The Dragon’s Barista

Havoc Predator’s MC Book 2

Author-Ann Edwards

Copyright 2021 Ann Edwards

All Rights Reserved

Characters and events portrayed are fictitious. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead is coincidental and not intended by the author.  Places and incidents are either a product of the author’s imagination or public domain.

No part of this book may be distributed, reproduced or stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronical, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the express written permission of the publisher.

Digital ISBN Number – 978-1-005888-38-1

Print ISBN Number – 979-8-75836-924-1

Cover Design by James, GoOnWrite.com

Dedication

This book is dedicated to all of those who have dreams.  You are the only one stopping them from happening.  Take the first step. You never know what can happen.

Chapter 1

Jasper

Six Weeks Ago

The entire Havoc Predators Motorcycle Club is here paying our respects to a woman we all considered a mother figure.  Most would probably say grandmother.  Marie DuBois was one of the sweetest women to walk this Earth.  She was the sole owner of the local coffee shop in Venus, C8H10N4O2.  It is a strange name that gets a lot of funny looks.  Once they know it’s the chemical compound for caffeine, they love it.  Her husband used to run it with her before he passed away about ten years ago.  She served coffee, tea, and a small variety of pastries she made fresh every day. To say that she will be missed is a gross understatement.

Most of the town came out to pay their respects.  The whole town thought highly of Marie.  The only thing no one knows is who is going to inherit the place.  The MC has taken over until her will can be read.  There is rumor of a distant relative but nothing has been confirmed.   There are only townies here so either no relative exists or they don’t care enough to show up for her funeral.

“Jasper we are heading to the clubhouse for our own wake.  We have all had enough of the townspeople.”  I pull out of my musings and look at Dax.  Dax is our tech guy at Havoc Security.  I glance around trying to see if I notice any strange faces or any trouble.  Trouble referring to the Full Moon Travelers MC.  A few months ago, we started having more than the usual problems with them.  It’s been quiet for years so we have been trying to figure out what triggered this newest unrest.

I realize that Dax has apparently been waiting for me to respond.  “Sorry, my dragon has been close to the surface.  This bullshit with the Travelers has me stumped.  I can’t figure out what they want, outside of the obvious.  I also have that upcoming meeting in Colorado Springs.”  Dax nods his head slowly.  “Maybe your mate is coming?  It’s an explanation about your dragon.”  He gives a quick shrug of his shoulders and walks away.  I yell to his retreating form “Thank you Dax.”  He gives a quick raise of his hand and keeps walking.

I start to turn towards my own bike when I hear my name being called.  “Jasper, can I have a word with you please?”  I turn around and look in to the face of the sniveling weasel Raymond Hobbs, Esquire.  He is the town's only lawyer and a shitty one at that.  “What can I do for you Mr. Hobbs?”

“Please, I have asked you several times, call me Ray.”

“Mr. Hobbs, we are both busy men, how can I help you?”

“I need a few witnesses to the reading of Marie’s will.”

“Jesus Christ, the fucking funeral isn’t even over yet and you are worried about the reading of the damn will?  What the fuck is the rush?”

“Well, you said yourself, we are both busy men.  I need to get this taken care of.  I just wanted to mention it to save us each time trying to connect.  Playing phone tag sucks, just expediting the process.”

Something about this seems off, I don’t understand his rush.  “Well, I have an out-of-town business trip and will be gone for a couple weeks.  The reading of the will is going to have to wait.”  As his face turns an alarming shade of red, I walk away.  I need a fucking drink.

Chapter 2

Avery

Four Weeks Ago

I received a certified letter in the mail from an out of state attorney’s office.  When I opened it, I noticed the date was three weeks ago.  I am not sure what happened that it took so long to get delivered.  I sit on my couch to read it.  I can’t think of anyone I would have legal issues with.  The only bills I have is rent, utilities and student loans.  I open the letter and am glad I am already sitting down. 

Apparently, I had an aunt I didn’t know about and she passed away almost a month ago.  She has left me everything.  I know my father was estranged from his family.  I guess they remembered me.  The last time I saw any of them, I was very young. It says she has a coffee shop in a little town called Venus, in Oklahoma.

I have some decisions to make.  I had been looking for a job in my field, but have been unsuccessful.  I majored in history with a minor in teaching.  I have applied to several museums and a few schools and no one is willing to hire me.  I have too little experience and too much education.  Maybe changing my address will be what is needed.  There is a list of all her assets included with the will.  Being I am sole heir, I can move in to the apartment, above the coffee shop.  It is already furnished, so I will only need to pack my clothes and whatever other keepsakes I want to hang on to.  I should be able to fit them all in my SUV.  Now I just have to start clearing everything out and give my landlord notice.

I find myself getting excited about this.  I think this move is going to be just what I needed.  I just hope someone can explain what the name of the shop means.

Chapter 3

Jasper

Current Day

I am sitting in my room, in the clubhouse, at the Havoc Predators MC, Colorado Springs, CO chapter.  We have five different chapters in the general area.  There is Baton Rouge, Albuquerque, Dallas, Colorado Springs and ours in Venus.   Venus is the mother Chapter.  About two months ago, we reached out to the Dallas chapter for help rescuing Phoebe, Liam’s mate.  I can’t imagine what he was feeling while she was gone. 

Each chapter operates their own businesses.  We all have a like mindset on daily operations.  We try to handle things on our own without getting the authorities involved.

I can hear music coming from the common room.  Their clubhouse is set up a bit different from ours.  It used to be an old nursing home.  There are parts that are two stories but most is only one.  They converted the old dining room into their common room. 

My dragon is more agitated than it is has been, I just wish I knew why.  I don’t feel like partying tonight but as a guest and President, it would be rude not to put in an appearance.  I change into a clean pair of jeans and a fresh t-shirt, putting my cut on over top.  One of the MC rules, unless we are in a cage (four wheeled vehicle) or in an unfriendly territory, we always wear it.  Each member has a vest, usually leather, we refer to as a cut.  It is a symbol of pride and belonging.  On the back is a three-part patch, showing the Havoc Predators name on top, the club logo in the middle, and then the chapter name underneath.  On the front left side is our name, whether it be a real name or road name and rank, if they are an officer.  Through the years many of us have also collected tribute patches, memorials of fallen brothers.

I make my way down the hall to the common room.  A nice benefit from this building is each chapter has their own wing of rooms.  They have a cleaning service come in and freshen things up when we are expected.

I walk through the double glass doors of the common room.  I see a jukebox in between several pinball and old school video game machines.   Along the back wall is the bar.  There are doors on each side, both leading in to the kitchen.  When it was a functioning nursing home, one was in only, the other was out only.  Made servers for dinner service avoid running in to each other.  There are round tables around the room, again, remnants of the nursing home.  I know there are more here somewhere.  Anytime we acquire new properties we keep any remaining fixtures or furniture in storage.  You never know when another chapter will need it, or an emergency pops up.

I walk to the bar grabbing a beer off the prospect behind it.  I give him a quick nod of thanks and make my way over to the table of chapter officers.  We always have meetings every three months just to discuss the general state of the chapters.  Usually, Liam comes with me but with everything Phoebe went through they have been joined at the hip.  She is working on getting all our client's cybersecurity up to par.  The last thing we want is a repeat of the Robinson case.  I grab a chair, setting my beer on the table.

“Jasper, where is Liam?  I hadn’t realized he didn’t make the trip with you.”  This was asked by Gator, President of the Baton Rouge Chapter.

“Liam is about permanently attached to his mate.”  This causes some laughs and some shocked faces.  I look to Steel “I apologize for the tardiness, but I wanted to thank you and your boys in helping with Phoebe’s rescue.”

Just as Steel starts to respond, several of the others at the table yell in outrage “RESCUE!”

I take a pull off my beer as I nod my head.

“Hey man, no sweat.  I know you guys would have done the same thing if we needed help.  I am just glad everyone got there in time and she is safe.  I heard bits and pieces of what happened, but not the whole story.” 

I take a deep breath and go in to all the details of Phoebe’s abduction and events leading up to it.

Blank stares are all I get in return.  “Liam is happy with Phoebe.  She is a force to be reckoned with on her own as well.  When she first showed up, she laid one of the prospects out with one punch to the face.  Some of the guys took to calling her Rocky.”  That earns a few laughs from the guys within hearing distance.

“She knocked a prospect on his ass in one punch and there were no repercussions to putting hands on an MC brother?”  This question came from Taco, President of the Albuquerque chapter.  Don’t let his nickname fool you.  He is one mean son of a bitch.  None of us know his story and you don’t ask.  Not even all of us know what kind of paranormals the others are.  I am not one to hide it, with my size I really can’t.

“The prospect is her cousin.  He is the one who gave us her contact information for help.”  A short head nod is the only acceptance I get.  I have been here for almost three weeks.  We have made plans on how to handle the Full Moon Travelers, if it comes to that.  We are not the only ones having issues with a competing MC in our area.  Provisions for those have been discussed as well. 

I am past ready to go home.  I finish my beer adding a necessary comment here and there.  The club girls and hang arounds have all showed up trying to service the brothers.  They all aspire to become an old lady.  Little do some of them realize sharing pussy with all the club brothers is the fastest way to kill that dream.

“Well gentlemen, I have enjoyed our time together, but I want to get on the road early tomorrow.  Enjoy the party, and be safe getting home.”

“Jasper, we are hitting the road around five in the morning, do you want to ride with us for a while?”

“Yeah Steel, that sounds good.  I will see you in the morning.”  He gives a head nod and starts to make his rounds of saying goodbye.  We all do the standard handshake, back slap, then I head to my room.  I make sure I have everything in order.  It’s already ten in the evening, five is going to be an early wakeup call but I will just be glad to get home.

Chapter 4

Avery

Present Day

I got in to town yesterday.  It was late, so I just grabbed a few things from my car and went to sleep in my new apartment.  Thankfully the refrigerator is empty. Cleaning up rotten food and dealing with the smell is not something I wanted to do.  I go through the cabinets and see there are a bunch of canned goods, rice and some other basic things.  I will need to take detailed inventory and go to the store to resupply.

I grab a quick shower and get ready to start my day.  I want to take a look around the coffee shop and town.  I need to get a feel for town and see where everything is located.  I still have all my legal papers in my bag, along with keys to the apartment, coffee shop and a safety deposit box at the bank.

I grab my purse and phone then head down the stairs on my new adventure.  Since no one knows who I am, it will be easy to watch how the coffee shop runs without the addition of people putting on fronts for the new owner.

As soon as I walk in the door the wonderful smell of coffee hits me.  I look around and see a few tables in front of the window where customers can sit and watch the street activity.  There is a little gas fireplace in the corner. The back wall is done in an off-white color with a large coffee cup sitting on top of a pile of coffee beans.  The other three walls are painted in a cream color, darker from the back wall, but only by a couple shades.  Little signs and pictures hang on the walls showing tea, coffee and pastries.  A glass front counter space sits to the right of the cash register.  In the case, I can see several different types of pastries, muffins, scones, and small cakes.  A large menu board hangs from the ceiling behind the register.  Shelves with a few tea pots, mugs and a small variety of items to purchase are behind the counter.  I see a small sign, near the cash register, showing the Wi-Fi address.

This doesn’t look too bad. I should be able to handle this.  I see a burly looking guy sitting in the corner.  He seems like he can sniff out trouble.  I am not sure if he is good to have around or bad.  He has a permanent scowl on his face, wearing jeans, boots, t-shirt and a leather vest.  I notice patches on it, but I can’t read them from here.  I don’t want to stare too much and have him aim that scowl at me.

I make my way to the register, having my phone in hand.  I open my communication app, and type in what I want to order.  From what Harper tells me, when it “talks” it is just a monotone robotic voice.  Harper was my roommate in college and is my best friend.  She is one thing I will definitely miss about Rhode Island.  The cashier looks at me a little funny, but just nods her head then points to the register display showing the total for my order.  I hand her my money, and she indicates an empty table in the window. I nod in understanding and make my way there.

I sit down and start looking around.  I see the guy in the corner looking at me.  I try and ignore him.  Lots of people are walking around outside.  Some seem to be on their way to an appointment or work, greeting each other as they pass.  I guess this is one of those typical small towns where everyone knows everyone, and their business, good or bad.

I feel the table jiggle and look up.  The girl from the register is already walking away.  The muffin is large and looks delicious.  I might have to see about adding a croissant to the menu.  I have weakness for chocolate filled pastry.

Several motorcycles are going up and down the street.   All of those guys have vests on too.  I don’t know if there is a difference or not, from one to the other.  The statue in the corner hasn’t moved, so they must not be an issue.  I finish my coffee and muffin.  I look around as I am not sure what to do with my dishes.  I catch the eye of the girl behind the counter. She’s not the one who waited on me.  I get my app open and type what I want to say, I just wait to hit enter.  I get to the counter, dishes in hand, hit enter and wait for my phone to stop vibrating.  She puts her hands out and takes the dishes from me.  I thank her and she responds with a quick head nod.  At that I walk out the door, to explore my new home.

Chapter 5

Jasper

I have been on the road for almost twelve hours.  The closer I get to home the more my skin is itching.  Something is coming and it is going to be big.  I haven’t been sleeping well and just want to be in my own home.  I need to make, what should be, one last stop for gas.  I smell rain in the air and the sky is darker than it normally is this time of day.  I see flashes of light in the very far distance, great lightening.  Riding in the rain sucks.  It feels like you are getting hit with rocks or poked with needles all over your body at the same time.  I am only a couple of hours out.  Hopefully I can beat this storm.

As I reach the outskirts of town the tornado sirens start going off, wonderful.  This is just what I wanted to do.  I drove like hell so I could get home and I get this instead.  I see the town is deserted. The wind is really picking up.  As I drive near the coffee shop, I see a small hourglass figure walking down the street looking around.  Why isn’t she underground?

I drive over to where she is and she stops dead in her tracks and stares at me.

MINE

Can she really be my mate?  I yell as best as I can above the wind, but she just stares at me.  We can’t stay out here in the open like this.  I finally say fuck it.  Throwing the kickstand down, I walk over to her, eyes wide as she takes in my size.  We can discuss that later.  I am a dragon, size matters.

I grab her hand and drag her to my bike.  She is trying to walk in the other direction.  I finally decide to take control of this situation, it’s a safety issue.  I plop her on the back of my bike, get on and take off.  I hope I can make it to the compound before we get caught in the thick of this. 

It usually takes thirty minutes to get to the compound from downtown Venus, such as it is.  Venus is a small town, so blink and you miss it.  I make it to the compound in half the time.  I can feel her shaking behind me.  I don’t normally drive like that but, it was either that or get caught in the open, in a possible tornado.  I pull in the compound garage hoping it’s enough to keep my bike safe.  I grab her arm and drag her into the clubhouse with me.  I make for the door to the basement and she tries to stop me.  I pause at the door and turn to look at her.  She starts waving her hands and gesturing wildly.  I don’t understand.  I tell her we need to hurry and get downstairs.  She puts her hands on her hips with the cutest angry expression on her face.

“I’m deaf you asshole.”  Yeah, this is going to be fun, what a great way to start.

Chapter 6

Avery

Being new to any city is challenging enough.  Add in being deaf makes it more difficult.  I knew the weather took a turn.  I got turned around and confused as to where I was, despite it being a small town.  When I saw the businesses closing up and people disappearing, I should have tried to ask some questions.  I am only so good at reading lips. When people talk too fast, mumble or look away from my direct line of sight it is useless.

Of course, I JUST got back to the coffee shop when that barbarian showed up dragging me off like some caveman.  He didn’t give me a minute's chance to try and communicate.  Plopping me on the back of that death machine.  Other than the way he was driving, it was nice being curled around him. He was warm and smelled like woodsmoke. 

He brought me to some barn and is staring at me like I am the moron.  I just yelled at him, informing him of my hearing issues. I refuse to consider it a disability.  I can function just as well as everyone else. I don’t normally like to talk.  Being born deaf I am not sure I am enunciating the words correctly.  I also can’t determine how loud I am talking.

He was in a big hurry to get here and now we are just staring at each other.  The door we are in front of opens scaring me slightly.  I am not sure who this guy is or where we are.  I look to the door and realize the large body filling the doorway belongs to the male statue from the coffee shop earlier today.  He looks between me and caveman.  They are talking, but per usual, I am left out of the conversation.

I have had enough of this shit.  I pull my phone out of my pocket and begin to type.  I am not even paying attention to the males standing in front of me.

“Do any of you barbarians want to tell me where the fuck I am and why I was brought here against my will?”  I know the robotic voice will lose some of its effectiveness but I can at least tell them off.  Statue guy looks between the two of us with his eyebrows in his hairline.  Both of these men tower above me. Not that it is difficult to do at five foot three inches.

They both continue to look between me and each other, not quite knowing what to do with me.  “For fuck’s sake, who is in charge around here? Take me to your leader!”  At this the statue actually moves, he doubles over in half, laughing.  This gets a scowl at both of us from the barbarian.

Suddenly another monster sized man is behind the statue.  I can tell they are all talking, but again, no one wants to include me.  Fuck this, I see a bar along the wall, walking over I make myself a drink.  I am not sure what is going on but I have a feeling alcohol is going to be necessary. 

Once I have my drink I walk back around the other side and take a seat.  I see more men entering the room from my peripheral vision. I can also smell cigarettes, gasoline and what might be sex?  I am sipping on my drink ignoring the looks I am getting when a redheaded woman sits next to me.  She taps me on the arm to get my attention.  I guess they all had another conversation.

She pulls her phone out and starts to write a text.  “Hi, my name is Phoebe.  What is your name?”

I pull my app up to respond.  “My name is Avery.  It is nice to meet you.  I am glad there is another woman around.”

She laughs at my response. “What are you using to communicate?”

“It’s an app called Talk for Me.  I type in what I want to say and it says it.  It vibrates as it relays the message so I know when it is done “speaking”.”

Phoebe:  That’s really cool.  If you are going to be sticking around it might be worth us learning to sign.

