Hey! You still with me? I tried to update tonight on TWCS, but I screwed up and deleted the entire story. Thanks TheLadyKT for getting me back up and running!
It's been almost a year since I've updated and for that I apologize. RL has dominated my time. This Texas girl just survived her first quarter in a graduate program at the University of Washington. Can you believe I moved to Seattle?! So, I've been a little preoccupied, but your constant check-ins have meant the world.
I had to re-read what I've posted and corrected a mistake from "Hotheads" where Boone says that Bella is Dirty's daughter. It was supposed to be Doc's daughter. Thanks to Bklyngrrl for catching that mistake!
And thanks to my beta, RAH07890, for cleaning this up and for sending me random emails to check-up on me.
Lingo for this chapter:
81— refers to Hells Angels. The eighth and first letters of the alphabet are H and A.
Brother — "patch holders" meaning full members of the club
cage — any automobile other than a motorcycle
club — motorcycle club
patch holders — full members of the club
Red and White — another name for Hells Angels
sheep — woman available to club members for sex
If you're confused over any of terms I use, let me know. I don't live this lifestyle… that's why it's fiction.
Disclaimer: Twilight and all characters belong to Stephenie Meyer. Also, Hells Angels is a trademarked name that I am not profiting off of. I use it with the upmost respect. All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. No copyright infringement is intended.
Warning: This story has strong language and some lemons *wink*. If those things offend you, then this story ain't for you.
BPOV
"Kansas."
"Edward, stop." I kicked my foot and tried to focus on my work. Going through the pictures I had taken so far, I marked the ones that Marcus might like. We were leaving Oklahoma City in the morning and had picked up more patch holders, and I wanted to keep all the pictures I had taken well organized.
Not all of the shots I had were of club members. Most of them were of the countryside and interesting things I had seen along the way. Until Edward and the rest of the Cullens had come along, I had never left the state of Washington, so I wanted to capture everything I could while I traveled the US.
I was lying on my stomach, my laptop in front of me and my husband behind me. He had promised a foot rub, but I should have expected him to lose focus. My toes curled and my leg jerked when I felt him nibbling on my toes. "Edward."
"What?"
Looking over my shoulder, I rolled my eyes at the innocent expression on his face.
He sighed before saying, "Come on. Are you still upset with me?"
"No."
"Beeeellaaa," he sang. It was hard not to giggle when my husband acted silly. "Please don't be upset. I forgot. We all forgot."
"How do you forget your birthday, Edward?"
I squeaked when he tugged my entire body down the bed and effectively pulled me away from my work. Rolling me over to my back, he covered my body with his, chest on my waist and chin propped up on my sternum.
"We just did. It's no big deal."
Frowning, I ran my fingers through his ridiculously hair. "It is a big deal. You should have told me before it happened so we could have done something."
"But I didn't want to do anything," he said, before sliding my shirt up to kiss the skin on my chest.
"That's not the point. I'm your wife, and a wife should know when her husband's birthday is."
"Look, baby. We've been so busy with baby showers and club stuff that it fell under the radar." He ignored my pouting and started working his way down my torso, trailing soft kisses. "Bella, the truth is I've never been happier. I have an unbelievably gorgeous wife who's pregnant with my babies. I have everything I need."
Edward's face hovered over the small baby bump that was starting to show before placing a reverent kiss there. It wasn't very big, and, at 11 weeks, I expected it to be bigger. Esme and some of the other ladies had told me not to worry and to enjoy it while it lasted. Regardless, the bump showed up a week ago and ideas of sweet-talking my husband into letting me ride 66 with him quickly went out the window when he saw tangible proof of the jelly beans. Sure, he would take me around the block whenever we stopped, but it wasn't the same.
"I just didn't want you to feel like Molly Ringwald," I said.
He smiled into my belly. "Anthony Michael Hall wishes he could get my panties."
= ADC =
It was morning and Edward and I were just getting dressed when we heard someone enter the motorhome through the garage and lower the back door.
"Stay here," Edward said.
I rolled my eyes and followed him out of the bedroom to see who was messing with the cage.
