Faith: Biker Romance (The Virtues Book 2) (17 page)

I should have kept busy, but I didn’t. All day long, my mind was occupied with the chain of events that led up to Bakersfield. What did we do wrong? Should we have parked the getaway car closer? Should we have risked bringing someone else in to be the driver? I was into my third trimester before the questions faded away.

I knew there were no answers, and I was beginning to think of my boy far more than my man. I began to look harder for a job, even though my time was getting closer. I started to climb from the darkness. Each little kick from inside my womb was a little kick in the ass. I wanted a good life for my son, even if he was going to be staying with Esther and Matt.

The birth came and went. After I recovered, I had my second little miracle: I found a place that was willing to hire a young girl with no experience and a kid. Esther was even pleased with me when I told her. Things were looking up. I still didn't feel safe contacting Eddie, but Esther must have felt pity, because she made a trip to see him.

My heart was in my throat when she returned. “Well?”

She handed me back the photo of Trask, our son, and I tried to find a giveaway on her face. She was hard to read, especially when it came to anything related to Eddie. After a pause, she looked back at me. “He was so happy, Faith.”

I threw my arms around her, overjoyed that Eddie finally knew about his son, his little man. I remembered the Steinbeck quote Eddie had mentioned to me, and it wasn’t the same book, but I thought Trask was a good, strong name for a little man.

She laughed a little. “I think I even saw him shed a tear. He asked how you were. Said he’d come out a changed man. Probably the same stuff all the single mothers hear on the other side of that glass.”

Esther didn’t believe him, but I did. I knew he’d come out with only his son on his mind. It gave me a renewed vigor that I’d thought was gone forever.

The next three years, I tended bar at a bar that changed names more times than a stoplight. When I began serving there, it was the HandleBar. A new owner renamed it The Mag Seven. He soon changed it back to the HandleBar when customers stopped coming.

By the time Eddie was up for parole, a Mexican by the name of Carlos Fernandez had bought the place and called it Los Bandoleros. He built the place up and brought in the kind of people I could get along with. Everyone pulled up to Los Bandoleros on two wheels.

A few of the bikers had done time, and one of them knew Eddie. He was making fast friends in prison, and he was set to be out at the end of year five. The biker, Lucky, said that Eddie had big plans for when he was released. I wasn’t sure what that meant, but I counted the days until his parole hearing.

Meanwhile, Trask was turning into a handsome little boy. He was always playing, and I had already talked with Esther and Matt about getting him into youth soccer or T-ball. Whenever I visited with my little guy, he was a ball of energy, but he always listened and was such a good boy. I knew Esther and Matt were doing an amazing job taking care of him, and I grew to respect them more and more.

I became a mainstay at Los Bandoleros, getting to know the local bikers well. They knew me through Eddie, and I knew him through them. They became family. Little did I know...

Eddie was released in the spring of ‘91. Esther had softened to him over the years, and she had seen my undying affection for him while he was away. I had a two-bedroom apartment that was all ready for a second occupant.
I
was ready for a second occupant.

I met Eddie on May third outside the prison. I picked him up in a used Subaru I had bought. It wasn’t much, but it was paid for.

After stepping through the double gates, he stopped and smiled at me. That grin. I’d never gotten over it, and I’d never forgotten it.

I ran to Eddie and threw my arms around him. He lifted me up, his body stronger than I remembered. Beneath his white shirt, I could see new tattoos. He had a trimmed beard and a bandana over his hair.

“Fuck, it’s been so long. I missed you so much, Faith.” He whispered it into my ear, setting my heart ablaze.

“I love you so much. I counted every day from the day you sped off.” I think my words came out wrong, because he gave me a slightly hurt look. I pulled him in close for a kiss. “I know you did it to save me. And you
did
save me, Eddie.”

He carried me the rest of the way to the beat-up Subaru. “They called me Bear on the inside.”

I slipped into the passenger’s seat. The name fit him. He’d gotten much larger and stronger. “I can see why.”

At Los Bandoleros, he and I sat and talked over a beer. He had changed, but not how Esther would have liked. He spent time making friends with guys who had skills. Some from the military, some from previous lives. They all had one thing in common, though: they had no leader. I already knew where Bear was going as he spoke.

“Do you blame me?” he asked, holding my hands in his.

I shook my head, but answered with an honest tongue. “I did at first. Seeing you take off without me was heartbreaking. Even in that moment, I knew why you did it, but I couldn't accept it. I had plenty of time to get my head out of my ass, though. No, Bear. I don’t blame you.” I pulled his rough hand to my lips.

“If you hadn’t let me escape, the state would have taken our child away. I should be thanking you.” I had tears in my eyes.

Bear looked more determined than I had ever seen him. He looked around the bar. “I’m setting up something big, Darlin’.”

“Another bank job?” He had pulled me right back into that life. The thought of the danger and adventure had my heart racing. I thought I’d outgrown it, but it was just like my man—I’d never outgrow it.

He smiled. “Not a job, an
empire
. You and I will be safe from anything illegal. We’ll never want for anything, and our son will have anything he wants. Even Esther and Matt won’t know what’s going on.”

“Trask can’t know, can he?” I felt that ache in my heart. I already knew the answer.

Bear shook his head. “No, Darlin’. We’ve got to keep him safe.”

Over the next twenty years, my husband formed the Rising Sons Motorcycle Club. As his friends got out of prison, they joined the ranks. They earned plenty, but not all of it was above table, and Bear and I knew it was best to keep Trask out of that life, despite bringing it up many times. We both knew it meant keeping Bear and his son apart, but in the long run, we had to keep our son safe.

We tried to keep him from that world, but life has a funny way of pulling people together when they’re meant to be together. In 2010, I remember standing behind the bar, now as a co-owner, and seeing my son walk through the front door. Fresh from the military, he looked out of place and distant. I knew the look he gave me, even across the bar. He wanted answers. I smiled at him and waved him over. He was going to get them.

Trask wanted to know where he came from. He wanted to know why he had a Harley heart and a restless soul. It was time to tell my story.

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Coming December 15th

The Virtues, Book Three

Charity

Charity makes her living swinging from the poles of a local strip club.  As if she didn’t have enough trouble from handsy customers, her ex-boyfriend has started harassing her.  She’d call the cops, but since Jason is on the force, Charity won’t get very far.  When one of her regulars catches them arguing in the parking lot, he steps in to save her.
 

Rhodes is a hard and fast biker with nothing to lose.  Although he was looking for a punching bag, he realizes that Charity is in great danger, and he vows to protect her.  He’s foul-mouthed, but she sees something deeper behind his pale grey eyes.

Together they are fighting against an unstoppable force.  Jason won’t give up, and Charity soon realizes there’s only one way out of this mess.  Rhodes is more than prepared to do the unthinkable to keep Charity safe.

Chapter One:

“And you're a very sexy girl, that's very hard to please.”
It was my favorite part of the song. At this point, I was upside down, my legs squeezing the pole as I slid downwards. The second my hands came off the pole, I would let myself drop just a moment. When I squeezed and caught myself, the crowd would go nuts.
 

Against the pink and purple lights bathing the stage, I could see the men shoving their way around the runway. They were crowding around, bills waving from their frantic hands. I smiled, singling one out. When I saw his expression change (They always did when you gave them personal attention), I gave him a wink.

Guns N‘ Roses went on as I slid down, pulling myself into a handstand. I released my legs from the pole, bringing them back to the runway floor in a controlled and careful movement. I bent forward at the hips, giving the audience the view they’d been waiting for. I could hear from the cheers that they were satisfied.
Somewhat
satisfied. The patrons at the strip club were never truly satisfied.