Page 27 of Rattler
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The rest of the evening passed in a lazy whirl.Someone brought out a guitar, which prompted a sing-along around the firepit.Rattler and I sat on the edge of the circle, and I watched as the bikers drank and teased each other.No one got loud or aggressive.
I sipped on my second beer.It had been a long time since I’d been able to relax and enjoy a drink.“This is nothing like I pictured a biker party to be.”
I could hear the smile in Rattler’s voice.“You expected fights, naked women, and crazy loud music?”
I wrinkled my nose.“Something like that.”
“I admit some of the parties are pretty wild, but not all that often.Most of us have some degree of PTSD, and we avoid anything that might trigger it.”
That made sense.I knew Jack had changed when he joined the SEALs.He got quieter and more thoughtful.It was as if he’d grown up overnight.I frowned.“You told me before that you’re not a one-percenter club.So if you don’t run drugs or stuff like that to make money, what do you do?”
He looked uncomfortable.“We do security work, hire out as bodyguards, that kind of thing.Sometimes the FBI or the CIA hires us when they need more bodies or an expert on certain things.”
“What kind of experts?”I had a feeling I was pushing a line, but I wanted to understand.I didn’t want to think I’d jumped from the frying pan into the fire.
Rattler sighed.“I can’t go into detail.Some shit is just club business and we don’t talk about it outside of the patched members, but we were all SEALs at one time.Some of us are good with explosives, some with computers, some with talking guys down.”
That made me feel better.There were lots of bad guys out there, and sometimes the good guys needed to fight them on their own ground.Unbidden, a picture of Tim’s rage-filled face came to mind.Things might have been different if I’d had the training to fight back effectively.
I suddenly felt exhausted.It must have shown on my face.
Rattler ran his hand down my arm.“Want to call it a night?”
“Yeah.”I looked around.“Where’s Scrapper?”
Rattler pointed to a spot by the fire.Willow was curled up fast asleep, with Scrapper on top of her.“Not sure we should disturb him.He looks comfortable.”
“Maybe in a few days, after he has time to settle in.Right now I’d feel better if he were in the room with us for the night.”I glanced at the wooded area behind the compound.“He’s not very big yet, and there’s probably things around that would consider him a snack.”
“True.”Rattler strode over to the pair and scooped up the kitten.“Sorry, Willow.Time for your friend to go home for the night.”
The dog opened her eyes and yawned, watching passively as Rattler carried the kitten over to me.
* * *
Rattler
I got up quietly and pulled my clothes on, tucking my gun into the shoulder holster I liked to wear under my cut.Lily was still asleep with the kitten curled up beside her head on the pillow.She’d barely stirred when I slipped out of bed, and I didn’t want to wake her.A decent night’s sleep would be good for her.I doubted she’d had one in a damned long time, given what she’d told me about her ex.
Church was in less than half an hour.I scribbled a note in case she woke up before I got back and left it on the pillow on my side of the bed.
My side of the bed -- how fucking domesticated did that sound?We hadn’t even talked about shit like that.We’d come up from the pizza party last night and made love.Lazy, getting to know each other’s likes and dislikes kind of lovemaking.Slow and easy, too tired to be inventive lovemaking.Then we’d fallen asleep in each other’s arms as if we’d done it a hundred times before.
Yeah.She was in my bed, and in my heart.I’d make damn sure she never felt the sting of a hand raised in anger again.
I stopped in the kitchen to grab a cup of coffee.The place was a mess, but Mom had cleaned it up enough to set up a coffee station on a part of the counter that had missed the fallout.A tray of muffins and scones was there as well.Someone must have sent a prospect to town for those.There wasn’t a chance in hell Mom had managed to whip anything up in here.The fact she’d managed coffee was a small miracle.
Church was just a fancy word for an official club meeting.We held it out back of the main clubhouse in a building set aside for that purpose.Once all the full members were inside, Ace ordered the doors closed and a pair of prospects made sure no one else entered.Not that we expected any trouble this morning, but that was protocol.Whether we expected trouble or not, it paid to be ready.“Be prepared” could have been our club motto.We were practically fucking boy scouts.
Ace strode to the front of the room and held his hand up for silence.
“You all knew Jack Patterson, and you know he didn’t make it back home from his latest deployment.He would have joined us if he could, but we have an opportunity here to honor his memory.His baby sister needs help.Sounds like she’s had a shit time of it since Jack passed away.Stepfather was a little too handsy so she ran away, but the guy she hooked up with turned out to be an asshole.You saw the bruises on her face.There’s more you can’t see.You all know how I feel about guys who use women and kids as punching bags.Rattler here has offered her our protection, and I approved it subject to a vote, so let’s vote.”He looked around the room.“Everyone in favor?Show of hands.”
Within moments, every single hand went up.
Ace nodded his approval.“It’s official then, Lily Patterson is under our protection.Next item of business is the asshole who hit her.I had Shadow here do a quick and dirty search online to see what we could find out about him.Lily said he didn’t have any mafia or cartel connections, but we all know those guys don’t always keep their women informed.Figured it best to check it out.Shadow didn’t find any connections that way, but something feels off, and that makes me nervous.None of it quite adds up.”He glanced over at me.“Rattler here will fill you in on what we have.”
