The Last Riders - First Four Votes (39 page)

“I would love one.” While the coffee was brewing, Ton moved around the kitchen, putting up his groceries. When the coffee was finished, Ton poured each of them a cup.

They carried their cups to the living room and sat on the couch. Winter loved his cabin, it was rustic and homey.

“Beth told you she was going out of town today?”

“She mentioned it. Told her she didn’t need to worry about the groceries,” Ton answered her question.

“Why didn’t Viper just bring them by?”

Ton looked at her with surprise. “I haven’t seen Viper since the day at the diner. He’s pissed at me, and when Viper gets mad, it takes him a while to get over it.”

“I didn’t know,” Winter said, regretting her question.

“He’s right. I let my anger get the better of me and I put the women in danger because I couldn’t control my temper,” Ton admitted.

Winter felt sorry for the man. It couldn’t be easy for a man who had lived an active life in the military to suddenly find himself with nothing except time on his hands. Losing a son and declining in health could only exacerbate the problem. The man needed something to keep him occupied, but Winter didn’t know what to suggest. She would have to give it some thought.

“Perhaps I could talk to him?” she suggested.

“It won’t help. He’ll gradually come around.” Ton shrugged.

Winter guessed it wasn’t the first time the father and son had butted heads and it wouldn’t be the last. Not only did they share the same genes, but obviously the same temper.

Winter rose to go. She had made an appointment and didn’t want to be late.

“Beth won’t be back until Monday. If you need anything, just call.” Winter saw a paper and pencil by the phone and wrote her number down.

“I have been taking care of myself for a long time,” Ton grouched.

“I am sure you have.” Winter smiled. “But I am at a loose end right now, so it would give me something to do.”

Ton’s face turned red. “Those stuck up townspeople take your job?”

“They’re going to try,” Winter responded.

Ton nodded. “Don’t let them push you around. Stand up for yourself.”

“I plan to,” Winter said with determination.

Winter left Ton inside. She was about to get in her car when she noticed the garage door was partially ajar. Ton had forgotten to turn out the light after storing some of the supplies that Beth had sent. She walked over to turn off the lights for him.

Opening the door wider to find the light switch, she curiously glanced around the garage. A large blue tarp that was covering a huge mound had slipped to the side, revealing a motorcycle wheel. It had obviously laid there for a while, since dust and spider webs covered it.

Winter quietly walked over to the tarp and lifted a corner to reveal what was left of a motorcycle, or at least, that was what she thought it was. It looked like it had been in a crash; the frame was bent and it was torn to pieces. Winter swallowed, imagining anyone on this bike when the damage occurred surely hadn’t been able to walk away alive. It was that bad.

“I thought you were leaving.”

“I saw that you had left on the light,” she answered.

She didn’t take her eyes off the bike. “What happened?” Ton didn’t answer so Winter turned to face him. “Whose bike is it, Ton?

“Viper’s.”

“He crashed his bike? When?” Winter swallowed tightly.

“He didn’t crash it. He did that himself.”

“But why?” Winter asked, shocked.

“Don’t know. You’ll have to ask him. He just brought it here and told me to leave it alone. I offered to help him rebuild it, but he said no. He loved that bike; him and Gavin picked it out together when they got out of the service.” Winter saw another bike covered in the corner.

“That one Gavin’s?” Winter pointed to the bike.

“Yes.”

Winter brought her attention back to the mess in front of her.

“When?” Winter asked again.

“The best I can figure is the day after your attack,” Ton sighed.

Winter turned white. Turning on her heel, she didn’t say another word.

Getting in her car, she pulled out and drove into town. Impulsively, she drove to her home.

Going inside, the quiet struck her. At the clubhouse, there was always someone moving around, music playing, talking or fucking.

Winter walked from room to room. Going back to the living room, she took out her phone and called to reschedule her appointment, not even paying attention to when it was rescheduled.

Winter buried her face in her hands. The image of Viper’s bike wouldn’t leave. All the implications flowing through her mind.

Her phone rang next to her, but she didn’t answer. Twice more within the hour the phone rang. Finally, coming to a decision, she picked up her phone. It had been Beth who had called, and when she couldn’t reach Winter, she had become concerned and called Viper. The last two calls had been from him.

She couldn’t talk to him yet. Winter sent a text, saying what she couldn’t bring herself to say face-to-face.

“We’re over.”

W
inter hadn’t moved
since she had sent the text. The chair faced the window so she could see the sun going down. The party would be getting started and Viper would be there alone, angry at her text. She knew without a doubt in her mind how he would react. The only question in her mind was which woman he would pick first.

She wasn’t aware of when she started to cry, hadn’t even noticed the wetness on her cheeks. Winter was too focused on the pain coming from her chest, afraid she wouldn’t be able to catch her next breath. The hiccupping cry that left her throat was her first realization that she had been sitting there for a length of time quietly sobbing. Her hands smoothed away the tears from her cheeks.

