Page 40 of Break Away (Riot MC Next Generation #2)

Chapter twenty-four

Trixie's Idea

Rafferty

“I think that’s all I need,” Detective Jones said. He stood and glanced out the open door to my hospital room.

“Will I need to come back to testify?” I asked.

The detective looked down at me and shook his head. “Not likely. Mr. Ogden provided enough information that you shouldn’t be needed in court. Take care of yourself, Mr. Rolland.”

Alexandra must have been milling about in the hallway because she immediately came into the room as Detective Jones left.

She sat down in the chair next to my bed and grabbed my hand. “Who’s Mr. Ogden?”

“Brantley.”

“Oh, that’s right.”

“Did you hear the whole conversation?” I asked.

She shook her head. “No. My ears perked up when you asked if you’d have to testify.”

I dipped my chin. “I’m guessing you gave a statement last week while I was in ICU.”

She nodded. “I did. The club’s lawyer went with me. I can’t believe they killed Tobias.”

I shook my head. “You don’t mean that. He and Brantley took their product. Drug dealers don’t let that shit slide. I’m just surprised Brantley didn’t get killed, too.”

She leaned closer. “Nate talked to me. He was able to notify another undercover officer about Brantley being taken from the house and they intercepted at the apartment complex where Tobias lived. It’s also how they found out Tobias was dead.

Otherwise, who knows when his body would have been found. ”

I’d been in and out of it on pain meds for the last few days. The detective took my statement about the shooting, but he didn’t share any information about Porter. As much as I hated to bring him up to Alexandra, I hated not knowing what was going on with him.

“Do you know if Porter had his arraignment?” I asked

A humorless, closed-lip smile twisted her lips. “Yeah. The judge denied him bail because he’s a flight risk, seeing as his family came down from Missouri to post it.”

“Really?”

She nodded. “I don’t care what this says about me, but it makes me feel better knowing he isn’t roaming around Gainesville.”

Clouds outside my room shifted and the sun brightened the room.

I squeezed Alexandra’s hand. “Don’t you have class today?”

She grinned. “It’s Tuesday, so no classes today. Only Mondays and Wednesdays.”

“Slacker,” I muttered.

“Whatever. Aren’t they going to discharge you today?”

I looked toward the door. “I sure as hell hope so. It’s too fuckin’ noisy around here and the food sucks.”

She shot me a half-hearted glare. “I bring you food every time I visit and so does your mom and sister.”

I widened my eyes. “Yeah, because the food here sucks.”

A metal bang came from the doorway right before a nurse pushed a wheelchair into the room. “Mr. Rolland, if you’re dressed, I’ve got your discharge papers and can wheel you down to the parking lot.”

Alexandra’s eyes lit up and she beamed at me. “Excellent! I don’t know about you, but after this, I don’t want to see another hospital for a long, long time.”

Two weeks later, on a Thursday afternoon, Alexandra stood in my driveway with her arms crossed under her tits.

She glared at me like she could singe my soul. “You aren’t cleared for this kind of activity, Rafferty.”

I twirled my keys on my index finger, then mirrored her pose. “Woman, I didn’t check the discharge papers, but I’m pretty sure I’m good to do this. Regardless, I don’t give a damn about medical clearance. We’re goin’ to the clubhouse, and I’ll be damned if we don’t get there on my Triumph.”

Her arms unfolded, she put her hands on her hips and stepped into my space.

“Almost four weeks ago, you were shot and I held someone else’s hands to your chest to keep you from dying.

For almost three hours, the idea that you could die was a very real possibility and I’ll never forget that feeling.

I’ll be damned if we get on that bike since it might put us both in danger. ”

I exhaled and wrapped my arms around her, pulling her to me tight. Even though I was the one who got shot, it had taken a heavy toll on her, too. A toll she never let anyone see, not even me.

That was my woman, though. Stubborn, strong, and opinionated.

“I’m sorry, Lex.”

She gazed up at me, her eyes shiny. “It’s not your fault, but we can take your truck…or even better, my car.”

I rested my forehead on hers. “Baby, I’m strong. I’m off the heavy-duty pain meds because I’m not in pain. That bike is an extension of me, you know that. And I’d never - not ever - put you in danger. We’ll be fine.”

