Taken by Vegas: Rage Ryders MC 2.5, page 5
I tried making the house as normal as possible, because I wanted to be prepared if someone was to happen to stop by. I was sitting on the couch watching 'The Price is Right' when I heard about five motorbikes coming around the corner. I knew for a fact one of them was Gunner, I would know his bike anywhere.
I'm the only girl he's ever allowed on the back of his bike. He says it's because I'm the only one special enough, all the other women in his life try to suck the life out of him.... LITERALLY.
Well, at least that's what I heard him say to Ma and Pops. I had locked the house up tighter than Fort Knox, I hate being by myself. I have a very active imagination. I heard every noise, every creek and crevice this house made, and I can make a scary story out of every one of them.
Then I freak myself out and can't sleep! I heard as the bikes pulled into the driveway and I was mentally preparing myself in case Gunner didn't know Mom and Pops had split. I knew he was gonna be P.I.S.S.E.D, and when Gunner is mad, my ears hurt and I get a headache. I heard the knob try and turn, and then the banging on the door started.
"Open up twerp, I know school’s out. Let me in," Gunner says in his demanding alpha-like voice, I know he's messing around with me, but he won't be for long. Once I let him in, I knew I was gonna be surrounded by his full-on anger and yelling. I stand slowly, and make my way to walk toward the door to open it. I breathe in and out as I inch closer to the door. I open the top, and then the bottom lock slowly, you could hear the clicking of both as they unlatched.
My brother looks me up and down, sizing me for injuries, or any reason that might have caused me to have taken so long to open up.
I smiled at him, to try and reassure him everything was alright. His look goes from worry to becoming irritated pretty quickly. "What the hell twerp? You gonna leave your big bro out here in the heat banging on the door like a stranger while you take your time letting me in? What's up with that?" You may be wondering why my brother didn't have a key.
Ma says, once you move out you’re a guest. Once you’re a guest you have to be let in, you don't have the privilege to come and go and come in and eat and do laundry without being told it’s okay.
I turn around to look around and see if anything’s noticeable to the naked eye, that there are a-lot of things missing from the house. I'm not ready to have this conversation with Gunner in front of his brothers. It's embarrassing enough that my parents left me, but to announce it to the club is devastating. I have grown up admiring some of these guys and learning what I know about bikes and rules of the club and what is expected of an Ol' lady or any member who’s born into the club life or chooses the club life. How shameful to let these guys know I'm not important enough for my parents to stick around for, or even to take with them. I look at Gunner and the guys to see who’s with him and notice a new Prospect.
He's gorgeous and not much older than me. He has sandy blonde hair and dark chocolate brown eyes. Eyes that I wanted to dive into and let see all of my secrets. He was built, not as big as my brother, but he had muscles that stretched his shirt and jeans to their limits. He had on his Prospect cut and had tribal art going all the way down his right arm in a sleeve.
It's very detailed and I couldn't make out the exact details at the time. His left bicep had a snake coming out with the mouth open and the tongue striking out at you. It was 3-D and gave the illusion it was coming for you. I couldn't take my eyes from him. He was a piece of art himself.
I lost track in him, viewing him from top to bottom losing myself in daydreams of what I would love to be doing to his naked body. That is until Gunner cleared his throat very loudly for all to hear. I snapped my head up and was eye to eye with the Prospect and knew right away he was aware of my perusal of him. He gave me a sideways smirk and then winked at me as he returned the favor viewing me from head to toe. I don't blush easily so I hope that's not what he was hoping to get.
I am a club daughter after all. There isn't much I haven't seen or done that shouldn't have been done or witnessed at my age. What can I say? My parents and brother are free spirits and they don't believe in shielding me from life. I could be standing here naked in front of all of these men and it wouldn't have fazed me in the slightest. Gunner grabbed my attention when he said, "Charlee meet our new Probee ‘Country’, Country my beautiful baby sister, Charlee. Where's Pops, Charlee? I need to run some club business by him, we just got back from our run and VP said he hasn't been around and hasn't answered his phone. He sent some guys to drive by and his bike's not been in the driveway."
"UMMM...Gunner, can we maybe go in the screen room and talk? Just you and me for a couple minutes.”
Gunner gave me a strange look and shook his head up and down, and this is where my life changes from everything I've ever known.