Sticking around, I have no idea what she is talking about with that one.  She is the only one who has actually introduced herself.  Some are giving me leering looks that I am not very comfortable with. Even the barbarian has yet to come back and give me a name.

Avery:  I am not sure what gave you the impression I was hanging around.  I was on the sidewalk in front of C8H10N402 when the barbarian scooped me up and brought me here.

Phoebe: Barbarian?

She looks around the room. I am not sure who or what she is looking for.  There is some guy behind the bar.  He walks over to me gesturing to my drink.  I didn’t realize I drank it all.  I push the glass to him.  He looks at me funny.  I guess he is waiting for me to tell him what it was, since I made my own the first time.  Just as I am about to get my phone out, he grabs the glass and rushes to refill it.  I honestly don’t know what is going on but they are confusing the fuck out of me.  I am staring at his back when I feel heat behind me.  I slowly turn around and see the barbarian standing there.

I look to Phoebe since she is the only person here, I am remotely familiar with.  She is grinning, looking between the two of us.  I see the second monster sized man with his arm around her shoulders.  Ok, so they are a couple.  She gives a small head nod to my phone.  I pick it up and start to type.

Avery: My name is Avery.  I am guessing that Phoebe might have already clued you in on that.

Barbarian: Hello Avery.  My name is Jasper.  I am the President of the Havoc Predators Motorcycle Club.

Avery: Thank you for giving me your name, I can stop referring to you as Barbarian.

That makes his eyes go wide.  He has the most stunning eye color. They are such a pale blue they almost look grey.  His hair is dark brown and a bit overgrown.  I know, from riding behind him, he is solid muscle.  I must have been lost in thought as he is waving his hand in front of my face.

Jasper:  Why were you calling me barbarian?

Avery: Let’s see, you start by trying to drag me off.  When that didn’t work you just picked me up and manhandled me on to your death machine.  Then once we stopped, you pulled me off and brought me here.

Phoebe and her appendage are gripping their midsections, in what I assume is to try and hold in laughter.

Avery:  Are you going to tell me who some of these other people are?  It’s a little rude to keep referring to someone as Phoebe’s appendage and Statueman.

That stops some of the laughter and seems to have created more.  I see a tall blonde standing next to statueman, who does not look happy.

Avery: Statueman was in the coffee shop this morning.

Avery: Names people, give them!!

Phoebe: My appendage is Liam.  He is the MC Enforcer.

Phoebe: Statueman, who you said was in the coffee shop this morning is Mordecai.  He is the Sargent at Arms for the MC.

Avery:  Who is the blonde with Mordecai?

At my question I feel the ground rumble, similar to what I assume is an earthquake.  I quickly grab on to the bar and look around.  I see a lot of surprise showing on the faces around me.  Everyone seems to be focused on Jasper.  I turn to look at him and he looks ready to kill someone.

Avery: Am I safe here?

At my question Jasper storms off.  I am not sure where he is going, I can feel the loss of his heat.  I look to Phoebe and Liam.  I am not sure what I said.  I see Phoebe whisper something to Liam and he walks off in the direction Jasper went.  I turn back around and see a full drink in front of me.  I down the whole thing at one time. As soon as I put my glass down the guy behind the bar grabs it to make another one.

Chapter 7

Jasper

Safe? She wonders if she is safe?  Of course, she is fucking safe, I am her God Damn mate.  I can’t even believe she would ask that. I am pacing my office. I have no idea what to do with this situation.  I need to be able to communicate with her and this texting back and forth bullshit is already getting on my nerves.

As I walk back to my desk, I throw myself in to my chair and run my hands through my hair.  I am a mess.  I really need to get a haircut.  I also need a shower, decent meal, clean clothes and bed.  My first priority is Avery.  What a beautiful name for a beautiful woman.  My woman.  I can tell my life will never be dull.  Not to mention being the old lady to an MC President takes a lot of backbone.

I start to pick the bottle of Jack off my desk when Liam comes in.  He walks over and rips the bottle out of my hand.  “Do you really think you need to start that right now?  Avery is scared out of her mind.  Instead of finding your balls and explaining things to her you run.  What the fuck Jasper?  This isn’t you.”

I take a deep breath he’s right.  “I panicked.”

“No shit. That's a bit of an understatement don’t you think?”

I nod my head.  “I have no idea if she knows about paranormals. When she asked about Dax my dragon lost his shit.  It took everything I had to keep him from taking over.  There isn’t room in here for him, and it would have really scared the shit out of Avery.”

“It was probably just a matter of curiosity.  She doesn’t know anyone. She recognized Mordecai from the coffee shop, yet you had no issue with him.  What gives?”

“I am not really sure. For some reason he didn’t see Mordecai as a threat.  Dax, on the other hand, was.”

“Well, you better get your shit together and start talking to her.”

I take a deep breath. “You’re right. Can you please have Phoebe look in to getting someone to come out and teach sign language?  Have her run a full background check.  I also want at least all of the officers, if not every member in on this.  I will not have Avery relying on that stupid app all the time. She should not have to live that way.”

“You got it.  By the way, how was the meeting?”

With everything that has happened in the last hour or two I completely forgot about that.  “Dax needs to go to Albuquerque. They need to update some security, and I wasn’t sending Phoebe. I will meet with him tomorrow.”

I stand from my desk, eyeing up the bottle of Jack.  Liam is right, I need my head on straight when I talk to Avery.

Liam and I walk back to the bar.  Avery and Phoebe are still sitting at the bar texting back and forth.  I am glad to see they are getting along.

Liam heads straight to Phoebe wrapping his arms around her.  I can’t wait to be able to do that with Avery.  I see Avery turn back to look at me.  Just as she does a practically naked Paisley approaches me, putting her hands on my chest.  I see the disappointment marring Avery’s face.  I gently remove Paisley’s hands from my body.

“Listen up!”  I wait until all eyes have turned to me.  I notice that Phoebe has gotten Avery’s attention.  Avery is now facing towards the rest of the room.  I know that it might be a little unfair to take advantage of her deafness right now, but I need to make this clear to everyone.

“Avery is my mate.  We have just met and have a lot to discuss.  If I find out that anyone has disrespected her you WILL face me.  That includes putting your hands on me.  I had previously warned Chloe.  You hang arounds do NOT put hands on an MC member without asking.  If it continues you will be banned from the property and all club owned businesses.  I will not mention this again.” I give a brief nod that my speech is over and everyone goes back to their drinks.  I take a step towards Avery and notice all the color has drained from her face.

I walk over and gently cup her face in my hands.  It feels so good to be able to touch her.  I want to pull her into my arms and never let go, but I know we need to talk first. She puts her hands around my wrists and leans in to the palm of my hand. When she lets go, I am sad at the loss of contact.  She picks up her phone again.

Avery: What is a mate?

Jasper: You can read lips?

Avery:  It depends on the situation. If the person talks slowly and clearly, yes.

Avery: You didn’t answer my question.

I can feel Phoebe and Liam watching us.  Everyone else is doing their own thing, not paying us any attention.

Jasper: Do you know anything about paranormals?

I don’t know what it means when she gasps at my question.  I look into her face and see her eyes wide and wild.  She is looking at each brother.  I can see her mind going a mile a minute.

Avery: You are referring to vampires and stuff, right?

Everyone defaults to the fucking vampires.  If she asks Mason if he sparkles it will be funny just to see him get pissed.

Jasper:  There are more than just vampires, but yes.

Avery:  I have read about some.  I know that paranormals came out to the public a few years ago.

I am standing in front of her not sure where to go with this explanation next.

Avery: Wait, you are a paranormal?

Avery: Is everyone here a paranormal?

Her breathing is becoming more rapid.  My dragon is already at the surface this will not help.  I need to do something to try and calm her down. He really will destroy the place if I lose control of him.  Suddenly she reaches out and grabs my hand.  I hold on to it like my life depends on it.  She starts to tug her hand back and I refuse to let go.  When she pulls harder, I relent and let her go. She immediately picks up her phone.  I am an idiot.  She needs her hands to communicate, talk about a palm to the face.

Jasper: Yes, everyone here is a paranormal. I am a dragon shifter.

Avery: Is that why you are so warm and smell like wood smoke?

The fact that she seems to like that makes both, my dragon and myself, happy. He is strutting. 

Avery: What about Phoebe? 

Avery:  Is she mates with Liam?  They are pretty much a matched set.

This causes Phoebe to giggle.  Phoebe taps Avery on the shoulder and nods, pointing back and forth between her and Liam. Phoebe then begins to point between the two of us.  Avery sits there for several minutes not responding to any of that.

Avery: What do we do now?  How do I run the coffee shop from all the way out here?

Wait, run the coffee shop?  That has all of our attention.  I am still stuck in my head when Phoebe starts to ask questions.  It might actually put her more at ease with Phoebe asking, being female.

Phoebe: What do you mean run the coffee shop?

Avery: I inherited it.  I didn’t even know I had any family still alive.  I would have sought my aunt out a long time ago.

Phoebe: I don’t mean to sound harsh, but why weren’t you here for the funeral?

Avery: I didn’t get the notice, from the lawyer, until almost two weeks after she passed.

Avery:  Several weeks ago, I received a certified envelope in the mail.  In it was a letter detailing the will.  I am her sole heir.  I got the building, including apartment upstairs, the business and a safety deposit box.

I wonder if Raymond Hobbs did that deliberately. Why would he have held off notifying Marie’s niece of her death.  He kept trying to call me when I was in Colorado Springs.  I will need to call him back and arrange a meeting, before he learns about Avery’s presence.

Just having Avery near me has settled my dragon down. My skin no longer itches either.  Dax was right.  His head is swelled enough without me telling him that. Avery is leaning against me.  It just happened so naturally.  I gently wrap my arms around her waist.  I don’t want to startle her.  She startles me though when she jumps.

Avery: That ground rumbling earlier, was that you?

So, that must have been what scared her.  I feel heat rising in my cheeks.

Jasper: Yes, my dragon got jealous when you asked about Dax.

Avery: Dax, is that the pretty boy blonde?

This causes all of us to start laughing.  Liam and I are pretty much bent in half and as I wipe tears from my eyes, I realize everyone is staring at us.  Avery turns a bright shade of red and quickly turns, burying her face in my chest.  I wrap my arms around her to hide her embarrassment. My stomach takes that moment to protest being ignored for so long. I guess Avery felt it.

Avery: Are you growling again?

Her innocent question has Liam doubled over again.  A lot of the guys gave him shit in regards to how he takes care of Phoebe.  Now that Avery is here, I understand.

Jasper: No honey, I am hungry.  Do you want to eat?

Phoebe taps her on the shoulder. She is nodding rapidly.

Phoebe: They have a kitchen open 24/7.  The prospects will make whatever you want.  If you have any food allergies or want something special let them know. They will make a run to get it.

Avery seems to think this over.

Phoebe:  The fried basket is my favorite.  If I am working on a long project, it’s my go to.  I can still work on the computer and eat something.

Avery has a puzzled look on her face.

Avery: I have several questions to that statement. First, yes, I am hungry.  I want a fried basket please, ranch dressing, on the side.

“Prospect!”

“Yes Prez.”

“I need a fried basket, with ranch dressing for Avery.  I want a Reuben sandwich with fries.” He walks back in to the kitchen to start our food.  I turn back to the conversation and see Avery staring at me.  I look up and see both Liam and Phoebe trying not to grin.  I am not sure what I missed.

Avery: Do you have to yell?

Jasper: How do you know I yelled?

Avery: I can feel it, in your chest.  Normal talking is just an easy vibration.  When you yell it is a sharp jolt.

Jasper: I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to startle or hurt you.

Avery: You didn’t really.

Avery: Back to my questions. What is a prospect?

Phoebe: It is someone who wants to become a member of the MC.  It is almost like hazing for a Fraternity.  The prospect doesn’t get a full three-part patch until he has paid his dues. He gets all the shit jobs and has to do whatever is asked.  It’s a test to make sure they will do what it takes for the other brothers.  That the pledge has their back.

Well, that was a decent enough explanation, although the fraternity comment is bullshit.

Avery: Ok, you are President, that makes you in charge, right?

Jasper: Yes

Avery: I guess when I asked to be taken to their leader I was already there.

We all chuckle at this.  She looks a little sheepish. She turns around to her drink just as the prospect comes out of the kitchen with a large platter for Avery and a large plate for me. He sets it on the bar, then sets a fresh beer in front of me.  He also gets Avery’s glass and makes her a fresh drink.

Jasper: I need to talk to Mordecai and Liam. Will you be alright for a little while?

She looks over at Phoebe, who gives her a brief head nod.

Avery: Yes, I will be ok. Phoebe will keep me company.

I give her a quick kiss on the forehead and turn away from the bar.  I give a side nod to Liam and Mordecai.  We are walking to my office when I decide Dax needs to get in this meeting as well.  Mason is out of town at the moment. “Dax, office, now.”

Once Dax is finally in my office “Shut the door.”  Liam and Mordecai look at each other.

“At Marie DuBois’ funeral Raymond Hobbs approached me about setting up a meeting as witness to the reading of her will.”  I have their attention now.  “The whole time I was in Colorado Springs he kept blowing up my phone.  I had told him I would be away for a while. I am not sure what his hurry was, but I want to keep Avery’s presence in town quiet, for now.

“Mordecai you and Liam coordinate, I want a brother onsite, at C8H10N4O2 twenty-four seven.  I don’t care if they get locked in.  Something is not right with this scenario. I just can’t place my finger on it.” They both nod in agreement. “Dax, what kind of security is set up there?  I am talking cameras and a hard-wired system.”

Dax takes a minute to think it over.  “I honestly don’t think there is any security system there.”

I look at Mordecai. “I want a brother there ten minutes ago.”

“Dax, I want cameras and a hard-wired alarm installed first thing tomorrow.” I pin him with a look that makes the urgency clear. He gives a quick nod.  “Also, Dax, you will be taking a trip to Albuquerque.  Taco needs some security set up in quite a few buildings.  You will be gone for a while.  Once the cameras are in place you will need to set up the monitoring equipment and train them on how it works.  They have a prospect who is pretty good with tech.  He is primary on running it, but since he isn’t a full patched member, you need to show an officer as well.  Anyone else is up to Taco.”

Dax doesn’t look happy but wisely keeps his mouth shut.  He knows it’s important.

“Ok, I can’t think of anything else at the moment.  I am going to get Avery and then head to my house.  Keep me updated if anything happens.”  I stand up ready to get my girl and get some sleep. They each stand as well and we make our way back to the bar.

Jasper: Are you ready to go?

Avery: Are you taking me back to the coffee shop?

Jasper: No, you are coming home with me.  My house is just behind the clubhouse.

She takes a few minutes to think on this.  She glances at Phoebe who gives her some reassurance.  I am not sure of her background, but I hope she feels comfortable in my house. Liam is standing behind Phoebe, with his arm around her waist.  After several minutes Avery looks at me with a shy smile on her face and nods her head, standing and grabbing her bag from the floor.

Chapter 8

Avery

I can’t explain how I feel so at ease with Jasper.  He said that we are mates.  In fact, he announced it to everyone at the bar.  Some of the men there gave me a wide berth.  I am not sure if that is because of Jasper or they have a thing against women.  Although the few that were there had very little clothing on.  Calling it clothing is generous.

He is holding my hand and guiding me towards the door.  I look back at Phoebe, and she gives me a nod of encouragement.  Jasper said that they were all shifters.  I wonder if that includes Phoebe.

I realize that during my inner musing we have reached Jasper’s house. It’s a beautiful work of art.  Across the entire front is a porch, with a swing on the left side. The house is made of a stone material, giving it the appearance of an old castle.  Square wood beams, support the roof of the porch.

We walk in to a foyer. An archway to the right leads to a dining room.  The archway directly in front of us leads to a great room.  I can see what appears to be a fire place.  We walk straight in to the great room. A small hallway is to the left, with two doors. The far wall of the great room has French doors that lead to the backyard. I can see another deck out there as well. The kitchen is to the right. Every room is a combination of white, grey and black, with blue-grey as an accent color.  There is a black leather couch with matching love seat and two white leather chairs. A large flat screen television is mounted above the mantel of the fire place. Jasper has been guiding me through the house, with his hand on my lower back.  I have been taking everything in, so I am not sure if he has tried to communicate.

Avery: Your house is beautiful.

Jasper: It’s also your house now.  If there is anything you want to change let me know.

Avery: I still need you to explain about being your mate.

Jasper lets out a deep sigh.  I am not sure if he is frustrated that I don’t understand or if it is because other than my speaking app, he has no other way to communicate with me.

Jasper: Can we possibly table that discussion until morning? I have been on the road since five this morning.

Avery: Yes, that is fine.

Jasper leads me through the kitchen then down a small hallway that has several other open doors in it.  The door on the left leads to the patio and backyard. The door to the right leads to a laundry area.  The door behind us leads to the garage.  Jasper walks to the door at the end and waits for me to catch up to him.  As I clear the doorway, I see we are in the master bedroom.

I look up at him with a bit of panic etched on my face.  He holds his hands up in surrender for a moment, then reaches for his phone.

Jasper: I am not looking to do anything.  I really just want to hold you tonight.  Besides, being in a strange house, if you have a problem, it will take longer being on the other side of the house.

What he is saying makes total sense.  We have a lot to discuss in the morning.

Avery: Ok.  Do you have a t-shirt I can sleep in?

I am in the same clothes as I was when I left this morning. When he grabbed me off the sidewalk there wasn’t time to grab anything.

Jasper: Yes, I can get a prospect to get your stuff from the apartment.

When I go to argue, about getting my own things, he puts his hand up making a stop gesture.

Jasper: There is a legitimate reason for that, I will explain in the morning.  If you will feel better, I can ask Phoebe to go as well.

That causes me to pause and look at him. I am sure there is a story there.  It is my business and apartment, so if he thinks he can keep me from it, mate or not, I won’t stay here.

He turns around and walks to a dresser.  When he turns back around, I notice he has a shirt in his hand.  He gestures to the far side of the room at a door.  I assume through that door is a bathroom.  I take the shirt from him and walk in.  The room is all done in black and white with chrome fixtures.  There is a double sink, large claw foot style tub and a corner standalone shower.