She glowered up at me, and hell if it wasn’t cute. “You’re not going to listen to me, are you?”

“I heard you, baby. You’re worrying for nothing. It’s five-point-five miles from here, door-to-door.”

Her eyes widened. “Yeah, most of it on Blanding Boulevard, are you nuts?”

I laughed…and for once it didn’t hurt. There hadn’t been too damned much to laugh at in the hospital.

She pulled her head back. “This isn’t funny.”

I smiled. “It is funny, but we can take Roosevelt instead.”

Her mouth dropped open, then closed. “That might actually be worse, it’s three lanes of crazy bob-and-weaving drivers speeding down the road.” She narrowed her eyes. “And you’d have to take that short stretch of Interstate to get over to Blanding… You just want to ride fast. I’m onto you, Raff.”

“Honey, I just want to ride. Period. Are you gonna get on my bike with me, or what?”

I loved watching her war with herself. The moment her expression softened, I knew she’d come around.

“Fine.”

That made me laugh again because Dad, Cal, and nearly all the brothers had told me, when a woman said ‘Fine,’ things were rarely anything but fine. I loved Alexandra so much, I’d enjoy every second of convincing her things weren’t just fine, but fuckin' great.

Twenty minutes later, I parked my Triumph at the far end of a long line of bikes. I noticed Cynic and Gamble’s bikes in the middle of the row, which meant the Biloxi brothers were here.

“Is there a party tonight?” Alexandra asked.

I slung my arm along her shoulders. “Not sure.”

We entered through the back door and strolled past the kitchen. Abby and Fiona were at the counter chopping vegetables. Blood and Cynic were at the small two-seater table cutting four whole chickens into pieces.

Abby glanced at us and locked eyes with Alexandra. “Tell me you drove.”

Alexandra tipped her head toward Blood. “Would he let you drive when he’s convinced he’s good to ride his bike?”

Abby gave her a wry look. “Honey, he doesn’t let me do anything. I thought we taught you better.”

Blood winked at us. “That’s not true, Abs. I just let you think that.”

Cynic glanced at us over his shoulder. “Glad you’re here, Raff.”

His words took me aback, and an unexpected surge of emotion clogged my throat. I swallowed it down. “Thanks, man.”

He nodded. “Go grab yourself a beer, and bring one back for me and Blood.”

Fiona arched a brow at Cynic. “Are you sharing one beer with Blood? You two are so close now.”

“Smart-ass, stop being a wordsmith,” Cynic muttered.

We wandered into the common room and went to the bar.

“It’s about fuckin’ time you showed up,” Beast said from behind the bar.

He was pulling a draft beer. Roman stood a foot away from Beast, holding a cocktail shaker in the air. Tundra and Cal were uncorking bottles of wine at the other end of the bar. It surprised me there weren’t any prospects around because all of this was shit we normally handled.

“Listen, Cynic and Blood want a beer. I’ll take those to them and get back behind the bar so you four can—”

Tundra shook his head. “Open your eyes, Raff. We’re having church in ten minutes.”

“Okay,” I drawled.

Beast put a pint glass full of dark beer on the bar. “Don’t tell him, asshole. Volt’s not even here, yet, is he?”

Cal chuckled. “He got here half an hour ago. Bobby’s with him around the side, setting up for tonight.”

Tundra’s eyes slid to the other end of the bar in a pointed way.

“Oh,” Alexandra said.

I followed his gaze and saw two brown paper wrapped packages.

I nodded. “Cool. Killian and Ryan deserve their patches, man.”

Beast’s expression went flat. “You’re shitting me, right?” He glanced at Tundra. “Do you think he might be trying to… Bluff ?”

The way he emphasized the word bluff made my stomach sink, but in a good way.

Alexandra nudged my bicep with her shoulder. I looked at her and seeing that huge smile felt like a gut punch. “This is great, Raff! You’re getting your patch. No wonder they’re getting ready for a party.”

Roman put the cocktail shaker down, and leaned an elbow on the bar. “Nobody said he was getting patched in tonight, cher .”

Alexandra gave him a ‘Don’t bullshit me’ look and Roman chuckled.

The front door opened and an ear-splitting whistle filled the air. I turned and saw Volt and Bobby had come inside. The common room quickly filled with the rest of the brothers and other members from the Biloxi chapter.

