Page 18 of Ice
“Hey, Doc, thanks for coming.” Ice was standing beside me, and he grinned when I turned to look at him.
“Mine’s the blue one, sixth in line from the front bike. Front is Reacher, of course. Then our VP… although I haven’t seen him for a few days. Anyway. Uh… can I get you a coffee? We have a bar, with a very talented prospect behind it.”
“A bar?” He grinned, and nodded his head to the door.
“Come on in.”
I stared around in awe at the place, which had clearly been a business premises, but was decorated with so many picturesof bikers, and some of their waistcoats in frames and stuff. I wanted to ask so many questions, but I wasn’t here for that. I followed Ice to a bar; an actual bar, in what looked like a large lounge. It was a little less well kept than the hallway, but I figured that was down to heavy use of the area, and it being a bar.
“Tommy, this is Dr Chase. Can you get us a couple of coffees?”
I stepped up beside Ice, and smiled at the young guy called Tommy. He wore one of those leather vests too, but without patches on the front.
“Black please. One sugar.”
He nodded, and turned to make drinks for us. On the back of his vest was the word ‘PROSPECT’, and a smaller version of the logo I’d seen on the other vests.
“I can’t thank you enough for coming out here, Doc. I felt like such a prick when I realised I was so late.”
I shrugged, even though it had been frustrating.
“Things happen. The main thing is that you’re doing your best to stick to our appointments.”
He glanced behind me and cursed.
“You’re about to meet my Club President. He’s probably planning to poke his nose in.”
I looked behind me to see a large, older man striding in our direction. He had greying hair and a greying beard, a pierced eyebrow, and tattoos on his bare arms. He was wearing jeans and a t-shirt, with the obligatory club waistcoat. Ice was wearing one too, and it was the first time I’d seen him wearing it. I tried not to notice how much hotter it made him.
“Reacher, this is Dr Chase. She’s trying to fix my fucked up head,” Ice sounded frustrated, and embarrassed by his President’s presence.
I shook his hand as he stopped in front of me.
“Nice to meet you, uh… Reacher?”
He nodded, a grin appearing briefly.
“Pleasure, Doc. I hope he’s behaving. Seriously though, thank you. He’s pretty important to us, so we need him back, yeah?”
I glanced at Ice, who was rubbing at his hair in that agitated way he sometimes did.
“He’s making a lot of effort, and trust me, that’s the biggest part of the battle. If he remains willing, then I don’t doubt that we can help him get back to who he is, without his addiction.”
“I’m right fucking here,”I heard him mutter under his breath.
Reacher snorted. “On that note, I’m gonna go back to my office, and get some work done. Anyone seen Ally?” I saw Ice and Tommy shake their heads. He nodded at me as he turned to leave, his phone already at his ear. “Woman, I need you down in my office.Now.”
He sounded pissed off. “Is she in trouble?” I looked at Ice warily, hearing him laugh.
“Always. She’s his wife.”
Huh… I thought they had another name for wives in biker clubs.
“There she goes.” I saw an older woman with long blonde hair hurrying down the stairs, and down the hallway in the same direction Reacher had gone.
“Uh… so we can either talk here, like in the corner over there, or in my uh… my room,” Ice was saying, as I turned to look at him. His room? I swallowed hard.
“Is any part of this room private enough? You need to be able to speak freely, and open up to me.” What am I saying? That’s like saying ‘let’s just go to your room and fuck’.
