Page 22 of Mace

“You’d do well to. You’re lucky I didn’t give you Flagyl, you’d have been puking up your fucking guts and praying for death.”

“Noted,” I said. I wasn’t a big drinker anyway, last night was a one-off celebration.

“Just go easy on yourself until this bullet wound heals completely.”

“Will do, but I’m thinking about heading back out to the forest.”

“As long as you don’t lift anything heavy or get the dressing wet, spending time in the outdoors can be good for healing. And a little exercise is always good, but no overdoing things.”

This was when Alicia came in, looking like every man’s dream come true. Her long black hair was pulled up on her head, looking messy but cute and she was wearing jeans with a black Harley t-shirt. Naturally, Nine was following along behind her like a lovestruck pup.

“Howdy, Alicia. Hope you slept well?” David commented casually as he packed his case back up.

“It was the best sleep I’ve had in years,” she replied as her eyes caught mine. Something warm bloomed in my chest to think it had something to do with being in my bed. Maybe I made her feel protected. I liked that idea.

When David left, I told Alicia, “Every morning our prospects set a grill up for breakfast.”

Her eyes flew open. “You mean like burgers and stuff?”

I reached out, took her hand, and draped it though my arm. “No. It’s all breakfast food, Bacon, sausage, eggs, hashbrowns, and toast usually. And they always have an abundance of fresh roasted coffee.”

“That sounds amazing,” she said warmly. “Count me in.”

***

Breakfast was winding down by the time we made it downstairs and to the back patio, but the prospects were good about making sure we got food. Nine settled down beside us when the prospects brought him out a big bowl of his favorite dog food and another bowl with water. They always spoiled him by putting ice cubes into his water. He absolutely loved chasing the ice cubes around his dish with his tongue. I left him to his antics and talked with Alicia as we ate.

For a lady that picked at her food, she sure did manage to put quite a bit of it away in one sitting. I liked a woman with a robust appetite. I honestly liked everything about this woman. Alicia was bright, engaging, honest, helpful, and just a really all-round good human being.

After we ate, we parted ways. I knew Rosie and the other old ladies would look out for her today, but that didn’t mean I liked leaving her behind. I took a minute to pull my sidecar out of the garage and connected it securely to my bike. I had to keep elbowing Nine out of the way while connecting it because he was eager to get in. It’s usually easier taking him in my pickup truck, but I missed riding the open road, and it looked like my canine companion felt the same.

I growled for him to heel, to no avail. Eventually, I got the sidecar attached, and he immediately hopped in. I belted him in and strapped on his doggie helmet. I had to get this one custom made for him as the largest in the stores was too small.

When I turned around to get my own helmet, I noticed Alicia and a gaggle of club girls standing out on the front porch watching me in amusement. I guess it’s not every day you see a hundred-pound wolfdog getting strapped into a sidecar. I put my helmet on, got on my motorcycle and shot Alicia a wave and made to haul my ass outta there.

Right before I pulled out of the parking lot, Coyote joined me and lifted his visor. “Storm sent me to be your sidekick for the day.”

I frowned at him. “Do I look like I need a babysitter? Don’t you need to be at your garage?”

Coyote just laughed. “I had to hire a couple of mechanics because business picked up. It means I’m no longer chained to my business. Plus, it’s nice to get on my bike and ride for a change than drive in my fucking cage.”

“In that case, hell yeah, I’d love to have some company today.”

“You’re going out to look for that burial site, right?”

I nodded. “Hope I find it too. I’ll make a big difference for my tribe.”

“Lead the way, brother. Your cause is mine. It’s what brotherhood is all about.”

I felt lighthearted and happy that my club brothers were so supportive and keen on helping me get my tribe recognized by the Bureau of Indian Affairs. I knew that we had a lot of ground to cover, and it would likely take days to find the site, if I was about to find it at all. But one thing was for certain and that was if I didn’t get my ass moving, I’d never find it.

Chapter 9

Alicia

Ispent the day cleaning and reorganizing Mace’s room—which looked like it was going to be my room too for the time being. I realized everyone assumed that Mace and I were together, and I didn’t like to ask if they had any empty rooms. Besides that, I had to admit, sharing a bed with him was nice, for the first time in years I felt safe.

After that I helped Rosie stock the bar. I know Mace said I was a guest, but I’d spent most of my life doing chores, and sitting around just made my thoughts go back to my father and the fact I still hadn’t managed to speak to my mom.

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