"Dammit, Bella, can't you pretend that I know what the fuck I'm talking about?" he asked as we climbed out of the motorhome.
"It's just your brother," I said, shifting on my feet.
Emmett was loading Rose's Fat Boy in the back, meaning that she was either going to ride with him or she was going to ride with me. We hadn't talked to one another in over a week and it felt weird. It's not like we would go out of our way to avoid each other, but neither of us made an effort to say anything.
Edward saw my discomfort and kissed my forehead. "Just listen to what she has to say. And play nice."
I nodded, lips pursed, and shifted again as Em and Rose approached. The brothers had a silent conversation with over-exaggerated facial expressions while Rose and I avoided looking at each other completely.
Emmett scratched his head. "Well, okay. We'll just… yeah."
"Right," Edward said and followed his brother to their parked bikes in the lot.
I caught Rose's eye and jerked my head to motion to the motorhome. She followed me without a word and surprised me by taking the wheel.
Usually Gail or Esme would drive, and when I asked if we were waiting for them, Rose shook her head. "They're riding with their men."
"Oh."
"Apparently, they're tired of us—and I quote— 'acting like brats'." She sighed when I didn't say anything, choosing instead to watch the string of scoots leaving the motel parking lot. "Look, Bella, I shouldn't have called you stupid. I'm sorry."
I sighed before apologizing for actually being stupid and not talking to my friend. We laughed about how ridiculous we were being, and I got in a comfortable position as she followed the patch holders onto Route 66.
"I'm glad we're talking again," Rose said. "I felt like I was about to go crazy without someone to talk to about the shit that's gone down."
"What happened?"
"Well, Emmett was talking to Doc about us not being able to have kids. And Doc told Emmett that he could get us a baby," she said in a tense voice. Her eyes darted to mine and I could tell she was excited but nervous.
I knew that she couldn't have a children and how badly she wanted to be a mother. "What do you mean 'get'?"
"I'm not quite sure, but the way Emmett put it was that there are girls that ride with the Red and White that get knocked-up and don't want the baby, either because they can't afford an abortion or because whatever they were planning with the guy that knocked them up didn't pan out."
"And it's legal?"
"Probably," she said, wincing. "Does it make me a bad person for considering Doc's offer?"
"No, I think things happen for a reason. Perhaps the reason you haven't been able to conceive is because you were meant to raise another. But Rose, I would make sure all my bases were covered. Make sure the birth mother is serious about not wanting the child and have her sign away all rights to the child."
She nodded. "Thanks, Bella, you know, for not judging me."
"Pfft, I judge you all the time," I said, shoving her shoulder.
We both squealed when the motorhome swerved and several riders zoomed past us.
"Oops."
= ADC =
"Nero... Doc... Little Frank... Bird?"
When Rose asked what I was doing, I told her I was trying to identify the patch holders that were near the cage. It helped out that their jackets let me know where they were from.
"Hey, so what's the deal with Linc?" I asked because I was surprised to see him riding with us and even more surprised that his skanky wife wasn't with him.
"What, because he looks like shit run over twice?"
I winced. The first time I'd seen Linc after the barbeque, he looked like he had gone two rounds with the Hulk. He was walking with a limp, one of his eyes was completely fucked up, and I'd been fairly certain he was missing a tooth.
"Yeah, I thought he'd keep his distance."
"I think he left Gianna. Or she left him," she said with a shrug.
"Because of what happened at the barbeque?"
She snorted. "Please. That couple was never going to make it. Once a sheep, always a sheep."
I had overheard the term before and asked Edward what a sheep was. But instead of answering me, he got pissed and demanded to know who had talked to me like that. It was Esme who'd told me the reason the 81 kept those kinds of women around. Sure it was about sex, but the women also brought money into the club or benefited the club in some way. Esme had also told me the less I knew the better.
I wasn't completely naïve; I knew the Red and White weren't squeaky clean. However, the guys I met through Edward, Doc, and Marcus had mostly treated me with respect. That didn't mean I wasn't relieved that my husband wasn't a club member.
We spent the next couple of hours talking about the house. My house. The house that I've yet to live in.