Finding a new toothbrush, in the drawer, I brush my teeth, then change. Walking back in to the bedroom, Jasper is already in bed.  The blankets drape at his waist showing off an impressive chest.  I knew he was muscular just from having my arms around him on the bike.

My head is spinning with all the questions I have for him.  I am not sure if my brain will shutoff long enough to get some sleep.  I come back to the present and look at Jasper.  He has a small smile on his face.  I guess he was waiting for my attention.  He pats the bed beside him.  I slowly work my way to the bed and climb in. 

Jasper slides down in the bed and pulls me tightly to his body.  He is warm and I feel myself starting to relax.  I feel him kiss the top of my head as I drift off to sleep.

Chapter 9

Jasper

I don’t remember sleeping so well in a very long time.  I wake up, reaching across the bed, and realize it’s empty and the sheets are cold.  I begin to panic until I hear sound coming from the kitchen.

I get up and walk down the hall.  I can hear her moving around and humming some unknown tune.  As I reach the door, I can see her standing at the stove wiggling her hips in tune with her humming.  It brings a smile to my face.  She seems comfortable in my home.  I meant what I said about her making any changes she wanted.  This is now her home too.  Just as I turn to go back and get my phone from my room, she looks up and sees me watching her.  Deciding the phone can wait, I walk to the stove and pull her in my arms.

Slowly I lower my lips to hers.  I gently nibble on her lower lip, causing her to gasp.  I take the opportunity to taste her.  She tastes like sugar and coffee.  I slowly run my hands up her sides, cupping her breasts.  They fill my hands perfectly.  I rub her hardened nipples with my thumbs, causing her to moan.

Just as things start to get heated, I can hear my phone ringing, from the other room.  I slowly pull away from Avery, seeing a look of disappointment on her face.  I take a small step back and give her the universal sign for phone, with my thumb and pinky finger held between my ear and mouth.  She gives a quick nod going back to the food cooking on the stove.  I rub my hands over my face and walk back to my room.  This interruption better be important.  I don’t want to pressure Avery, but she wasn’t pushing me away, that has to be a good sign.

I pick my phone up and see several text messages from both Liam and Mordecai.  I have one missed call from Mordecai.  I don’t bother to listen to his voicemail, or look at the text messages, I just hit redial.

“Pres, we got trouble.”  Well, this day was off to a good start.  I sit on the edge of the bed. “What’s going on?”

“I’m at the coffee shop.  Raymond Hobbs is here waving papers around, trying to clear the building and lock the doors.”

“What the fuck does he think he is doing?  Call some of the other brothers in, I will be there ASAP.  I need to get Phoebe here to sit with Avery.”

“I have Liam here along with Nathan and Jules.  Noah is with Phoebe.”

“Ok, I will have Noah come here and watch the girls.  I will also bring Justin and Dylan with me.  Do what you need to do, this is now MC business.”  I hang up and throw on some jeans and a t-shirt.  Just as I am about to call Noah, I get a message from Liam.  He said Phoebe and Noah are on their way over.

Taking a deep breath, I go to the kitchen.  I see Avery sitting on a stool, at the center kitchen island.  She looks up at me with a worried look on her face.  I hear a quick knock on the door.  “Come in Phoebe.”  I look past Avery and see Phoebe and Noah enter the great room.  “I am not sure what that prick is up to, but I need to get to town.  I haven’t explained any of this to Avery yet.”

Phoebe waves her hand at me “Don’t worry about it.  I will explain everything to her.”

Avery is looking between the two of us.  I know she is probably having a difficult time reading lips.  I walk over to her give her a kiss on the forehead and a quick hug.

Jasper:  Something has come up, and I need to go.  I am not sure how long I will be gone.  Phoebe is going to stay here with you.  Noah will be out front.

Avery: You aren’t going to eat? What is happening? Will you be safe?

Jasper: It’s fine.  Phoebe can give you more details, the guys are waiting for me to get there.  I have to go.  Keep the doors locked, if you need anything, let Noah know.  He can get a prospect to run and get it.

She slowly nods her head.  She surprises me when she grabs the front of my shirt to pull my mouth to hers.  Things start to get out of control again when I remember I have to deal with the slimeball lawyer.  Regretfully I pull away from her.  I give her a chaste kiss and turn to walk out the door.  I give a quick head nod to Phoebe and motion for Noah to meet me out front.

“You don’t leave here.  I know you will do as asked.  I don’t expect trouble, but we have had people in our house before.  I don’t know if this is a set up or what is going on, but I am going to find out.  If the girls need anything, send a prospect.”

“You got it Pres.”  I don’t wait for any other response.  I get to the garage and see the other guys are ready to roll out.  As soon as I get to my bike, I fire it up and we head in to town.

Chapter 10

Avery

I walk out of the kitchen and down the hall.  I left my phone on the nightstand, by the bed. I have no idea what is going on. I start texting Phoebe as I walk back to the kitchen.

Avery: Can you please tell me what is happening?

Phoebe: Yes, there is some trouble in town.  The guys went to take care of it.

Avery:  That’s all I get?  What kind of trouble?  Where are the police?

Phoebe: We only have state police here.  The guys usually handle things instead of getting them involved.

Phoebe: I am not sure what is happening.  When I ask, I usually get club business.

Avery: That’s bullshit!!!

I can see her shoulders shaking with laughter.

Phoebe: I don’t disagree with you, but nothing we say or do will change things.

Avery: I made breakfast.  Can I make you a plate?

Phoebe: Sure, I can eat.

I busy myself with making Phoebe a plate and set it next to mine.  I grab the coffee pot and set it on a hot plate, with cream and sugar next to it.  I grab her a mug and set it next to her plate.

Phoebe: Thank you, sit down and eat before it gets cold.

I give her a small smile and resume my seat.  We eat without conversation.  Once we are done, I clear the dishes and put them in the dishwasher.  I wash the pans and get them put away.

I just stand in the middle of the kitchen trying to figure out what to do with myself now.  I look up and see Phoebe watching me.

I see the light on my phone flash, telling me I have a message.  I pick it up and read it, it’s from Jasper.

Jasper: I am in town. I will go to the apartment and bring you some clothes.  If there is anything else you need let me know.

Avery:  Thank you, just a few changes of clothes, if I am to be here for a while.

Jasper: I would prefer you naked, but we still need to talk ��

Avery: I don’t even know how to respond to that.

I don’t get any additional messages from him.  I guess he has things to do.

Phoebe: So, do you want to watch a movie? Or something?

Avery: That sounds good actually.  I have no idea what is here to watch.

Phoebe: The guys all have cable and streaming service.

Avery: I just need the captions turned on.

Phoebe gets an excited look on her face.

Phoebe:  That reminds me, I have some searches running to find an ASL teacher.  Jasper wants all of us to learn, so we don’t have to keep texting all the time.

Avery: That is really sweet of him.

I give her a soft smile, ASL is an abbreviation for American Sign Language. Phoebe and I go into the great room and sit on the couch.  Phoebe starts a movie, after going through a bunch of menu options on the television.  The movie starts and I don’t pay attention past the first five minutes.  I am lost in my thoughts of Jasper and what is in our future.

Chapter 11

Jasper

I arrive at the coffee shop faster than should be possible.  I pushed my bike and drove as fast as I could.  I storm inside and pin Raymond Hobbs with my most deadly look.  I have to keep reminding myself that this is now Avery’s place and I can’t mess the place up. 

With half the MC here, he looks a little nervous and he should.  “Mr. Hobbs, please explain what you think you are doing here?”

He pulls a handkerchief from his pocket and wipes the sweat off his forehead. “I have waited long enough.  According to the will Marie Dubois had on file with my office, I am the rightful owner of this building, business and all contents.”

The guys are ready to explode, especially after last night’s announcement.  They know Avery is my mate and this is her business. I make a mental note to get Phoebe started on checking records.  If anyone can find something wrong with this, she can.

“Mr. Hobbs, first of all, the will has not officially been read yet.  How is it you can claim something without having it be read and witnessed?”

“As executor of the estate, I have every right to take possession until the heir signs the paperwork.  The heir has not been able to be located, so I am taking over the running of this business.”

I can feel my eyes flash red.  He dares to try and take what belongs to my mate.  I close my eyes and take a deep breath.  “The Predators have been overseeing this place since Marie died.  What is your hurry to push this?”  Until I know what his motives are I will not give away Avery’s presence and relationship to Marie.

"I have been trying to get a meeting scheduled with you Jasper and you refuse to meet with me.”

“I told you I was going to be out of town for a while.  I just returned yesterday.  Since you are so adamant about having the will read, why don’t we go take care of that right now.”  That statement seems to catch him off guard, I don’t think he was expecting me to call him out.

“Fine, shall we go to my office?  That way you and your brothers can go back to your compound and leave me to run this coffee shop.”  He uses air quotes on the word brothers.

The tone he uses as well is dripping with sarcasm.  He is treading on thin ice with his attitude.

“I will meet you there in fifteen minutes.  I have a few calls to make, and I will be there.”  He glares at me a moment and finally concedes. I wait until he is out of earshot, pulling Liam and Mordecai aside. “Did Dax get the place wired and cameras installed this morning?” I don’t see him here.

“Yeah, he was here most of the night.  He wanted to get it done so he could leave for New Mexico.”

“Ok, Liam, can you call Phoebe?  See if she can get online and get a copy of the will.  This slimeball is up to something, I don’t trust him.  I need to run upstairs and grab some clothes for Avery.  Have a prospect stop at the house, check if the girls need anything.  Tell him to bring a cage.” 

“Mordecai, I want at least one brother upstairs and two down here.  I want them here twenty-four/seven until we get this resolved.  Whoever you get can sleep upstairs, instead of running back and forth to the compound.”

They both give me head nods, pulling out their phones.  I pull my phone out of my pocket, as I walk upstairs.

Jasper: I'm just checking in.  I am getting you some clothes.  I have another meeting in a few minutes. There is a prospect coming to see if you need anything.  I don’t know if you want anything special to eat or snack.

Avery: Thank you for messaging me, I was worried about you.  There are a few things I can think of.  If it’s not too much trouble.

Jasper:  Baby, nothing for you is trouble.  I gotta go.  When the prospect gets back, he will have your stuff.

Avery:  Ok, be safe.

I get in her apartment and see not much has changed.  I don’t see any boxes in the living room.  I go through the bedroom and find a small suitcase and overnight bag.  I repack everything she unpacked.  I hear someone in the other room.  I look out and see Jules.

“Are you on first watch?” He gives a quick nod as he makes himself comfortable on the couch.  “I am going to need you here for the foreseeable future.  When someone comes to relieve you, run back to the compound and grab some clothes.  Pass that message around.  This is going to be a priority and at least six of you will be here around the clock.”

“We’ll take care of it Pres, don’t worry.” I give him a short nod.

“When the prospect gets here, have him take everything.  Avery is going to be moving in with me.  I will need to talk to her when I get home, but I have to see what this will says first.  I don’t trust Hobbs.  He is up to something.”

“Yes sir, I will see it done.”

At that I go back downstairs.  I walk back over to Liam and Mordecai.  “Is Mason here yet?” Liam points behind me and I see Mason walk through the door. “We have this place covered while we go to Hobb’s office?”

“We have Nathan, Justin and Wyatt staying down here.  Jules is upstairs.  We have a few others staying outside, covering both front and back.  Cameras are recording, so we should be good for an hour or two.”

Feeling confident the place is secure, we head to our bikes, I want to get this over with so I can get back to my girl.

Chapter 12

Avery

Phoebe has been working on her computer for a while.  I am not sure what she has been doing, but I can see her lips moving every so often.  We put another movie on, but I still can’t concentrate enough to pay attention to it.

Jasper sent me a message a little while ago.  He didn’t say much, other than he was safe. I have no idea what is going on and it is frustrating the hell out of me.

I can’t sit still.  The house is clean, so I can’t do that.  Cooking or baking is my fall back when I get stressed.  In the kitchen, I start going through the cabinets.  He told me to make a list for the store.  I start listing everything I am going to need.  I want to try some new things for the coffee shop, no time like the present to start.

I see movement out of the corner of my eye.  I see Phoebe slowly approaching.  I appreciate that.

Phoebe: The Prospect is outside.  Do you have a list?

I hand her the piece of paper I was writing on.

I start mixing some of the few ingredients already here and start baking.  I hope Jasper has a sweet tooth.

Chapter 13

Jasper

We are in a conference room, at Raymond Hobbs’ office.  It’s a small space with an oval cherry wood table and black leather chairs around it.  There is only one small window.  His office is on the second floor of the only office building in Venus.

He was in such a hurry to get this reading done and we have been sitting here for twenty minutes.  “Mordecai, go see if you can get him to hurry the fuck up.”

Just as Mordecai stands up, the door opens. Mr. Hobbs walks in, sweating worse than he was earlier.  “Mr. Hobbs, you were adamant earlier about getting the will read, and yet you have had us sitting here for twenty minutes.  I don’t know what game you are playing, but it stops now.  I have neither the time or patience for bullshit.”

His head jolts backwards like I have slapped him.  He hasn’t seen anything yet if he doesn’t start talking.    He clears his throat “yes, I had a very important phone call to make. Let’s get started, shall we?”  He sits down at the end of the table and pulls a stack of papers from a folder.

“As a duly authorized legal representative of the State of Oklahoma, I declare this the official reading of the will and testament of Marie Dubois.”  Hobbs’ clears his throat several times then gets into more legal details.  He still hasn’t said anything of importance and my head drifts back to the woman that slept in my bed last night.  I wonder what she is doing and if she is finding things to occupy herself.  I want her to be comfortable and feel safe.

After what seems like hours, Hobbs’ says something that has me snapping back to the present.  “Finally, I leave all my worldly possessions, business, and building in which it resides to my only living relative, Avery Bell.  In the event Avery cannot be located, or is unwilling to accept possession, Jasper Harvey is to maintain and operate C8H10N4O2 until it can be sold.”

“Mr. Hobbs, clearly you knew the contents of this will and yet you were trying to take over operations of the coffee shop as if you had the right.”  He has the decency to turn red.

“Yes, well, being as how Ms. Bell has been unable to be reached, I felt it was in her best interest that I oversee things.”

“That’s pretty good since my name was also specifically mentioned in the will.  Is there anything else I need to know? Or are we finished?”  My patience is gone and I just want to check in with the brothers and go home.

“There are a few other minor technicalities but I can send you a copy, and you can just let me know if you have any questions.”

I stand up, several of the guys doing the same thing.  “Liam will wait here and bring a copy back with him.”  That seems to catch Hobbs a little off guard.  He stutters and stumbles over his words “yeah, okay, just give me a few minutes.”  At that he walks out of the room.

“Mason, stay with Liam.  If he doesn’t hand that document over in the next ten minutes, go after it.  I still think he is up to something.  I am going to check in with the guys at the coffee shop then head back home.  Avery and I have a lot to discuss.  I also have to see what Phoebe has found out and if she found an ASL teacher yet.”

They all give a quick acknowledgement, Mordecai and I walk out, getting on our bikes.  Once we are at the coffee shop, I chat with the guys, pulling Mordecai aside.  “I don’t know what you want to do, if you want to stay here or head back.  I will leave it up to you.”

He doesn’t say anything just takes a seat near the door. I give him a quick wave in return and leave.  I have a lot to talk to my mate about.

Chapter 14

Avery

The prospect came back about two hours ago.  The house smells fantastic.  I have a variety of baked goods all over the island and dining room table cooling.

Phoebe: Jasper is here.  I am going to leave.  If you need to chat you have my number.

Avery: Let me pack up some of these sweets for you to take with you.

Phoebe: Thank you, I am sure Liam will appreciate it. I suck at cooking and baking.

I send her off with several containers.  I am doing dishes when I see the lights flicker.  I am not sure what is happening.  I pick my head up and look around when I spot Jasper leaning against the wall, near the switch.  He has a soft smile on his face.  I walk over to him and wrap my arms around him.  He gives me a kiss to the forehead and I can feel his body relax.

I look up and see the worry lines on his face.  I raise my hand to his cheek.  He turns his head and kisses my palm.  We stand in the kitchen just holding each other, for several minutes, when I feel him start to pull away.  I look up at him, his smile getting bigger by the second.  I give him a confused look.  He starts pointing at the surfaces around the kitchen.  I just shrug my shoulders.

Avery: I couldn’t sit still.  The house was already clean, that just left me to bake.

Jasper: I am glad you made yourself at home.  I just hope you don’t expect me to eat all this.  I will gain twenty pounds.

Avery: I wanted to try some new things at the coffee shop.

Jasper: If they taste as good as they smell, they will be a hit.

Avery: I hope so.

Jasper: Are you finished? I have a few things to talk to you about.

Avery: The only thing left is finish washing the dishes and then dinner.

Jasper: We can always order from the clubhouse.  I am not worried about dinner.  We can also send some of this over there.  A lot of the guys have serious sweet tooths.

Avery: How was your meeting? You seem like something is on your mind.

Jasper: That is part of what I need to discuss with you.

He takes my hand and leads me to the couch pulling me down to his lap.  He takes his phone and proceeds to tell me about the will reading with Mr. Hobbs.  I feel like there is a part of the story he is leaving out, but don’t call him on it.  If he thinks I need to know he will tell me.

Jasper: Is there anything he might have left out? Did you get a copy of the will in the envelope you received?

Avery: I got a key to a safety deposit box.  Since I have only been in town a few days I haven’t had time to look at it.  I have a copy of the will, but who is this guy?  I have never heard of him before.

Jasper: That’s good.  I don’t remember him mentioning anything about that.  I have Phoebe looking online, to make sure what he had is the most accurate and current will.  I also had Liam and Mason wait for his paper copy.  I left before they got it.

I start to wiggle in his lap and his hold tightens.  I need to get my papers from my bag.  When I don’t stop, I think he finally gets the point and lets me go.  I pull the large manilla envelope from my bag and hand it to Jasper.  I go back to my bag and search for the key to the safety deposit box.  I finally find it in the bottom and turn back to Jasper.

