Buried Treasure Ch. 31-35

Harleigh/Heather's POV

Duluth Hotel Room

Teasing Greg was so much fun. I could tell all my stretches, rubs, and comments had kept him hard as a rock for most of the time we were together. I'd almost had him this afternoon when I was half awake, and my hand roamed south. He didn't pull it away immediately, so he was thinking about it. Even when he took my hand, he kept it close.

If I hadn't been healing from a gunshot wound, I'd have jumped him already. He was great looking, had an amazing muscled body, and treated me like the most important person in his world. He didn't say anything about my breakdown; he just held me and told me it would be all right. Sleeping in his arms kept the nightmares away.

I was falling fast for my bodyguard.

I was hoping we would be in hiding for months now. I could get used to staying with him in hotel rooms, pretending to be married.

Could I do that? I'd always thought it would be years before I got married, but being Mrs. Greg Barks was a lot of fun. I just had to keep working on him, slowly breaking down that wall of his where he saw me as a teenager in trouble, not a woman and a lover.

I finished my pecan pie, amazed at how little food was leftover from the barbecue delivery. "Can you help me to the bathroom, please?"

"Of course. Let me wash up first, so I don't get you sticky." He got up, turning away but not quickly enough to hide his arousal in his shorts.

Yes, Mrs. Barks would be a satisfied woman.

I bet if I touched it, he'd go off like a rocket and it wouldn't be just his hands that were all sticky.

I giggled as he turned to hide in the hallway, facing the wall rather than the door. I started counting; no guy spent more than forty seconds washing up.

He came out three minutes later, the family tent now a pup tent. He lifted me to my feet and steadied me as I walked in. As he turned me to sit on the toilet, my hand accidentally brushed his crotch. He froze, then turned his head as I lowered my shorts and panties, and he helped me down. "It doesn't hurt as much now, you know? It's been painful and stiff for hours, but coming in here helped a lot." Brief pause. "Didn't it?"

"I'm sure you're right," he said as he looked away. His cheeks were red.

Busted.

I finished, and he helped me to the sink where I thoroughly washed my hands and face. "I feel grungy. Do you think I could take a bath or shower?"

He paused. "I did buy some plastic bandages, but they won't hold up for a bath. You can have a shower if I help you and we are careful. Would you rather I shower with you, or give you a sponge bath?"

"You're how old, Greg?"

"Twenty-two."

"You've seen naked women before?"

"Of course."

"Good, I'm just another one, and I'm injured and need help. If you can control yourself, I won't mention this to any biker Presidents."

He thought about it. "Fine, but we do your hair while we are in the tub." He helped He brought a chair in from the dining table into the tub, then had me strip to underwear before picking me up and setting me in place.

The bullet wound still hurt if I moved wrong, and he apologized for it. "Not your fault, I'm fine." I took one last look at my bleach-blonde hair that went down to my shoulder blades. "How short are you making it?"

"At least off the shoulder. We need you to look different, and the dye job is less obvious on shorter hair. I'm thinking the black hair like Kate Beckinsale in Underworld. I'll leave it unkempt, and won't hang out much past a helmet."

"Kate was freaking HOT in that movie, so just like her will be fine."

"You liked that movie?"

"Sure. The vampires creep me out, but the werewolf sex in it fueled many a hot dream in high school." He froze again. "PLEASE tell me you're not into Twilight sparkling vampires."

"Those are so hokey, just like saying a vampire can't come into your house unless invited." He had gripped my hair in his hand and was cutting below it. I watched as we talked about the best werewolf, vampire and other horror movies. When he was done cutting my hair, it looked fantastic. Random length, and the bangs long so they would frame my face if I leaned forward. Helping me up, he removed the chair and my underwear before getting in with me, tented shorts and all. He used the wand while I leaned my head back to rinse it.

