“Sarge!” I scream out and then our eyes meet. He slows down and emphasizes every stroke. I know this is something deeper, but I can only enjoy the ripples of my orgasm as Sarge draws it out. He is leaving his mark inside me because as we watch each other’s eyes we both know this will be the last time we have this nirvana together. I feel it when Sarge has reached his ecstasy. I feel the release inside me as he fills me. We are both trying to get air into our lungs and it takes a few minutes but then it goes quiet.

  “Are you alright darlin’? That was intense and I thought you were trying to break me.” The last part is almost funny. The connection we had was intense but Sarge and I have never been gentle when we have had sex and doing it today would have broken me, so yes, I screwed him hard and dirty to take away any new feelings of the sweet we shared. I’m surprised Sarge isn’t running for his bike by now. Sarge isn’t good with feelings and he always runs the same way I have. I get up from the bed and start gathering my clothes and getting dressed. I need to leave before I cry in front of this man. “What has you in such a hurry? If I know Bourbon and Rye, they will be talking for a few hours.”

  “I am going with option one. I can’t do this anymore with you. The hot sex is not worth all the pain. You continue to hurt me. This is it.” At first Sarge looks confused but I can see the minute he recovers.

  “What is it you want here, Micah? I won’t play kid games so spit it out.” Sarge voice is hard and cold. “Do you want me to beg for your forgiveness? You know I will never be that man. That’s the kind of man you used to say you didn’t want, a man that can be led around by his dick. This here is the reason we fight. I am not your man and you are not my woman. We find pleasure in each other from time to time and share our bodies to fill our needs.” Sarge has gone off on his sermon of we are only with each other for convenience. I stay calm.

  “No Sarge you are not my man and from this moment forward I neither want nor expect anything from you.” I feel stronger now that the words are out of my mouth. “I don’t want you to ask for my forgiveness because you don’t think you need it and you don’t want it. Don’t start being a hypocrite now.” I know he wouldn’t ask for forgiveness anyway. I take a deep breath to remain calm and so no tears will fall. “I’m the one who needs to ask for my forgiveness and I need to learn to forgive myself.” I look at Sarge closely, but he hasn’t uttered a sound, but the confused look is back on his face. “I need to forgive myself for pretending to be a doormat and letting men walk on me. Don’t think for a second that I put the blame on you, this is all on me. I wasn’t raised this way. I was raised to be a force to be reckoned with. Bass women are strong, and they aren’t doormats.” The more words I say the more I come to accept them for what they are, the truth. “I wanted you to accept me as an equal and when we were together, I felt wanted. I blocked out my inner voice that was always there telling me I wasn’t being me.” My mouth has no filter right now. I am talking on pure emotion and I am giving away more than I want to, but I can’t stop. “I’ve become someone I don’t respect anymore. It’s time I grow the hell up and realize my actions and decisions no longer just affect me anymore. This is goodbye Sarge and what just happened was my closure. Just let it be before we hate each other, and it ends up destroying us both.” I put on my last boot and I turn to leave. “I’ll send Henry down to pick you up with the sample. It shouldn’t be more than a few minutes.”

  “You’ve had your say, so don’t I get mine if this is the end of things?” I stop but I don’t turn completely back around. I wait for him to say what he needs to. I can give him that, so he can get his closure. “Darlin’, I’ve hurt you and I can see it on your face, and I hear it in your voice, but I can say I never lied to you or tried to deceive you. I told you it would happen, but you were determined it wouldn’t and you could take whatever I could dish out. I don’t like the thought of hurting you, but I wouldn’t have missed a second of the little tornado you are that tore through my life. It was one hell of a ride. You deserve a great life and I hope you find it.” Sarge stops talking and I turn to see the emotion in his eyes. “If you ever need us or find yourself in trouble just call. I will send Shield to help. We will always have your back, but you are right, us going separate ways is for the best and Micah, you be sure to let whoever the asshole is that you find your forever with that he is one lucky son of a bitch. I know there is a small part of your heart that belongs to me, it’s the person that you are, and I will cherish it until my dying day the same way I do Callie’s.” Just when I was about to rethink this whole goodbye thing Sarge reminds me that I would always be in competition with a ghost from his past and I know I deserve a man that loves only me. I turn back around and walk out the door before the first tear has time slide from my eyes. I need air and space. I’m in my truck and driving down the path to the barn before I realize what I’m doing. I’m on autopilot and I only hope I can get through business with Aunt Deb this afternoon. I park and start to get out, but I know Henry will see how upset I am and demand to know who he needs to have words with. I send him a fast text and I drive myself to the house. I need a shower before I meet with Aunt Deb again and I need to make sure my feelings are not written all over my face. I just want this day over with.

  12

  Shadow People…

  “She’s a slut just like her mother. Throwing herself at that dirty biker but now you know where your competition for this one is,” she tells me with contempt in her voice. Micah is only a means to an end for me but from the show we just watched of her and that biker, this job might have some unexpected bonuses attached to it.