Once he had everyone’s attention, Volt said, “I don’t think we need to be so formal with this one. We voted Monday. It was unanimous, and yesterday I got word from the mother chapter. There’s one less prospect in the Jacksonville chapter because he earned his patch.”

He nodded and Beast opened one of the packages then unfolded a new leather cut, holding it in the air.

The name patch read ‘Bluff.’

The emotion I felt earlier from Cynic’s words was nothing compared to the onslaught I felt now. I willed myself not to cry as Alexandra slipped my prospect cut off, and I took the leather from Beast.

I shrugged on my official cut and lost count of the back slaps I received as brothers crowded around to congratulate me.

Once they cleared away, Beast shot a devious smile my way. “Do you know what the best part about your road name is?”

“The fact you came up with it?” I guessed.

He chuckled. “No, that was Tundra.”

“Yeah! You were there, I’d think you’d remember that, numbnuts,” Tundra said.

I rolled my eyes. “Fine. What’s the best part?”

Beast wheezed out a chuckle. “You won’t be able to bluff anybody again. Everyone’s gonna know you’re a bullshitter.”

I shrugged a shoulder. “Could refer to a type of landscape.”

Beast’s eyes went dramatically wide. “Right…’cause you’re a geography buff. Pedal that shit somewhere else. Bluff!”

Dad lumbered up to me, and I wondered how he wasn’t one of the first people to congratulate me.

“Wanted to wait, son,” he said, reading my face. “Really fuckin’ proud of you. It’s an honor to call you my son and my brother.”

My throat clogged again.

He wrapped an arm around my shoulders and slapped my back harder than anyone else had. “Love you.”

“Love you too, Dad.”

He backed away.

I spied the other package on the bar. “Who else is getting their patch tonight?”

A strange look stole over Dad’s face and he sighed. “I want Cal to tell you about that.” Before I could respond, he tipped his head back and bellowed, “Callous!”

“I’m standing right here, Dad,” I muttered.

He smirked at me. “It's hard to get anyone’s attention on a night like this.”

Cal sauntered our way with a gleam in his eye I’d never seen before. It was part resignation, part knowing, and part… disgust, if I wasn’t mistaken.

Suddenly, my hands went clammy and I felt nervous around Cal for the first time.

He glanced at Dad. “You tell him?”

Dad shook his head. “No, I want you to do it.”

Cal gave Dad some side-eye and ran his hand over his mouth. “This is not the way things are normally done… Bluff.”

Dad nodded once. “It was your mother’s idea.”

“And Abby’s,” Cal muttered.

Dad glanced past me for a moment as he weighed his words. “Your mother can be…resourceful.”

Cal barked out a laugh. “You ever tell Trixie that to her face?”

A devious smile crossed Dad’s face. “Yeah, when she’s sucking my cock.”

“I’m standing right here , Dad,” I said.

He smiled at me. “Yeah, but you’re one of the brothers, so get used to it.”

Shit. This had also been an upside to joining the Memphis chapter…far less likely to overhear Dad share about his sex life.

Cal chuckled. “He’s right, Bluff. This isn’t how we normally do things.”

“What do you mean?” I asked.

Cal put his hand on the package. “Each brother decides when he’s ready to put his patch on his woman.”

My heartbeat picked up and I forced myself to concentrate on his words.

“Your mom told people at the hospital that you and Alexandra were getting married. She ranted last week about how whenever you earned your patch, they should save time and money by just ordering your woman’s cut at the same time.”

“Nobody approved that, because it’s supposed to be your call,” Dad said.

Cal nodded once. “When Abby put in the order for your cut, she recalled Trixie’s rant, and ordered one for your woman.”

I felt Dad’s gaze on me and turned my eyes to him as he said, “I still say we return it. If I were in Cal’s shoes, and this were for Jasmine, I’d have raised holy hell.”

Cal shook his head and leveled a serious look at me. “No. There isn’t a better man for Alexandra than you, Bluff. This might have been Trixie’s idea, but she’s right. You have my blessing.” He paused and held up a finger. “But I don’t want to be here when you put this on her.”

I gave him a chin-lift. “Is that why Aunt Mallory isn’t here?”

“No. It’s quarter-end, she’s working late.” He clapped my shoulder. “Have a great night, brother. I’ll catch you later.”