Hyde: Northern Grizzlies MC Next Generation Book 1, page 11
“You do remember my gram, don’t you?” I ask, smiling at the thought of Mom’s grandmother. He clicks his tongue at me in reply. “Well, she left me some property and if you like it, maybe we build our house? A bunker for me and the backyard of your dreams?”
“Damn. I’d forgotten,” he says with a chuckle. “She and Flint were always trying to snap up properties before the other found out about them. There was a time or two he’d be cussing up a blue streak and Ragnar would just start howling along with him.”
Bree’s dog never needed much reason to start barking, and as loud as he was, Ragnar was just the sweetest boy. Fondly remembering him, I decide to add on to our list.
“Maybe when the dust settles, we can try to find a Norwegian Elkhound, like she had?” I ask him.
“We’ll find a place to rent, then build a place on your land with a doggie door to the backyard,” he quickly agrees before letting out a deep breath. “When we get back, you should start calling me Hyde.”
“No, I’m not. Besides, I’ve never heard Bree call you that.”
His smile fades and a shadow crosses his face.
“How did you get your road name?” I ask, never having questioned it before.
“Back when you were a peanut, I was in that accident. You’ve heard about that, right?”
“Yeah, a pile-up during a snowstorm and the doctors didn’t think you’d ever be able to walk again.” I repeat the basic facts that I had heard years ago. “But you fought through it and later took up running.”
“That’s the version you heard?” His twisted grin tells me that I was told a fairytale. “I was more dead than alive when they got me to the hospital. I don’t remember that part of it, just later on when I finally woke up. Bree, Mom, I mean, was with me through it all. Every day. She never stopped fighting for me, even when I had given up.”
I can’t help the tears that well up in my eyes at the pain I hear in his voice. He swipes his thumbs over them and kisses my forehead.
“I was a shit to her. To everyone really. Mom, Flint, and your dad were the only ones I gave permission to visit.”
“Why my dad?” I ask, having a good idea what his answer is going to be.
“Because of his own scars,” Joe chokes out the words. “He was the only one who could really understand how I felt. Gunner never once looked at me with pity, never placated me that ‘I’d be back on my feet in no time’. We talked through my options and when I was tired, he’d give Bree a break and sit next to me, telling me about all the shit the guys were getting up to around the clubhouse.”
“That sounds like him,” I whisper back. When I was old enough, I ran a search on my dad one time. That was when I found out about all the medals he had been awarded while in the service, surprised since he had never talked about them.
“One of the times he stopped by, I was fighting physical therapy and just laying into Mom something awful. I looked up to see him frozen in the doorway. His face was bright red, but that scar stayed white—it was like the old warriors who had painted their faces. He told Mom to leave the room, she fought him, telling him it was alright. That I was just in pain and that everyone needed to calm down.
“He picked her up and put her in the hallway, then secured the door. Now, back then, I was still a bit nervous around your dad on a good day. He clamps his hand around my leg and tells me that he’s certain, with the right amount of pressure, he could snap my fibula. Then he started squeezing.” Joe barely pauses, even as I feel a chill go through his body. “I’m pretty sure I started crying, I don’t fucking know, what did occur to me was that if I could still feel that much pain, then, somewhere inside of me I must have enough strength to walk.”
“What happened next?”
“He told me that if he ever heard me speak to Bree like that again, he’d rip my tongue out of my mouth. The next morning when I woke up, instead of Bree on the window seat, Flint had pulled a chair up next to my bed.” Joe doesn’t try to hold back the grin that splits his face. “Suddenly, Gunner didn’t seem so scary.”
“So, Hyde is because Flint threatened your hide?”
“Allegedly it’s as in Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. You may have noticed I’m a pretty even keel kinda person, so the moral was to keep my monster under control,” he tells me. “But yeah, it’s a reminder from Flint.”
“And that’s why Bree will never say it,” I conclude, before asking the bigger question. “Now, how are we going to break our relationship to my parents?”