Jasper: Good work honey, we can go to the bank tomorrow and take a look at it.

I give him a small smile and sit back down in his lap. 

Avery: Can you please explain the mate thing?  I feel drawn to you and have never been this comfortable around someone I barely know before.

Jasper: Mates are the one person in the world created specifically for us.  You are the other half of my soul and complete me.  I have been waiting a long time for you.

Jasper: Liam is five hundred years old and just found Phoebe.

Jasper: Every member of the MC is a paranormal. When I announced last night that you were my mate, they all understood.  To find the one person made just for us is something special.

I wish I could hear the tone of his voice.  Something gets lost just reading his words. They still hold a lot of meaning. I just wish I could hear his voice as he speaks to me. Jasper must sense my change in mood.  He puts his finger under my chin and turns my head toward his face.

Jasper: What’s wrong?

Avery: I have never wished more for the ability to hear than right now.  Your words are lovely, I just wish I could hear your voice instead of reading them.

He gets a soft look on his face as he leans in to kiss me.

Chapter 15

Jasper

Last night was one of the best ever.  Avery made a fantastic dinner.  After that we just cuddled on the couch and watched television.  I have to check in at the clubhouse, and I need to read that will.  I still want to keep Avery’s presence in town a secret until I get to the bottom of this.

I am leaning against the kitchen counter, with a cup of coffee in my hand, when my phone rings. “What’s going on Mordecai?”

“The bank was hit last night. Someone broke in and got to the safety deposit boxes. They are trying to get the owners in to see what is missing.”

“Fuck, this can’t be a coincidence.  Ok, I need to take Avery in to town.  I want you, Liam and Nathan.  The three of you are going with us. I am calling Phoebe to see if she can get into the cameras. Get Noah to sit with Phoebe, I want everything covered.”

I hang up and walk back to the bedroom.  I see Avery laying in my bed, hair spread across the pillow.  I feel my dick start to get hard, I don’t have time for this. I just want to crawl back in bed with her.  I walk around to her side of the bed.  Grabbing her ankle, I gently shake her.  I know I can’t just call her name and I don’t know if she will swing at me being startled.  After a couple shakes, she wakes up.  She looks around the room, getting her bearings.  I grab her phone off the nightstand and hand it to her.

Jasper: I need you to get ready to go. We need to go in to town.

Avery:  What is going on? What happened?

I had explained to her my suspicions about Hobbs and how I wanted to keep her whereabouts a secret.

Jasper: The bank was broken in to. They hit the safety deposit boxes and all the owners need to check for anything missing.

Avery:  Ok, but I don’t know what is in there.  I won’t be able to tell if something is missing or not.

Jasper: I have some calls to make. Do you want me to make you something to eat, while you are in the shower?

Avery:  I think I just want coffee.

I give her a quick nod and kiss on the forehead as she makes her way to the bathroom.

Walking out to the kitchen, I dial Phoebe. “Hey, can you please hack the camera systems? I want to see if we can identify who broke in to the bank.”

“Yes, I am getting ready now.  Liam is going to drop me off at the security office.”

“Perfect, just let him know we will meet and leave from there. Did you get a chance to find an ASL teacher?  I am getting tired of texting every time I want to say something to Avery.”

“I have one who I think will be a good fit.  I have been running extensive background checks on her.  I want to make sure we are cleared before we even call her.”

“Sounds perfect, keep my updated on that.  Once we get back from town, I want to try and get something scheduled.”

“On it boss!”

With that she hangs up.  I hear the shower cut off and I pour Avery a cup of coffee.  I refuse to waste money on one of those single cup machines.  It might take a little longer for a full pot to brew, but I can make it as strong as I want to.  It takes a minute to realize I don’t know if she uses cream, sugar, or both “Fuck!”  While we are comfortable together, we still know nothing about each other.  I scrub my hands over my face, closing my eyes and tilting my head back.  I feel a soft hand on my arm and I look down to see Avery looking at me.  She has on jeans and a long sleeve t-shirt.  Her hair is still slightly damp from her shower.

Avery: What’s wrong?

I point to the coffee cup.

Jasper: I realized I don’t know how you take your coffee.  We hardly know each other.  We have more to discuss later.

With a soft smile, she wraps her arms around my waist, resting her head against my chest.  I wrap my arms around her, she feels so good in my arms.  Letting go, she picks her phone back up.

Avery: I just use lots of cream and a little bit of sugar, unless the creamer is already sweetened.

I turn to the refrigerator and get the cream, setting it on the counter next to her cup. I hope she likes it.  It is sweetened vanilla.  When she sees it, she gets a huge smile on her face.  She pours what seems like half the container in her cup.  She wasn’t kidding when she said she likes a lot of cream it’s almost white.  With a sheepish look on her face, she takes her first sip, letting out a soft moan.  Instantly my disk gets hard.  I don’t even think she realizes she made any noise.  She looks at me through her lashes, over the rim of the cup.  The little minx, she knows what she did.  I wag my finger at her.

Jasper: Keep that up little girl, you are playing with fire.

She tilts her head back with a slight laugh.  It really is good to hear her voice.

Jasper:  Are you ready to go?  Everyone is waiting at the security office for us.

That takes the smile off her face.  I hate that I can’t just leave her here until I get more details.  She holds one finger up walking back towards the bedroom.  A minute later she comes back with a sweatshirt and her purse.

I hold her hand as we walk outside.  I get the spare helmet from one of the saddlebags, on the side of my bike.  While riding with a helmet is not required in Oklahoma, as long as you are over eighteen, she is human.  As shifters we heal faster so I am not worried about myself.  Like the other brothers, my bike is custom made.  It has wider than standard tires and wheels.  The tins, tank and fenders, are dark green with a flame design in black.  The flames seemed appropriate being a dragon.  The saddlebags are painted to match the tank.  Once Avery has the helmet on, I help her get on the bike.  I put her purse in one of the saddlebags, and climb on, firing it up.

We take the two-minute ride to the security office.  I see everyone but Phoebe and Noah standing outside.  I don’t even bother to shut my bike off.  They all see me and make their way to their own bikes.  Once they are all ready, I lead us out and head towards Venus.  We always ride with the officers in the front, and in staggered formation.  This way if something happens, we can make necessary adjustments so no one gets hurt.

I have been lost in my own head and realize we have hit the town limits already.  This is not good.  I can’t afford to not pay attention to my surroundings, especially not knowing the potential threat to Avery.

As we reach the bank, I see state police and some other plain unmarked SUV’s.  I assume those belong to the FBI, since this was a bank.  We all park as close to the building as we can get.  Once I have the bike shut off, I help Avery off.  As she takes her helmet off, I open the saddlebag, getting her purse and handing it to her.

Once all the guys are ready, I grab Avery’s hand and lead her to the bank.

There is yellow tape on the sidewalk blocking off the front of the building.  There are several officers watching the foot traffic, not letting anyone in the bank.  I approach the closest officer.  “Excuse me, we were asked to come and check the contents of a safety deposit box.”  He looks at me and the boys, in our cuts, and gets a sneer on his face. “You have ID? Only box owners are permitted in.”

I try really hard not to get an attitude.  “My girlfriend is the owner of the box.  I am here to translate, she is deaf.”  I reach for my phone and he moves his hand towards his gun.  “I need to get my phone.  I am not going to do anything.”  His hand still doesn’t move.  I try and ignore him, concentrating on Avery.

Jasper: Baby, they need your paperwork and ID.

She nods her head and gets everything out of her purse, including the key.

Once the officer checks Avery’s ID and paperwork he lets us cross.  “They can’t come.”  indicating the boys.  I look over my shoulder and see each of them with their arms crossed over their chests.  They are an intimidating looking bunch.

“You guys stay here, but be diligent.  Message me if you see something out of place.”  I get acknowledgement, and guide Avery in to the bank. The manager's office is to the left.  The teller windows are to the right, with the safety deposit boxes tucked in to the vault area, in the right corner, behind the tellers.  There are people in suits, uniformed officers and what I am guessing is the bank staff.

A woman sees us walk in and approaches us.  “Can I help you?”

“Yes, I was told we needed to come down, regarding a safety deposit box.”

“Do you have your ID, key and proof of ownership?”

“The box belongs to my girlfriend.  She is deaf, I am here to help translate.”  Avery must have either been expecting the request or reading lips.  I turn to her and she immediately hands me the items requested.  I take them and turn back to the woman.

She takes it and looks it over “I am agent Flores, please come with me.”

We follow her over to the vault.  I can see several doors ripped off the fronts of several boxes.  Avery is hanging on to the back of my pants.  I can feel her anxiety spiking.  Once inside, I see a long wood table, with four chairs around it.  There are people taking pictures of the entire room.  They are dusting for finger prints and focusing on the doors that were vandalized. 

“Agent Flores, I have to inform you, my girlfriend just inherited this box.  She has just gotten in to town and has not been able to find out what is here.” I now have Avery tucked in to my side, with my arm around her.

“Is there a reason you are doing all the talking sir?  It would be nice to hear this from your girlfriend.”

Her tone puts me on guard.  “She is deaf and is not comfortable trying to speak.  Unless you know sign language to talk to her directly, you are going to be going through me.”  That seems to catch her off guard, and she looks slightly apologetic.

“Being that the bank cannot legally track what is in someone’s box, do you have any way to track down the possible contents?  Otherwise, it will make this very difficult to try and recover what was taken.”

“I just found out about this yesterday.  Her aunt passed away about six weeks ago.  This box was left as part of the will.  We have not had the opportunity to go through Marie’s belongings to see if we can find details.  Avery didn’t even know her aunt existed until a lawyer sent her the key and will copy.”

She has a thoughtful look on her face. “Ok, well, I will show you what is left in the box and that might give you a starting point for your research.”

“Thank you, that sounds good.”  I look down at Avery and realize she has zoned out.

Jasper: She is getting the box, so we can look at it.  Maybe we can find something in the apartment giving us a clue as to what Marie might have had in here.

She just nods to me. I can tell she is a little overwhelmed.

Chapter 16

Avery

The room looks like a bomb went off.  There are doors hanging off, in various degrees, some the doors are missing and laying on the floor.  There are papers scattered everywhere. I am not sure how they can make any sense of this.

Jasper has been talking to this woman.  She never showed any identification, so I guess she is some type of law.  I was reading lips but got too overwhelmed to keep going.  I figured if there is something Jasper needs me for, he will let me know.  I continue to look around the room trying to make sense of this.

My phone goes off in my hand.  I see it’s from Phoebe.

Phoebe:  Tell Jasper I was able to get the footage, but for the most part it is useless.  I am going to try and clean up the footage and see if I can find any distinguishing marks or tattoos.

Avery:  Ok, thank you. 

I tap Jasper on the arm and show him my phone.  He gets a frown on his face but nods.

He grabs my hand and leads me over to the table, guiding me into one of the chairs.  Before I can ask any questions, a metal box is placed in front of me. 

Jasper:  Take a look through.  We can’t take anything with us today, but they are taking inventory of what is here.  Once the case is filed, we can get this all back.

Avery: Okay

The woman hands us each a pair of gloves.  I look up at Jasper.

Jasper:  We need to put the gloves on, so we don’t add any finger prints.  They will need to take our prints just in case, to rule us out.

I take the gloves, put them on and lift the lid.  It is in total disarray.  I can tell someone was looking for something. There really isn’t a need for the key, other than to match the number on it to the number on the box.  The lock was destroyed making the key useless.

In the box is the deed to the building, a few pieces of jewelry and some legal papers belonging to Aunt Marie.  I don’t understand, why leave all of this here.  Some of this could be worth money.  I look up at Jasper and see he appears to be just as confused as I am.  I start going back through everything trying to determine what they might have been after. 

Jasper:  Agent Flores said I can take pictures for us to look at later.

Avery: Ok, thank you for helping with this I am not sure where to start.  I think I am a little in shock.

Jasper:  I got you baby, don’t worry about it.

I tune out the rest of the room again, trying to remember seeing anything in the apartment.  I wasn’t there long enough to really do much snooping around.  I hope I can talk Jasper in to going back to the apartment when we are done here.

All of the sudden I can sense a change in Jasper.  I look up at him and see his jaw tense and his whole body is stiff.  The woman, who I assume is Agent Flores, also takes a defensive stance.  I go to stand up when Jasper steps over to block my view of the door.  I put my hand on Jasper’s back, so I can feel the difference in vibrations of his chest.  That way if he is getting loud or yelling, I can tell the difference.

I can tell he is yelling at whoever has come in.  I am sure there is a reason he is blocking me from view, but I don’t like this, enough is enough.

I stand up and move around Jasper to see what is going on.  I see a short, heavy-set man standing in the vault doorway.  His suit is wrinkled, half of his shirt is untucked from his pants, his tie is lopsided, and he is sweating profusely.  He keeps wiping his forehead with a white cloth.  Without taking his eyes off this man Jasper reaches for my hand.  I have a death grip on Jasper’s hand.  I have no idea who this man is, but if Jasper is this tense, I can only imagine he is bad news.

They are talking too fast for me to catch any of it.  As I watch this play out, the sweaty man reaches his hand out towards me.  I cower behind Jasper, not knowing what his intentions are.  He gets an indignant look on his face and turns to Jasper.  His face is turning a disturbing shade of red and he is flailing his arms around.  I see movement behind the man.  Out of the corner of my eye, I see Agent Flores take a step towards the man, with her hand on the handle of the gun on her hip.

I move completely behind Jasper, burying my face in his back.  I am not sure who this man is or what I have possibly done to warrant this hostility.

Chapter 17

Jasper

I have no idea why Hobbs showed up.  I am not happy that Avery didn’t just stay hidden behind me, now she is on his radar.  I appreciate the fact that Agent Flores got him out of here.  It would have been nice if they would have kept him out altogether.

“Agent Flores, is there anything else you need from us right now?  I would like to take Avery to the coffee shop and apartment.  Hopefully, we can find something telling us what might have been in here.  After that I will take her home.”

“Mr. Harvey, as long as we are able to reach you, you are free to go.  We will be sending a detailed inventory list and receipt of items.  You should be able to get them back in three to six weeks.”

“Thank you, Agent Flores.  I appreciate your help.  If we find anything else out, I will let you know.  Do you have a business card I can have, with your direct contact information?”

She hands me a business card.  We shake hands, and I guide Avery back to my bike.  As we approach, I see the guys all at attention.  Before anyone can ask something, I don’t want overheard I get my phone out, sending a mass text to the brothers.

Jasper: Hobbs was here, he saw Avery.  Be on alert, he was pissed.  She rebuffed his attention and is now on his radar.  We are going to the coffee shop, stopping at the apartment first.  We need to look around.

I hear all of their phones go off.  They all read my message and mount their bikes.  I help Avery on to the back of mine then I get on and start it up.  We only have to go a few blocks, so I don’t bother with her helmet.

We cruise around the back of the building.  I want to make sure our brothers are still watching the back.  I don’t see anyone.  We go around the front and I back in to a space near the door.  I shut everything off and dismount.  I pull Liam aside.  “Jules is supposed to be upstairs.  I don’t know who, but someone was supposed to be sitting out back.  Take Nathan and look around.  If someone is hurt, get them help.  If they aren’t hurt, they are going to be.  I want whoever was responsible in my office a half hour after I get back to the compound.  I will take Avery inside and get her a snack and something to drink, give you time to check the area.  She is already overwhelmed.  I am not adding to it.” He gives me a head nod, turning to go look around.

I take Avery inside, and sit her at a table, in the back.  I don’t want to get any unnecessary attention brought on her.  I go to the counter and order her a chocolate chip muffin and a caramel cappuccino. I pay for our order and ask them to bring it to the table.

I walk back over and sit next to Avery.  I gently rub her back.

Avery:  Who was that sweaty man?

I take a deep breath. I knew this was coming.

Jasper: That was Raymond Hobbs, Marie’s lawyer.  He is the only one in town.

She gets a confused look on her face.

Avery: I have never heard of him.

Jasper:  He is the one who sent you the legal papers.

She shakes her head no.

Avery: The legal paperwork came from a firm in Texas.  I think the name was Wallace, Childers and Jones.

Ok, that just adds more to the mystery.  How can Hobbs claim to be executor of Marie’s will and have a copy if a different firm sent her one.

Jasper:  We can go over it when we are done in town.  I am going to message Phoebe and get her started looking for it.

I messaged Phoebe then sit down to relax while Avery had her snack.  I am too wired to have anything, let alone more caffeine.

I see Mordecai give me a subtle gesture towards the door.

Jasper: I need to step outside and talk to Mordecai.  I will be back in a few minutes, then we will go upstairs and look around.

Avery: Okay

I step outside and stand in front of the window.  I want to keep Avery in my line of sight.  “What’s going on?  Did you find whoever was covering out back and why the fuck they were missing?”

Mordecai rubs the back of his neck “yeah, we found Dylan beat all to hell and stuffed behind the dumpster.  Avery’s SUV was broken in to.  The back window was broken.  Once they got in, they tossed everything around. Her clothes are full of glass.  It looks like a few boxes are missing.”

“Fuck!  Is he okay?”

“It will take him a little while to recover.  We have a prospect bringing a cage to take him back to the compound.  He should be in his room.”

“I don’t know what they are looking for, but they are bound and determined to get it.  Did the camera’s pick up any images for Phoebe to run facial recognition on?”

“Liam called her. She is working on it, but they had masks on so all you can pretty much see is their eyes.”

“At least Avery has a little bit of clothes at my house, until we can take care of the rest.  Get a tow truck here and get her SUV to the garage at the compound. I don’t want to upset her by seeing it.”

“Anything else Pres?”

“Has anyone checked on Jules, upstairs?”  All the color drains from his face.

“Fuck, I totally forgot he was up there.”

“I am not sure if anyone is dumb enough to mess with him, but we need to check it out.  I will stay down here with Avery, and keep an eye on things.  Take Nathan and Wyatt with you and check on Jules.”

He walks away to go check on Jules, as I walk back in the coffee shop.  Just as I approach the table Avery is atm my phone alerts me with a message.