"Apparently, the floors are finished, but Esme wanted to change something else," I said.
"What, like knock down a wall? Perhaps add another floor?"
I laughed because Rose wasn't too far off. The house that Edward bought us would look completely different when we got back because of the changes he and Esme wanted to make. All I asked for was a nice nursery and a workspace for my photography. Knowing those two, they probably managed to have a dark room built. Well, a girl can dream, right?
"I was surprised to see him come with us," Rose said, nodding toward one of the bikers driving ahead of us.
"Yeah, Boone said there was no point in keeping the shop open if most of his customers were going to be gone."
"Right, and it had nothing to do with Marcus doing 66."
"I don't know. What I do know is that he and Edward are still talking about that sleeve design," I said.
"He still hasn't done it?"
"No," I said, "Boone refused—something about a new tattoo in a hostile environment. They're going to do it when we get back."
Rose nodded. "It makes sense. I guess I'm just surprised that Boone hasn't finished the sketch."
I laughed. "Oh he's finished it a few times, but Edward said he wants it to be perfect. I think Boone's getting sick of it."
After passing the Oklahoma/Kansas border, we came to a stop on the side of the road. Several bikers climbed off their rides and wandered to some nearby shrubbery to relieve themselves.
I smiled, seeing Edward and Emmett walking back to the motorhome. "Guess our boys are too good to use a bush."
"Fuck that. I'm going first," Rose said, quickly heading to the restroom.
Getting up to stretch, I met the guys at the door.
"Where's Rosie?"
"Restroom."
Emmett hummed and made his way to the fridge, while Edward took my hand and led me to the bedroom.
"Wha—"
Any questions I had were cut off when Edward's mouth covered mine. I moaned as his hands slipped under my shirt and cupped my breasts.
Edward gently pushed me toward the bed, his lips nibbling and sucking the skin on my neck. "Take off your shorts."
Quickly shimming out of the pair I was wearing, I watched as Edward unzipped his pants. Since he put no more effort in undressing, I knew this was going to be quick. So I was surprised when he pushed me onto the bed and dragged my legs apart before dropping to the ground between them. His fingers slipped through my folds, pulling a gasp from me.
My legs acted on their own accord as they found their way onto his shoulders, pulling him closer. "Don't stop," I said.
Edward dove for my pussy, his tongue flat as he swiped it up my slit until it twirled sinfully around my clit. I knew he was probably smirking at the whimpering sounds I was making, but I could care less.
Both of my hands slide under my shirt, pushing my bra over my tits, and I moaned as I gave them a squeeze.
"That's a good girl; play with those titties," Edward said. His eyes were tracking my movement as he went back to tasting me and I managed to nod, using my right hand to lightly pinch one of my nipples.
When I felt two fingers plunge into me, my back arched off the bed and I shouted his name. I could feel it coming closer as his lips latched onto my clit and his fingers curved to find that special spot.
Edward had to bring one arm across my hips because I was humping into his face, trying to find more.
"Please, please," I begged.
He shook his head, the movement sending me over the edge, and I reached down to pull his head closer. I was mush and could only smirk when he stood and leaned over me. He was stroking himself, and if I wasn't so exhausted from the orgasm he had given me, I would have been glad to help him. As it was, I could only squirm when I felt him drag his cock through my drenched pussy lips.
"Baby, you look so fucking hot, screaming like that, letting all those fuckers out there know that it's me that makes you fall apart. Me."
The wet sounds of his hand working his length and the look in his eyes that told me he would love nothing more than to fuck me all day made me whimper. He leaned forward to claim my mouth again, and I shuddered when I felt his hand brush against my clit.
"Mine," he said, pulling away. His body jerked as his release covered my pussy, and my body hummed at his possessive tendencies.
Edward climbed off of me but couldn't stop looking at the mess he had made while he tucked himself back into his pants. He shrugged and said, "I'm counting it."
I took the hand he offered to pull me up and used a towel to wipe myself off. "What?"
"Kansas."
"Huh?"
Setting my clothes right and taking my hand to lead me out of the bedroom, he said, "I had to make sure I didn't miss it, but I suppose we could go all the way on the return trip."