“I’m gonna look Gunner in the eye and tell him you crawled, naked, onto—ouch—my lap—crap, stop that,” Joe laughs as he tries to pin my hands. “And really, what choice did I have when your titties were inches away from my mouth. Fuck!”
The last word explodes from his mouth when his ass hits the floor, misjudging the space he had when I jerked my knee up to squash his dick. Peering over the edge of the mattress, I glare at him and try to pull my wrists free from his grip.
“God, I love you,” he groans, reaching his free hand down to rub his tailbone.
I freeze.
“You do?”
Looking up at me, he stops his inspection of his rear and reaches over to pull me down on top of him.
“In a very different way than I cared about you when you were a kid, yes, Le-Lee. I love you,” he tells me as I straddle his stomach, grinning down at him like an idiot.
“I love you, too,” I needlessly reply before our lips touch.
Just then there’s a knock on the door.
“Ms. Sorenson? I apologize, I heard a crash and wanted to make sure you were alright.” A man’s tentative voice comes from the hallway.
“Yes, Father! I’m sorry, I rolled off the bed,” I fib, trying to place his voice. “Good night, Father Mosley.”
“Oh, and Ms. Sorenson? If you could please turn down the volume of whatever show you’re watching on your device. Many of us are early risers,” he requests, and even with his serious tone, I can picture the good-humored face of the man I met earlier.
“Of course, Father. Sorry about that, too,” I reply, biting my lip against the giggles that threaten to burst forth.
Once there’s silence again, I chance eye contact with Joe.
“You’re going to Hell,” he whispers.
“Come with me?” I ask, raising an eyebrow.
“At least until you get us kicked outta there…” he kisses me as he moves us into a sitting position so we can make our way back onto the bed.
I know there would be so much more space if we would spoon, but I want to see Joe’s face as we continue our conversation.
“Why?” he asks me, referring to my earlier declaration. “You always have cared about me and I’ve never understood it.”
“I’ve thought about this over the past few years and even in my own head it sounds weird. I mean, I’m surrounded by good people who love me, but with you, I think my first feelings were how comfortable I was around you. And happy too. You never minded playing with me, so at some point I started thinking of you as ‘mine’,” I whisper back, focusing on his chin when I get embarrassed by my feelings.
“And when you’re my age? How do you think you’re going to feel about the old man you’re saddled with?”
“I can’t imagine a time that I won’t love you with every part of my soul,” I fervently reply.
“Babe, you have to be prepared for when we get back,” Joe counters, placing a finger over my lips when I try to speak. “Gunner’s going to kick my ass, and I’m going to take it.”
“No,” I growl out. “That’s totally ridiculous. We’ll tell them, they’ll yell, I’ll probably cry and…”
“And then your dad. Is. Going. To. Kick. My. Ass. It’s going to happen. And you aren’t going to say a word about it.”
“I won’t allow it,” I insist, getting a soft chuckle from Joe.
“Now, that’s Riley speaking, through and through,” he retorts. “I’ve always loved how you do everything hard. Love. Fight. Cause mayhem. Laugh. And care about everyone in your orbit…”
“Except some people,” I mumble, thinking of the bitch who got us into this mess.
That comment earns me another kiss. “And hold a grudge.”
“Of all people, Mom and Dad can’t get hung up on our age difference,” I defiantly whisper against his lips.
“The thing that really sucks, is that your mom probably won’t cook for me for a while,” he mournfully pouts.
“I’ll make it up to you.” I seal my promise with a kiss.
I don’t remember falling asleep, but it wasn’t nearly long enough before I wake up.
Do you want to know where the worst place to get your period is?
A retreat house. In the middle of nowhere. Run by Priests.
Chapter 11
Hyde
“Here.” I walk back into Leslee’s room, holding a heating pad in one hand and some strips I cut from a sheet in the other.
