Lyon's Heart (10 page)

“Colt you want a beer while
I’m in here?”

“Nah, I don’t drink while
I’m on daddy duty.”

“Boy one beer isn’t gonna
hurt you, you’re becoming deranged.” Dad shook his head at
me.

“Whatever pothead, that’s my
choice.”

“Damn Colt I have to say I
didn’t think you had it in you.”

“What do you mean
Drake?”

“I don’t know man, you
really take this fatherhood thing seriously. Not what I would
expect from the tough biker guy. Don’t get me wrong I admire you
for it. I’ve just never seen it. Hell I’m a cop and even I wasn’t
that protective when Katarina was growing up.”

“That’s my boy.”

“What so now you’re gonna
take credit for his actions? Aren’t you the one who’s always
telling him that he’s lost his mind? By the way Colt thanks for
sending the flowers that was really nice I spoke to the guy at the
cemetery.” Cy passed the other two their beers before sitting
down.

“Yeah well that’s
nothing.”

“To you maybe, to me it
means a lot that you remembered so thanks. I was thinking of maybe
going out there after the holidays.”

“Let me know and we’ll get
the guys together. Since the shop will be closed I’m sure they’d
want in.”

“That would be good I liked
that the last time.”

“Good so we’ll do it. Shit I
can’t ride I’ll have to take the truck with my girls.”

“They can ride with your mom
and I.”

“Nah dad but thanks. We’ll
take the truck it will be Caitie bear’s first road
trip.”

“So what you’re never going
to ride again?”

“I ride all the time old man
it’s just that there’s a time and place for everything and that
ain’t it. When Caitlin’s older maybe.”

We talked for a while about
bullshit, mostly about the women. It seems every conversation
revolved around them in some way or another. Drake was blushing
like a teenage girl because dad and Cy kept teasing him about the
fact that his runaway wife was back after all these years. When
they started talking sex or more to the point when the pothead
started giving out sexual advice that was my cue to tune them the
hell out. It did do my heart good to see Cy so happy though. It was
hard to imagine him not being here, like he’d always been part of
the fabric that made us what we are. The guys involved him in
whatever they had going on down at the shop. Sometimes I had to
remind them that he was an old guy, and maybe he didn’t want to go
drinking all night or drag racing or whatever hell raising crap
they came up with. Kat was just as bad but since the baby she’d
calmed down a bit so I no longer had to keep an eye on the two of
them. But Daniel and Drake really made him feel welcomed. They
included the old guy in their shenanigans and they bickered like
old friends.

They finally left a little
while later and I put the baby down in her crib to finish her nap.
I checked my watch and realized it had been hours since the women
had left to go shopping and Kat knew she wasn’t allowed to be gone
that long without checking in no matter who she was with. I’m sure
if dad was still here he’d be rolling his eyes and muttering at me
but later for that shit. I got my cell and hit one.

“What the fuck Katarina
where are you?”

“Colton calm down, we’re
almost done.”

“What are the rules Kat?
You’ve been gone more than five fucking hours, how much shopping
can you possibly have to do? You’ve already bought out the damn
mall and you know I don’t like you driving after dark.”

She laughed like this shit
was funny but I know better, my wife is a fucking magnet for
trouble no joke. Things have been quiet for the last little while
and I’d like to keep it that way. There’ve been a whole lot of new
changes around here and I’m doing all I can to keep up but this one
is like a whirling dervish. She’d started working with my
grandfather, learning the ropes of the company and she seems to
like it. He’s been giving her a crash course in business management
or some shit and she’s pumped. I’m happy for her but I do miss her.
Now we’re not together all day like we used to be. I had a hard
time with it at first especially the leaving Caitlin with someone
while we both went off to work but we came up with a solution that
worked for us when she was six months old. Kat only had to be at
the office in the beginning to get the hang of things and I guess
get to know her employees but she could do most of her work from
her new office at home. For three long months she’d gone in and I’d
taken Caitlin to mom’s or Tina’s. Now she stays home with her
mother and I see them everyday at lunchtime when I come home. Or
sometimes they come see me on the job when I can’t get away. Our
little life is working out just fine but every once in a while Kat
loses her damn mind and does some shit that makes me nuts, like
this shit she’s pulling today. Elena and her hen pack think I’m
full of shit but they don’t understand. The shit she’s been through
is never too far from my mind, neither is the shit I’ve had to do
to protect her. I take her safety very seriously and I’m not gonna
stop no matter what anyone says including her.

“Colt I’m with your mother
and mine nothing’s going to happen.”

“Home, now.”

I hung up the phone and went
to check on my daughter. Yes I’m a little obsessive so what I have
reason to be. All the shit we’ve been through in the last two years
who could blame me? Kat’s problem is that she knows I’ve got her
back no matter what so she thinks she’s invincible. I’d rather
avoid any more fuckery than having to off another motherfucker for
crossing the line. Her hardheaded ass is gonna land me in the
clinker I swear. Her ass better be here in the next twenty minutes
or there’ll be hell to pay. Every other month or so, I have to
threaten to cut her off from the hen pack because they have no
respect for my rules. Elena like her husband thinks that I
overreact but whatever. Elena with her pampered ass never got
dragged off by a madman set on raping her or was never held down by
a group of men set on the same. Kat had that shit in her past it’s
part of her life and will always be. If I have to be over
protective to make sure that shit never happens again, or that she
never has another dark moment because of it, then so be
it.

Women are strange fuckers;
that’s all I’m saying. She came running into the house like a bat
out of hell after hours of shopping, with not one bag in her hand.
I started to ask her what the fuck they’d done all day until I got
a look at her face. Terror! What the fuck? I automatically went
into fight mode until her next words stopped me cold.

