Outlaw (24 page)

The doorknob turned. She held her breath. Hoping it
was Cole.

Crystal stuck her head in. “Angel, your cab’s here.”

Leaving the note lying on the bed, Angel got up, and
walked out of Cole’s room, and out of his life.

After she drove off, Mack walked into Cole’s room,
and found the note he was sure she’d leave. He read it. Then he shook his head,
and crumbled it up, and stuffed it in his pocket.

That afternoon, Cole, Crash and Red Dog returned
from the run they had made. They walked into the clubhouse. Crash and Red Dog
stopped at the bar. Mack was sitting there with a couple of guys.

Cole headed to his room.

“She’s not there,” Mack said quietly, sipping his
drink.

Cole paused, and looked back at him. He looked from
Mack to the other guys. He walked slowly back, and stood next to Mack. “What do
you mean?”

“She left. Called a cab this morning.” Mack turned
on his barstool to look at Cole. “Guess she wanted to get back to her life.
Probably had enough of playing bad girl.”

Cole lunged at Mack.

Crash jumped in front of him, and pushed him back,
while Red Dog grabbed his shoulders from behind, restraining him.

“What the fuck did you do?” Cole shouted at Mack.

Mack stared him down. “I didn’t do a damn thing. She
went back to her life. What? You didn’t see this coming? She didn’t fit in
here. We all saw it.”

Cole shook off Red Dog’s hold, and shoved Crash
away. He headed upstairs. Opening the door to his room, he was half hoping it
was all a joke, that he’d find her sitting on the bed, reading a magazine,
waiting for him.

The room was empty. He looked around. No trace of
her. No note. Nothing.

He sat down on the bed, and leaned his arms on his
knees. He shook his head. It didn’t make any sense. She said she didn’t want to
leave. Did she mean it? Did this life frighten her? Could he blame her? Isn’t
he the one that told her this wouldn’t last? That she didn’t belong? So, why
did this bother him so much?

She didn’t say goodbye.

He could find her, track her down…and then it dawned
on him. In all these days they’d spent together, he didn’t even get her last
name. How could that be possible? He’d never asked her last name.

She was gone. He’d never be able to find her.

Chapter Twelve

Three years later-

Angel sat in a leather armchair. Looking at her from
behind his desk, was the latest in a long line of doctors she’d met with over
the past year. They all had different titles and specialties, some she couldn’t
even pronounce. But they all had one thing in common. They would build up her
hopes, just to dash them the next time she met with them.

This one wasn’t so bad. At least he didn’t bullshit
her. He gave it to her straight. The brass plate on the wall outside his door
read Pediatric Oncologist.

“Ms. Wells, there’s no way to sugar coat this.
You’re not a match.” He watched her reaction. “I’m sorry.”

She exhaled her breath. “And TJ?”

He shook his head. “No, I’m sorry.”

She felt like she’d had the rug pulled out from
under her…again.

“If they’d been identical twins-”

“I know. Fraternal twins only have a one in four
chance of matching. I know the statistics.”

“Again, I have to remind you, the father still has a
good chance of being a match.”

She looked out the window. “The father…” she
stopped. How does one explain that there was a fifty-fifty chance that he was
either an outlaw biker she had no contact with anymore or he was a man that had
raped her, and has been lying dead in a ravine for several years? She looked
back at the doctor. “Yes. I had hoped it wouldn’t be necessary to…to find him.
But this leaves me no choice.”

“Of course we will continue to try to find an
unrelated donor that matches, but as you know, the number of people willing to
even be screened for bone marrow transplants are very low and-”

“Yes. Yes, I know.” She looked down in a trance.

“Ms. Wells, can my staff help you locate the father?
Perhaps an internet search or-”

She snapped out of it. “No, thank you, Doctor.
He’s…he’s not the type to have one of those Facebook pages. I’ll try another
way.”

“Are you sure?”

She got up to leave, but then turned back. “How long
do we have?”

He looked her in the eye. “The sooner, the better.
She’s in remission now, but there are no guarantees how long that will last.”

She nodded, and walked out.

Angel walked into Melissa’s room. There were
pictures of kittens taped to the walls. The hospital bed made her daughter look
that much smaller than her little two-year-old body should have looked. She was
so small for her age, anyway. The illness did that to her.

Leukemia.

She hated that word. It had occupied her every
thought for the last eight months that they had been fighting it. Ever since
the day she had noticed the small lump on the back of her precious daughter’s
neck.

The rounds of chemotherapy had left her little head
bald, and the radiation had done a job on her, too. Her only hope now was a
bone marrow transplant. But they had to find a donor that was a good match if
they wanted her to have the best chance.

Angel leaned down, and kissed her daughter’s
forehead. “Mommy’s here, Melissa. I have to go away for a day or two, but Aunty
Nana will be here with you. I love you, baby girl.

She knew her daughter was sleeping from the
medications, and probably didn’t even know she was there, but Angel always
talked to her anyway.

She straightened up, and left the room, heading down
to the waiting area. Her mother’s sister, Natalie waited there. When Angel
entered, Natalie stood up from the chair she had been sitting in. She was
holding TJ.

Angel walked over, and took her son in her arms. She
tousled his blonde curls, and looked into his big blue eyes. “How’s mommy’s
little man? Are you being good for Aunty Nana?”

He nodded his head, and then wrapped his arms around
her neck, and gave her a big hug.

Angel squeezed him tight, and smiled. “You always
know when mommy needs a big hug, don’t you sweetie? What would I do without
you?”