  “Woman, stay focused. We need to stay on schedule and keep our eye on the prize. We were able to get Micah home and now we need to proceed with each part of our plan with care and precision or we’ll end up at the wrong end of that biker’s sniper rifle. Mason Brumley gives no one mercy and he doesn’t shy away from including women when he lays out what is his justice. The file I have on that man would shake you to your core and Micah will shoot us herself if we’re caught, or so I have heard. We are going to get in with these people. I will do what I need to keep that biker gang away from the ranch and by this time next year we will be sitting pretty with plenty of cash and in charge of what happens to all this property. I just hope you have found a bank roll big enough for this operation. We are going to need around ten trustworthy men to pull this off, and some will need to be located in Mt. Vernon. Then we need another five or six of the more of the unsavory sort. We have some dirty work to be done and I for one do not want blood on my hands unless there is no way around it.” I have gone over the plan with this woman several times, but she is always nagging about when it will happen.

  “Don’t you worry about the money, I have it covered, and I have all the unsavory type of men you could ever need. I have some already in place just watching.” I look closer at the woman’s face that I have only known a few months. Time hasn’t been good to her. I see the greed and hate in her eyes. I know she only came to me with this idea because she had no one else to help her. She may have had me investigated but I did the same on her. I know who she owes and who will be coming after her if this plan doesn’t work.

  “Let’s get out of here before someone spots us. We don’t need to be seen together and this is a little too close for comfort.” She nods her head and we head back up the trail we have been using for the last few months to get a better look at the ranch. I just hope I don’t have to carry this woman halfway up the trail like last time. Her days of booze and smoking has taken a toll on her endurance. Tomorrow is the next phase of our plan and the sooner the better to claim what I am entitled to.

  13

  Sarge…

  The last couple of days have gone by so fast but then again dragged on forever. We have received more information on the whole split between the Double Down MC and Priest and his group. I have answers that have led to more questions. I do know Priest is right, Missile does have eyes on him. There are a few groups of men staying at the dive motels where they don’t ask as a lot of questions. One of those groups moved on this morning but we are keeping a close eye on them both. It would be nice if they had ridden their bikes, but both groups have white cargo vans. In church this morning, Shield brought up that they may be connected but I don’t think so. If Missile is coming for Priest and his group, then they are going to send a scout team. Priest’s group is too big for a simple hit but four men or so could lay low and hit them before they were noticed. So the thought of that amount of men together with their body sizes is going to get questions or eyes on them and that isn’t what they would want. You can take the biker off the bike but you can’t take his the way a biker demands respect with just his body language. Sooner or later, if these are the men, they will either lead us where we need to find answers, or they will leave. Shield is getting into the computer system the motel uses today to give us names to faces, or at least the names they gave.

  I know I need to stay focused while I’m waiting for Shield to get back to me and Stealth to check in, but my mind keeps wandering back to Micah. I will be haunted by the look on her face as she fought back the tears before she left the bunkhouse and walked out of my life. I ached to take that look out of her eyes, but I knew it was too late. What I had been trying to avoid had already happened. Micah got too emotionally involved with me. I’m a selfish bastard and I want to kick my own ass. I know Micah has a special place in my heart and to tell the truth I don’t want to look at that attachment too closely, but I also know it will be a hell of a long time before Micah will be ready to move on. I know I hurt her and that was never my intention. I can’t undo what’s done but I hope one day we can be around each other and she can be herself again. I hear the knock on my door, and it’s a welcome sound to bring me out of my head.

  “Enter!” I yell out and Shield opens the door and looks at me with a look that tells me I was being short tempered again. I have been that way since Micah walked out on me at the bunkhouse. I notice Stealth and Drexler walk in behind Shield. I motion for them to sit down. “What do you have for me?”

  “Each group only has one name on the billing for each group of men. The one group, which I call preppies since they dress that way, is under Hemric Preece. Preece is staying at the fancier hotel out by Interstate 30. From the scuttle butt I have heard from the woman that works nights, Preece is here to work out at Bass Haven Ranch and he has men to work with him, so I am guessing that’s who the one group of men are,” Stealth adds to the conversation.

  “The other group of guys is a little more interesting, especially after I talked to Drexler.” I look at Drexler, but the man isn’t giving anything away. “The room is registered to a Harold Archibald. The man has a record a mile long and he has lived half his life in prison, but he also has ties to the Rebellions 4 Blood.” Shield now has my attention. Shield is looking at Drexler.

  “Harold was known as Driver when he was in the club and it has been a good twenty years ago since he left. Diamondback had a price on his head, but I don’t know why he stopped looking for him. Diamondback played his cards close to his vest and I know only the ones closest to him would know what he was thinking, and I wasn’t one of those people at that time. I had been on the road taking care of other things threatening the club. We had a lot of enemies so sometimes communication was slow or nonexistent. We caught up when we could. I do know that when Driver left that it wasn’t his idea and Diamondback didn’t trust him. Driver is also Ritter’s cousin and they were tighter than stink on shit.” I chuckle at his last words. He sounds like my old man. I think it over for a few minutes without saying anything.

