Page 12 of Wildcat

This time when I reach for my coffee, Frankie stands and goes to grab the carafe then refills both of our mugs. I can see steam so know this is going to taste a lot better than that barely warm coffee. When Frankie sits down this time, she parks it right next to me. She leans into me and I breathe in her scent. Goddamn, I’ve missed her fresh, fruity smell. Together we just sit close, her waiting for me to continue and me trying to get the guts up to finish the story.

“After the third surgery, I figured my life was always going to be one surgery more. This time though, the specialist who I was seeing wanted to try something different. Man, was I frigging beyond happy when she told me that all the damaged bowel and intestines had been removed, and as long as I follow the rules that I should be able to live a full and almost normal life. That got me thinking, so I worked on getting as healthy as possible. Then I finished my residency and took the boards. I was always interested in the emergency room so when an opening was posted, I applied and got it, end of story. Then Gerald showed up in my ER and opened the door to our past. Fast forward to right now. I’m sitting next to you after all these years and even with reliving the past, I wouldn’t change a thing, Frankie. I’ve missed you, Beautiful.”

I watch her eyes dilate and her breath getting short, coming in and out quickly. Even with the discussion we just had I can feel my cock filling out and lengthening. My God, I can’t remember having this kind of a reaction with anyone else, ever. I watch her eyes go right down to my jean-clad crotch. I watch as she unconsciously licks her bottom lip. That has precum covering the head of my dick. Damn it. This is not the time for this, there are too many things we need to hash over before we even consider taking this huge step, if we ever get to that moment again. And both of our heads must be on the same page.

“The reason I had to run off to the bathroom is I’m having some issues and probably will need another surgery soon. Best way to describe what’s going on is, have you heard of Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis? I never been diagnosed with either but the way my body is acting is mimicking them. If I have the surgery, will probably need to have a stoma opening again and temporarily have a colostomy bag. Last operation it took two months for my body to be able to heal and then adjust back to the normal process of taking a shit. Damn, that sounded gross as hell, sorry, Frankie. So to say I was shocked to see Gerald in that room and to hear what he was spewing rattled me enough to put my hurt feelings aside and call your parents.”

I hear her gasp so I look down at her to see first her eyes go big, then just like my old Frankie, her cheeks flush and the sparkle appears in her eyes. Fuck, not sure why she’s pissed, but it’s so damn good to see she didn’t lose her spirit.

“Um, Malcolm, your hurt feelings? Maybe you are having a lapse in judgment or memory, but you pushed me away, not the other way around.”

Well, we are here. Guess if I’m baring my soul, better just put it out there.

“Yeah, Frankie, I pushed and pushed but that last time I told you to go you did go and without a fight. You left me in a hospital bed with who knew how many upcoming surgeries, or if I’d ever have a normal life. That’s where my hurt feelings come from. I’m not saying it’s your or my fault, it’s just the hand life dealt us. It sucks and has since you left. I swear to Christ, just sitting next to you it’s like the colors in front of my eyes are brighter and clearer. You give that to me, Beautiful.”

I see them before they flow over. Never do I want to make her cry, but I’m thinking these are cleansing tears that are so overdue and needed. Maybe what everyone has told me is true: life is a journey or circle. We are trying to deal with all that happened to us and only the powers above know what’s next for us. I do know I’m going to change, no matter what, because I want Frankie to be a part of my life, bottom line. Just as I go to tell her that, the door bursts opens and there is Michael standing there, face flushed, hands in fists, his eyes finding mine first, then shifting to Frankie’s. I know whatever he’s about to say is going to piss me off for sure. Though before a word comes out of his mouth, I hear boots on the floor then a few of Frankie’s sisters come into view with Noodles, Panther, and Avalanche. It’s Panther who walks directly behind Michael and seems to press on the side of his neck before my best friend even realizes what’s happening. With stunned eyes, I watch as Michael collapses and Panther gently puts him to the floor.

One of Frankie’s club sisters steps over him, letting her foot graze him hard on his side. Wow, what the hell? I think to myself before she changes the rest of our day.

