Bear by Lily J. Adams

 

Chapter Thirteen:  Can We?

 

Bear

 

Rocky was cunning and probably had the holdup planned for weeks.

Delphia failed to call me straight away after the robbery.

This near death experience for her launched me right into a time capsule back to the past. Terror swept through me. I couldn’t let this happen again. I was supposed to be her protector, but Rocky got to her before I did. Flashbacks of Murphy’s body being covered in a white sheet and pushed into an ambulance blazed through my mind.

Delphia and I were out on the highway. I decided to take her out of Holbeck where she could breathe for a minute and I could get a grip on my own demons. I assumed for her, Holbeck was becoming a dangerous place.

We were halfway through another little town named Haver, an in-between, nothing place. It had a diner and a few other convenience stores spotted throughout. I liked the spot because to me, it represented a clean slate. Small dust clouds swirled over the golden fields as we rode through. My Harley purred, pulling into a gravel parking lot as I let my engine die.

Delphia looked paler than ever, with dark ominous circles around the bottom of her eyes that I wanted to kill Rocky for. I’d been there, with the gut-wrenching pain and the sleepless nights. I knew more than anyone.

Pain and hopelessness radiated from her eyes as I took my helmet off and walked with her to the inside of the diner.

An older man with a gimpy leg greeted us. “Hello,” he said gruffly. “Are you dining in today or do you want this to go? I just need to know what menu to give y’all.”

“No, we’re going to dine in,” I replied.

Silent, Delphia remained aloof to the man’s greeting.

“Okay, find a seat and I’ll be right over with the menus.” His coarse eyebrow lifted as he eyed Delphia. “Where are y’all coming from? Not many bikers ride through Haver. I see you got your patches. I’m retired from my old club.” A small hint of a smile grew on his face as he said it.

“We’re coming through from Holbeck. Do you know it?” I put my hand on Delphia’s back for her comfort.

“Yes, I know it. It’s not bad there, got the casino and all. Shame about all the Bible bashers ruining it.”

I nodded not wanting to engage any further. My focus was on Delphia and learning about the robbery. I led her to a booth up front. Her eyes were glazed over, and I wanted to get through to her before she gave up completely. We glided into our booth and I sat across from her.

The old man brought the menus to us and smiled then left the table.

“Delphia, how you feeling? I’m sorry I wasn’t there.” A build-up of rage tornadoed through me at my misstep. “I made a promise to protect you and I failed. I’m sorry.” I swallowed down the regret at my wrong move. At the time of the robbery, I was in my living room poring over the last parts of the ride. It was hard to reconcile inside myself that I was in my house without a care in the world while Delphia was being held up by Rocky. It reminded me of my personal Groundhog Day with Murphy, reliving my mistakes over and over again.

“There’s nothing you can do. He’s going to come for me and I’m going to end up like my brother.I don’t know how he keeps doing it. And Bear, I am not your responsibility. You can’t check on me all the time.”

She possessed a forlorn look in her eyes that scared me. “Delphia, look at me.” My military mindset was coming back, and I would need to employ it if I was going to keep Delphia from harm. I would have to eliminate Rocky before he could do any more harm. My initial approach was to shield her, but I was starting to re-think a lot of things—one being the fact I might have to hunt Rocky.

Her eyes found their way back to mine.

I held her gaze, stroking the top of her hand. “Don’t give up on me. I’m happy to forgo the reunion if I need to. You’re more important.”

My message was having a hard time cutting through. Delphia’s eyes were like the vacancy sign at the highway motel. “You’re not my bodyguard, and you can’t protect me 24/7. I’ve got a few days off work. I don’t know what I’m going to do.” She sighed.

“I do. You are staying with me. Can I see your phone?”

Delphia stared at me. “What?’

“Give me your phone,” I repeated.

She shrugged and held it out to me.

Taking it, I scrolled through her contacts and then found the number I need. I tapped it.

It rang twice then a voice replied, “Hello?”

“Hello, you don’t know me personally. But I am calling to let you know that Delphia will not be into work.”

Silence on the other end then, “Ok, and who are you?”

I stilled for a long moment. That was the question wasn’t it. Who am I to Delphia? “I’m the one who is going to make sure this man who robbed her, won’t be coming near her again.”

Again, silence then, “I get it. Tell her I will fill in for her.”

“Thank you.” I swiped her phone closed then looked up at her.

Her mouth had popped open.

I chuckled and tipped it closed with my finger.

“Y-you just…” she stumbled over her words.

I nodded. “Yes, I did. You were wrong when you said I could not be your bodyguard 24/7. I am going to be just that.”

Her eyes were round in her face.

“So when does Angie’s article come out?” I asked to get past any argument she might come back at me with.

“In a couple of days. She’s working on it, or whatever.” Delphia’s cute lips were moving in slow motion as if she was on autopilot. “I don’t want anything to eat. I can’t,” she proclaimed strongly.

“You gotta eat. Don’t let Rocky win. Can you believe in me again? I won’t let you down. If a retired guy from the army can’t protect you, who can?” Attempting to win her over was like pulling teeth. The glaze had hardened over her eyes and I figured she might be too far gone to get back with words. I would have to show her with actions that I had her back.

 

 

It was two days out from my army boys riding through, and vital decisions about Delphia’s protection had been made. I wanted to pick Angie’s brain to see where she was at with the article. Delphia was understandably vague and leaving blank holes in what I wanted to know.

Delphia was here at Wheelz with me, but she was upstairs talking to Mia.