“Well, what did he say?” Natalie asked.

Angel just shook her head, she tried to fight the urge
to burst into tears.

“Oh, sweetheart. I’m so sorry. I was so hoping…”
Natalie started to get choked up.

They hugged each other.

“I have to go to California,” Angel whispered.

Natalie pulled back. “To look for him?”

Angel nodded. “I only pray he’s their father. And
that he’ll help us.”

“I’ll watch over Melissa. I won’t leave her side. TJ
and I will be fine.”

“No,” Angel said, shaking her head. “I have to take
TJ with me.”

“With you? But why?”

“So he can get a look at him. It might convince him.
TJ looks so much like him. At least…at least
I
think he does.”

“Angel, I thought you told me you couldn’t be sure,
with everything that happened to you.”

She turned to her aunt. “You think I’m only seeing
what I want to see?”

Natalie nodded.

*****

Angel turned the wheel of the SUV she’d rented at
the airport, and made the turn onto the dead end street. She was pretty sure
this was the right one. The clubhouse should be the last building at the end.
That is, if it was still their clubhouse. It had been three years since she’d
been here.

She slowed as she came up to it. She saw the bikes.
She was relieved, and scared to death at the same time. Angel looked in the
back seat. TJ was fast asleep in his car seat.

The chain link gate was open, and she pulled into
the lot. She made it to the back corner, before they stopped her.

Two prospects held their hands up.

Angel braked to a stop. From where her SUV was
parked, she could see the backdoor that led into the clubhouse. She pressed a
button, and the driver’s side window slid down.

“I think you must be lost, ma’am. This is private
property,” one of them said to her.

“I know what it is. I’m looking for Cole. Is he
here?”

They were a little thrown by that. “Who wants to
know?”

Angel undid her shoulder belt, and climbed out of the
car. She saw their eyes slide over her. She had chosen her outfit with care. No
detail was left to chance, not even the Chanel sunglasses she wore. She wasn’t
about to come back here looking like the scared little twenty year old she had
been. She meant to let them know she wasn’t going to be intimidated.

She had on a gold pencil skirt that perfectly
matched the shade of her tousled, expertly styled, blonde hair. Her silk blouse
was a shade lighter. There was nothing to compare to the perfect fit of well
tailored, expensive clothing. Several thin, gold chains were draped around her
neck. She had matching 14kt gold hoop earrings and a gold cuff around her
wrist. Her suede, high-heeled pumps cost more than her car payment.

“Damn!” one of them said, looking her up and down.

“You a lawyer?” the other one asked.

“No. I’m not a lawyer.” She glanced over at a group
near them. She thought she saw Crash. “Is that Crash over there?” she nodded
with her head. “Would you please ask him to come over here?”

One of them jerked his head to the other, who walked
over to Crash. She watched as he turned to look in her direction. He stared a
moment, and then walked over to her.

“Can I help you, darlin’?” he asked.

“Hello, Crash,” she responded.

He cocked his head. “Do I know you?”

“We met a couple of years ago. There was some
business at the Dead Souls clubhouse that I helped you guys out with.”

His mouth dropped open.

“I need to speak with Cole. It’s very important.
Could you please get him for me?” She smiled at him.

“Yeah. Yeah, sure. Wait here.” He turned, and walked
toward the door.

Angel looked over at the group near the door, who
were about fifty yards away. There were about half a dozen guys standing around
near the door. She thought she recognized Cole by his blonde hair. He had his
back to her, and his arm around a girl.

Angel watched as Crash approached him. Crash said
something to him, and then she saw Cole turn to look over in her direction. He
stared for a long moment, and then his arm came away from the girl, and he
headed toward her. The girl started to follow him, until he stopped, and turned
back to her. He said something to her, and Angel could see him point back
towards the door.

He turned, and walked toward Angel again.

She recognized the way he walked. It was him. He was
dressed pretty much the same as the last time she’d seen him. The cut, a tee
shirt under it, pair of jeans. He was smoking a cigarette. As he got closer,
she could start to see the features of his face. He still had the soft, golden
facial hair along his jaw and around his mouth.

He got to within twenty feet of her, and tossed the
cigarette to the ground. She saw his eyes travel over her and the vehicle, but
she didn’t think he recognized her.

Stopping a few feet from her, Cole looked her up and
down. Then he looked over at the prospects, and jerked his head. “Beat it.”

They walked away.

He turned back to her, looking her over. Crash had
to be wrong. This couldn’t be Angel. Then she reached up, and pulled her
sunglasses off, and he was looking into those emerald green eyes he remembered
so well. He stood motionless, stunned. He couldn’t believe what he was seeing.
After all these years, here she was, standing there, looking stunning. “Angel?”
he whispered.

“Cole.” She smiled.

“You look gorgeous,” he breathed.

They stared at each other.

“How have you been?” she asked.

“Okay.” He couldn’t take his eyes off her. He
couldn’t think what to say. All the old feelings came rushing back. Including
how it had torn him up when she’d left. After all her talk of him not knowing
what she needed. When the fact was, she’d run. All the way back to Daddy. He’d
put money on it.

“It’s been a long time, I know.” She looked down.

“Three years. But who’s counting.”

Her head snapped up. He had a smile on his face, but
it didn’t’ reach his eyes. His eyes seemed cold.

Angel looked over his shoulder. The girl he’d had
his arm around was walking up.

“Cole, who’s this?” the girl asked.

Angel noticed she was a pretty thing with long dark
hair that hung to her waist.