Page 46 of Cannon

Tanner pays us a visit after he and Bill have worked their magic at the ranch and kept us out of it. I mean, we weren’t involved other than we turned up too late for the party, but the law might see our intentions as something to further complicate matters. Bandit’s body should be released in a few days, once all the autopsies are done. That shouldn’t take long considering Bandit and Stephan were the only two bodies without bullet holes in them.

Barbara has been clingy in the rec room, and I think I’m doing her a disservice using that term. She has been attentive and supportive sounds better. I don’t think she knows what to do for me, if I’m honest. We’ve all seen far worse than what we’ve seen today, but she doesn’t know the horrors we’ve been through. I can take all the attention she’s giving me without a problem.

Molly has been keeping an eye on Jamie, and she seems to be calm enough now. Jamie’s right, Pres can be a prick at times. Feeling a need for some fresh air, I take Barbara’s hand and we head out into the compound. Standing against a tree trunk, I hold her close and kiss the top of her head.

Pres’ voice comes out of the darkness. “Just so you know, you pair are not alone.”

Barbara jumps at his statement, and I reply, “I didn’t know you were out here, Pres. I needed some fresh air.”

“Yeah, well. I went to the shed and talked to the guys in there for a few minutes. They’re not saying much.”

“Not able to say much. You mean?” I doubt whether they are able to breathe by now.

“Oh, I haven’t killed them, if that’s what you mean. I wondered who Stephan had pissed off so much that they would wipe him out so completely.” He holds his hands up as if this confirms he hasn’t killed them.

“Any ideas?” I can’t imagine that any of them would have a clue.

“Not a clue. I don’t know what to do with them at this point. Maybe I’ll still give Grazer a call and let him decide. If you’ll excuse me, I’ll leave you two lovebirds to it. I’ve had enough for one day.” With a nod to Barbara, Pres walks away to the clubhouse and leaves us to ourselves.

Alone again, I lead Barbara to one of the garden seats we have behind the Clubhouse. There are picnic benches too, for when we have one of our many outdoor shindigs. I sit and I’m pleasantly surprised when she sits on my lap and puts her arms around my neck.

“Are you okay, Bret? There’s been a lot that has happened in a short space of time.” She speaks softly and with such a caring tone, I can only love her more for it.

“Yes, Babe, I’m all good. The past weeks have nothing on some of the shit I’ve seen or been through. I might be able to tell you about some of it one day, but no promises. I will say this, though. If anything starts to cause me a problem in my head, you’ll be the one I come running to for help and guidance.” I kiss her gently on the lips.

”That’s all I need to know, Sweetums. If you’re okay, I’m okay. There is one more concern I have, though.” She frowns at me as she says this. “I’ve been sitting on your lap, wriggling my ass, and you’re not hard. Have I lost my appeal so quickly?”

Adjusting my cock in my restrictive pants, she squeals when she feels it pulsing through the material. “Oh, there he is. I was a little worried for a moment there.”

“How about we go to our room, and you can be a housewife who needs a plumber to get her pipes flowing freely?” This makes me growl at the thought of it.

“I can think of nothing I’d like better than to have your plunger thrusting into my pipework, Mr. Plumber, sir. Let’s not be too gentle about it either, shall we?”

Resisting the urge to throw her over my shoulder, we walk sedately back into the clubhouse, through the crowd in the rec room and then to our room.

Chapter 29

*~* Cannon *~*

It’s been three days since we went to the ranch and discovered our dead brother, Bandit. Officer Tanner has been here each day and has kept us updated as to when we are likely to have the body so we can bury him. I have to say, he has been very respectful about it. When he came yesterday, he was in a very bad mood. Apparently, when he asked a technician at the morgue when they would release Bandit, he was told, ‘It was just a biker, who cares?’. This did not go down well with him, and he almost assaulted the technician.

Luckily, the medical examiner was present and overheard the comment. The medical examiner, according to Tanner, was an exceptional woman by the name of Emily Pesci. He believed she is of Italian descent and bore hallmark Italian beauty, such as high cheekbones, dark eyes, long brown hair and a confidence that said she knew exactly what he was thinking. When he began describing her body, I stopped him there and said I’d got the picture. I think at this point he realized how much notice he had actually taken, as he blushed.

She told him that she would look at getting Bandit released as soon as possible, especially as he was the only one that anyone had asked about. He said he could hear her ripping into the technician as he left.

Tanner stayed for most of the evening, and he is a good fit with everyone here. I’ll have to speak to Pres about him, I think. He’d probably jump at the chance of the feeling of belonging that the MC gives you. Bill is a good man, too, but I don’t see him taking to the biker lifestyle.

Pres sent Ghost to collect Mateo this morning for an appointment with Jamie at the practice. I went along for the ride and to see where Spirit lives. You never know when you could be called on, and it’s always good to know how to get somewhere in an emergency.

I was surprised when we got out of the SUV and Ghost told me to stand still and not move whatever happened. I was about to say screw it when the furry missile from the bar and a freaking donkey walked around the side of an old cabin. Remembering the bar, I stood exactly where I was and waited.

Spirit appeared a second behind them, and she only gave me a cursory glance. “Stand still while they look you over, Cannon. Bruno. Look ‘em.”

The donkey eyed me suspiciously and then took two turns walking around me. When he was satisfied, he walked back and sat beside her.

“Spectre. Look ‘em.” The furry missile looked at me before walking over, and that look was scary. He looked into my soul and instantly knew all my dirty secrets. If I had to go up against either of these animals, I wouldn’t do so willingly, but I’d rather take my chances with the donkey-sized Rottweiler than the Malinois, any day of the week. The Rottweiler would chew you up and spit you out. That Malinois would chew you up, jam you under a log and come back for more at his leisure.

“You have a knife in each boot. I wouldn’t reach for them if I were you.” She turns and Ghost motions for me to follow. We walk along a trail in the woods, and she occasionally takes us off the trail, presumably to bypass a trap of some kind. I don’t ask what as I’m not sure I want to know. Seeing another cabin, this one very much more habitable than the previous one, I see Mateo sitting on the porch. I’m surprised when Spectre looks at Spirit briefly and then runs to sit by Mateo.