Charlee and Gunner's Talk
Charlee
I follow Gunner into the sunroom and sit on the wicker chair and wait as he scans the room out the windows into the backyard. He knows something is wrong and is trying to put it together before I shock him altogether. After a few minutes of him assessing the room he turns and looks at me giving me the once over before finally settling down in the outdoor recliner that Pops decided he had to have out here to drink his coffee and read the paper before heading out and starting his day. Gunner's legs start shaking up and down as they've always done whenever he sits down waiting for news of any type. Finally, he's had enough when he speaks loudly.
"Enough! Start already Charlee girl."
So, this is where I turn Gunner’s life and mine upside down.
"Well, two weeks ago I came home and things were a complete disaster. I mean Gunner you could barely walk in the front door. There were literally clothes thrown everywhere of Ma and Pops and books along with everything imaginable just tossed around everywhere. I started to panic until I noticed it was an orderly mess. It was all their things. All of the expensive stuff was still here undisturbed. I went into my room and nothing was messed up, it was still as clean as it was that morning when I left for school. But I noticed a note sticking out under my pillow so I grabbed it. In mom's handwriting, it said, go to Pops’ desk and get the envelope addressed to you. So, that's what I did."
"Wait up! Why the fuck didn't you call me? I would have been here and helped you figure all of this shit out! This is bullshit Charlee. What was in the note on Pops’ desk waiting for you?"
"Well, if you'll let me finish talking without interrupting me I might be able to tell you everything. That way you won't have as many questions."
I raise my eyebrows waiting for him to respond. Of course, he nods his head at me to finish.
"Anyways, as I was saying," I draw out the word saying to make a point to my overly anxious brother.
"I went to the desk and found the envelope and opened it. Inside was a combination to Pops’ safe code that he has hidden under his desk, so I used the code and opened it up. Inside I found another envelope and directions to another safe with the words: the combination is the birthday of your and your brother's best-friend’s birthday's combined. Good thing we've had the same best-friends since I've been born and I knew their birthdays and was able to put them together. Now before I went to find this secret safe that none of us knew about, I did attempt to call you, but you were in church and I was told by a prospect that answered your phone. Then was also informed it may be awhile till I heard back from you. Since, usually after church you go on runs, I wasn't waiting in case it told me what the hell was going on. I grabbed the paper and it lead to a secret wall in the basement that Pops had to have when the house was built. If you remember them telling us the story, the contractor was upset cause no one in Texas ever has basements, but Pops told him he would have one or he would have another contractor. Anyways, back to the point, I followed the map Pops drew and went to the place indicated on the map for the fake wall, then pushed the fake piece of wood. Now, I'm feeling like a spy here. And viola, the door opens right, and so I go inside and use my cell phone's flashlight app cause it's dark inside. Then I see a string hanging from a light bulb and pull it and it works and lights the room. So now I'm paranoid and shut the door behind me, I have no idea what is up with Ma and Pops, and my imagination starts working of being robbed and killed and thrown in this room no one knows about. So, after I close the door I add up the birthdays, first the months, then dates, then years and it opens the safe. Then there are two thick envelops inside, one addressed to me and one addressed to you. So, I didn't wanna open yours cause I didn't wanna get my head knocked for opening your shit, I know how you don't like that. And I like my brain cells thank you very much! I grab my envelope and open it and have a panic attack. Only because I know with what's inside means Ma and Pops don't plan on ever coming back."
"Alright Charlee girl! Enough with the cryptic bullshit, I get Ma and Pops are gone. I'm gonna find out why, and then I'm gonna find them. Something ain't right 'cause they wouldn't leave you. Now, tell me what's inside the envelope."
"Well, they left each one of us a note and some money, a lot of fucking money. I mean enough money where I probably will never have to work in my lifetime if I don't wanna. That's how much money, Gunner."
"Fuck! Charlee girl that means something really bad has gone down. You need to show me this envelope with the note, surely they gave me some type of clue or hint as to what's goin’ down."
"Not in mine Gunner, all they said is how much they love us, and that if we try and get involved it could lead to their death, and ours."
"FUCK! Envelope, now Charlee!"
And so, I take my brother to Pops’ secret safe and let him get his note and money. I leave mine in there. It scares me at this moment.
Story subject to change as it develops and goes through the editing process….thank you for reading the work in progress
Liberty Parker, Taken by Vegas: Rage Ryders MC 2.5