“Wildcat, you both need to follow me to my office at the clubhouse. Freak and I discovered something you need to see. And this prick is going to Shadow’s wet room because once we show you what we found, you just might want our enforcer to do what she does best. Get rid of the trash.

THIRTEEN

‘WILDCAT’

FRANKIE

Not sure what the hell is going on but I watch as Avalanche leans down and picks Michael up like a sack of potatoes, throwing him over his shoulder. Then both he and Panther head down to Shadow’s wet room. Damn, I pray this is a mistake because I don’t think Michael will be able to survive a session with our enforcer.

Raven wastes no time getting back to her office. Inside it’s a disaster, paper and laptops and tablets on every available surface. Freak is at the side table, fingers pounding probably over a hundred words a minute as fast as his digits are moving. Raven points to two chairs that are facing her desk. Her computers are facing the chairs. She leans back against her desk, legs crossed. It’s like she’s waiting for something and she confirms that when she looks our way.

“Waiting on Tink, Glory, and Shadow. This is way over my pay grade. Sorry, sister. All I can tell you is to brace.”

The hair on the back of my neck starts to stand up as tingles go down my spine. When I turn to Malcolm, his eyes are back on Freak. I mean the man is a genius with technology, but damn, a shower and brush might help him. And maybe a few dozen meals. Malcolm must feel my eyes because his lift to mine. I give him wide eyes and he does the same right back at me.

“Are they going to hurt Michael, Frankie? I’m not sure what’s going on, but if you have any say so, tell them not to hurt him. He grew up rough and didn’t have a good family life. Still doesn’t barely have any contact with them. That’s why he kind of gravitated toward my family. All of us kids were given grief for being mixed. With Dad being black and Mom white, it wasn’t easy for us, though we had each other. My parents kind of adopted Michael, though not legally. He ended up spending more time at our home than his own. Later when we both graduated and I went to college, as you know, and he put some time in the military. On one of his leaves my dad kind of let it slip that back in the day he was handing money over to Michael’s folks so he could stay with us. I thought Michael’s head was going to burst off his shoulders. He accused my parents of buying him, which was so far from the truth it wasn’t funny. They understood he was hurt and angry so they let it go when he later apologized. It wasn’t too long after, Dad shared his family’s home burnt down with his parents trapped inside. Everyone thought it was a tragic accident, but now I’m not too sure. Fuck, I’m going to have to let my parents and siblings know about him if what I think is happening happens. Son of a bitch, I trusted that jagoff. Damn it, Frankie, I’m so sorry I brought him into our lives.”

I can’t imagine what Malcolm is feeling. I don’t think, before my Devil’s Handmaidens sisters, I have ever had a close friend like he had with Michael. Malcolm considered him like one of his brothers. Fuck, if that asshole is somehow involved in any way this will devastate Malcolm. I do know Raven wouldn’t call in our prez, vice prez, and enforcer if she didn’t find something substantial. Before I can even comprehend where my thoughts are going or what I just revealed to myself, the door to the office opens and Tink and Glory walk in, shutting the door behind them. Freak starts gathering the stuff off the table, putting it on the floor next to him. Raven moves around to her desk as both women take a seat on the two other chairs from the table that are up against their wall. They pull them closer to Malcolm and me. I can see the looks they are giving him, so I figure better speak up.

“Tink, Glory, this is Malcolm my fiancé. He was with me at the cabin that day I kind of told you about. Before you say a word, we’ve already worked out some of what happened and I’ll explain later. Where is Shadow? Please don’t tell me she already started in on Michael. We don’t know that he has any involvement in whatever is going on. Both Malcolm and Michael have been friends since when we were all in high school. Can you call Shadow, tell her to hold off until Raven explains what she found? Please, Tink? Malcolm doesn’t understand any of this and it’s moving way too fast for both of us. Plus, my parents are here and I don’t want them to get the wrong idea about our club. Again, I don’t ever ask for anything. Please, Maggie.”

Tink has been watching me and with me using her given name her eyes shoot to Glory, our VP immediately reaches for her phone from inside her kutte. I hear her whispering then disconnecting.

“Caught her just in time. She had pliers to his toenails but she said she’d put him on ice. I reminded her to not do it literally, and she gave me her crazy laugh. Best I can do, Tink, without going down there and pulling her out of her playroom, as she likes to call it.”