Phoebe:  ASL teacher checks out.  She can come Saturday, ten AM.

Jasper:  Great, I will let everyone know to be there.

Avery:  Is everything ok?

Jasper: Yes and No

Jasper:  Yes, we have a woman coming Saturday morning to teach sign language.

Avery: That is really sweet of you to do this for me.

Avery: What is the no?

Jasper: Club business

Avery: What does that mean, club business?

Jasper:  We can discuss this at home, not here.

I can tell she doesn’t like my answer, but there are aspects of the club I will not disclose to her.  Phoebe has a little bit more knowledge about some of our goings on, only because she works for us.

Avery stacks her dishes together, puts her phone in her pocket and walks up to the counter.  She starts to walk to the door and I jump up to catch her.  I grab her elbow to stop her and she yanks her arm out of my hand.  She pushes the door open, and walks outside.  She pushed it so hard it bangs against the outside wall.  She starts walking towards the back of the building and I have to catch myself wanting to yell her name out.  I can yell the town to the ground and it wouldn’t make one bit of difference.

As she clears the corner of the building she comes to an abrupt halt.  I quickly catch up to her.  Just as I reach her my phone goes off.

Avery:  My car is gone!

I take a deep breath, she is already upset, this is not going to make it any better.

Jasper:  It was broken in to.  I had the guys tow it back to the garage at the compound.

I can see she is trying really hard to hold herself together.  I shoot a quick message to Mordecai.

Jasper: I have Avery outside, are we clear to come up?

Mordecai: All clear.

I can meet up with him later to get details.

I place my hand on Avery’s back and guide her to the steps leading to the apartment upstairs.  If trying to find this information wasn’t so important, I would just say fuck it and take her home.

As we get to the top of the steps the door opens and I see Mordecai standing there.  He backs up as we walk in the door.  The apartment is a pretty decent size.  As soon as you clear the door you are in the living room, with a small kitchen to the left.  A hallway just past it leads to what I assume are the bathroom and bedroom.  You can see the age of the furniture.  It is well worn, threadbare in spots with scuff marks on the legs.  It is a drab brown color, with some girly pillows with lace and ruffles.

As I look around the room Avery walks to the kitchen.  She starts making a cup of tea.  I can see her hands shaking.  I could easily talk to Mordecai now, but I don’t want to be rude, taking advantage of Avery not being able to hear me.

I walk over to Avery, wrapping my arms around her, so her back is to my front.  I can feel her shaking.  I nuzzle my nose in her hair, just where her neck and shoulder meet.  We stand like that for several minutes before she starts to wiggle out of my arms.

Avery:  I don’t even know where to start looking.  Especially since I don’t know what I am looking for.

Jasper:  Sit down and have your tea.  Can you please give me the paperwork you received in the mail?

She reaches into her purse, handing me a large envelope she had folded up.  I snap a quick picture of everything and send it to Phoebe.

Phoebe:  Got everything I will start the searches now.

Jasper:  Thank you, I will let you know if we find anything else.  If you can’t find anything online, I will call them tomorrow.

Avery is sitting at the small table just holding her cup of tea.  I slowly and gently put my hand on her shoulder.

Jasper: Do you mind if I just have the guys start looking and I can take you home?

She just nods her head and goes back to starting into her cup.

“Mordecai, get Liam and the two of you go through every inch of this place.  If you have to, get Nathan to do his Jinn shit and seek it out.  We need to find out what they are after.  The sooner the better.”

“On it Pres., take your mate home, and take care of her.”

“That’s the plan.”  I grip Avery’s elbow and guide her up from the chair and towards the door.  We get back to my bike and I help her with the helmet.  I take her purse and put it in my saddlebag, then help her get seated.  Once she is set, I get on and take off.  My dragon is pacing.  He knows our mate is upset and he doesn’t like it one bit.

Instead of going straight home, I drive down a side road, leading to a back section of club property.  Once we are a good distance away, I pull to the side and shut the bike off.  I help Avery off, then put the kickstand down.  Avery has a puzzled look on her face.

Jasper:  Have you seen anyone shift before.

The question catches her off guard and she slowly shakes her head no.  I take my cut off, and lock it in one of the saddlebags.  I start to remove the rest of my clothes.  I have shifted in a hurry before and my clothes end up as rags.  I continue to strip and her eyes get bigger as I continue to get naked.  Her cheeks are the cutest shade of pink.  She is looking at the ground as I walk over to her.  I put my finger under her chin and lift her head up, so I can see her eyes.  I slowly bend down and give her a soft kiss.  I break away before it gets too heated.  I brought her out here to show her my dragon, not mate her in the dirt.

I step several feet away from her, and start to shift.

Chapter 18

Avery

When Jasper started to take his clothes off, I wasn’t sure what he was planning.  I am actually excited and apprehensive about seeing his dragon.  Before I can get too lost in my own head, the air around Jasper shimmers.  It almost looks like the distortion you see coming from hot asphalt in the middle of summer. After several seconds I can see his form changing.  He is getting bigger and bigger and his dragon is taking shape. 

When he is done, there is a thirty-foot dragon in front of me.  He is beautiful.  His scales are black with a red and purple pearlescence to them.  They change color depending on how the light hits them.  I can feel the smile on my face getting bigger the longer I look at him.

I am still looking him over when suddenly I am nose to nose with Jasper’s dragon.  It startles me a little, since I wasn’t paying attention.  I slowly reach my hand out and touch the scales along the bridge of his nose.  I can feel him rumble under my fingertips.  Now I understand where the woodsmoke smell was coming from.  He is putting off a lot of heat.

Jasper lowers the front part of his body to the ground and motions towards his shoulder, with his nose.  Does he want me to climb on top of him?  I must have hesitated because the next thing I know wings unfurl from his back.  I didn’t even notice them before.  The underside doesn’t have scales, and his wings have the consistency similar to a bat.  Since I didn’t move, he uses his wing to try and coax me to climb up on his back.

I finally give in and start working my way up his front leg and on to his back.  He uses his wing to help me.  Once I am up there, Jasper looks over his shoulder to make sure I am seated, then takes off.  It caught me off guard and I let out a scream. After several minutes in the air, I start to relax.  I know Jasper won’t let anything happen to me.  It is beautiful up here.  I can see, what I am sure are several states.  Since this part of the country is mostly flat that is a pretty safe assumption.  I see a lake in the distance.  Cars look like little ants.

I am not sure how long we were flying but I can tell we are getting closer to the ground.  We finally get back to where his bike is and he lands, helping me down.  That was one of the best experiences I have ever had.

I walk back next to his bike and Jasper shifts back to his human form.  I think his smile is actually bigger than mine is.  As he starts walking towards me, I start running towards him.  I jump up and wrap my arms around his neck and legs around his waist.  I totally forgot the fact he was naked until I feel something hard poking at me.  I look down and can feel Jasper laughing.  My cheeks flame red in embarrassment.  I slowly put my feet back on the ground and untangle myself from his body.

He gives me a soft kiss, then reaches back to get his clothes off the seat of his bike.  I think I whimper as he starts to cover up all of that glorious skin.  When he is fully dressed, he pulls his phone out of his pocket.

Jasper: Are you ready to go home?

Avery: Yes, although I think I want you with a little less clothing on.

I look up at him as he reads my message.  His eyes turn red and faster than I can blink his lips are on mine.  He cups my face with both hands, then slowly tangles them in my hair as he deepens the kiss.   There is so much passion in this kiss.  Our tongues tangle like two dancers.  My nipples tighten and my underwear is soaked. I have never wanted anyone the way I want him.  I wrap my arms around his neck as he pulls me closer to his body.

He pulls away from the kiss and puts his forehead against mine, trying to catch his breath.

Jasper: Come on, I don’t want to claim you here, we are going to continue this at home.

I don’t respond, deciding to climb on the back of his bike.  I am glad we aren’t too far from the house.  I don’t think I would be able to wait very long.

As he drives past the clubhouse, several guys try and flag him down.  I can see their lips moving, but am too far away to try and read lips.  Jasper just ignores them, pulling into his driveway.

As he helps me off, one of the guys comes running over.  I see Jasper put his hand in the air to stop whatever he was going to say.  I see the guy with a frown on his face. He shakes his head no, looking between Jasper and myself.  I don’t have a key yet, so I have to wait for him to open the door.

After a couple more minutes, the guy walks away and Jasper leads me into the house.  He has a tight grasp on my hand and is practically pulling me through the house and to the bedroom.

Once we get there, he hangs up his cut and starts to take his clothes off.  I sit on the edge of the bed as I watch him reveal all of his wonderful body to me.

When he is naked, he walks over to stand in front of me.  Since I am so short, I am looking right at the center of his chest.  His abdomen is all tight and rippling muscles.  His pectorals are wonderfully defined.  I bend over slightly and run my tongue up his happy trail.  I gently suck on each of his nipples.  I can feel him make some type of noise.  I start to move to the other one and Jasper stops me. 

He bends over reaching for the hem of my shirt, slowly pulling it over my head.  His eyes flash red again as he takes in my breasts.  He reaches out and pulls the cups of my bra down so he can play with my nipples.  He pulls on them with just enough pressure.  I make some type of noise and he pulls harder on them.  He lets go, pushing my back to the bed.  He takes one nipple in his mouth as he massages my other breast.  I can feel myself getting wetter.  He keeps moving from the left to the right and back again, repeating his ministrations.  I arch my back off the bed as he tugs my nipple with his teeth.  I have never had so much attention on my breasts before.

Jasper starts to trail his hand down my side, using the lightest touch.  He stands back up, reaching for the button and zipper on my jeans.  I lift my hips to help him remove them from my body. 

As I lay on the bed in nothing but my bra and underwear I look up at Jasper.  He has a look of awe on his face.  I am not sure why, but now is not the time to question it.

Jasper leans back over my body, burying his nose at the juncture of my legs.  I can feel his hot breath through the lace.  Before I can blink, he rips my underwear from my body.  I really liked this set.  Before I can express my feelings on the loss of my underwear, Jasper swipes his tongue the length of my pussy, sucking my clit into his mouth, and causing my back to bow off the bed.

He continues to suck on my clit, as he slides first one finger then another inside me, scissoring them back and forth.  He bites down as he sucks throwing me over the edge to one of the strongest orgasms of my life.

I look down and see his smirk, as he continues his ministrations.  As I lay there panting, Jasper flips me over to my stomach.  I can feel him rubbing his cock through my wetness.  Just as I am ready to say something to hurry him along, he slams the whole way in.  I scream his name, as it triggers another orgasm.

He starts to move his hips.  He is so big that it is almost to the point of being uncomfortable.  Jasper reaches around the front of my body, grabbing a breast in one hand and my throat in the other.  His hold is just tight enough that I can’t move my head.  I know he would never hurt me. 

Jasper starts to piston his hips faster and harder.  I can feel another orgasm coming. Just as I am about to fall over the edge I feel a sharp pain in my neck, right where it meets my shoulder.  I realize he has bitten me.   After several seconds the pain turns euphoric and throws me over the edge once more.  Jasper’s movements stagger and I can feel him coming inside me.

He holds me tight to his body for several minutes as our breathing evens out.  He slowly pulls out of me and I wince at the bit of pain.  My body feels like a giant ball of mush.  I startle a little as I feel, what I assume is a washcloth at my entrance.  Jasper cleans me up, then settles me fully on the bed. He reaches for the covers, climbing in beside me as he does.

I close my eyes and enjoy the feel of his warm body next to mine. We still have to get to know each other but right now I just want to enjoy the moment.

Chapter 19

Jasper

I lie in bed with Avery tucked in tight to my body.  I feel her breathing even out, looking down at her face I see she has fallen asleep.  I don’t want the real world to invade our bubble, but I have shit to take care of.

I slowly and carefully get out of bed, trying not to disturb Avery.  Dylan said I was needed at the clubhouse, but I wasn’t putting off mating with Avery any longer.

I throw some clothes on and go out to the kitchen.  I pick up my phone and call Noah.

“What do you need Pres?”

“I need you at my house to keep an eye on Avery.  I have stuff to do at the clubhouse and don’t want to leave her alone.”

“Sure Pres, I will be there in five.”

“Under NO circumstances are you to come in the house, unless you hear trouble.  She is sleeping at the moment.”

“No problem, see you in a few minutes.”

I hang up with him and write a quick note to Avery. I am sure she will be looking for me and I don’t want her to get upset.  I leave it next to her phone on the nightstand.  I give her a quick kiss on the head and go to the front door.  Noah is just about to knock when I pull it open.  I catch myself wanting to chastise him, remembering Avery being deaf.  I give him a pat on the shoulder and walk over to the clubhouse.

Once I get inside, I walk straight over to the bar.  I get a drink, and place a food order for later.  Avery has had enough going on today, I don’t expect her to cook as well.  I tell the prospect to wait an hour, so it is still hot.

I look around the room, searching for Dylan, but he must have been watching the door. He is standing with Liam and Mordecai at the entrance to the hallway, leading to my office.  I pick my drink up and walk towards them.  I don’t even bother to look and see if they follow.

Sitting down in the chair behind my desk.  They all filter in, Dylan closing the door behind him.  Once Mordecai and Liam are seated Dylan starts talking.

“Pres, we have an issue.”

“When don’t we, what now?”

Dylan rubs the back of his neck.  Liam and Mordecai are both seated.  They each have a worrisome look on their faces.

“A woman came in the coffee shop today, claiming to be Avery Bell.  She wanted to fire half the staff and close the place for renovations.”  Dylan uses air quotes around the word renovations.

I take a deep breath.  I knew Hobbs was up to something. I just didn’t think he would sink this low.

“Do we have any idea who she really is?”

Liam and Mordecai share a look. 

“Fucking spit, it out already!”

Finally, after a quick pause Mordecai opens his mouth to speak.  “Are you sure the girl in your house is the real Avery Bell?”  He cuts me off before I can start my rant, putting his hands up in surrender.  “I am just playing Devil’s advocate here. I know the woman in your house is your mate.  I am just trying to make sure we aren’t getting played.”

I take a deep breath to try and calm myself before I go after a brother.

“Avery, the one in my house, has all the correct documents and she had the key to the safety deposit box.  Both the FBI and police were satisfied enough to let her in the bank AND review the remaining contents of the box.  In an effort to have no accusations that I have the wrong Avery, have Phoebe hack the Department of Motor Vehicles database and pull up my Avery’s picture.”  Immediately Liam pulls his phone out and text’s Phoebe.

“While Phoebe is working on that, I want the two of you to take a cage and bring that imposter to the security office.

“I also want to let you know the paperwork my Avery has did not come from Hobbs’ office. I didn’t want to make a big deal out of it while we still had an audience.  Phoebe is already looking into it.  I sent her pictures earlier today.

“We still need to try and track down what all was in that safety deposit box.”

Just as the guys start to leave my office, Liam’s phone pings with a text message.  “Phoebe says your Avery Bell is the real one.”  I let out a breath I didn’t realize I was holding.

“Liam, please text her back. See if she can run facial recognition on the imposter. Maybe while you are in transit, we can get a hit on who she really is.”

“On it Pres.”

Liam texts as he walks.  Mordecai and Dylan follow.

I scrub my hands over my face, this is going to be a long night.  I finish my drink and walk back out to the bar.  I should have time for another while the prospect makes dinner.

As I approach the bar, I see Mason with a bottle of tequila in front of him. It is never a good thing when the tequila comes out.

“You alright Mason?”

He takes a minute to answer, staring into his shot glass like it holds all the answers.  “Trying to get my head together.  I am not sure if I want to claim a waitress at the bar or not.”

I give him a puzzled look. “Is she definitely your mate?”

He gives me a quick nod.  “I have been alone for so long. I gave up trying to find her.  I still want a mate, but I am not sure if I want to drag her into this.”

I put my hand on his shoulder.  “Well, you can only do what you think is best for you.  No one can try and tell you how to feel.  I don’t know how much Jose Cuervo is going to help, but if you need me, I am here.”

“Thanks Jasper.”

I look up to find the prospect tending bar and find him standing in the doorway holding a takeout bag.  “Don’t just fucking stare at me. If that’s for me, set it down and get back to your job.”  He rushes over, almost dumping the contents of the bag all over the bar.  Mason and I share a look. I am not sure if this kid is going to have what it takes to be a Predator.

I don’t have time to think about him right now.  I pick up the bag, pat Mason on the back and walk out the door. I want to eat dinner with Avery before Liam and Mordecai get back with the imposter.

Chapter 20

Avery

I am sitting on the couch watching a movie.  When I woke up from my nap, I was a little disoriented at first as to where I was.  I had reached for Jasper and his side of the bed was cold.  When I reached for my phone, I found his note.  I am not sure how long he has been gone or when he will be back, but I hope it’s soon I am hungry.

I am startled by the lights flickering on and off. I look around the room and see Jasper standing in the doorway.  I appreciate him doing things like that so I am not totally caught off guard.

He has a bag in his hand, of something that smells wonderful.  He walks to the kitchen island and starts pulling all kinds of containers from the bag.

I pull out some plates, utensils and condiments, setting them in front of two chairs.  I then go back to the refrigerator, pulling out a couple of beers for Jasper, and a bottle of wine for myself.  As I reach for a glass, Jasper steps into my body wrapping his arms around my waist.  He places a gentle kiss on my neck, where he bit me, causing me to shiver.  I can feel him smile against my skin.

We stand there like that for several minutes before I start to wiggle, trying to get him to move.  Turning around he looks at me funny.  I simply point to where the food sits.  He gets a smile on his face, in acknowledgement, and leads me to my chair.  He starts plating up the food he brought home.

Once we are done eating, he helps me clear the dishes and the empty containers.

Jasper: We had something come up and I have to go to the security office.

Avery: What is going on?

Jasper: Club business

Again, with the club business, I go from happy to pissed off in the blink of an eye.  Screw the phone, I don’t care how loud I am, I need to get my point across.

