Page 39 of Cannon

“What are you going to do with these two?” I ask pointing to the two sleeping beauties in the vehicle.

“I’ll get someone out here to give me a hand, and I’ll book them in at the station. I know one of the other guys is just as pissed off with all this as I am. I’ll still be at the diner, just a few minutes later. Is it okay to bring along another like-minded officer? Or would you rather we kept it to just us for starters?”

“If you trust them, I’ll trust them. Do you want this cash as evidence?” I reach into my pocket for the stack of notes I took from Big Ugly.

“Nah. Give it to your treasurer. With no drugs to show where they got it from, they’ll just have it handed back to them.” He turns to the Caddy when a scuffle breaks out in the back seat as both his prisoners awake at the same time. He leans into the rear of the vehicle, slips his weapon from its holster and points it at them.

“If I see either of you in this town again. I will blow your head off, put a gun in your cold dead hand and claim it was self-defense. Do I make myself clear?”

Carlos definitely believes him as his head shakes like one of those Hawaiian dancing things you have on your dashboard. Big Ugly doesn’t look convinced until Bill pulls the slide on his Glock, effectively cocking it ready to fire. This persuades Big Ugly, and he nods.

“Get out of town and stay out.” Bill steps away from the vehicle and allows them to scoot out of the rear and into the front of the Caddy. As it drives away he grins. “That saved the wasted effort of booking them in only to watch them walk out an hour later. Felt better too. I’ll see you shortly at the diner.”

Bill walks away and we all have a quick chat about what’s just happened and how Pres will feel when I tell him about it. Breaker, of course, points out that as Vortex and I will be going to the diner, it will be down to him and Griller to do the honors.

I give him a grin, saying, “Oh, yeah. So it will.”

Chapter 24

*~* Cannon *~*

Vortex and I sat in the diner shooting the breeze. We rarely chat about anything. Normally, we would sit and wait in silence, deep in our own thoughts. We chat about how I got myself an old lady, what my plans are for the future, and I was surprisingly forthcoming about it all. Vortex made it clear that he would like to meet his ‘one’ and that many of the brothers felt the same. The club had gone from two old ladies to five in around a year, and everyone could see how it affected those of us lucky enough to find them.

I remembered that he’d been on a mission to bring back Bri’s sister from out of state. I had to ask her name, as I’d completely forgotten all about her. She wasn’t at the clubhouse long before she moved on.

“Her name was Clodagh. She was Bri’s sister. It was supposed to be me fetching her to the clubhouse because she was in some kind of danger. I never discussed it with Bri or Saddle, but I think she was running from something of her own making. There was nothing solid to put your finger on, but you know when something isn’t as it should be. The old gut feeling, I suppose. She wasn’t what she wanted people to believe she was. She tried to sneak off twice on the way back to the clubhouse, but each time I caught her, she had some excuse as to what she was doing. The last time I remember she told me she was going to find a laundromat.” Vortex had shaken his head at that story.

Bill had arrived shortly after that and true to his word, brought his friend, Officer Tanner Smith. Tanner was a big guy, as tall as me at 6’ 5”. He talked all country and western style. He was easy to get along with and was just as pissed off as the rest of us with the drug scene developing in town.

Neither officer had much information, and what they had, we already knew. They knew nothing about the dead Senator Haroldson, about his death being anything other than an accident, or his son Stephan’s involvement in everything. Tanner got very hot under the collar when he heard about my truck. He was all for joining me with all guns blazing. I had to smile when he used that phrase.

Taking Tanner’s number, we agreed to share any discoveries we made, and if there were going to be any incursions against Stephan, we’d make sure we were all aware. Before we parted company, I invited them both to the opening night of the bar as MC guests. I don’t know what prompted me to do that, but it seemed the right thing to do at the time.

Back at the clubhouse I spent an hour with Pres going over the morning's events. Breaker and Griller hadn’t said a word to Pres about what had happened, other than to say I had it all in hand and would explain when I got back. Damned asshole cowards, the pair of them. Pres was good with it all in the long run and like me, he thought having some friends in law enforcement couldn’t be a bad thing. There was no surprise that we know more about Stephan and his operations than the law does. One thing did surprise me, though. Pres asked what I thought of Bill and Tanner becoming brothers. Now, I like them both, but I see Tanner as a better fit than Bill. Not that I think Bill wouldn’t fit, I just think that Tanner would seamlessly become a brother without any effort. Food for thought there.

After a quick afternoon visit to the crem, to see how the business is going and check that Mella has been disposed of satisfactorily, it’s time to collect Barbara. She could get a ride home with the prospect of the day, but I don’t know if he has an SUV or if he’s on his hog. She is certainly not going to ride bitch for anyone but me.

My plan is to get her home to her house, have my evil way with her sexy body and then have a quiet, relaxed evening until we can do it all over again. When I pick her up though, she is clearly distracted.

Arriving home, she immediately disappears to get out of her work clothes. Resisting the temptation to follow her and see where it might lead, I head to the kitchen and make one of her herbal tea drinks. I think they smell like some flowery type of weed concoction, but she enjoys them, so hey-ho.

When she reappears, she is in jeans and a tee, and there is definitely no bra. I almost drop her cup of herbal tea, I’m so mesmerized. Noticing where my attention is focused, she runs back upstairs and comes down with a jumper on.

“I want to talk, Cannon, and I need your undivided attention.” She takes the cup and heads for the living room where she sits in one of the armchairs. My one-track mind still in gear, I sit on the floor by her feet and stroke her leg. “Down, boy,” she states firmly and then orders me to the couch.

“I know we talked about kids, and we’re both okay with having them. You would not believe how many pregnant women have been through the practice today. It’s been like an omen. Every time I looked up there was a different one standing there. I thought one woman had had her water break until I realized she’d only dropped a cup of water on herself.” She pauses to take a breath, and I know where she is going with this.

“Barbara, my love, you want to get married as soon as possible, and I’m good with that. I don’t need a big fancy affair. As long as you’re happy, that’s all that matters. We can put the lovemaking on hold until we’re married, too, if that will help, but the wedding had better be planned for the very near future. That’s my only stipulation. The rest can be whatever you want it to be.” Staying away from her sexually is going to kill me. I’ve never wanted a woman the way I want her, and although I’d do anything for her, this could be the hardest thing I ever have to do.

“I’m sorry to be a pain, but it’s just something that I’ve never wanted to happen to me. It might sound silly, but I’m afraid of being an unmarried mother. It probably leads back to some shit my mother ingrained in me in my youth. She was quite fierce with some of her views, usually when it suited her.”

“It’s not silly if it’s something you want, or something you’re afraid of. I can easily sort this out for you. You plan the date and how you want it, and I’ll go along with it. No problem.” I slip off the couch and give her a hug, kissing her head as I do. “Now, I was supposed to ring Pres, so I’ll be back in a minute.”

Leaving her to her herbal tea, yuck I think to myself, I go into the kitchen and put a call through to Pres. We talk for only a couple of minutes, and I sheepishly walk back into the living room. “I have to go back to the clubhouse and see Pres. Come on. You can spend some time with your surrogate sister.” That brings a smile to her worried face.

“She’s my adopted sister, not my surrogate sister.” She rolls her eyes at me, but I see a little sparkle in them, which is a good thing.

“Yeah, whatever you say. I suppose she’s going to be maid of honor?” I laugh at that until…