She lets out a moan and it’s not the first time I’m pissed that I forgot her bottle of extra-strength ibuprofen. The generic aspirin one of the priests gave me doesn’t seem to be helping.
Taking one look at her complexion, I soak a washcloth at the small basin and lay it across her forehead before I look around for an outlet. Thankfully, there’s one near the head of her bed.
“Okay, now this thing is pretty old, so keep a sheet between your skin and the pad, baby.” I coo the words out to her as I place it over her abdomen.
“Rub my back?” she pleads with so much pain in her voice I can barely stand to tear myself away.
“I got a ride into town, so I have to leave now, Le-Lee. I’m sorry, it’s my best chance to get everything you need,” I answer her, even as I reach a hand behind her and uncertainly rub her back until I hear her groan again. “How the hell do you go through this every month?”
“It’s not always this bad. I think it’s because I lied to the priest last night,” she replies sounding so pitiful that it’s hard not to laugh.
“I don’t think that’s how this works,” I assure her as a shiver runs through her body.
“Hurry back?”
“As fast as I can in a fifteen-year-old Nissan being driven by a sixty-year-old priest.” I’m instantly rewarded by the hint of a smile on her pale, clammy face.
Once inside the town’s local pharmacy, I throw up my hands at the selection of feminine hygiene products and stalk around the store, eyeballing the clerks until I find an older woman.
She gets me situated, not only with supplies but with the best over-the-counter pain killer—all without fuss. The last thing I wanted was to deal with a teenager who would be mortified at being asked about these products.
I grab a couple of prepaid visa cards and burners before throwing down a wad of hundreds and that does manage to fluster her at last.
“Oh, and add his purchases to my tab, please,” I add when the priest who drove me to town approaches the single check-out counter.
This seems to win her back over, which is better than her calling the cops.
*
“Hey, Ma,” I say when she picks up the call.
“Where are you? Riley’s been scared to death since Leslee reached out to Flint.” The worry in her voice is evident as she talks non-stop and I can tell she’s walking at a brisk pace. “Finn! Go find Riley and send her back to Jasper’s office.”
“We’re at a Catholic retreat house in Colorado for the moment, I put your name on the prayer list in the chapel.”
“This isn’t the time for bullshit, Joe.” Mom sighs, sounding stressed.
“I’m actually serious. I wanted to get a read on how long we should stay put,” I tell her.
While I should have made this call yesterday, I wanted to make sure that Leslee didn’t sound like death warmed over when she spoke to her family. While I’m pretty sure she disregarded the recommended dosage on the pain killers, she’s definitely feeling better.
Mom lets out a brief bark of laughter just as she knocks on a door. “Can’t wait to hear how that happened. Okay Joe, I’m in Jasper’s office. Flint and Heat are here.”
“Short version of the last couple of days: there was a drone circling Alex’s property. I wasn’t going to take the chance that it was a couple of kids goofing off. Anyway, I stopped to rent a truck, Leslee met some priests, they hooked us up with a place to stay. What’s happening on your end?”
“Russian, Gunner, and Royce went down to Arizona. Throttle is hosting the exchange,” Jasper informs me. “How’s Leslee coping?”
The fact that he referred to it as an exchange means that the Navaja have Trinity and Molly doesn’t want her to suffer at their hands. What the fuck we’re going to do with her is beyond me. I stay quiet longer than I should and Flint clears his throat, prompting me for my answer.
The office I was allowed to use a phone in, overlooks the garden and my eyes have been trained on Leslee during the entire conversation. I smile at the vision of the sun bouncing off of her hair and wonder what song it is she’s singing to herself as she pulls weeds from one of the raised vegetable beds.
“I’d like your formal permission to take her as my Ol’ Lady,” I reply and nearly drop the phone when Mom is the first one cussing with Heat chuckling in the background. I had hoped to have her on my side. “We’re together now, regardless.”
