kiwi did what any of my men would have done in that situation. He protected his Prez and my woman by leading whoever was after us in the opposite direction. He did what he had to do so I could get us back to the clubhouse safely." With nothing else left to say, I lay my head against his chest, breathe in his scent, and allow the familiar smell of cologne and exhaust to calm me. Riggs kisses the top of my head. "Come on. Let's go inside. I need to talk to my men." When we step inside the clubhouse, the main room is packed with every club member along with Payton and Josie. All the guys are waiting for their President. Nodding in the direction of Josie and Payton, Riggs asks, "will you go sit with the girls for a few minutes while I sort some shit out?"
Doing as he asks, I make my way to the sofa where the two women are perched, both looking worried. Payton and Josie give me a friendly smile as I take a seat next to them. Keeping my eyes trained across the room, I watch as Riggs engages his men. Five minutes later, Kiwi and Fender burst through the door. It looks like I am not the only person to breathe a sigh of relief. As Kiwi strides in Riggs' direction, he briefly cuts his eyes over to me, as if to make sure I'm okay. It amazes me how these men will go through great lengths to protect their brothers. It surprises me more to see they will do the same for me; someone they hardly know.
I can't make out what the men are saying, but when Riggs says something to Kiwi and Kiwi shakes his head in return, Riggs goes red in the face.That can't be good.Riggs says one last thing to the guys as he points to me before they all take off in a different direction. Riggs strides toward me, and I stand to meet him halfway. "We're going to Pop's place."
"Why?" I ask.
"Some shit is about to go down, and I don't want you anywhere near it. Nova is bringing Piper too." Just then Nova steps back into the room with his daughter in tow. He gives his brother a chin lift as he and Piper walk out of the clubhouse.
"Come on. We'll talk more once we get to Pop's."
Trusting his decision, I do as he says.
When we get to Mr. LeBlanc's house, he is waiting for us on the front porch; shotgun in hand. I take in how shook up Piper is. She may not know the details of what's going on, but she is scared and worried about her dad and uncle. Stepping away from Riggs, I walk over to Nova's bike where he is trying to console his daughter. Luckily Nova jumps in to translate what I am saying. "How about we go inside. Maybe your grandpa has the fixings for cookies. Whenever I'm sad or worried, I find baking helps. What do you say? Want to help me?"
Piper wipes the tears from her eyes and nods. Taking her hand in mine, I lead her up to the house. Nova sends me a quick thank you when I look back over my shoulder, and I smile. When Piper and I step onto the porch, I greet Riggs' grandad. "Hi, Abe. I hope you don't mind if Piper and I raid your kitchen. We're going to see if you have the fixings for some cookies."
He smiles. "You two go on ahead. I know for a fact you'll find what you need in the pantry. I haven't had homemade cookies in a spell. You won't hear me complaining, sweetheart." Abe turns to his granddaughter. "Don't go telling your dad and uncle. I'm not supposed to have all that sugar." Abe's words put a smile on Piper's face.
Once inside the kitchen, Piper goes about showing me where everything is. I'm surprised to see that Abe does have a fully stocked pantry complete with everything we need to make chocolate chip cookies. Placing a large mixing bowl in front of Piper, I show her how much of each ingredient to pour into the container. Next, we scoop out spoonfuls of dough onto a cookie sheet then place it into the oven. Piper sets the timer before taking a seat at the kitchen table next to me. When I notice how fidgety she is acting while nibbling on her bottom lip, I make a motion with my hands for a pen and paper. Understanding what I am asking for, she springs from her chair over to a drawer next to the refrigerator. Pulling it open, she retrieves a notebook and pen. Piper takes her seat beside me and slides the notebook over. Opening it, I scribble,"What's on your mind?"
Piper doesn't hesitate to answer. "I know something terrible is going on, but Dad won't tell me. He treats me like I'm a little kid who won't understand."
It's not that he thinks you won't understand; he wants to protect you. You know how the club works. This is my mess, and I don't even know all the details. You have to trust in your dad's reasoning for not telling you, the same way I have to put my trust into your uncle.
Piper seems to ponder my response before she continues. "You're right. If I were in my dad's shoes, I'd want to protect my kid. I'm mostly worried about him and Uncle Abel. They are the only family I have."
Damn this kid is fantastic.You're an amazing young lady; you know that?I compliment her, and she blushes.
"I'm not,"she says.
You are. Few sixteen-year-olds will see logic like you. Instead of staying mad at your dad, you were able to stop, think, and put yourself in his shoes. You allowed yourself to accept and understand the way things need to be. Believe me when I say you're pretty amazing.
Piper motions to the oven signaling the timer has gone off, breaking our little mush fest. Patting her on the arm, I stand and make my way to the oven to take the cookies out while she goes to the refrigerator and grabs us some milk. Just as we sit down at the table to indulge in our sweet treat, Riggs, Nova and Mr. LeBlanc walk into the kitchen. "Looks like we made it just in time," Mr. LeBlanc grins snatching a cookie off the plate. Riggs gives his grandad a scolding look. Abe shoves the whole cookie in his mouth ignoring him.
Riggs shakes his head and turns to me. "I want you to come outside with me."
"What are we doing?"