She was about to get up to go to her bedroom when inside the quietness of the house she heard the loud motors coming down the street. It sounded loud in the quietness of the neighborhood, filled mainly with elderly homeowners.

Winter sat still, unsure what to do. She hadn’t turned on the lights when it had become dark, preferring to sit in the darkness. Now the whole room was being flooded with lights from the outside. A knock on the door had her rising, reluctantly accepting the inevitable. She was going to have to face Viper.

Opening the door, she took a step back as he walked angrily into the room.

“Why are all the lights off?” He came to a sudden stop. Without waiting for her reply, he found the switch and flipped the lights on. The light showed the devastation on her face the crying had caused. Viper stared at her quietly, taking in her puffy, pain bruised eyes.

“What’s going on, Winter? Why did you send me that text?” Viper asked gently.

Winter turned her back, moving towards the living room, further away from his intimidating presence.

Viper followed her, concerned.

“I think it should be self-explanatory. We’re over. I am moving back into my home, something I should have done long ago.”

“You could have moved back anytime, Winter. Why now? You were fine when you left the clubhouse this morning. What changed between then and now?”

“I went to Ton’s this morning.”

“I know, you told me this morning that you were going. Did he say something to you?” he asked angrily

“No, but you shouldn’t stay mad at him, Viper.”

“My father is my business,” Viper said in a hard voice.

“There it is,” Winter said softly.

“What in the fuck are you talking about?”

“I saw your bike there, Viper. You trashed it the day you found out about my attack, didn’t you?”

Viper stiffened, sensing a trap.

“If you didn’t feel guilty, then why did you trash your bike? All this time, during the last few months, you have just been soothing your conscious, Viper. You told yourself and me that you didn’t feel guilty, but I think inside you did and that’s why you were determined to take care of me when I came out of the hospital.”

“You came up with this just from seeing my fucking bike?”

“Not only that, Viper. Let’s be honest, why would you quit having sex with the other women? It had to be your guilty conscious.” She turned, giving him her back while she tried to get control of herself. Her hands clenched, her nails biting into the flesh of her palms as she turned back to face him.

“Why would you pick me over them? Look at me. I’m not even pretty.” Drawing back her bangs, she pointed to the ragged scar on her forehead. “I don’t have a gorgeous body. Mine has scars from the surgery on my back.” Winter’s legs were trembling as she sank down onto the sofa, burying her face in her hands.

“You’ll get tired of me one day when a new prospect or hanger-on walks in the clubhouse door and you’ll leave me again. That’s what you always did, Loker. You left me for other women before and you’ll do it again.”

“Winter, look at me,” Viper said gently.

Winter reluctantly looked up. He was staring back at her with tears in his eyes. “Pretty girl, this time it’s not me leaving, it’s you.”

“I’m still in love with you, Loker,” she heart-wrenchingly confessed as tears slid from the corner of her eyes.

“I know, Winter. I’ve known all along you never stopped loving me. I knew when you stayed at the clubhouse, when you started helping me with my work, and when you decided to become a member of The Last Riders.” The only one Winter had managed to fool was herself, she thought in self-contempt.

“It was the only thing I had to hold onto to make the nightmare of almost losing you bearable. I believed that once you found out who I was, you wouldn’t be able to accept that, and I wanted you to have the choice. The accident did change my feelings, I agree with you there, but not the way you think, Winter.” Viper saw the resignation in her eyes. “My feelings changed because I was no longer going to give you a choice in the matter. I pretended I was, even to myself. Right up to the point you sent me that text. You’re mine, regardless of whether you want to be or not. If you even think of looking at another man, I will kill the motherfucker. If you try to leave me again, I will lock you in my room. And if you ever, and I mean ever, tell me you’re not pretty again, I will beat your ass until you can’t sit for a week. Do you understand me?”

Winter didn’t know a man could yell and cry at the same time. For the first time, Winter ran into his open arms.

Viper’s arm’s closed tightly around her, burying his face in her neck “I was so fucking stupid. I almost lost you. If that punk ever gets out of prison, I’m going to kill him.”

“You kind of have a violent streak, do you know that?” Winter informed him. “I saw Carmen the other day and she doesn’t think Jake was the one who hurt me. She said he only confessed because of the plea he was offered.”

“He took a plea deal because he was guilty as hell. Cash is the one who tracked him into the mountains,” he said unsympathetically.

“She seemed pretty convinced, Viper.”

“I’ll talk to Cash.”

She nodded her head against his chest.

“Can we go home now? Your neighbors will probably start calling the sheriff’s office and there is no reason to ruin his Friday night.”

Winter lifted her head. “Is that all you guys look forward to is Friday?” she teased.

“With you in my bed, it’s Friday all week.”

