Old Ghosts: Gypsy Riders MC (4 page)

Don’t get me wrong.  I operated under the assumption that I had probably pissed Todd off enough by leaving that he would eventually track me down.  So, I did all I could do, outside of adopting a new identity all together.  I bought a hand gun, thankful for all the hours I had spent shooting beer cans with my father in the east Texas woods.  I enrolled myself in self-defense classes at the local gym. I started lifting weights.  And I had installed extra locks on my apartment door.  

Outside of those things, and constantly being aware of my surroundings?  Well, I figured there wasn’t much more I could do, except go on with my life.  

So I did.  But I did tend to look over my shoulder often.

The school bell rang, signaling the end of my lunch break, and sending me crashing back into my present. I gathered my things from the table, said goodbye to the other teachers and headed back to my room with a peaceful smile on my face.

When I entered my room, I spotted Rosie already sitting in her seat and chatting happily with her friends.  I blushed as I felt my pulse speed up a little, the leathery smell of her father flooding my thoughts once more.

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“Brothers, welcome back to Club Mayhem,” I said to the table full of my closest friends.  Looking around at them, I was filled with gratitude that it was this particular group of men that made up the Gypsy Riders.   Any other combination, and it wouldn’t have been the same at all.

They each nodded at me, the seriousness on their faces matching mine.  When we entered this room, it was all business.  When we walked out the door, that was a different story.  We joked and partied together.  We took care of each other.  We fed each other.  We were a community, a family.   But business was business, and that’s why we were here today.

“As you know, we have a job proposition to discuss.  We’ll be taking a vote today on how to proceed.  Jackson Sullivan has asked us to help him out with another delivery he’s receiving.  He needs protection during the transaction.  As you remember, we’ve helped him out before and everything went smoothly and we were paid very well for our services.  Now, before you decide on your vote, there’s a few things you should know.”

“Mr. Sullivan’s informed me that the product he’s buying is being sold to him and delivered by a close associate of the Cretins MC.  It’s very likely they’ll be there to protect the seller in Mr. Sullivan’s transaction. He doesn’t entirely trust this person, this is the first time he’s done business with him, so that’s where the risk comes in.  Mr. Sullivan wants us to be there, just in case shit goes down.”

“So, there’s a chance of clashing with a rival MC and that could lead to a lot of serious trouble in the future should something go wrong.  It’s entirely possible that the transaction will go down without a hitch, as well.  In situations like this, we never can be sure.”

“That’s why we get paid the big bucks,”  Reaper said, his deep voice echoing through the room.  

I smirked.

“It’s true.  And I don’t think these guys are going to be bringing any kind of muscle that we can’t go up against and win, but I want us to consider all the risks before we decide.  So, does anybody have anything they’d like to add?”  I asked the others.  

“As long as we ain’t treading on their territory, and they ain’t treading on ours, it seems like we’re just going to be there doing the same job,” Sandman said. “I don’t see why the Cretins would take offense at us being there.”

“I agree, Sandman,” I replied.

The others nodded their heads in agreement.

I waited another moment before speaking up again.

“Alright, it seems pretty cut and dry then.  Let’s vote.”

Reaper went through our voting ritual, and there were no naysayers.

“Alright, that was easy.  It all goes down next Friday night.  We’ve got ten days before then, and we’ll meet again to go over the details a few times between then and now.  If anyone thinks of anything else regarding this job, please feel free to bring it up.”

“You got it, Pres,” Reaper said, as the others nodded at me.

“Alright, then, that’s all I have for today,” I said.

One by one, they trailed out, and the group of us headed straight to the clubhouse bar, with lil’ Mike wobbling along and panting behind us, no doubt hoping Sandman would be nice enough to pour a little beer for him.

Not only did the brothers spoil Rosie, but lil’ Mike wasn’t exactly ignored either.  I looked down at him and laughed as he snorted and rubbed his head on me, scratching his snotty nose on the bottom of my jeans, before running off to find Reaper.  

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I had spent the whole day wondering if I would see Mike when he picked up Rosie. As soon as the final bell rang, the kids jumped up from their seats and began putting things away.

Two minutes later, I heard the roar of a motorcycle outside, and my heart began pounding in my chest. I was glad that I didn’t happen to be speaking in front of the class at that moment, or I would surely have stuttered and stammered at the sudden violent vibration of the windows.

I looked over at Rosie putting her toys away and saw a serene smile cross her face. That sound must be reassuring to her, I thought. It signals safety and security.

I wasn’t sure what it signaled to me. At this point, it was making my palms sweat and my stomach quiver. The fact that my nipples were hardening under my white sundress was something that I was doing my best to ignore.