“What exactly does that mean?  I will not be left out of things just because you deem me to be the little woman.  If that is what this means, fuck the mate thing, I will drive back and stay in the apartment above the coffee shop.  That is what I came here for in the first place.  If you think I am going to spend the rest of our lives accepting that bull shit response you have another fucking thing coming. I refuse to be deemed unworthy for scraps of information!”

By the time I am done with my rant I am panting, trying to catch my breath.  Jasper takes a step towards me trying to pull me into his arms and I push him away.  Not that you can push a building, but I try.  I look up and see the biggest smile on his face.  I wasn’t trying to be funny or make him smile. I was trying to prove a point.  I stand with my hands on my hips waiting for him to do something.

Jasper: I love you so much right now.

Avery: How is what I just said leading you to a confession of love?

Jasper: You just proved, beyond a shadow of a doubt, you belong to me. 

I just throw my hands in the air and walk back in to the living room.  Jasper follows and sits down next to me on the couch.

Jasper: A woman showed up at the coffee shop claiming to be you.

I gasp at that.  Why would someone want to claim to be me?

Avery: That is the club business?

Jasper: Yes

Avery: I hate to break it to you, but if she is posing as me, I think it is also MY business, don’t you think?

He takes a deep breath, letting it out slowly.

Jasper: Yes, I was trying to protect you, so you didn’t get upset.

Avery:  Yet I got upset anyway, how’d that work for you?

He just nods in agreement. I knew he would see things my way.

Avery: What are we doing about this? Do you know what she wants?

Jasper:  Liam and Mordecai went to get her and bring her back to the security office.

Avery: Good, how soon do we need to be there?

I don’t even give him the opportunity to respond.

Avery: Don’t even THINK you are leaving me here.  This is my life, my business, my aunt’s business.

Jasper seems to think about this for a few minutes.

Jasper: Fine, get your phone, purse, whatever, let’s go.

I give him a saccharin sweet smile and go get my purse from the bedroom.  When I come back, I see him talking to Noah.  I guess he was supposed to play babysitter.  That’s something else we need to discuss. I am a grown woman.  I don’t need one of his guys with me all the time.

We walk out the door and get on his bike.  We don’t have far to go, but it’s a little too long to walk.

I have never been in the security office.  I have been past the building it’s in several times though.  One end of the building has several garage bay doors.  In the middle is a real estate and rental office.  The security company is at the end closest to us.  Jasper helps me off the bike and into the office.

The front area is in the process of some remodeling.  The walls are a light blue color, with an area in the back that looks to be a future coffee bar.  There is new hardwood flooring that looks like rough cut wood, in a natural oak color.  Old white, plastic, chairs line the wall. I hope they are saving the furniture for last, because YIKES, it’s awful.  I don’t see any kind of sign showing the name.

Jasper:  Phoebe pointed out how bad the place looked. We have a new Havoc Security sign on order.

I smile, I guess from me looking around it was pretty easy to tell what I was thinking.

I see Phoebe walk around the corner towards us.  I can see part of her conversation but I am standing behind and to the side of Jasper, so I can’t see his.  I must have zoned out as I feel Jasper gently grip my elbow, leading me towards a hallway.  We walk in to a room full of computers.  The whole back wall is nothing but computer equipment with all kinds of blinking lights in shades or green, blue and red.  I am able to do basic office operations on a computer, documents, email, simple stuff.  I have no idea what any of this does.

In the middle of the room are two long tables.  Each table has three computers and I see a laptop in there too. 

Jasper:  Phoebe had us make some upgrades.  We never used to have this much equipment.

I just smile in acknowledgement.  Jasper leads me to an office chair, wheeling me over to where Phoebe is typing away.  I wasn’t prepared for that, and this chair has no arms.  I relinquish the death grip I had on the seat cushion, shooting Jasper a dirty look over my shoulder.

I feel a tap on my arm, and see Phoebe pointing to one of the computer screens.

Phoebe:  Do you know this woman?

She looks familiar, but part of her face is hidden.  It’s like she knew where the camera was, and was trying to avoid it.

Avery: She looks familiar, but I can’t put a name to her. Is there any other angle?

Phoebe: No, she is good, I will say that.  I have a program running to get in to the cameras from the nearby businesses.  She may have let her guard down.

Phoebe looks across to the room to Wyatt.  I didn’t even realize he was there.  For as big as he is, you would think his presence would be obvious.  I can’t tell what he is saying.  I look up at Jasper and see his attention on Wyatt as well.

Avery: Didn’t you say you found an ASL teacher?

Phoebe: Yes, the class is Saturday.

Avery:  Thank you for setting that up.  I think it will make it easier on all of us.

Phoebe’s attention is drawn back to the computer.  She is typing fast.  She appears to be talking, but I am not sure if she is actually saying anything.  I see movement near the doorway.  Liam and Mordecai come in, and they don’t look happy.

Jasper puts his hand on my shoulder, as the guys all turn to walk back out.  I am over this shit.  I stand up, putting my hands on my hips.  “I KNOW you are not going to leave me out of this conversation!  I don’t want to hear this is club business either.  This involves me directly, and I am fed up with you keeping me out of the loop to protect me.”  I use air quotes around protect.  I am not some child that can’t handle things.  Liam and Mordecai are both trying to keep from smiling.  Jasper rubs his hands over his face as I continue to stare at him.

Jasper:  That class on Saturday can’t come fast enough.

Jasper says something to Phoebe.  I feel her tugging on my hand.  When I look down, she is pointing at the computer screen.

Phoebe:  I will type as the guys talk.  I can type faster and you will know what is going on.

I take a deep breath and resume my seat next to Phoebe.  She looks over her shoulder at the guys and gives a quick nod.  I tune out the rest of the room as I watch the computer screen.

“We looked all over town.  We couldn’t find that woman anywhere.  Both the motel and B&B have no females close to that description.  Either she is staying far out of town or she had some type of disguise on.”

“I still have facial recognition running, and I am trying to track her on the other cameras.  Not many businesses in town have online camera systems.  We are too small for the state to put any on our traffic lights.”

I am not sure which of the guys was talking for the first part of that, but I know the last part was Phoebe.  Either they are editing what they say or that is all.  Which I still don’t understand why I couldn’t have been told that.

Avery:  So now what do we do?

Jasper:  There isn’t much we can do.  Until we get a hit, we have to wait.  We either find her or she makes another move.

I get lost in my thoughts and startle when Jasper grips my elbow.

Jasper:  We are going home. 

I stand up and say goodbye to Phoebe.

When we get home, I just change clothes and go to bed.  I can think about the rest of this later.

Chapter 21

Jasper

It’s Saturday morning, and we are headed to the clubhouse.  We are using the main room for our teaching session.  Avery seems excited.  I am sure she will be more comfortable not having to rely on her phone all the time.  After the party ended last night, the prospects were responsible for setting all of our chairs in rows, so the teacher would be able to just stand in front of us.

As we walk into the clubhouse, I see Phoebe talking to a tall, willowy brunette.  She is dressed in a skirt and blouse, with some of the highest heels I have ever seen on a woman.  They look classy though nothing like what the club girls wear.  They are standing in front of a table covered donuts and coffee.  Avery and I make our way over to them, saying hello to some of the guys as we walk across the room.

Phoebe introduces the woman to Avery and immediately their hands start flying.  Avery has one of the biggest smiles on her face.  I look to Phoebe and she just shrugs her shoulders.  Avery and this woman seem like they could go on like this all day.  I want to get this moving along.  At least now I understand how Avery has been feeling if we talk outside her direct line of sight, this sucks.  It is like standing in line somewhere and the person behind you starts having a conversation in another language.

I move next to Avery and put my arm around her shoulders.  Phoebe makes introductions.  While she speaks the woman’s hands don’t stop moving.  “Jasper this is Brooklyn Roberts.”  I put my hand out to shake hers.  “Thank you for coming Brooklyn.  I really appreciate it.”

She shakes my hand and releases it quickly.  Before I can wonder what happened she starts to move her hands again as she talks.  “I am happy to be here.  I will let you know now, that you will not learn this in one afternoon.  I am willing to come out several weeks in a row, to teach.  Once you start to get the hang of it, I am sure you can help one another.  I am also sure that Avery will be able to assist.  Being that you were getting by for a while without anything, you will figure out a way.  I can at least get you started.  The best thing you can do, for everyone, is to talk verbally while signing.  This way everyone in the room can be involved in the conversation.  One of the worst things you can do it talk around or over the person who can’t hear.”

She looks around the room, “Is everyone here that needs to be?”

Now it’s my turn to look around.  “We have almost everyone.  One of our officers is out of town, but we can catch Dax up when he gets back.”  I noticed that Brooklyn was signing the entire time I was talking.  Avery seems very at ease.  Both of their hands start moving again.  I take that as my cue to round everyone up to get started.

Brooklyn has been here all day.  Some of this stuff is hard.  She gave us all booklets and told us about some videos online we can watch.  I feel guilty for how Avery has had to live.  Brooklyn will be returning next week to go over some more stuff.  Her and Avery have been signing all day.  We really do need to get better and make sure that we get in the habit of doing this when we speak.  It’s only fair to Avery.

Avery, Phoebe and Brooklyn are in the corner signing with each other.  Phoebe had done some research online, so she is a little better than the rest of us.  She isn’t nearly as fast or as good as Avery or Brooklyn, but hopefully she can help us communicate.  I head to the bar and sit down next to Mason.  Liam and Mordecai are sitting on his other side.  They all look as tired as I do. 

“I never knew there was so much to learn with sign language.”

They all nod their heads.  “We just need to make sure we practice.  I am sure the more we use it the better we will be.  Especially with most of us doing it.”  I look at Mordecai after that statement.  He usually doesn’t say too much.  It’s early enough that it’s still quiet.  I can hear the clicking of Brooklyn’s heels on the floor, getting closer.  We all turn around and see the three women approaching us.  I put my beer down on the bar, so I can sign as I talk.

“Are you eating?”  Avery looks at me funny.  I look to Brooklyn and she helps correct my motions.  “Are you hungry?”  That earns a very big smile from my girl.  If this is all it takes to make her happy, I will spend days in front of a computer trying to learn this shit.

She makes a fist, bending at the wrist, moving it up and down “yes.”  I turn to the prospect and have him start cooking.  I turn back to Brooklyn, trying to sign as I talk “Would you like a drink?”  I messed most of that up, but I think Avery understood, and corrected me, considering we are sitting at the bar.  The guys all play musical chairs to make space for the girls to sit.  Avery and Brooklyn are next to each other.  Phoebe is on the other side of me, next to Liam.

“Brooklyn, are you hungry?  We have a full kitchen.  We would be happy to get you something.”  Brooklyn corrects some of my motions.  Some I don’t have a clue how to do.  I am at least trying, that is all that counts.

“If you wouldn’t mind, I would love something.  By the time I get home I won’t feel like cooking.”  I call the Prospect back out.  Brooklyn gives him her order and he goes back to the kitchen.

We are all sitting at the bar when the club girls start showing up.  Brooklyn’s eyes get as big as saucers.  I don’t blame her.  Heather is in nothing but a G-string, and a pair of high heels, tits bouncing everywhere.  Before I can even say anything to her Mordecai is already out of his seat guiding her from the room.

I won’t tell the girls to stay away, but it’s not even six in the evening and they are walking around like this.  I apologize to Brooklyn.  The Prospect comes out of the kitchen with several plates, platters and baskets of food, setting everything on the bar.  “Prospect, get Brooklyn a drink, then get refills for everyone.”  He says nothing, getting started on the drinks.

We all eat in silence for a while.  I turn to Brooklyn “So where do you live at, obviously you are pretty close?”

She continues to sign for Avery, so she is included in the conversation.  “I live about twenty minutes southwest of here.  I am a little closer to the Texas border.”

“I will have one of the guys escort you home.  I want to make sure you get there safely.”

Avery cuts her off before she has a chance to say no.  “You better just let him do it.  They will follow you home either way.”  Brooklyn takes a minute then agrees.  Since she has to drive, she only has the one drink, switching to soda.  We all chat for a while before she decides she needs to leave.

We all walk outside together.  After everyone says goodbye and goodnight, Nathan and Jules escort Brooklyn home.  Each of us heading towards our respective houses.

Chapter 22

Avery

It has been several weeks, since I arrived in Venus.  Jasper and I have gotten into a normal routine.  I have learned a lot about mates, the MC and what life will be like as the President’s Old Lady. 

Brooklyn has held several Saturday morning classes, teaching all of the guys sign language.  Brooklyn, Phoebe and I have become quite good friends.  I have sent Harper several messages.  Most have gone unanswered or short responses.  I know she was unenthusiastic about me moving so far away, but I had to do what was best for me.

I have spent a little bit of time at the coffee shop.  Jasper is still concerned there is a threat, so I always have some sort of escort.  I know the MC has a lot going on, I don’t know how he justifies it, but when I ask, I get a blank stare.

I am sitting at the bar, in the clubhouse, with Phoebe.  Jasper, Liam and the rest are in Church.  I was told that Church is what they call their meetings.  It is for full patched members only, unless there is some emergency.  I have found they also have officer only Church sessions as well.  When I first talked to Jasper about it, I got the standard club business response.  He has learned if club business involves me or my business, he better keep me updated.

“I haven’t heard anything, but did you ever get the remainder of the safety deposit box from the FBI?”

“I totally forgot about that.  I will have to ask Jasper to call.  The agent we talked to the day the bank was broken in to was very nice.”

“I still haven’t been able to get any traces of that imposter woman.  It pisses me off that I can’t find her.”

We all came to the conclusion she did something to distort her features.  I really like being able to communicate with people instead of using my phone all the time.  While there are times a wrong gesture is used, it makes things lighthearted.  All the guys start joking around and poking fun at each other.  They tend to make a game out of it.

We are chatting about trivial things when the club girls start coming through the door.  They are not the friendliest bunch.  Phoebe told me about Chloe selling her out to the Full Moon Travelers.  I have been lucky enough to not come across any of them.  They sound like a nasty bunch.

The women on the other hand like to be snarky.  They think they are being clever putting their hands over their mouth so I can’t read their lips.  I really am over the pettiness.

I see a couple of them in the corner.  They are facing Phoebe and I, and once again have their hands up.  I just turn my back.  This isn’t kindergarten and I refuse to be bullied because they can’t get a man's attention.

I turn towards Phoebe to say something when I feel the ground shake.  Immediately I look towards the meeting room.  Jasper’s face is a thundercloud.  He looks at me briefly, before turning back to the two women who were playing games.  He starts talking and I realize that Phoebe has started signing based on what he is saying.  He probably didn’t think about it in his anger. 

After several minutes, Nathan and Mordecai move to stand next to the women.  They each grip an elbow and practically drag the women to stand in front of where Phoebe and I are sitting.  Each woman gets a slight shake. Jasper is standing behind them.

He steps around them, approaching my side and facing the women.

“Tell her!”

Both women jump.  I look up at Jasper.  He is pissed.  He starts signing.  At first, I am confused, then I realize he is telling me what they are saying.  “We are sorry.”

I sit there staring at them.  I was expecting a little bit more than that, not much, but still a little more.  I really have nothing to say in return.  I shrug my shoulders and turn back to face the bar.  I finish my drink and push it towards the prospect. 

I look back at Jasper and see him pointing towards the door.  I look over my shoulder and see Nathan and Mordecai steering the women out the door.  “They won’t bother you again.  They are banned from MC property, including the coffee shop.”  I grab the front of his shirt and pull him to me so I can give him a well-deserved kiss.  Before it gets too heated, I pull away from Jasper, letting his shirt go. 

“Phoebe brought something up I had totally forgotten about.  Can you please call Agent Flores and see how much longer they need to hold the contents of the safety deposit box?”

“Yes, I will do it in the morning.”

Jasper sits next to me, getting his own drink and the rest of the evening progresses with friends, food and fun times.

Chapter 23

Jasper

I have had so much going on lately I hardly know if I am coming or going.  I had totally forgotten about the bank being broken in to.  Phoebe is a Godsend, especially since Dax is still in New Mexico.  They had more problems than they realized and his stay got extended.

I am sitting in my office at Havoc Security.  I have a fresh cup of coffee, and am trying to get some of this administration stuff off my desk.  I am not sure about hiring an outsider.  We got lucky with Phoebe, that she was Liam’s mate.  That made her family, and someone we could trust,

I pull the business card, for Agent Flores, from my desk drawer.  After a few rings she picks up “Flores here.”

“Agent Flores this is Jasper Harvey.  We met several weeks ago when the bank in Venus had been broken in to.  I had brought my girlfriend Avery Bell in to try and identify what might have been missing.”

“Ah yes, Mr. Harvey, how can I help you?”

“We realized last night that we hadn’t heard anything more about the break in.  We were wondering if we would be able to come and pick up the remaining contents of the box, or if it was still being held as evidence.”

I hear keys clicking in the background.

“I’m sorry Mr. Harvey, I am a little confused.  I have document copies that Avery Bell came and picked the contents up last week.  She was escorted by her lawyer, Raymond Hobbs.”

“Well, we have an issue then.  First Mr. Hobbs does not represent Avery Bell.  We had a woman try to claim she was Avery, at the coffee shop.  She was trying to take over ownership of the building.  We had run her off and haven’t seen her since.  Our computer person here, at Havoc Security, ran extensive facial recognition and it returned no hits.  Whoever was there was not the real Avery Bell.”

Agent Flores muffles the phone, so I can’t clearly hear what she is saying or who she is talking to.  After several minutes she comes back on the line.  “I apologize for that Mr. Harvey.  I was not the one who was present at the time she and Mr. Hobbs was here.  I am trying to get the video of their visit retrieved.  Once I look at it, we can proceed.  I will be in touch Mr. Harvey.”

At that she hangs up.  I scrub my hands over my face.  I have no idea how I am going to tell Avery what happened.  I know she didn’t know Marie, but she was hoping the contents of that box might shed some light on the woman she was.  Every member of the MC has tried to share how special Marie was.

Hearing voices down the hall, I get up and walk towards the sound.  I see Phoebe and Liam in the computer room.  They both look up at me.  “Do I even want to ask what now?”  This is from Liam.

