CHAPTER 8
Cobra walked to the back of the house. He was at a loss as to what to do. Hearing his mate was considering leaving, had hurt and scared the shit out of Cobra, and he had no idea what to do about it. He had wanted to talk to Gio and get some answers, but Taco had done something Cobra had never seen him do in all the years they had been together… the dragon had completely lost his cool and run.
Out of all the dragons, Taco had always been the fun-loving, level-headed maharishi out of all of them. He was outgoing and made Cobra laugh when he tended to get too serious. As Taco always said, “Someone has to pull the stick out of his ass.” So, to see his maharishi so angry he would just take off, really threw Cobra for a loop. Then, Gio had started screaming for Taco, and Jude had rushed in with Rylee. Jude had to sedate Gio so he didn’t pull any stitches out, and Cobra had been kicked out of the room. At least Rylee and Jude had promised to have one of them in the room with Gio in case he woke up. Cobra didn’t want his sentience alone.
Seeing Sparky out at the bird feeders wasn’t a surprise. Sparky actually made bird feeders of all kinds. They were really fantastic. Sparky had castles, ranch houses, a Taj Mahal, and so many more, and then he made these things that held bird grease for small birds and woodpeckers. Those were either metal-looking cages, or just the grease in heart shapes, bird shapes… if it was for a bird, Sparky was making it, and yes, that included birdbaths.
No one would think that a man who took down serialists could have such a soft spot for birds, but Sparky said it was relaxing to sit outside and watch all the birds come to eat, bathe, or just hang out. He knew just about everything about them, and honestly, it was kind of fascinating if not a bit odd. However, Cobra was a live and let live, or to each his own, kind of guy.
Each D.O.A. agent had their own thing they did to destress. He worked on his bike, and Casper used to do the same before he found his sentience. Wiz played on the computer, doing who knew what, Nautical loved reading anything he could get his hands on, the others had their things, and Sparky’s just happened to be anything birds. “Hey, Sparky, is that a new feeder?”
“Yeah, I saw a picture of a glass and metal design for outside decoration and I thought it would make a cool feeder.” Sparky said, as he filled the glass part up with seeds.
“Damn, Sparky, you have to spend a mint just feeding these guys.” Cobra said with a laugh.
Sparky laughed, “I do. You going to go work on your bike?”
“Yeah, I just needed to chill for a while.” Cobra said.
“Need some company?” Sparky asked.
Shaking his head, Cobra replied, “No, I just need to be alone and think some shit out.”
“What about a bike ride?” Sparky asked.
“What?” Cobra asked in confusion.
Shrugging, Sparky said, “Sometimes, when I really don’t want to talk to people, I like to take the bike out for a nice ride. It allows you that peace without really being alone.”
Cobra thought for a second, then said, “You know what? That sounds like a really good idea. How about we go into the Boulevard and grab some dinner while we’re out?”
Sparky closed up the birdseed bag and took it to the shed he had all his feeder things in. “Sounds good to me. Let’s head out.”
They each decided to take out their Harley Davidson FXDR 114s. It still blew Cobra’s mind that he and Sparky had purchased the same bike on the same day at two separate times. Cobra’s was white, grey and orange, and Sparky’s was white red and black, but it was still the same bike.
“You lead and I’ll follow.” Sparky said.
“Hold on, I need to call Jude and let him know we’re going out.” Cobra said.
“I already did. How is it you all keep forgetting about our blood bond?” Sparky asked.
Cobra put his helmet on, saying, “I’ve kept that window closed since Rylee kept forgetting to close his when he and Taj were getting it on. It was a bit disconcerting knowing exactly what Taj was doing to his mate, then having to face them an hour later at dinner.”
Sparky threw his head back, laughing, “Or when Jude would scream to all of us just what a god Casper was?”
“Oh shit, don’t remind me.” Cobra said, getting on his bike.
Both men started up their bikes and headed out of the garage. It didn’t take them long before Cobra found himself on the long strip of road that would take them to Poconos Boulevard. As he felt the vibration from the bike and wind flowing around him, Cobra felt the tension of the day releasing bit by bit. Damn, this was a good idea. Cobra didn’t remember the last time he just went out on his bike for fun. Shit, he needed to do this more often.
Forty-five minutes later Cobra saw the town come into view. Seeing the Beer and Brats Bar and Grill, Cobra turned on his turn signal so Sparky would know Cobra was stopping. A beer and a few brats sounded good right about now.
“I’ve been wanting to try this place. Taj says he and Jude come here because Smoky loves the place.” Sparky said, locking up his helmet.
Making their way inside, Cobra almost changed his mind when he noticed a few of the Tiger Sharks were in there as well.
As with anything in life, there are good and bad. The Tiger Sharks were the bad. They were what bikers call outlaws or the one percent. Normally biker gangs had rules, regulations, and a hierarchy that was followed, and although the one percent had a hierarchy, they rarely followed the rules. They were more likely to cause problems than they were to just walk away if they felt someone had disrespected them, or just because they felt like it.
Sparky leaned in asking, “Isn’t that Loon and Bones over there?”