I swear, having a man shampoo my hair presses all my buttons. It's second only to a foot rub in my book. Greg's fingers danced across my scalp as I bit bank moans. When finished, he sat me on the edge of the tub before getting the plastic sheet and towels.

He dyed my hair well, and it looked great. "If you can do massages I'll hire you," I told him as I looked at my new hairstyle in the mirror.

"Happy endings are extra, Miss."

"Worth every penny." He didn't reply as he helped me up. I almost felt bad for him as he scrubbed and rinsed my body, trying not to stare. He finished up, grabbing a towel and carefully wrapping it around me. He helped me step out. "I'm going to brush my teeth if you want to shower," I said.

He closed the door, and his shorts fell to the tub with a wet splat. He turned it on, and I could see him leaning into the cold water to save himself further embarrassment. I decided to make my move; I'd never get him more worked up. Moving the door aside, I turned off the cold water as he tried to cover himself. "You told me I could have a happy ending," I said as I looked into his eyes. Panic, fear, and lust warred in them. As I grasped his hard length in my hand, lust won out. "I want to do this for you," I said as my hand started to move.

"We... I'm not... FUCK that feels good," he said as he gave in.

I used my hand, squeezing and moving as I'd seen on the porn videos. Greg grabbed the shower rail with both hands as I moved faster, stopping only to soap up my hand. The slippery handjob had him spraying down the walls in minutes. "Now you can relax," I said.

"By the Goddess that was nice," he said. "Thank you."

"Finish up; we can watch a movie or something." He did, and he led me back into the bedroom. He helped me into sleep shorts and a thin top after changing my dressings. He soon had me comfortably resting in bed.

I could sense he was distancing himself. "We are consenting adults in the privacy of a hotel room, Greg. Don't make it awkward now. I can see how much you want me, and I like you. A lot."

"I want you so badly, Heather, but there is more in play than just us." He explained a little about his life as we sat in bed together, him in just shorts. I curled into his side, my fingers tracing the muscles on his chest and abs as he held me gently. "After my leg was amputated, I lost my job. They didn't think an amputee could work private security, so I took a chance in Minnesota. Part of the reason I was assigned to protect you is that I had no other ties to them, plus I wouldn't raise suspicions traveling with you since our ages are so close."

"You do make a good doting husband."

He kissed my black hair and continued. "I'm brand new in this job, and I need to do it well if I'm to keep working for them. My Al... my bosses depend on me to keep you safe, and they told me to stay alert and be professional. The things I'd like to do to your hot little body, those things are decidedly unprofessional."

"We're newlyweds," I answered. "I won't tell if you won't."

"It was a mistake, Heather."

I rolled away, fighting down the sting of rejection. "You could tell your bosses the truth. Tell them you have feelings for me, and ask to be reassigned."

"I can't do that either. I think I'm falling in love with you, Heather Rhodes, and I can't trust anyone else to keep you safe. I can't imagine being anywhere but by your side."

I didn't know what to say. This amazing man just confessed he might love me, he wanted to protect me, but he couldn't BE with me. "So you aren't rejecting me, you're putting me off for a while."

"Exactly. We can be friends for now. I will be here to help and protect you from those men, but nothing more can happen until this assignment is over."

Friends? I'll work on friends with benefits. There was no way I was sleeping in a bed with this hot guy day after day, and not having him scratching my itches. "And then what?"

"Someday this threat will be over, and you can come out of hiding. When that happens, we'll see Mongo together, and I'll do the right thing. I'll take the beating for you, Heather."

I could live with that. I fell asleep with my head on his shoulder and a smile on his face. I'd start moving that line in the morning.

Greg's POV

Next morning

"Greg, wake up, Arrowhead is under attack!" Charles' send over the Pack Link had my eyes open instantly.

Nothing like a good wakeup. I moved Heather's arm off me, replacing me with my pillow. She pulled it to her face and settled down.

"What do we know?"

"Three panthers off the lake. Nothing unusual on my patrol, Bonnie is taking close patrol."