Maybe outta sight but not out of mind, for me.

Angie rolled into Wheelz with her golden curls bouncing and a determined look on her stoic face.

I felt a sense of ease that she was writing the article because I knew she was going to protect Delphia with it. “Hey, Angie.” I rolled a hand over my dark crop, sighing as I stood in the doorway with a coffee ready for her. It was right after ten, and I figured the offering would be welcome.

“Thanks. That bad?”

“Yep. I think it is.” If the dryness in my tone was any indication, she should know.

“I gotta get this article right. It’s everything. This reminds me of the article I wrote that almost got me killed in Pakistan, but I got it through and it hit the mark. Rocky’s outta here. Thank god for Mia. It’s going to be stockpiled with the rest of the fucking mess Rocky created. We have him on the ropes.”

“Do we? He’s pretty bold for a man on the ropes.” I doubted he was sane enough to be worried.

“Even better. He’s beyond the realm of cocky. That’s how we finish him. When this article comes out, he’s going to either come full throttle at Delphia and try to get to her, which is where you step in, or he’s going to go into deeper hiding. My money is on his ruthlessness. It’s going to draw him out, and he’s going to take a run at Delphia. That’s when we are going to throw the hand of the law on him.”

Angie’s unshakeable belief shifted some, but not all, of my doubts. Together, we could defeat Rocky and the Road Warriors. Maybe. “I hear you, but remember, we have the Rebel Saints. Rocky has the Road Warriors. He has the ability to unleash power from his end too. We don’t mix with the cartel, but the Road Warriors do.”

Angie clicked her boots and teeth together as she cast a challenging look over the top of her coffee. “Why are you shaky all of a sudden? You have a military background. You’re built for war. Why the doubt?”

“I wasn’t there, Angie. I missed it. I made a promise and failed.”

“You didn’t fail. She didn’t tell you. There’s a difference. You fall off the horse—what’s that sayin’? You get right back on. Something like that. Anyway, Rocky is a murderer, straight up, and we can’t let him terrorize anymore people. You can back down if you want to, but I’m running at him. If Delphia wants to set up protective custody, it’s an option.”

“Protective custody?” I scoffed at her. “I am the protective custody. I was supposed to be the one taking care of her. That’s my job. I got the army boys coming through for the reunion, so I gotta figure this shit out and quick.”

“Army boys, eh? I like that. Any good-looking standouts in the pack? I could use a tune up.” Angie licked her lips.

I scoffed, thinking her and Key might be a good match. You never knew what was going to fly out of Angie’s mouth. “You can find out for yourself when they get here in a couple of days. I think off the top of one of them that might be, but I wouldn’t if I were you…”

Angie’s eyes grew wide at the challenge. “Tell me more. Why not?”

“Because he is as big a player, if not more than you. So you won’t win. Listen, I have to check in with Delphia.”

Angie turned serious for a moment. “Is she at her house?”

“No, she’s upstairs. Why?” Angie wasn’t slow, and me and Delphia hadn’t had the time or space to talk about what we were. She was busy trying to stay alive, and I was busy trying to keep her safe.

“No reason. I figured she would be with you.” Her eyes covered the length of my body quickly as she gave me a quick smile.

She knows we’re more to each other. She can tell.

I smiled back. “Great. Send me the article when you finish it. I’m out.” I gave her a quick hug as I felt her eyes on me as I marched purposefully up the stairs.

Leaving Delphia alone for too long now would be a bad idea.

When I got up to the room we used as Church, she was on the phone.

Mia gave me a wave and headed down the stairs with her briefcase. Most likely, she had a court date as usual.

So I made myself quiet and sat down.

“I know, Mom. I know I can,” Delphia spoke into her cell as she gave me a nervous half smile. “I’m fine here. Yes. It’s okay, I’m going back to work.”

My head tipped up and I locked eyes with her as I slowly shook my head as in fuck no, you aren’t going back to work.

Delphia shook her head at me and went on, “I am. I can’t be scared. Mom, I have to go. I have a friend here. You can come by and see me if you want to. Bye. Bye, Mom.” Delphia put the phone down as her cheeks flushed rose.

“Parents worried?” I picked up her fingers, bringing them into mine.

“Yeah. They are.” Delphia looked down at the floor and stretched her leg back and forward along it.

“I don’t blame them for being scared for you. Let them come by my place. The more people looking out for you and the more people who know the better,” I suggested.

“I know that logically, but it’s just not hitting my brain right.”

“It wouldn’t be hitting mine right either. How do you feel about the article coming out?”

“I feel—” Delphia faced her head to the sky as she tried to hide the tears from me. They trickled down her face anyway. “I feel like I might not ever be free. I want to be, but it’s so hard. I can’t even grieve my brother because of all this stuff. I don’t know.”

The rough pads of my fingers rolled over the smoothness of her skin as I reached to wipe away the tears. I let her get it out of her system. I wanted to tell her about Murphy, but it would just feel like some pity party, and that’s the last thing I wanted.

After a few minutes, she stopped crying, and I took her hand in mine. “Feels like anything you and I have together is falling to the back burner with all this mess. I want to be with you, but I feel like it's the wrong timing.” My eyes gravitated to the window across the room, avoiding her gaze.

“Feels like it is.” Delphia let out a sigh. “Maybe when all of it’s over it might be okay.”

Her apprehensive response reignited the hesitation I felt about us getting together.

Rocky was causing problems in more than one way.