Taking a deep breath, I relay the details of my conversation with Agent Flores.  Including the fact that she was escorted by Hobbs.

“Why does this guy have such a hard-on to take possession of that building?”

Leave it to Liam to come up with such a colorful but accurate description of our current shit show.

“I don’t know but we are missing something, something big.”

I look to Phoebe, who is already typing away at the computer.  Havoc Security took it upon themselves to install cameras all over Venus.  We did most of it at night, and did little sections at a time, so it wasn’t obvious.  One of the first places we did was outside Raymond Hobb’s office building.  Legally, we can’t do it inside, unless contracted by the building owner or tenant.  Outside however is all public.  Between Phoebe’s abduction and the female imposter, we have needed the cameras now more than ever.  Who knows how they will help in the future, it damn sure won’t hurt.

“Did Agent Flores give you any kind of time frame?  We have to assume that they met at Hobbs’ office, then drove over there together.  If they would have shown up separately it might have drawn too much attention.”

“We can try and narrow down her appearance, at least for that incident.  If she was impersonating Avery, she would have to resemble her, in case the FBI did the same thing.”

“I have several searches running, one using Avery’s features, of course any time Avery is in town, it will hit.  I can also add a cross reference from the partial face we got when she was in the coffee shop, that will also help narrow things down.  This might take a while, as we only have a general time frame.  Depending on how many people go in and out of that building.  Once we get a time on when they met, it will give me a better timeline to hack the FBI cameras.”

Liam and I look at each other and then at Phoebe, then back to each other.  “Did she just say what I think she said?”  Liam just nods.  He has a blank look on his face, I am not sure if it is awe or fear.

I pat Liam on the shoulder.  “I need to see my girl.  I am heading to town, and I am taking Noah with me.  I assume you will stay here?”  Liam just nods his head, looking like a bobblehead doll.  I think he is still processing Phoebe’s offhand remark about hacking the FBI, like she was going to go shopping.

Walking through the clubhouse, I yell for Noah.  “What’s up Pres?”

“You are coming with me. We have to go in to town.”

He doesn’t ask questions just follows me out the door. 

It takes only minutes to mount up and take off.

Chapter 24

Avery

I am sitting at one of the tables, in the front window, going through some catalogs.  I would like to add a coffee machine or two to our sales inventory.  I am not sure how long they will sit before actually selling, so I am doing my research.  A shadow falls over the table and I see Mordecai standing next to me.  An older gentleman, in a pristine black pinstripe suit is standing next to him.  I look between the two of them.  Mordecai starts to sign.  “This gentleman says he has documents you need to sign, to claim your full inheritance.”

I am really confused.  I thought I had it all.  We had gotten a real estate attorney and had the deed transferred to both mine and Jasper’s names.  I am not sure what could have gone wrong, since they issued a new deed already.

“Please ask him to have a seat.  Does he have identification?  Can you also, please call Jasper?  I am not sure how long this gentleman will stay, but I would like Jasper here.”

Mordecai does as I ask.  I move the catalogs off the table, as the man sets a briefcase on it.  Mordecai does not leave my side.  Now I think I understand why Jasper was so insistent on one of them being with me.

The man rummages around in his briefcase for a minute or two.  He hands a business card to each of us, James Jones, Attorney.  I see he is from the same law firm that sent me the certified letter all those weeks ago.  The man reaches for his wallet, and I realize Mordecai has asked to see his driver's license.  Before I can ask another question Jasper comes in the door and makes his way to where we are sitting.  He shakes hands with the man.  Mr. Jones resumes his seat as Jasper sits next to me.

Mordecai has not moved from his spot next to the table.

“Mr. Jones, how can I help you?  I thought we had already taken care of the property transfer.”  As I sign Jasper translates for me.  He also translates what Mr. Jones is saying.

“We were retained by Marie DuBois for her will, property settlement and life insurance.  She left us very specific instructions as to how things were to be handled.  I do apologize that I did not make it here sooner.  We have been short staffed and it was over looked that you had already moved here, from Rhode Island.  We had originally sent certified letters to your former address.  None of which were signed for, or returned.”

“Is that why it took so long for me to be notified of my aunt’s death in the first place?”

Now it’s his turn to look puzzled.  “I assure you Miss Bell, as soon as we found out about Ms. Dubois’ passing, we notified you as soon as possible.”

“Just so you are aware, as there is nothing that can be done about it now, but I didn’t receive that letter until weeks after she passed.  I missed her funeral.”

“I do apologize for that Ms. Bell.  I will look in to why it was held up and you were not notified immediately.  In the meantime, the reason I came here is to get you to sign the papers so the life insurance can be paid out.  We can discuss options of what to do with it, at a later date, if you choose.  Whatever you are comfortable with.”

He hands me a stack of papers.  Both Jasper and Mordecai look over my shoulder to read it.  The further into the document I get the more my hands start to shake.  Eventually Jasper pries the papers out of my hand.  Mordecai turns towards the counter, and says something to the girl behind the register.

I feel Jasper’s hand rubbing up and down my spine, in an attempt to calm me down.  Mordecai places a bottle of water in my hand, with the top already removed.  I take several small sips.  Getting myself under control, I look up at Jasper.  He looks at me the exact same way he did this morning, when we each left the house to go our separate ways.

“This changes so much.”

He shakes his head slowly “No babe, it doesn’t, it doesn’t change one thing.”

I take another deep breath.  Looking at Mr. Jones “Can you please explain this?”

Before he has a chance to say anything, I feel Jasper stiffen at my side. I look up and see Mr. Hobbs and some woman, with traits and features very similar to my own.  Mordecai steps in front of the table to block their approach, but it doesn’t look like they will be deterred.  Mr. Hobbs is actually stupid enough to think he can push Mordecai out of the way.

Since they are not signing, and talking too fast to read lips, I simply look up at Jasper.  The muscle in his jaw is clenching.  I can tell he is trying his best to keep his dragon in line.  I put my hand on his thigh, in an attempt to calm him down.  He reaches down and puts his hand over mine.  I notice Mr. Jones looking between myself and this other woman.

I have had enough.  I stand up and approach the woman.  Jasper starts to grab for my wrist, but I move out of his reach.  Standing directly in front of her, she makes one mistake, she talks.  “What do you think you are doing bitch? This is my place.”

I slap her across the face as hard as I can.  Then, I grab a handful of hair and pull.  Oddly enough when I do, it comes off in my hand.  She was wearing a wig.  As I look back at her I am once again in shock “Harper?”

Realizing whatever game, she was playing is over, she starts to reach for me, when Mordecai wraps his arm around her waist, from behind, and pulls her backwards.  She can no longer reach me to do any harm.

Jasper steps up, so he is in my line of sight. “Baby, you know this woman?”

I look over my shoulder at Jasper.  “She WAS my best friend, Harper Foster.”

I look back at Harper “Is this why you were so upset about me leaving?  I messed up your plans?”

Sneering at me “Yes, Hobbs’ told me I could get some quick cash.  He said if I helped him, he would split the money with me.  You dropped everything and got here before I could.  Then they kept you hidden and out of reach.”  I really wish I had a grasp on sarcasm and tone.  I am sure some of that was derogatory. 

Before I can respond I am pushed to the ground with Jasper laying on top of me.  I try and look around but my field of vision is limited.  We lay there for what seems like forever.  After several minutes Jasper gets off of me.  I start to stand myself when I feel his hand on my back, keeping me pinned to the floor.  I look over my shoulder at him.

“Avery, stay down.  I am not sure who is responsible for this, but I am not sure if it is safe yet.”

That isn’t ominous or anything.  I want to ask questions, but my hands are underneath my body. Now that he is not on top of me, I am able to at least lift my head and look around. Shards of glass are everywhere.  I look to my right and see the window is missing.  Looking around the rest of the room I spot Raymond Hobbs. There is a pool of blood under his body, and growing in size quickly.  I look at his face and see his lifeless eyes looking at me. 

Looking around the rest of the room, I see Harper holding her shoulder.  Blood is seeping through her fingers.  Jasper and Mordecai are both on the phone.  Nathan and Jules come rushing inside.  They start to approach me, but I wave them off.  Other people need medical attention. I just need a drink.

“I have Noah coming to pick you up, in the truck.  I just sent him back to the compound.  I want you to go back to the clubhouse or our house and stay there.  Under NO circumstances are you to go anywhere without at least one escort.”

I nod absently, looking at all the damage.  I have no explanation on why this happened or who would do this. Jasper grasps my chin and turns my head to face him.

“Please tell me you understand and you will listen to me?”

“Yes, I just want a couple of drinks, and maybe a bath.”

He kisses me on the forehead “You do that sweetheart.  I will be home as soon as I get this taken care of.  I am going to call Agent Flores. She needs to be aware we found the imposter.”

“I haven’t quite processed that part of the day.”

“You go take care of yourself.  If you aren’t at the clubhouse when I get back, I will bring dinner home. Go do what you need to do.”

He gives me a chaste kiss and walks away, pulling his phone out as he goes.  Jules grasps my elbow and sits me in the corner where I am out of the way, while I wait for Noah.

Chapter 25

Jasper

What a shit show. That is really the only way to describe this day.  I notice that Jules has my girl taken care of.  I hit redial on my phone, since Agent Flores was the last person I called.

“Flores here.”

“Agent Flores, this is Jasper Harvey again.  I am not sure how close you are to Venus, but I think you need to come to C8H10N402.  We just found the imposter. Raymond Hobbs is dead and we have Marie Dubois’ real attorney here.”

“What do you mean Raymond Hobbs is dead?”

“He showed up at the coffee shop, with the imposter woman. It turns out she is Avery’s former college roommate Harper Foster.  As we were talking someone shot up the whole front of the coffee shop.  Harper sustained a shoulder wound and Hobbs was killed.  I can have my security staff review video and see if we can determine who the shooter is.”

“Mr. Harvey, I was already in route, so I should be there in about a half hour.  Do you have a way of restraining Ms. Foster?  Does she need immediate medical attention?”

“She will live.  We will start getting her cleaned up.  If it looks too bad, and we have to take her to a doctor, I can call you and let you know.  We have a medical clinic here in town. It might not be exactly what she needs, but it will be enough.”

“See you soon Mr. Harvey.”

At that she hangs up.  I turn back around and see Nathan and Mordecai helping those that were not seriously injured.  “Can you guys please get details on who was here? Names and phone numbers should be enough, for now. Agent Flores, from the FBI is on her way.  She might want to talk to them in the next couple of days.”  They acknowledge my request.  I see one of the staff hand a small notebook and pen to each of them.

“Jules, can you please call Dylan and whoever else is around?  They need a truck. I want plywood over that window ASAP.”

“On it Pres.”

I see Avery in the corner with a blank look on her face.  She has had so much thrown at her in the past hour.  My poor girl needs a break.  I pick my phone back up, after a couple rings Phoebe picks up.  “Hey Jasper, what can I do for you?”  I hear Liam griping in the back ground.

“I hope I didn’t interrupt anything, but the coffee shop was just shot up.  Raymond Hobbs is dead.  We found our mystery woman.  It was Avery’s supposed best friend, Harper.  Hobbs put her behind the impersonation, but we didn’t get many details before shots were fired.  Avery is in shock and needs a drink or two.  The FBI is on their way.”

“Holy shit, it’s been a busy day huh?  Other than shock, how is Avery?”

“I am not really sure.  I got the impression Avery was closer to Harper than the other way around.  I think she could use some decent girl time.”

“Yeah, I can meet her at the clubhouse.  I assume that isn’t the only reason you called me.”

“No, it’s not.  Can you please check video?  I want to know who shot the place up, and see if Hobbs was the main target, or if they are also after my girl.”

“Yep, I will start pulling video now, and let you know ASAP.”

“Thanks Phoebe.  Let Liam know I want him with you and Avery, so he can stay put.  Noah is on his way to pick Avery up.  I will make sure he brings her to you, at the clubhouse, instead of our house.”

With that I hang up.  I put my hands on my hips, just looking over the room.  I see my guys taking care of getting witness details.  The staff is cleaning up dishes, sweeping up glass and making sure no one is hurt.  I pull one of the girls aside “Can you please make Avery a cup of herbal tea?” She gives a quick yes, and walks back behind the counter.

I walk over to where Harper is being watched over.  Towels are wrapped around her shoulder, there is some blood on them, from it seeping through. After what she has pulled on Avery, I have no sympathy for the bitch.  “Talk quickly before I hand you over to the FBI.  Who hit the safety deposit boxes at the bank?  Why did you agree to help Hobbs, other than a quick buck? Lastly, where’s the safety deposit box contents you collected from the FBI?”

She looks like she has no intention of talking.  I get in her face and let my eyes flash red.  My dragon is pissed and I have no hesitation letting him get vengeance on her behalf.  She takes a quick inhale of breath and nods several times quickly.

“Ray Hobbs is, or was, my stepfather.  Him and my mother married years ago.  He has a gambling problem and she divorced him.  When he found out that Marie had a niece my age, he set me up to become friends with her.  He told me if we could pull this off, we could make some quick cash and not have to worry about things for a while.  He said that he could pay off all his debts and still have money left over.  Then Marie went to a different lawyer and had the will revised and had Ray removed from everything. 

“One of the people he owes money to is the Full Moon Travelers MC.  He told them about the life insurance policy but he didn’t have details of where it was.  He intended on having me pose as Avery so we could collect.  Avery had no knowledge of it, so she would be none the wiser.

“They were getting impatient waiting on getting their money.  When it wasn’t at the bank, they upped his timeline for payback.”

“How much did he say he was going to give you?  How much does he owe the Travelers?”

“Ray said he would give me two hundred and fifty thousand dollars.  He owes one million to the other MC.”

“You really are a piece of shit to betray a person you called friend for that little amount of money.  The FBI is on their way, you can tell them the rest.”

With that statement she pales.  I walk over towards Avery.  I need to see how she is doing.  I see her holding her tea, still in a daze.  As I walk over to her, she looks up, giving me a soft smile.  “You holding up okay sweetheart?”

“Yeah”

“I have to wait for Agent Flores to get here.  Noah is going to take you to the clubhouse.  Phoebe is going to meet you there.  Have a couple drinks, get some food, just relax.  I will come pick you up there, when I am done here.”  I see Noah walk in and look around with wide eyes.

I pat Avery on the shoulder and walk over to him.

“Holy Shit Pres, who the fuck did this?”

“Phoebe is pulling video now.  I have a feeling that it was the Full Moon Travelers.  The girl said Ray Hobbs owed them close to one mil.”  Noah lets out a long whistle in response.

“I need you to take Avery to the clubhouse. She is going to stay with Phoebe for a while.  Liam is watching over them.  If everything is quiet, I need you back here.”

“You got it Pres.”

We both walk back over to Avery.  I take the cup from her hands, and help her stand.  I give her a hug, and kiss on the head, then guide her to the truck, as Noah climbs in behind the wheel.  We give each other a head nod and he drives off to the compound.

Chapter 26

Avery

It has been one mess of a day.  Jasper text that he was finishing up at the coffee shop and heading to meet me at the clubhouse.  Phoebe has made it her mission to keep me distracted.  Brooklyn had something going on and couldn’t come out, but has text a few times checking in.

Liam has been avoiding us, I am not sure what is going on.  Phoebe keeps shooting glances in his direction, but he just avoids her gaze.  I tap Phoebe on the shoulder. “Is everything okay between you two?”

Phoebe takes a deep breath before responding.  “As far as I know.  He has been acting strange the past few days.  I don’t know if there is club business that has him acting out of character or what the problem is.”  She gives a quick shoulder shrug, and drinks a mouthful of beer.

As I am about to respond Jasper and the rest of the brothers walk in.  Jasper walks directly to me, pulling me into his arms.  I can finally take a breath and relax.  I didn’t realize I was so stressed without him.  He gives me a kiss that quickly starts to turn heated.

Jasper breaks away and turns to look over his shoulder.  He steps to my side, wrapping his arm around my waist.  I see Liam standing in the middle of the clubhouse floor.   He looks like he might be sick.  I look around the room and see a lot of confused looks.  I look at Phoebe and she is also looking at Liam, in confusion. Wyatt makes a slicing motion across his neck.  “Shut the jukebox off.”

Nothing seems to be happening, just Liam standing in the middle of the room.  I look at Jasper “He keeps clearing his throat.”

After several long minutes Liam starts talking, signing as he talks.  “Phoebe, I never thought I would find my mate.  I love you and feel like I have known you my entire long life.  I look forward to spending many more years together. However, I don’t want to just be mates.  I want us to be husband and wife.”  As Liam was talking, he was walking slowly to stand in front of Phoebe.  Now he drops to one knee, and reaches for her hand.  “Will you marry me?”

I look to Phoebe and see tears streaming down her face.  She is nodding her head.  Finally, she gets herself together enough to say “Yes!”  She tackles Liam, wrapping her arms around his neck.  They roll around on the floor, kissing, for a few minutes.  Everyone in the room was cheering and raising glasses in a toast.

They finally get up off the floor, and Liam pulls a small box from his jeans pocket.  He opens it and a stunning ring is sitting in a bed of black velvet.  He takes it out and slides it on Phoebe’s hand.  This starts more kisses, and cheers.  I feel Jasper shift.  When I look up at him, I see he is talking to the prospect behind the bar.

Shots of amber liquid are lined up on the bar.  Glasses of something bubbly are put in front of Phoebe and myself.  As Liam gets lost in the back pats, handshakes and man hugs, Phoebe turns to me.  We each pick up our glasses and clink them together, in a toast of our own.  I set my glass back down on the bar “Let me see.”

She puts her left hand out and her ring is beautiful.  It is a white gold band, with a round cut diamond, in the center.  Around the center stone are smaller diamonds, slightly lower in height, so the large gem gets the focus.  It is very elegant.  I am guessing that is a two to three carat diamond in the center. “It’s gorgeous.  Congratulations, I am so happy for you two.”

We hang out to celebrate for the rest of the evening.  Liam’s timing could not have been better.