Malcolm looks between the three of us before running his hands over his face.

“Frankie, what the hell is going on? What kind of people are you associating with? Was this Shadow about to murder Michael? My God, what the fuck is this? I feel like I’m in an alternate universe in the middle of Nowhere, Montana. This can’t be happening.”

Tink stands up and walks to Malcolm. He goes to stand and she places a hand gently on his shoulder. I know that look on her face, have seen it way too many times when we are breaking up a human trafficking circuit and she’s pulling the victims out of their own hell. Malcolm glances at me and I just give him a small nod.

“Malcolm, I know you’re confused, so maybe if I explain a little this will make sense. I know how you feel, no, give me a chance, please. Then you can have the floor. Over twenty years ago, I was violently raped and got pregnant. With the help of my parents, who honored my choice to keep my baby even at that young age, I did just that—and had a healthy little girl. Then they took over taking my daughter, Hannah, and raising her as theirs and she became my sister. Sounds crazy but it worked for us. Until one day when we were at the park and someone kidnapped her. She was lost to us for many years. I vowed to find her and I finally did, with the help of all the women in the Devil’s Handmaidens club. Our mission is to break up human trafficking groups or as they are called circuits. Then we bring the victims to the ranch and help them reacclimate back into society after their traumatic event. Some move on or go back to family. Others prefer to stay here with us and work the ranch because they feel safe here. Now, before you say anything, give us about five more minutes because I’m going to turn this over to Raven to explain what’s she found out. Well, her and Freak, who’s part of my dad’s club. Patience, my friend.”

I turn to Malcolm, grabbing both of his hands and squeezing. His eyes shoot to mine and I can see the confusion, fear, and sadness. I lean over and whisper in his ear to trust us. He pulls free and places his hands on my face. I see when he decides to do just that before he nods. Then we turn back to Raven, who now has Freak next to her rocking on his feet. Dude needs to stop the energy drinks before he has a heart attack or stroke. Raven looks to Tink and Glory first. Then she glances at Freak before her eyes rest on us.

“Okay, if anything we say doesn’t make sense just stop us, and we will go over it again. Malcolm, before we start, just so you know, Freak and I have been doing this for years. We’re good at what we do so if we tell you something, believe me, we’ve gone over the facts and researched them, even going to the dark web to make sure we’re correct. In our business lives are at stake. Okay. When Squirt, well Hannah, told us about Joey and shared that photo, I immediately started to dig into his past. At first it wasn’t anything alarming. Then I hit on something, so after talking to Tink, we pulled in Freak because he has a special skill set that is different than mine. I found out Joey had connections to a racist group that has, I guess you could call them chapters throughout the United States. We’ve had contact with this group. They are bad people, Malcolm. The kind of folks who judge people on their race, color, religion, or even if they are ‘different’ than the norm or what they consider normal. I personally know how insane they are. I was kidnapped, beaten, and when cornered, shot last year by one of them. He knew there was no way out so he wanted to do the most damage before his death. Freak started going through their lists of members. Now their members are throughout each state, and are men and women who have either the financial background to get what they want or might have something the Thunder Cloud Knuckle Brotherhood needs to further their cause. Now I’m going to let Freak tell you what he found, please just keep your mind open. Go ahead, brother.”

I squeeze Malcolm’s hand and he returns it and hangs on to my hand. I know it was hard for Raven to talk about the attack and she minimized her injury, as she almost died. Well, she flatlined at the scene and on the way to the hospital. Her recovery was hell on both her and Ash. I can’t believe they have come so far from that point in their lives. Movement catches my eyes as Freak moves a computer screen so he can push a large one facing us. I gasp as picture upon picture appears on the monitor. All of them have one thing in common. Michael is in them meeting different people in what looks like different locations. Now, at first most people assume Michael is black, but he’s Puerto Rican. Or that’s what his mother has said. Both of his folks have substance abuse issues and didn’t give a fuck about him. That’s why Malcolm kind of adopted him and so did the Washington family. If this is going the way I think it is, then it will affect all of Malcolm’s family. Freak wakes up another laptop and starts pounding away on it.

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