“I’ve been friends with Gunner too long to answer that without talking to him.” Jasper’s response comes quickly, and knowing him as long as I have, I swear I can see him smirking over at Flint. “Is she there now?”
“She’s out in the garden,” I answer, reaching over to tap on the window. Leslee immediately looks up and I smile, motioning for her to come inside. “On her way inside now.”
“Bree? Finn told me to find you.” I hear Riley’s voice coming over the line and they quickly fill her in on everything, except my request.
“Here she is,” I say a moment later, holding over the phone since it doesn’t have a speaker option. “It’s your mom, Bree, Flint, Heat, and Jasper. I need to talk to them again.”
“Hey, I’m alright, Mom. Not a scratch on me,” Leslee says once she can get a word in.
She settles herself on my lap, and I lean down, burying my nose just behind her ear and wonder how even her perspiration can smell good. Unable to stop myself, I dart my tongue out to taste her and get a shoulder nudging my cheek for my effort.
“That should be alright,” she’s saying a few moments later, tapping my arm to get my attention and raising an eyebrow in question. I tuned out for a moment, so I just shrug. “The priests said there is space available here until Thursday, when a retreat group comes in for the weekend.”
After answering a couple more questions, she tells her mom that she loves her and announces that I need to talk to Jasper again. Once she hands the phone back to me, she stays on my lap.
“I gotta talk to Jasper for a minute. I’ll find you outside,” I tell Leslee, thrusting my groin up with a grin so she’ll leave smiling and not annoyed with me.
“Bree, give us the room,” Flint says a moment after I hear the door open and close on their end.
“That’s my phone and my goddaughter we’re talking about,” Bree snaps back. “Neither of you have enough authority in this world to force me to go out there to face Riley, knowing that my son has…”
When she flounders, Jasper helpfully inserts, “Defiled her.”
“Slipped her the salami,” Flint counters and I hear the smack before he grunts.
“So, help me God.” Bree sounds like she’s being strangled before she addresses me again. “Joseph, what do you have to say for yourself?”
“I love her. I’m coming home and want to take a more active part in the day-to-day there,” I inform them.
“About time,” Heat grunts.
“There’ll be a place for you,” Jasper replies. “Granted, that’ll be after Gunner kicks your ass.”
Once we agree that Bree will call and leave a message at the switchboard once it’s safe for us to return home, I hang up but remain seated, playing the conversation over in my head again.
I’d like to consider myself fairly intelligent, it just takes me a couple of minutes to catch up to the fact that the only part of the conversation that was a surprise to Jasper and Flint, was where we’re staying.
Which means, those two have planned out who will lead the Northern Grizzlies.
Wrench’s son being in the room when Bree joined them, is telling, especially since they allowed him to stay until the last part of the conversation. I know for a fact that Jasper’s son, Chris, has no real interest in it. He patched in more because he felt obligated to than for any other reason.
I go through all the current members and start to catalogue who might be on the short list for leadership, at least until Leslee catches my eye.
She stands and stretches, turning like a flower to face the sun as a random cloud shifts overhead.
I can’t resist her siren’s call.
Although I had promised myself I wouldn’t have relations with her in the small rooms we were given, I decide there has to be some place outside with just enough privacy to scratch my itch.
Leslee
“No,” I say to Joe when he’s still twenty feet away from me. “Absolutely not.”
There’s no doubt in my mind what he wants as he stalks toward me.
He reaches for my hand, pulling me to his side before he says anything. “Please, baby. I need you.”
The words and burning gaze that I always wanted from him come close to breaking my resolve. Until the twinge in my lower back strengthens my will.
“I’m a mess,” I reply, narrowing my eyes at him.
“You knew I was watching you and you’re gorgeous,” he whispers, leaning over to kiss me just as I get a hand in between us, intent on stopping him.
“No action when I’m fighting back the red tide, understand?” I think it’s best to set a boundary now, not that I’ll never give him a blowjob during my period, but I don’t want to start out giving him his way all the time.