Chapter 27

Jasper

When I got back to the clubhouse last night all I wanted to do was relax with my girl.  After Liam’s proposal to Phoebe, we couldn’t just leave.  Avery is still in bed sleeping, and I have been trying to catch up on paperwork.  I still need to check with Phoebe on the shooter yesterday.

I hear some noise in the back of the house and get up to check on Avery.  I grab a bottle of water on my way to the bedroom.  I see her sitting on the edge of the bed holding her head.  My girl partied like a rock star last night.  I hold the water in her sight line.  Then I go grab her some pain reliever from the bathroom.

I hand them to her “Take these, I will make you some coffee and toast.  Go grab a shower, it should help.”  She just shuffles towards the bathroom.

As I make my way to the kitchen there is a knock on the door.  Usually people don’t just stop by, they call or text.  I pick my phone up and double check seeing that I don’t have any missed calls.

I go to the door, and see Agent Flores standing on the other side.  Opening the door “How can I help you, Agent Flores?”

“I wanted to speak to Avery, if she is available.”

“She just got in the shower.  You are more than welcome to come in.  We had a bit of a celebration last night, so, she is getting a late start to the day.”

She follows me in to the kitchen.  I indicate she take a seat at the island.  “Can I offer you a cup of coffee?”

“Yes, please, that would be nice.”

I get Agent Flores a cup of coffee, setting out cream and sugar with it.  I hear the shower shut off and start Avery’s toast.  “If you will excuse me for just a moment, I want to let Avery know you are here.”  She nods as she starts fixing her coffee.

I see Avery laying on the bed, wrapped in a towel.  I wish we were alone, so I could unwrap her.  I gently touch her knee.  She opens her eyes “We have company.  Agent Flores is here.  She wants to talk to you about yesterday.”

She groans sitting up. 

“Do you need any help?”

“No, I will be out in a couple minutes, then I can die in peace.”

I give her a quick kiss on the forehead and walk back out to the kitchen.  “She will be out in a minute.  She is just getting dressed.”

I finish making Avery’s toast and get her coffee, setting it on the island, next to Agent Flores.  A couple of minutes later Avery comes out, and sits down.

Agent Flores looks between the two of us for a minute.  “Are you able to translate?”

“Yes, we have all taken sign language classes.  While none of us are as good as Avery, we do well enough, and she is helping us if we get stuck.”

“Avery, from what I understand a lawyer was at C8H10N4O2 yesterday.  During your conversation, I am not sure how much he was able to tell you.”

“Mr. Jones told me that he was the one who sent me the letter, and will, from my aunt’s passing.  When I asked about the delay, he said he was going to look into it, as it was mailed out almost immediately.  He also had paperwork for a life insurance policy.”

“Yes, I have a team looking through Raymond Hobbs’ office, house and back ground.  From what we have discovered he had extensive gambling debts.  He was embezzling money from every one of his clients.  Your aunt realized what he was doing so she moved her business to another firm.  Others in town started to realize the same thing, and followed suit.  Raymond Hobb’s was broke.

“Hobbs knew about Marie’s life insurance policy.  He set Harper up years ago, to befriend you.  He knew you weren’t in contact with Marie.  The plan was for Harper to have enough notice to take possession of the coffee shop, then pose as you long enough to claim the insurance money.

“Hobbs offered to split the money with a secretary at the law firm, if she held up mailing the paperwork.  She was found dead in her apartment two weeks ago.  We suspect Hobb’s killed her.  We are trying to find out what happened to the items that were stolen from the safety deposit boxes.  We already know that he had outside help. We still can’t determine who it was.”

Avery looks at me.  I can’t read her expression.  I move around the island to hold her, and give her any support she needs.  After several minutes she takes a deep breath, letting it out slowly.  I step around to her side, so I can see what she is saying in response to everything Agent Flores just laid out.

“Is it all over? There is no more threat to me?”

“As far as we know, Raymond Hobb’s was behind everything.  With his death, yes, the threats should be over.  Keep my card, and if you have any additional problems, please let me know.”

With that, Agent Flores gets up, shaking both of our hands and walking towards the door.  I walk her out and come back to my girl.  “Are you okay with this?”

She looks up at me with a huge grin on her face.  “It’s over, we can move on.”

Chapter 28

Avery

It’s been several weeks since the day Raymond Hobbs was shot inside C8H10N4O2. Harper was sentenced to five years in jail for insurance fraud, plus several other offenses.  I was happy they didn’t make me sit through a trial, as she pleaded guilty.  It would have been a waste of time and money if she hadn’t, considering she confessed to it.  We had to close C8H10N4O2 for several days, while plaster work and new paint was put on the walls.  We had a new window put in, and an updated logo etched into the glass. 

Jasper and I have settled into a nice routine.  He still has one of his guys sit in the corner of the shop while I am here.  We are working with an advisor on the best way to handle the life insurance policy from my aunt.  I was able to pay off all my student loans.  It is amazing what two million dollars can do for you.  I also splurged and got myself a new SUV. 

Jasper is having the shop put a custom paint job on it.  I wanted it to match his motorcycle.  I have come to enjoy riding, now that we aren’t trying to outrun possible tornados.  The club had all of the warning systems upgraded to include strobe lights.  That way, no matter what building I am in, I can tell if there is a problem. 

Phoebe has asked both Brooklyn and I to be in her wedding.  I have never been a bridesmaid before, so this should be fun.

I went from having one person, who I considered a friend, to a whole family now.  They might not be blood, but, as different as they each are, they are family.

Epilogue

Mordecai

I am sitting at the bar, in the clubhouse, trying to mind my own business.  Phoebe and Liam have been bickering at each other for days now, over a wedding.  I don’t understand why people tend to lose their minds when it comes to weddings.  Funerals too for that fact, it seems to bring out the worst in people.

Phoebe just wants to go to the magistrate, in town, and sign the paperwork.  Liam is the one who wants the pomp and circumstance of a ceremony and reception.  I am not sure what part of that surprises me more.  If I had a woman who wanted to keep things simple and skip the bullshit, I would be all over it.

“Liam, I don’t have time to plan a wedding.  I told you I just want to go downtown and make it official.  If you want a party, we can have one here, with the brothers, or go have a nice dinner somewhere.  Other than Noah, who is going to show up?  I have no family.”

“Phoebe, we are only going to do this once.  Don’t you want some nice pictures?  The pretty dress?  Flowers?  I don’t want you to look back and get upset with me because all you had was a few people in a musty office.”

“Ugh, I am too busy.  Do you even KNOW what goes in to planning this?  Not to mention, it will take several weeks, at the absolute LEAST! Do you really want to wait that long?”

“Phoebe, we are already mated.  I just want to make it legally official, with you taking my last name.”

I have had enough.  I can’t take this.  “Why don’t you just hire a planner, and let them do it?”

As I reach for my beer, I get pushed into the bar.  I see small arms circling my waist, and then get a face full of red hair.  “Mordecai, that is the BEST answer.  Thank you!!!”

As quickly as Phoebe grabbed me, she is gone.  I look around the room and see the death glare coming from Liam.  Putting my hands up in surrender “She grabbed me brother, I didn’t initiate that.”

He just makes some kind of noise, too low for me to hear.

“By the way, you are welcome.” 

With that statement, his eyebrows hit his hairline. 

I stand up from my chair, finish off my beer, and put the empty bottle on the bar.  As I walk out the door, of the clubhouse, a thought hits me.  I wonder if whoever they hire will be someone’s mate.

The Daemon’s Hacker

Chapter 1

Liam

“Come on man, you can’t beat on the computer if you still want it to work.”  I am tired of Dax constantly griping on me about this stupid hunk of plastic.  It’s not my fault, as a Daemon, my fingers are too big for the keys.  “Trying to search on this tiny keyboard sucks!”  Dax huffs his breath at me.  “I am the MC Enforcer. It’s in my job description to beat on things.” Dax and I are both members of the Havoc Predators Motorcycle Club.   We aren’t officially one percenters, but we do have our own way of doing things, especially since we are all paranormals.  Dax is our tech guy.  Computers, software, alarms, and surveillance whatever the club needs.  We have several businesses that we own and operate.  Our biggest money maker is our security company.

Living in a small, out of the way town, in Oklahoma, we do a lot of traveling and online business.  Our current client keeps having money stolen, over the web.  We haven’t been able to catch the culprit, and keep running in to dead ends.

“I need a drink. I’ll be at the bar if you get any ideas on where to go next with this.”  We are at the clubhouse.  It’s an old barn, located on two hundred and fifty acres, in the middle of nowhere.  Being paranormal, we need privacy and seclusion to shift.  We each have our own two to five acres of land, several of us have built our own houses.   Some are waiting to meet our elusive fated mate, before building.  Being paranormal, we have longer lives.  Once we find our mate, we can live even longer, just as they will. Each of us looks to be in our late twenties to early thirties. I can’t remember being that young.

I walk down the long hallway, to the main room.  The center is a large open space. Along the walls are various mismatched tables and chairs, in a variety of heights.  On the far wall, stretching the whole length is the bar.  We have a second floor with rooms for guests. The stairs are along the right wall, connecting to a small balcony at the top. At the bar, one of our prospects is pouring drinks and manning the small kitchen. With appetites like ours, food is always at the ready. I take a seat, and the prospect hands me a beer, “give me a shot of Jack too.”  I don’t bother with please and thank you, it’s his job.  If he wants to earn his patch, he does as he’s told and stays quiet about it. Being a daemon, I stand at six foot five, and my shoulders are massive.  It’s part of why I am the Enforcer.  Although, Pres. being a dragon, usually gets the job done faster than the rest of us.

Dax takes the seat next to me I guess we aren’t done with this conversation.  “I think we need to get a hacker.  I am stuck at this point, not sure how else to track this fucker down.”  He runs his fingers through his long blonde hair, frustration clearly on his face.  Dax is really good at the computer stuff.  For him to be at a loss, whoever we are looking for must be REALLY good.  I take a mouthful of beer, and start to choke on it, when the prospect chimes in. “I have someone who might be able to help.”  Dax and I slowly turn our heads and stare at him.  He starts to cower under our glare.  “Who the fuck do you know, that is better than Dax?”  I’m being an ass, but he needs to learn his place.  “My, um, cousin, she does private side work, like private investigator type shit.  She hunts down deadbeat parents and cheating spouses or boyfriends."

Dax and I share a glance before turning back to him.  “Is she local, and can she keep her mouth shut?”  The last thing we need is some outsider running their mouth, and possibly ruining the club's reputation.

“I am not sure where she is, currently, but I can reach out to her, see when she can get here.”  Dax pipes in, before I can, “We need to discuss this with Jasper before we do that.  Get me her information, and we can move on from there.”  The prospect pulls his phone out, and jots down a phone number and email address.  “She doesn’t always answer right away.  She’s paranoid about stuff coming back on her, so she usually does a background search before returning the call.” Once we get the information, Dax and I get up and walk back to Jasper’s office.  As President of the MC, Jasper has final say on all the business decisions.

We knock on his door, and walk in.  He looks up, eyebrows pulled down in disapproval.  “By all means, come in.”  We each take a seat in front of his desk.  “What is going on?”  Dax hands him the note from the prospect.  “This is Noah’s cousin.  We need a hacker, and he thinks she can help.”  Jasper takes the note, and looks at both of us. “I assume this is about the Robinson case?”  We both nod our heads.  “We are stuck.  Not sure how they are getting through the extra firewalls and security we added, but more money is missing.”  Jasper shakes his head, “So what does he think SHE can do, that we can’t?”

“According to the prospect, she makes her living hunting down hidden money from dead beat parents, and cheaters.”  Jasper rubs his chin. He looks like he has been in this office for days.  His t-shirt has food and liquor stains on it.  His dark hair is too long, sticking out in all directions, he needs a haircut.  Jasper and I like to keep a cleaner look.  When we shift, it makes things easier to deal with. 

“Involving an outsider needs to have a vote, we can’t just decide.  Send a message, I’m calling Church.  Get the officers here within the hour. If the council approves, reach out to her, get her here ASAP.”  We both nod, and get up to leave.  Church is what we call our meetings.  Only patched members are allowed to attend.  Depending on the circumstances, it can be officers only or full membership.  Dax walks out first.  Before I leave, I turn and look at Jasper, “You alright Pres?”  He looks back at me, “I can feel something coming.  My skin feels too tight, and my dragon is getting antsy.”  It’s never a good sign, when our other side gets riled up, before we do.  I just nod my head at him, not sure what else I can tell him.  We have enough space where he can let his dragon loose, without causing too much attention or problems.  Even though the world knows paranormals exist, they still get twitchy if they think we are too close.  I need another drink.

Chapter 2

Phoebe

“Come on you bastard, show me what you got.”  I have been sitting at this computer for almost eighteen hours now, trying to track down this guy’s offshore accounts. He owes his wife spousal and child support.  He has a McMansion and a new high maintenance wife, so he has it hiding somewhere.  Her Botox injections alone cost more than my monthly rent. They live outside of Los Angeles, but she acts like they live in Beverly Hills. Meanwhile, his ex-wife and three kids, can barely afford rent, food, and a two-bedroom apartment outside of San Diego.  California cost of living is so expensive.  The fact he got caught banging his secretary made his pre-nup null and void.

Now he is stuck with his new Barbie Doll, and she is sucking his bank account dry. Of course, if she had a clue about his hidden money, she would be spending more.  I am concentrating so much, following the money trail, when my phone sounds with a text message, I jump out of my skin.  I need some sleep and a decent meal.  A diet of soda and junk food isn’t helping any.  I am so close to setting this to rights I can taste it. 

My phone starts to ring.  I glance over and see it’s the same number the text came from, as if I will answer. I don’t want to hear about my car warranty right now.  I roll my eyes at myself I really need some sleep and food.  Although, I am not sure what order I need each of those.  I get an alert for a voicemail and it starts ringing again.  Whoever is trying to get in touch with me needs to learn a bit of patience.  I continue to ignore my phone, following the money trail.  “HA!! Bastard, I got you!!!”  I start doing a happy dance in my chair, thankful no one can see me right now.  “You have been a VERY naughty boy, James.”  He has over fifteen million hiding in the Cayman Islands. I am sure he has more elsewhere, his current address is misleading.  He already has a yacht worth two million.

“Hmm, let’s see how much the kids and the former Mrs. are worth, shall we??”  I get a ten percent commission for myself, so, this is going to make for a nice break before my next job.  I think seven million will last her a while.  I have already set up a new account for Stephanie, James’ ex-wife.  I also set up trust accounts for each of the kids. I work on making the transfers to each of the bank accounts, moving my cut first. I get a notification on my phone that my transfer went through.  I have to route each transfer all over the place.  I know I am not the only hacker out there. I need to make myself as invisible as possible, so it doesn’t get traced back to me.  Just as I finish up, I get two more text messages, one phone call and one voicemail. I am popular today, just not sure if it’s the kind of attention I want. 

I make a quick call to Stephanie, giving her the access codes for the new accounts. She thanks me through tears.  I remind her, not to start spending too much, too fast, and draw attention to herself.  The back payments owed are still going through the courts, he just has a better lawyer dragging things out.

I sit back in my chair and take a deep breath.  I try to use my computer skills for good, in this case it was good and evil.  I get yet another text message, and finally drag my tired eyes to my phone.  Each message is from an unknown number, except one.  My cousin Noah, who I haven’t seen in years, is one of the messages.  The others are all from his area code, this can’t be good. Noah and I text once a month, just to do a quick check in.  We really have no other family, at least none we claim.  I know he is trying to patch in to a local MC, in Oklahoma.  I have never had a fascination with motorcycles, not that I am against them, it’s just not my thing. 

I open my foodie app and order some real food to be delivered.  I have about an hour, just enough time for a hot bath and a glass or two of wine.  As I run my bath, I open the text messages, starting with Noah.

Noah:  Hey Cuz, the MC needs your expertise.  I gave them your number and email.

Phoebe: What I can I do to help the MC??

While I wait for him to respond, I open the next message.

Unknown: Phoebe, the Havoc Predators need some computer help.  Can you get back to us?

Unknown:  Noah said you run backgrounds before returning calls.  This is for our security company, legit work. Please get back to us.

Unknown: I left a couple voicemails. I REALLY need a response.

Well, now my interest is peaked.  If the MC is calling an outsider things must be bad. I have read enough books and watched enough television to understand how things are done. Taking a deep breath, I decide to check my voicemail, still not responding to the text messages.

“Phoebe, my name is Dax. I am the tech guy for the Havoc Predators.  Noah said you would be able to help us with a little problem.  He said you run backgrounds before taking on a client.  The company name is Havoc Security.  Look forward to hearing from you.”  Hmm, nice deep voice, wonder what he looks like. I wonder if he is a paranormal, like Noah and I.

Our mothers were human sisters.  My Aunt liked the bad boys and ended up sleeping with a Goblin.  My mother, not quite as bad, my father was an owl shifter.  While I have more human traits, I still have exceptional eye sight and hearing.  Having the ability to shift would have been nice, I would never fly in a tin can again.  As I think back to my parents, such as they were, the next voicemail starts up.  “Phoebe, it’s Dax again.  I wanted to make sure you understood, we are on a tight deadline.  We will pay you twenty percent, instead of your normal ten percent, plus travel expenses.”  Wow, they must really be desperate.  Just as I am ready to get in my bathtub, my phone pings again.

Noah:  We have a security issue.  Please call Dax back it would help me out a LOT.

UGH, so much for my time off.  If I have to travel, at least I get a change of scenery.

Phoebe: I LITERALLY just finished a job.  I need some sleep and food.  I will call Dax later.

Noah:  I owe you one, thanks!!

Phoebe:  Yes, you do!!

Thank you

I want to say a very special thank you to Deb and Ashley.  Your enthusiasm has helped keep me moving forward.  I appreciate the notes and comments and am glad to have you on this journey with me.

As always, thank you to my wonderful husband.  Without your support I don’t think I would have published anything.

About the Author

Ann Edwards is the pen name of a longtime fan of romance stories.  She lives with her husband and three dogs.  She enjoys camping, fishing and motorcycles. She has several other hobbies, in addition to reading, and a mild obsession with gnomes.

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