  “Do we still have eyes on Slayer and Ritter?” I knew those two should have already been dealt with.

  “Painter and the prospects have been taking care of it since we have been a bit busy the last few days,” Stealth answers me.

  “I want them both watched closely and Shield, you and Stealth need to work your magic and get into their phones and watch for second phones. If they are communicating with someone they shouldn’t, they will probably have burner phones and check for bank records in their names. If they are taking money to snitch us out then they are history and the end won’t be a good one. Until this Preece guy leaves, we need eyes on the Bass ranch. Rye is there but without tipping him off we have no way of telling him to watch over the ranch and Micah just like he would Deb. I’m not saying he won’t do just that, but we need to be prepared if he needs backup. We made a promise to Diamondback about Micah and her sisters and we will keep it.”

  “Does this mean that you and Micah have ended it for good?” Shield doesn’t look away from me when he asks. I know he has a soft spot for Micah, but I need to trust what both Micah and he have told me about the non-relationship they have, but then a thought crosses my mind, isn’t what Micah and I had a non-relationship? I don’t like where this is putting my head. I need to fucking focus.

  “We are talking business and no bitch has anything to do with that.” Stealth tries to hide his smile. Shield gives me a chin lift to let me know he gets my point.

  “We are going to need to take this to the table sooner rather than later so we can update everyone. That means Ritter and Slayer need to be given a task that takes them away that day. I’m thinking I will send them on a run to Dallas to pick up the three turbines that Chief has for us. I can send them there and have them rent a truck and trailer to transport them back. That should keep them away from the clubhouse at least twenty-four hours as lazy and slow as they are. They always hit the strip joints when they are close to Dallas so it might be longer. I will give Chief the least amount of information that is necessary. I’ll just tell him we need them gone for a couple of days but watch their backs with them.” I look at the men in front of me to see if they have any reaction to what I have said. They give me none until Shield speaks.

  “Didn’t Chief tell us he would provide a truck and trailer to haul the turbines? We talked about it in church the other day, what if Slayer or Ritter question it or ask why Chief changed his mind? Chief doesn’t like either one of them and if they are around the BlackPath clubhouse for too long then either Chief or Tazer will shoot them both.” Shield is right on both counts.

  “Since it’s last minute, we could tell them Chief’s means of transportation is in use or tell Chief to drag his feet about getting the transportation there. I don’t think Chief or Tazer would have a problem with that. Slayer and Ritter can’t load the equipment on the rented trailer until the items are there,” Stealth adds.

  “I don’t trust Slayer or Ritter and I don’t want them anywhere near the BlackPath’s clubhouse. They will be staying at a motel and renting a truck and trailer. Chief is turning over the gavel to Tazer later this month and they are going through a transition. I’ll give Chief part of the details, just enough to get what we need. If Chief wants more then I will call in a favor from Tazer. They should be okay with that. They owe us a shit load of markers and I don’t think this ranks above a favor, so I am not calling in markers yet,” I tell the three of them.

  “When did Chief decide to step down? I haven’t heard anything about it, and I am still tight with a lot of the members.” Shield, Stealth, and I were all prospects for the BlackPath MC at one time, but Shield became a member and I know Chief regretted the day that Shield asked to leave. All the members respected him, and they let him leave with no hard feelings. To this day they would take him back, Shield saved Chief from a bullet and that is how he got his road name.

  “I received calls from both Chief and Tazer last night. Chief wanted assurances that the BlackPath MC still had our support and let me know what he had decided to do. It’s Chief’s story to tell but I will say this, he is ready for the responsibility to be shifted from his shoulders. He wants time with his family, and he wants to be young enough to enjoy it. He has tamed that club and it’s a club he can be proud of and hand to his son. I don’t think Chief will ever be able to just walk away but he is stepping down.” I don’t think I will ever get to the point of walking away from the club. I am sure that Chief felt the same way at one time. “Tazer just wants to have a sit-down when the transition in their club is complete. I know there will be a few changes but Tazer is a lot like Chief, I think in more ways than they even know about.”

  “I don’t think Tazer will be hard to work with. We’ve known him a good part of our lives and there have never been any serious problems.” Stealth is right about that and I am not worried at all.

  “If you are finished with me then I am going to go get started on walking the perimeter. I’m old so it takes me longer.” Drexler laughs and I can see the tiredness in his eyes.

  “Drexler get another brother to walk the perimeter and you help behind the bar. Send Ritter and tell him that is orders straight from me.” I see that Drexler doesn’t like it, but he is too tired to argue the point.

  “Will do, if you need any more history on the club before you arrived you better get it from me now. My bad days are out numbering my good ones more than not and my memory is getting muddled sometimes. I’m not going to be good for anyone soon and I want to leave you with as much information as I can.” I hear the regret in his voice.