“Colt I think I killed
someone.”

“What the fuck?”

I grabbed her to me because
she started shaking like a leaf.

“Baby calm down what the
hell happened?”

All she did was point back
out the door. I passed her the baby who’d woken up less than ten
minutes after I put her in her crib and went outside with my heart
in my throat. What the fuck did she mean killed someone? My mind
was already in clean up mode.

Fuck me there was a body
under the front wheel of her car. I walked over and knelt down not
quite grasping what I was looking at. It was a female, that much
was obvious from the clothing and the hair. I didn’t see any blood
but she wasn’t moving at all. Putting my ear as close to her chest
as I could get it under there I started breathing easy again once I
sensed movement. Thank goodness but I wasn’t sure what I should do
next. Was I supposed to move her or not?

“Hello can you hear me?”
Nothing, something was off why wasn’t she moving? If she’d been hit
hard enough to get knocked unconscious shouldn’t she be in the
middle of the driveway?

I went back into the house
to my wife and kid and called the paramedics. While we waited I
stood in the doorway to keep an eye on the female on the ground.
She still hadn’t moved but my gut was going the fuck off. That was
never a good sign.

“Tell me what happened Kat.”
I ran my hand up and down her back soothingly while blocking her
and Caitlin’s view. Caitlin didn’t know what was going on. All she
cared about was that mommy was back after being gone for what to
her must seem like days and she wanted to play.

“I don’t know what happened
I didn’t see her. I turned onto the driveway and all of a sudden
she was just there.” She started crying, which was just going to
fuck with my head and I needed to keep it clear to deal with
whatever the fuck this was.

“
Come here she’s not dead
baby and she’s not bleeding so it might not be that bad. Whatever
this is I’ll take care of it so stop worrying. Come on you’ll upset
the baby.”

She finally started to calm
down a little but I knew she was still really upset.

“Where are they? Why aren’t
they here yet? She’s been lying there for more than ten minutes
already that can’t be good Colt do something. Maybe we should put a
blanket over her.”

“They’ll be here Angel. What
the fuck was she doing in my driveway anyway?”

“Colton.” She admonished me
and glared but whatever.

Okay so I’m not the most
trusting motherfucker out there so sue me. I watch the news, people
have all kinds of tricks up their sleeves these days how the fuck
do I know this wasn’t a set up? She was breathing, wasn’t bleeding
and I’m pretty sure my wife hadn’t run her over on purpose. So what
was she doing there, how did she get here on my
driveway?

The paramedics and the cops
showed up; I wasn’t too jazzed about the fucking cops talking to my
wife until I remembered that they knew her, they worked for her
father after all but still I spoke to them first. I didn’t want
them spooking her.

“How’s it going Katarina
how’s the new baby?”

“We’re good Todd please is
that lady going to be okay?”

“They’re going to run her in
and check her over. Her vitals seem fine but they’ll have to check
her for head trauma or anything internal. Your husband said you
didn’t see her that she was just there? Could she have already been
lying there you think, like maybe she fainted?”

“I really don’t know what
happened but I know she wasn’t on the ground before I hit her I
would’ve seen her. I went to turn in and there she was I didn’t
even see her when I drove onto the street.” She was back to being
nervous.

“Huh that’s odd it’s not
that dark out yet, do you think she dashed out in front of you?” He
turned to study the hedge on either side of the driveway but there
were no houses on either side of us so this person would’ve had to
deliberately do that if that were the case.

“I don’t know, I was looking
where I was going I only noticed her when I felt the impact and
then I jumped out of the car. At first I thought I might’ve hit a
dog or something, I don’t understand what she was doing there or
how she got there.”

“Who is she?” I watched as
they loaded her up in the ambulance and took off.

“We’re not sure Mr. Lyon she
doesn’t seem to be carrying any ID and she doesn’t look familiar.
Everyone knows everyone in this town so we’re thinking maybe she’s
visiting someone in the area for the holidays my guys are going to
go door to door so we’ll have something for you soon.”

“Uh huh.” My gut was kicking
the shit out of me at this point.

“Colt.”

“Listen I don’t care what
you say I don’t trust this shit.”

“Well I need to get to the
hospital and make sure she’s okay.”

“The fuck you do you’re
crazy, you’re not going anywhere let the cops handle it they’ve got
it under control right deputy?”

“Yes sir as far as we can
tell it was an accident we’ll wait until she wakes up and get more
from her. It could be something as simple as a slip and fall or
maybe she’s on some sort of medication that’s made her disoriented
the possibilities are endless.”

“I hope so, what a way to
spend the holiday.” She tried passing the kid off to me when the
cop left but I wasn’t having it.

“You’re not going anywhere
Kat we’ll wait and see what they find and go from there do not fuck
with me on this.” She had the good sense to stand down after a
little staring match.

It wasn’t easy but I finally
got her calmed down and called her dad to apprise him of the
situation. I unloaded her million and one bags and took them
inside. We got dinner ready together while our little princess
gabbed away at us. I think she was trying to tell her mom the shit
that I’d done while she was gone the little snitch. Good thing she
couldn’t really talk yet. Kat still seemed preoccupied but she fed
the baby and we went through our nightly ritual of playing in the
bathtub and reading her a story together before we put her to bed.
I don’t know if I’ll be able to be here for my little girl every
time she needs me in the future but I sure as fuck am going to do
it whenever I can now. So bath time and a story before bed was part
of the deal. That’s something Elena and the pothead had taught me
at least. Speaking of Elena I should probably call her and let her
know what was going on over here and see if Char had any of her
crazy ass visions. Funny how those things never worked unless they
were sticking their nose in my private shit. Nosy ass
women.