The vibrations stopped at the sound of the motorcycle’s engine cutting off. Kids and parents trailed in and out of the classroom and I stood politely waving goodbye and smiling to them all.

After a few moments, heavy footsteps sounded outside and I held my breath and nervously braced myself as I reached up to straighten my long, blonde hair. I had been waiting for this moment all day. And I would be lying if I said I didn’t have Mike Montgomery’s face in my mind when I decided to wear my favorite white sundress this morning.

As he rounded the corner, I gasped. He was easily one of the biggest men I had ever seen. His curly grey hair was unruly and messy, sticking out of his head like angry, fuzzy snakes. His beard matched his hair exactly and his huge, furry eyebrows almost made him appear comical. Until you looked at the rest of him. His huge shoulders were broad and strong under his cut, the patches covering it doing nothing to distract from the intensity of the man wearing them.

“Reaper!” Rosie ran over to the huge scruffy man and jumped into his arms. He laughed and hugged her tightly before he put her back down. She jumped up and down gleefully, almost more excited than when her dad picked her up. She grabbed the man’s hand and pulled him over towards me.

“I want you to meet Ms. Daisy!” she squealed.

“Okay, okay, not so fast!” He walked along behind her, laughing the whole way.

“Ms. Daisy! This is my friend, Reaper!”

He smiled, his black eyes crinkling at the corners as he outstretched his calloused hand to me. I shook his hand and smiled at him.

“Hello, Reaper! Nice to meet you. Rosie’s told me a lot about you,” I said, doing my best to breathe again now that I was recovering from the fact that he wasn’t Mike.

“Well,” he said, as his gaze slowly slid up and down my body. “Rosie said you were pretty, but she didn’t say you were this pretty!”

Normally, his comment might have made me uncomfortable, but the way he said it with a smile, all the while holding Rosie’s hand and standing in my colorful classroom made me laugh.

“Well, thank you…Reaper.” He stood there surrounded by the last of the students leaving my class for the day, his cut displayed prominently on his back, his wild hair and large frame making him look like some sort of deranged, gentle giant. He looked totally out of place, but completely at ease.

“Hey Rosie,” he said, turning his beaming smile down to her. “What did you have for lunch today?”

“You ask me that every day!” Rosie said, laughing and smiling at this man she was clearly fond of.

“I know!” he replied, ruffling her bouncing black curls. “You eat lunch everyday, don’t you?”

She erupted in a fit of giggles and shoved her backpack into his arms.

“Take my backpack, please, Reaper! I want a piggyback ride!” He obeyed her wishes with a smile, and easily picked her up and settled her onto his back as he looked at me again.

“Big Mike is busy with work, and he asked me to pick up Rosie today. I’m on the list,” he said.

“Oh, okay, yes, I saw that. That’s fine.” It’s true, I had seen his name right there next to Mike’s on the approved guardians list in Rosie’s file.

“It was nice to meet you, Ms. Daisy!” he said, before he began walking towards the door.

“Bye, Ms. Daisy! See you tomorrow!” Rosie yelled and waved as she was carried happily down the hall.

“Bye, Rosie! Work on your math worksheets!” I yelled after her. I had noticed Rosie was struggling with her math skills, compared to the other students in class. She was great at writing and learning new words, and she had told me her first day of school that she planned on being a writer someday. She told me she made up stories all the time, and her dad and Reaper helped her write them down.

I had to admit, I was impressed with Rosie. She was a lot more well-adjusted than I imagined she would be. She was grounded and solid in a way a lot of kids weren’t. She seemed confident and curious about the world, and yet at the same time, sensitive of others. Now that I had met both Mike and Reaper, I had a different perspective on this unusual family.

And I was intrigued. Beyond intrigued. I was almost impatient to learn more about them, and get to know them better.

One of them in particular I wanted to get to know a whole lot better.

The fact that I hadn’t seen Mike that afternoon filled me with disappointment. I had built up the moment so much in my head throughout the day that it just wound me up even more when I didn’t have that release. It just tightened the twisting thread of anticipation in my gut, and I wondered to myself, as I lay in bed that night, my mind wandering in the darkness, if I would feel that everyday now.

I hoped not.

Something had to give.

****

The next day was even worse. I stumbled through the day like a zombie, constantly reprimanding myself to focus and forget about him. But it was no use.

Rosie was in my class all day long. The only time she wasn’t within my sight was at lunchtime and even then it wouldn’t be much of a stretch to find her. And every time I saw her, in my head I saw Mike.

I struggled through it, determined not to let my ridiculous obsession with the man I had only met once keep me from being the best teacher I could be. So, instead of avoiding Rosie, I embraced her and did exactly what I planned to do all along. I took her under my wing, picking her as the first student to be my class helper for the week, hoping I could undo some some part of the pain I knew had to be in her heart.