"I'll be in the hotel lot in three minutes," she said.

I looked at the clock; it was just past six. I was dressed and armed in minutes, a Glock 19 in a holster inside my jeans. "What do you think?"

"We should get ready to move. You get everything packed, we will guard the hotel until you leave."

I pulled out my bag, going to the dresser I started putting clean clothes in. I was putting dirty laundry into a plastic bag when a thought hit me. "If they knew where Heather was, the panthers would have come here instead. Heather is what they want, and Chase And Rori aren't even at Arrowhead. Maybe this is to try and flush us out? They could be waiting for a phone call or a text to go out to us."

"SHIT! You may be right. If they trace the text I got, it will lead them to this area."

"We're leaving in twenty minutes. Bonnie, stay near the parking lot as I bring Heather out." I turned and woke Heather out of her sleep, picking her up. "We are leaving now. The Sons are attacking Rori's house, and we have to get away."

Her eyes got big as I set her on the toilet. I called the front desk and checked out, leaving it on my card. I did ask for a luggage cart, which they would send right away. Ten minutes later, we were packed, and I was helping her with her jacket.

She held on to the cart for balance as I pushed it to the elevator. I nodded at Bonnie as I put Heather in the passenger seat, then loaded the luggage before getting in.

"Where are we going," she asked as I pulled out of the lot.

"If they trace us to here, they will think we are heading south. We are going west instead. I hope the weather holds."

"Greg." I looked into her eyes. "I trust you. Drive randomly, until we find a good place to stay."

I pulled up the Garmin at the stoplight. "Charlie, we are going to drive west on 194 to Highway 2 West, just in case they are watching Interstate 35. Go check out and get on the road."

"Already moving, drive safe. Get some distance before you stop."

That meant no breakfast, but he was right. Heather put on a hat and sunglasses, then leaned the seat back and went to sleep. I focused on driving, not wanting to get pulled over with an unlicensed pistol in my belt.

"Greg, we texted with Coral," Bonnie said. "The attack was repelled. All three panthers are dead and no injuries."

"Thank Luna for that."

"Yeah. I told her what you thought about flushing us out, and she agrees. She told us to go completely dark. No phones, no internet, no contact at all. No contact with friends or Packs. Just hide."

"How will they know we are all right?"

"On the first of each month, one of us is to drive close enough to use the Pack Link. Coral will get all the updates, and we disappear again."

Man, this was a mess. "Any idea where to go?"

"It's a six-hour drive, but no one would dream of looking for you there. Who in the hell would voluntarily go to Fargo in the winter?"

I had to hand it to him, Fargo, North Dakota wasn't a great place in the summer! No Packs were nearby, and it was out of the way, yet had food interstate access and a college with young people so she could blend in. They would have plenty of cheap hotel rooms too; she needed rest to heal up. "We will find an extended-stay hotel where we don't have to eat out every meal, somewhere with a pool and a good workout room. Since we are alone, I think I want you guys in the same hotel, preferably on the same floor."

"Sounds good. We are just leaving now. Try to keep within link range, even let us catch up."

I broke my phone and tossed it out the window. Changing directions, I headed down to pick up the road to Brainerd. From there, it was a straight shot to Fargo on Highway 10, completely across northern Minnesota. The rural roads would have no cameras, that was a plus.

I took my pistol out and put it in the center storage compartment. Heather was snoring softly, and I reached over and took her hand in mine. I silently vowed to Luna that no one would ever hurt my girl.

Ch. 32

Three Tequilas POV

Returning From Ceremony

Two down, one to go.

I was sitting with three of the newly widowed Steel Ladies, trying to comfort them in their loss. We rallied around our own, and the Ladies would stay with them as they adjusted. "What do I do now," Bambi cried into my shoulder. She got her road name after her first time riding on the back of Gunny's Harley; she was so excited she could hardly stand.