I shook my head with a stupid grin on my face. "I do so like it when you're efficient."
"What took you so long?" Emmett said, watching as Edward washed his hands in the kitchen sink. Like he couldn't hear.
"You really want me to tell you?" Edward said.
Emmett looked at me, then back at his brother and shook his head. "No, I really don't."
Edward started to follow him out of the motorhome but turned back and gave me a soft kiss, ignoring the whistling and yelling coming from some of the guys. "I love you."
"What the hell was that?" Rose asked, after I stumbled back into the passenger seat.
"Kansas."
= ADC =
A few guys tensed when they heard the shutter, and when they realized I was taking a picture of one of the bikes, most of them relaxed. We were in a garage owned by a patch holder, and I held back a smile when the few members of the Red and White that did have a problem with my presence, slid out of my way or left altogether.
"That's right, boys. If you don't want to be in my book, you're better off out of the way." Marcus leaned closer to me and said, "Not that I won't get calls later on when some of them change their minds."
In all it took less than 15 minutes to get the group shots that Marcus wanted and I was free to take some random shots that were more focused on the garage than the club. Honestly, I didn't know the names of most of the tools or equipment; I just liked the lighting that came from the open, garage bay doors. The way the shadows stretched across the concrete also fascinated me, so I took some shots of that as well.
Doc and Dirty were there, just like Edward and Emmett, but I was the only woman there. I could tell because some of the things I heard would have shocked a nun. It was also interesting that the bikers that were there beside Edward and Emmett were all full patch holders. It was the first time I'd noticed there were no prospective members there nor were there any of the women. Hell, the only reason Edward, Em, and I were able to be there was probably because Doc vouched for us and Marcus vouched for him.
Every now and then, Edward would look at me to see if I was alright. Sure he knew most of the guys, but I could tell that some of them made him uneasy, and in turn, that put me a little on edge.
He left the group and wrapped his arms around me, trying to look at the image I had just captured. "It's good. You doing okay?"
"She's fine," Marcus said, walking up to us. "Now let her do her job. Nothing's going to happen. I'm standing right here."
Edward stepped away from me with his arms slightly raised, and he gave me a wink before turning back to the group.
"You are, aren't you?"
I turned to look at Marcus and accepted the bottle of water he handed me. We were standing at the mouth of the garage, the 81 on one side and the open street on the other. "I'm what?"
"Fine."
"Oh, yeah, I'm great." I excitedly turned the camera to show him what I had taken so far. A few days ago I had taught him how to navigate through the pictures, and he had somehow managed to look both impressed and annoyed at the technology.
His bushy eyebrows were furrowed as he looked down at the screen. "These are great, Bella. You did good, but some of the guys have been drinking and I'd feel better if you went inside. Go find Esme or Didy."
I nodded. That meant one of two things. Either Marcus felt iffy about some of these guys or they were going to start talking about something I had no business hearing. Either way, I wasn't going to question it.
"See these men, Bella? All of them respect me, but I only trust a handful of them."
"Like Doc and Dirty?"
"On most days." He smiled and looked back at the group. They were ribbing on Edward because of his latest tattoo. Someone lifted his shirt to get a peek at my name scrolled up his side, but Edward did one better and hitched the whole thing all the way up to his neck. Emmett said something that made Doc shove him in the head and the group laugh. Edward was smiling with them and gestured to me and several of the patch holders nodded.
"The truth is Bella, half of these guys would sell me out in a heartbeat if it meant they didn't have to do time. I happen to know from experience that Doc isn't one of those guys and it's why I trust him as much as I do. But the others, they don't know about loyalty and family. They think the club is about fun and good times and only care about what the Red and White can do for them. They sometimes forget that they have to work for it."
"It?"
"Respect, Bella. The guys that have been riding for a while can spot a bullshitter in no time. We know what posers look like, we know how shifty a rat acts, and you can bet your ass that we can spot when the Feds try to plant someone in one of our chapters."
"Edward said you thought I was a plant at first."
