Page 37 of Hounds Ascend
“I’m gonna go call Mindy,” I whisper to him, excusing myselffrom their conversation. I pick up my phone and dig my cigarettes and lighter out of the bag I packed and step outside the front door of the clubhouse.
The temperature has dropped since yesterday and I get a chill when the cool air brushes against my skin. I pluck a cigarette from the pack and light it, enjoying every second of the nicotine coursing through me. The first drag of a cigarette was always my favorite. It eases my mind and enables me to relax, if only just a little bit.
I open my phone and see I have a missed call from my mom. I feel like such an ass for not returning her calls, but right now isn’t the time. I set a reminder for tomorrow at noon to give her a call before I dial Mindy’s cell. On the third ring, her voice rasps into the phone.
“Hey, love.”
“Shit, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to wake you.”
“You didn’t. I was just cat-napping anyway. You’re an ass, by the way.”
“Me? Why?”
“You left this morning without saying bye. Linc was pissed when he woke up, too.”
“I’m sorry. I couldn’t sit there any longer, though. You know hospitals drive me crazy.”
“I know. What happened at the clubhouse today?”
“Umm…” I trail off. I don’t want to worry her with shit going on that doesn’t have any bearing on what’s going on with her. She needs to focus on getting better and getting out of the hospital, not these jackasses that present a danger to people that she cares about.
“I heard Linc on the phone earlier, you may as well just tell me.”
“What’d you hear?”
“Mostly him cursing. Something about those fucking Moccasins. His words, not mine. Oh, and he said something about them fucking with the wrong people.”
“Two of their junkies came to the clubhouse today trying to start shit, but it’s handled now.”
“Oh. Well, why didn’t you just say so?” she asks, as if that were silly to withhold from her.
“I don’t know. I don’t want you worrying, I guess. Mainly because I’m worrying enough for the both of us. I’m worried about you; I’m worried about the bullshit. It doesn’t need to consume us both.”
“You go ahead and worry about the heavy shit, I’m gonna sit here in this hospital bed and worry about this shit they’re trying to call food. Seriously, it’s gross. I need a damn cheeseburger and French fries or something. Something that has flavor!”
I imagine Mindy waving her hands around in the air for emphasis.
“You’re waving your hands around right now, aren’t you?”
Mindy busts out laughing. “I might be.”
The sound of the door opening makes me turn around. Cass emerges from the doorway, my bag in hand and points toward the bike. I nod before saying goodbye and promising to callMindy later.
Cass is closing the lid to the saddlebag when I walk up. I wrap my arms around his waist, interlocking my fingers together and resting my chin on his shoulder as he reaches for his helmet. He stops, mid-reach, and leans his head on mine.
“Where are we going?” I ask, curious.
“Home.” One word. One fucking word that may as well have been an extravagant display of fireworks bursting through the sky. Excitement courses through me. I kiss his cheek and squeal a little.
He laughs and pats my hands. I quickly unwind them from his waist and put my helmet on. I’m ready to see what home looks like. I’ve almost forgotten about his impromptu question at the beach with everything else going on. It slipped my mind.
Between rushing home from Gulfport, worrying about Mindy, then the events of tonight, I haven’t thought about much of anything outside of chaos.
Cass is waiting for me to climb on as he cranks the bike. The roar of the engine makes my heart rate quicken. I’m ready for a ride, just us, headed for solitude. I’ve enjoyed being at the clubhouse, but I’m ready for the next chapter in life with Cass. One without so much chaos.
I lean back onto the sissy bar and rest my hands on my thighs. We are out of the driveway and on the road when I realize just how chilly it is outside. The thin material of my long sleeve shirt doesn’t do much to keep me warm. I’m silently kicking myself in the ass for not grabbing a light jacket.
No matter how cold it is, though, it won’t put a damper on my mood. I’m finally going to have a place to call home. A place with just him and I. A taste of normalcy. I pay careful attention to the turns we’re making and read every road sign that we turn on, recording it to memory. We’re on an old back road that has just been redone. The asphalt is dark, and the lines are fresh. Traffic on the road is average, but Cass easily passes multiple cars that are going less than the speed limit. We wind around curves left and right while I sit back here, listening to the radio and the wind. I tap out the beats to different songs on Cass’s back as they play.
