I don’t say anything else, and she doesn’t ask anymore questions. I walk downstairs into the basement, to the sleeping quarters. Well, to what’s now known as the sleeping quarters. It used to be individual rooms and my parents lived for a stent when they first started dating from the stories I’ve been told.
The charter ended up remodeling the basement when I was a teenager when some fuck up of a prospect flooded the damned thing out. They tore out all of the walls separating the rooms and bathrooms, gutted it down to the studs and concrete, then rebuilt it with a little less privacy. There’s now a “shower house” in the bathroom that has three free-standing showers and two toilets in their own private rooms.
Where small beds and tiny rooms with conjoining bathrooms once stood is now a bunk room with three sets of bunk beds,two of them making an L-shape in the back corner of the room. I point to the bottom L-shaped bed and Aaron nods, setting our bags down on it.
Scott, Digger, and Linc are all showering already, so while I wait for a shower to become available, I lead Lilly upstairs to the kitchen. It’s so different here, yet seemingly nothing has changed. Clayton stands behind the bar, setting a cold Modelo down for Aaron. The sun is just coming up and my days and nights are about to be backwards like a motherfucker.
“I ain’t got any of that bourbon you fancy, but I got some rot-gut whiskey. Ain’t made a store run since I’ve been gone,” Clayton says, holding a bottle of cheap whiskey up.
“Pour it,” I tell him.
I take a swig of the amber liquid and I swear it singes off at least two of my nose hairs.
“You want something to drink?” he asks Lilly.
“Yeah, why not. I like a good night cap. I’m guessing that Crown is not an option, so with that being said, you got any juice for a mixer?”
Clayton opens one of the beer coolers and pulls out a small can of pineapple juice. Lilly nods. “Perfect. I’ll take vodka and pineapple.”
Clayton pours it and sets it down in front of her. “Thank you.”
Lilly lifts her Styrofoam cup in a cheers. We all clank our bottles and cups. “Cheers to that long ass drive being over,” she says, taking a big gulp from her cup.
I shoot the rest of the whiskey in my cup and cringe internally at the burn. Digger, Scott, and Linc come trotting up the stairs like a herd of cattle, laughing and cutting up. I guess their second wind kicked in.
“I’m going to go shower,” I say, sliding my cup across the bar to Clayton. Lilly hops down from her barstool.
“I’m going to bed,” she says, downing the rest of her drink and stacking her cup inside of mine. I take her hand and lead her down the stairs. She opens her bag and digs out one of my t-shirts and a pair of her pajama shorts. She does a quick look around the room before she changes clothes.
“Where’s Mindy?” I ask, realizing I haven’t seen her since we got here.
“She’s on the top bunk on the other side of the room,” Lilly says, pointing to a lump in the top bunk. I would’ve never known that were a person had she not pointed her out. Shit, I need to pay better attention.
I dig out a pair of boxers and shove our bags under the bed and out of the way.
“I’ll be out in just a few. I’ve gotta wash the road grime off of me before I go to sleep.”
She’s mid-stretch as I kiss her forehead, knowing damn good and well she’s going to be out cold by the time I return.
“I’ll berighthere,” she whispers, her eyes already closed.
I stare at her perfect face for a few more seconds and smile before I walk into the shower house. The water pressure could be better, but the hot water is exactly what I needed after a long ride. I had nothing but time to think about everything going on. To think about the questions I have. To think about what our plan of action could be. The worst part of this whole fucking situation is that we’ve operated here for so long undetected and now shit’s muddy.
We, as a club, are fucking helpless. This isn’t a local investigation that can be overlooked if the right amount of money happens to exchange hands with the right amount of people. This is federal. This is national. And we’re sitting ducks while we wait for them to figure out what we already know. My hands shake with anger as the realization of how much controlI do not have over this situation sinks in. I take a few deep breaths, doing my best to keep the monster inside of me caged.
I’m exhausted, and I focus on that to help tone the beast down. I towel off and climb into bed next to the only thing that brings me a sense of peace. I wrap my arm around her waist, pulling her small frame into me. I nestle my head into the nape of her neck and breathe in her sweet scent, my entire body relaxing as I do.
She’s home. She is my refuge from this world, whether she knows it or not. And to have her here with me back where home used to be? It’s nearly fucking magical. I fall asleep to the soft sound of her breathing and I sleep hard. I couldn’t tell you what time anyone else made it in here, if they were loud or not, or if anyone ever even did come down here. I slept like a rock. I wake up to Lilly climbing over me, tiptoeing to the bathroom.
She’s only gone for a minute before she comes back. I grab her mid-climb, her legs straddling my waist. She jumps when I grab her and exhales a loud breath, smacking my chest. I chuckle at how easy it is to startle her. She leans down and buries her face in my chest just beneath my chin. I run my hand over the side of her face, my fingers tangling in her long, unruly black hair.
“How’d you sleep?” I ask, my voice deep and gravelly.
“Pretty good. Between you and the wall, I was in a perfect cocoon.”
“I did good to not roll out of this small ass bed, but I think even if I did, I wouldn’t have even noticed. I was so tired when we got in, I could’ve slept on the concrete driveway upstairs.” I truly believe I could have. The ride took it out of me this time. I don’t know if it’s because I was so tense, but my brain was running just as fast as my motorcycle as thought after thought fired off, and I pondered this clubs entire existence.
I’m eager to hear what Brock and the other guys have to say. I heard ol’ Jack is back in town, and I imagine he’ll be the first to have a strong opinion on the subject.