Blushing at his compliment, she stepped away from him to get her purse and phone. They went to the door and Viper flipped off the lights, making sure the door was locked before they went to his bike. Winter kept her head lowered, embarrassed that the whole club was on her doorstep.

Winter climbed on the huge bike behind Viper and two-by-two they pulled out with Viper in the lead and Razer bringing up the rear.

She tightened her arms around his waist and leaned her head on his back as they flew through the night.

W
inter folded
the clothes and put the laundry basket on the table in the laundry room for the members to come and get their clothes. She was humming as she put the clothes in the dryer.

“There is someone here to see you.”

Winter turned in surprise to see Viper standing in the doorway.

Winter was surprised. No one had visited her since her return. “Who is it?”

“Don’t know. She said you had an appointment with her this morning and you missed it.” He looked at her quizzically.

“Damn, it must be my lawyer from the teacher’s union. I had an appointment with her last week and canceled it. I forgot we had rescheduled it for today.” Angry with herself for forgetting such an important appointment, she hurried upstairs, leaving Viper to his workout.

The lawyer was waiting for her in the front room. The woman was immaculate in a dress suit, just the way she used to dress for school. Winter didn’t miss that aspect of her job.

The woman extended her hand. “Ms. Simmons?” She was tall, and curvy, making Winter feel small beside her.

“Yes. Ms. Richards? I want to apologize for missing our meeting this morning.”

The woman smiled. “I should have called yesterday and confirmed the appointment. Let’s both admit we’re to blame and move on from there. Is there someplace we can sit and talk?”

Winter bit her lip. She didn’t want to take her upstairs to her and Viper’s room, which left only one place.

“Would the couch by the window be okay?” Winter pointed to a couch with a side table. It was at the end of the room so that if any of the members came in, they wouldn’t be able to hear their discussion.

“That would be fine.”

Winter was nervous. None of the members were working since Friday was their off day. With any luck, their meeting would be quick. Both women sat on the couch and Winter watched as Ms. Richards placed her briefcase between them.

“I requested your work record from the superintendent’s office and I was happy to see that during your employment you were an exemplary employee. That is going to help our case. I understand that they wanted you to resign and you refused.”

Winter explained about her attack and the following months of her recuperation. She didn’t hold back any information, well aware of how dirty some of these cases could become.

“Are you fully recovered?” Ms. Richards kept her face impassive throughout her explanation.

“Not fully. I still have several issues with my leg and back, but nothing that would prevent me from doing my job.”

“So, there aren’t any physical issues that would hinder you from moving back into your home?” she asked.

“No.” Winter refused to look away. “This is my home now. It will not affect how I do my job. I haven’t committed a crime. The school board might not approve of my living arrangements, but I do know that I haven’t been convicted of any crime.”

The lawyer nodded her head as she studied the paperwork. “I think we may be able to get your job back. Worst-case scenario is they let you go with a damaging reference. I am going to try to set a date for a meeting with the school board as soon as possible, but they are going to try and delay it. I really don’t see you returning to school this year.”

“I expected that,” Winter acknowledged.

“I’ll call and make another appointment to go over a few other things after I hear back from the school’s attorney.”

“I promise not to forget it this time,” Winter stated.

Ms. Richards was putting the papers back in her briefcase when Knox came down the stairs with Natasha and Jewell at his side, the women laughing at something he said. The women were wearing t-shirts and panties and Knox had on just a pair of jeans. Winter wanted to sink through the floor.

Knox and Natasha sat at the bar as Jewell got them each a beer.

Ms. Richards rose to her feet with her briefcase. “It was nice meeting you, Ms. Simmons.”

“Please call me Winter.” The lawyer nodded, but didn’t extend the same courtesy.

A shrill laugh sounded loud in the room, drawing their attention to see Knox rubbing his cold beer bottle against Natasha’s breast. Winter was just thankful that he hadn’t bared it first.

“Let me show you to the door.” Winter hurried her to the door, trying to block her view of the three at the bar, but with her so much taller than Winter, it was useless. She didn’t need to bother; the woman didn’t glance in that direction again, no longer able to hide her contempt of the situation.

Winter braced her shoulders following her to the door. It was no one’s business how she lived her private life. She didn’t worry about what skeletons were in everyone else’s closets.

Winter knew it was a lost cause. If she lived in a larger city where she could remain fairly autonomous, the outcome might be different, but Treepoint residents judged with their own set of values.

Knox and the women finally noticed the stranger in the room, and he removed his hand from Natasha’s ass, letting the t-shirt cover her flesh. He gave the woman a smile, but it was not returned. Ms. Richards turned her head away, flat out snubbing the man. Winter almost laughed at his expression.

“I will be talking to you soon.” Winter closed the door behind the lawyer, both hopeful and resigned as to what would happen.