Reckless Renegages

Chapter 8

Axel

Viper laughs: "Anna is a threat! Really? Sweet Anna. Are you serious?" Ace and I nod. He still doesn't get it "Seriously. Anna wouldn't hurt anyone. We all know that." " That's true, we know that, but Merigold doesn't. Think about it. Merigold is in a strange place with people she has just met. Suddenly, a woman she doesn't know comes out of nowhere and starts walking towards her boys. Her instincts kicked in," I say.

" So why didn't she calm down when I introduced Anna?" Viper asks. " She probably would have if Anna had moved away from the boys and stood by you. But Anna got too close for her comfort and she was prepared to fight," Ace answered.

" That is ridiculous. Merigold didn't act that way with any of you," Viper says. “ Because we kept our distance at first. And didn’t approach the boys until after we introduced ourselves to Merigold." Ace says. " They are right, Viper," Anna says, coming up from behind him. Viper turns to her: “I should have paid attention. I made her very uncomfortable. I was just so excited to meet her. Then I saw those boys. I couldn’t resist getting close to them. I didn't pick up on the clues. I should have backed off. I definitely shouldn't have gotten close to those boys without her being okay."

She puts her hand on Viper's: "Don't be mad at her. It's my fault. She was just being a protective mom. In her shoes I would have done the same thing," she says.

" Be mad at her? I'm just trying to understand what happened. How did you two get her to back off?" Vipers says. Ace holds his hands up "It wasn't me who got her to back off. I just stopped her from advancing." Viper looks at me.

" Before I answer, you said her fiancé was enlisted. I have to ask, was Merigold." I asked. " No, why?" "Because she is trained. So are the twins." I sigh. Viper is looking at me like I have grown a second head.

He served in the Marines. He should have been able to see what I was talking about.

Rowdy

I spoke up "I don't know what she said to the boys, but they moved with practiced, trained precision. The words she used to let the boys know were clear. You know you don't hear that in everyday talk. Hell, the way they walked out of her has been practiced. She may not have served but she is trained. From the little bit, I saw she is trained well. I don’t see how you could have missed it."

Ace and Axel nod in agreement. All four of us are retired vets. Most of the club members have served in one way or another. We know what we saw. Honestly, I'm impressed.

I would like to see more. The little I've seen from Merigold the more I like it. Viper leans against the bar: "Just another reminder of how little I know about my sister. Great."

"Don't be hard on yourself. It isn't your fault. You have to let go of that. She is here now. She came to you. You have a chance now. Use the chance and stop worrying about what you have missed. You need to go and talk to her. Now." Anna said.

" Yeah, you're right, I need to talk to her. I'll head over in a few. I'll let her calm down," Viper says as he finishes his beer.

" I wouldn't wait too long. She was pretty upset with herself. She might think you are upset with her," Axel says. He is right. I saw the same look in her eyes he did. She tried to mask it.

I knew what I saw. A look that says she is a flight risk. If Prez doesn't go after her, I will. My gut is telling me she needs to be here. I look at Axel and he nods. He knows what I'm thinking. We won't let her get away.

Merigold

I make it to the house and settle the boys in the kitchen for lunch. I don't have an appetite after that s**t show I caused at the clubhouse. I'm never going to be able to face Viper or the other brothers again.

Seriously, I nearly attacked someone. Someone who is very important to them. I have only been here a few days and managed to embarrass my brother and his crew. Yeah, no going back from that. They have been together for a long time, and I'm an outsider.

Funny, I thought it would have taken me a little longer to screw up. I couldn’t help myself. That lady, Anne, I think they said her name was too close to my kids and I didn’t like it.

Since I'm never going back there again. I doubt Viper will forgive me or understand. I decided to start to make plans to hit the road. I was looking forward to learning about my brother and father. Maybe even get to know the two hotties, Axel and Rowdy.

Not gonna happen now. The first thing I need to do is call Mr. McMasters and turn everything over to Viper. Next, I will start searching for hotels in the area because I'm not staying here. I called the closest one around all booked. I'm going to have to widen my search. Great just what I need.

I clean the boys up from lunch and take them outside. I grabbed a beer and sat on the back porch to watch them. Time to call Alaric and Mac and update them. " Hey, sis. What's up?" Alaric asks.

I take a deep breath before I answer. I have never hidden anything from them. I'm not about to start now. " Not good. I screwed up. Big time," I say. " Sweety, it can't be that bad. Hold on, let me conference all the guys in," he says.

" Oh, but it is," I tell him. Once all the guys are on the phone, I tell them everything. From the lawyer’s office to what happened at the clubhouse. " So I should be headed home by Friday."

" Sweety, don't you think you should talk to your brother about this? I know how much it means to you to find out about your father," Alaric says.

Mac said, “Why don’t you calm down a bit then try to talk to Ethan. " You didn't see his face, guys. He was so mad. I don't blame him. If Ace hadn’t been holding me I probably would have punched that woman. There is no probability of it. I would have hit her. And hurt her badly. "

" I'm not mad at you." I turn and see Viper, Axel, Rowdy, and Ace standing behind me. " Umm Alaric, guys, I need to call you back," I say. " I know. We heard him. Talk to him. Love you." he says. Followed by the rest of the guys. " Love you too, brothers." and hang up. I looked up at Viper and waited for him to talk. The silence just hangs there.

I can't take it. " I have already apologized for my actions. If you're here to tell me to leave and never come back, way ahead of you. I have made arrangements to transfer everything to you. I’m working on finding a hotel. I’ll be out of town by the weekend. You didn't need to bring back up."

" I'm not here for an apology or to kick you out. I don't want you to leave. I'm not mad. I would like to understand what happened if you want to talk about it," Viper says as he sits down.

I see the others have also taken a seat. Since they aren't here to kick me out I wonder what they are doing here. " So you brought your entourage to tell me you are not mad."