Marcus scratched the back of his neck. "Yeah, well, Edward wasn't supposed to tell you that. If it makes you feel any better, it was because you two got hitched so quick."
"And the fact that my father is a cop."
"And the fact that your father is the law, yes."
I was waiting for him to say more, but his attention was focused behind me. I turned to see that he was looking at a parked car down the street, and I knew that just because we had left California, it didn't mean that the FBI had lost interest.
Marcus turned to me, pulling my attention away from the grey sedan. "Be careful, Bella. And try to stick close to Edward or a Brother you trust."
I nodded. "Yeah, I just need to go back to the motorhome to upload these to my laptop, and I'll go find Esme." I had been trying my best to mark when and where the pictures were taken in case Marcus needed to know the details for his book. With all the cities we'd driven through and people we'd met, it would be confusing if I didn't catalogue each shoot.
Marcus grunted something and walked back to the garage.
The cage was parked up front, and as I was walking back, I lifted my camera to get a better look at the agents that were following us. Perhaps it was because the zoom had spoiled me and I was curious. One was a blonde guy and the other looked like he could have been Asian. I couldn't tell for sure because he had a camera of his own.
Without thinking, I took all the pictures that my little finger could muster. "See how you like it, you fuckers," I muttered.
My breath caught when I saw them start the car. But instead of turning in the other direction, the sedan sped straight for me. I yelped and stumbled backward. "Edward!"
I heard him shouting my name, but I was too focused on the car that had jumped the curb and the two suits that were scrambling out.
Without stopping my shoot, I climbed to my feet. My grip was sweaty and my heart felt like it was pounding out of my chest. The two agents had their arms outstretched and were shouting, and the camera had to work harder at focusing because they were heading straight for me.
It wasn't until one of them put his hand on my camera that I brought it down. But that wasn't enough for the Fed because he attempted to grab it from me.
"What the hell?" I brought my elbows up to give myself more room and squirmed to protect the camera in my hands.
There was a commotion behind me as I was shuffling with the agent and I could hear Edward calling out to me.
"Give me the camera," the blonde Fed said.
"No, you have no right." The hell I would let him use my work to help them with whatever the fuck they were doing.
"That wasn't a request," he said, finally yanking it from my hands.
There was more shouting behind me and it might have had to do with me lunging at the blonde like a crazy person. I managed to scale his back and almost had my camera back when I felt someone pull me off. All hell broke loose; people were screaming and I was suddenly staring into the barrel of the other Fed's sidearm.
I was quickly swept into Edward's arms, and I realized that the only reason Edward felt confident that the agent wouldn't shoot him was because several members of the Red and White had drawn on the Fed's.
"Calm down, baby."
"The fuck I will, Edward. He took my camera," I said through clenched teeth.
The Asian agent had shifted his focus to Dirty who was one of the patch holders that had drawn on him. Next to him stood Doc and Little Frank with their guns raised and pointed at one of the two agents, and those were the only patch holders I knew by name.
"Do you have a license for those guns?"
"Just exercising my Second Amendment right," Dirty said. "'Sides, there's something about seeing the Feds pointing a gun at an unarmed woman that just doesn't sit well with me."
The blonde agent had a constipated look on his face as he practically ripped my camera apart to get to the memory card. "Alright, let's just relax everybody."
My eyes followed his fingers as he slipped the card into his pocket. "What do you think you're doing? That belongs to me," I said, causing Edward to give me a squeeze to shut me up.
"Well, it belongs to the Federal Bureau of Investigation now," he said with a smirk.
"Lower your weapons," the other agent ordered.
"You first," Doc replied.
So for the holidays I wanted to treat you guys to an update. It feels good getting back into writing. I'm working on the next chapter because I know how bad it is to leave you with a cliffy.
But what do you want, helluvabell? -Thanks for asking!
I want to be an aunt! My sister and her wife want to start a family. My sister-in-law is a special education teacher and my sister is a physician's assistant. They are some of the most loving people I have the privilege of knowing. Please help if you can. I know the fandom is capable of remarkable things. Just google "gofundme villalobosfamily" and my sister Erin's link will pop up. Happy holidays!