Page 18 of Absolution

Watching her leave the bar that night nearly killed me. Every fucking inch of me wanted to follow her home and claim her again, but I knew that wouldn’t bring me any closer to getting her back. This was going to take time, and lucky for me, that was something I had. As I talked to her boss, I kept my eyes trained on her when she wasn’t looking. She moved between the customers, but unlike most bartenders, she didn’t make small talk or flirt for tips. The air around her seemed different than I remembered, before she left. She was on edge constantly and short-tempered, but nothing like this. Every touch seemed to send her spiraling into a panic attack. Not that I minded knowing that no one has touched my girl, while she’s been gone. I just didn’t like that she had suffered in the last few months.

She never let anyone close to her, which was a good sign for me because that meant there wasn’t someone else she ran off to be with. Something I could definitely cross off on my “why she left me” list.

One down. A million more theories to go.

Yet, I could tell that she was off. While the panic attacks were worse, Ricca’s guard was up higher than ever, but what could she be protecting? She would never stay in a place like this, unless there was a good fucking reason. There was something else keeping her here, and it pisses me off that she’s keeping it from me. Try as she might, she can’t push me away now that I am finally here.

Last call gave me my opportunity to slip away and give her space to leave. After she left the bar, I slid from my hiding place in the dark alley and stalked my way back to my bike. Sure, I could have followed her home, but I needed sleep before I tried to talk to her again. Her protesting and reluctance outside the bar on her break was frustrating to me. Add that in with exhaustion from my long trip out here, and you get a volatile situation. I needed this to be a slow burn and not a towering inferno to get somewhere with her. The comfort she had with me before had all, but disappeared. I was going to have to put in more of an effort to get her to let me back in, and as much as she will hate it, I will wait until the opportunity comes knocking again.

Thanks to the tip from Willie, I found a decent place to kick off my boots for the rest of the night. It wasn’t much, but it’s all I needed. The patron wasn’t exactly good with a rough looking biker knocking on her door at nearly three o’clock in the morning, but mentioning Willie’s name was endorsement enough to get me in the door. Vickie, the owner, slowly walked me to the room in the back of the house and opened the door for me. Besides the old bed, the room just had a dresser and mirror. Nothing fancy, and that was fine by me. A place to sleep and the communal bathroom was all I needed because if things worked out my way, I wouldn’t be staying here long, before taking Ricca back to Upland. A few days at max by my guess.

I dumped my saddlebag by the bed, topping it with my cut, and pulled off my riding boots and socks before I hopped into the bed.

Even exhausted, I was a fool to think that my mind would shut up long enough to get some shuteye.

For hours, I laid in the creaking, old bed of the Willow Branch Bed and Breakfast as my mind processed every damn detail of our short exchange at the bar and my cock raging at me for release.

While I could solve the latter with a few strokes of my hand, the first one wasn’t exactly that easy of a fix. My mind had a way of overthinking, and Ricca sends that part of me into overdrive. Could this be a reaction to her mother’s death? Not once had she ever mentioned her mother or any other family for the matter. If family mattered that much to her, she’d have said something to me or even maybe Dani. I could theorize her reasons all I want, but without hard evidence or the words coming out of her mouth, the real answer was completely up in the air. It was an uncertainty, and I don’t deal well with those.

Sometime after dawn, I passed the fuck out, but the noises of the town blare through the thin walls of the place a few hours later. I pop open my eyes and glare at the sounds of people moving about town around me. The engines of heavy farm equipment and trucks grumbled at the stop light just outside my window, and as hard as I fucking tried, the chance of going back to sleep was pointless.

Fuck me. They should have put that rise and shine shit on the town sign.

“What the fuck is wrong with you people?” I curse at the noise forcing me awake. I know no one could hear me, but protesting the efficient work ethic of this damn town helped satisfy my urge to flip the entire town the bird for waking me up.

I shove my legs off the bed, and stretch my aching muscles. The long ride stiffened me, and the only thing that was going to fix that shit was a hot shower. I slipped my dirty shirt over my head and tossed it on the bed behind me, reminding me I need to hit up the local Laundromat within the next few days. Standing with another stretch, I rummage through my saddlebags, and find a clean set of clothes. My aching feet protest with each step towards the door, but better things lie ahead with hopefully a hot shower just down the hall.

I step into the hallway, but Vickie runs smack into my bare chest. Her hands fly out in front of her, but when she sees what object she’s run into, she stammers an apology as she sidesteps me. I laugh off her embarrassment when I see her looking back over her shoulder at me, knowing that the entire town will likely hear about her run in with the half-naked biker in the hallway. No doubt the embellishment will have me being completely naked, but hey, I’ll let her have her fun.

I step into the bathroom, and get shit done quickly. The hot water did the trick for my muscles, but I hurried to avoid opening up the curtain to find a panting Vickie on the other side of it. Women of a certain age are fucking crazy when it comes to pursuing men, and that’s not the kind of crazy I need or want in my life right now. Though I’m sure some of my brothers would take the chance in a heartbeat.

Slipping from the bathroom fully dressed and on cougar watch, I hightail it back to my room. Just as I reach the door a familiar ringtone blares from inside. I shake my head as some striptease pop singer and her hit me baby one more time lyrics play through the door.

Fucking Voodoo.

That fucking nerd started a game of hacking the club member’s phones and putting the most ridiculous songs as ringtones for all the club brothers. I thought Raze was going to lose his shit when some bullshit pop song interrupted church. Voodoo thought it was hilarious. Raze, not so much.

The door swings open as I turn the handle, and take long strides to the dresser, where my phone lies.

“…Hit me baby one more time,” Voodoo sings as I answer.

“Oh, I’ll hit you fucker the next time I see you,” I growl into the phone.

“You’re such an angry little elf this time of the morning,” Voodoo chides, as I hear the voices of my brothers laughing in the background.

“Speakerphone, really?”

Loud laughter erupts through the speaker, forcing me to pull my phone away from my ear.

“Sorry, Ratchet,” Hero laughs. “V’s been waiting for days to call you just to hear your reaction. You good?”

I roll my eyes, knowing the fucker planned this. Payback is a bitch, and I doubt he’ll be laughing about my brand of revenge. Those precious little toys of his might just go missing for a few days.

“I’m good, brother. I’m assuming he filled you in about why I’m here?” I question.

“We’re all in the know. You could have told me that’s why you needed to leave. I’d have understood. Hell, I’d have been hot on Dani’s god damn trail if she took off on me.”

“You have any luck finding her?” Raze asks.

---