"You grieve him and get through the day," I said. "The big decisions can wait a bit. I need you to take care of yourself; eat, sleep, and lean on the Ladies for help." We would be there to help her sort through insurance, probate, and everything else. She worked at Disney, a decent job but not enough to keep the big house payment and be around for her two-year-old son, who was sleeping on Mighty Elk's lap. She could think about downsizing later.

I was doing what I needed to do as a Steel Ladies Chapter President, but I was barely holding on. I needed my Mongo to hold me and tell me everything would be all right, and he was still in jail.

We arrived back at the temporary clubhouse to find the rows of folding chairs gone, replaced by tables and chairs. The caterers were set up along one side of the big hall, while a long bar and a line of kegs dominated the other. The photos of the dead were still along the back, but the stage was gone.

In its place was a long table under each person's image with things from his or her life. The widows and I were amazed at what we found there, especially since everything in the Clubhouse was gone. A book at each let people write memories for the survivors of the good times, and who was there.

Bambi and her son embraced as they stood by Gunny's table. It had lots of things from his twenty years as a Marine. He'd been buried in full dress uniform with an honor guard, with his Brotherhood cut tucked by his side.

I moved over to Harleigh's table. It was covered with photos of her growing up, playing baseball, in her judo gi accepting the Florida Champion trophy, even when she got her Steel Ladies cut. Tripod, our VP, saw me crying and came over to hug me. "How?"

"The stuff from her house was moved to a storage garage before the fire. We had a few people look through it, and her friends from high school and college did the rest."

I could see some girls in softball jerseys hugging each other as they cried. I looked at the table, tears falling as I touched each thing. Tripod stayed with me as I moved to Sean's table. There were photos of him as a Marine, and a few veterans were standing there. "Did you serve with him," I asked.

"We did, and we are so sorry," an older man in full dress said. "I was in his Company for his last year, and he was a fine Marine. We couldn't believe he got messed up with drugs and gangs, and only now do we see why. He sacrificed a lot for us."

"Thank you." I introduced myself since he had been my brother-in-law, then introduced Tripod to them. I left them to go to my sister's table. The first to die, she was at the end. Tripod brought me a chair as I broke down sobbing for her, and the Ladies surrounded me too.

I looked at the memories; sports, graduation, her law license, and first case. A photo of her leaning back into Sean's arms in front of a waterfall. Their wedding, Harleigh's birth, both of them getting their cuts. I held the photograph in my hands of the two of us with Harleigh in between us, looking back over our shoulders at the camera in our Steel Ladies-Orlando cuts. My tears were dropping onto the frame.

I didn't know how long I'd been crying when my phone rang. I pulled it out, a little pissed off someone would be calling now, then I saw it was Juanita, Mongo's lawyer. "Hello?"

"T, it's Juanita. Mongo is being released; he's processing out now." I dropped the phone. "Hello?"

"I'm here," I said as I picked it up. "Really?"

"I was with the District Attorney when she made the call. It was Manilo all along, and they have evidence. They couldn't keep him. Do you want to pick him up, or I could order him an Uber."

"NO! The Club will get him." I waved Tripod over. "Thank you."

"You're welcome. Keep my number on speed dial; I think you'll need it."

I told Tripod, and he took over. "ATTENTION!" The place got quiet. "Mongo's getting out since they finally figured out he's innocent." Shouts echoed through the room. "Prospects, load his ride into the van with Three Tequila. Any Brother who wants to go fetch him with me, let's roll."

The party was going to continue for hours, so by the time we rolled out, we had at least three dozen motorcycles in our group. They stayed outside talking to some of the cops and deputies that had descended on us, still thinking we were the trouble. "Invite them to the party, it was their men too," I told the boys as I went in.

I only waited five minutes before he came out, dressed just like I'd left him. I jumped into his arms, and he spun me around as we kissed. "Let's get the fuck out of here, we're missing the party," he said.

We walked out to cheers, and I got on his new Ultra Glide which the Prospects had placed up in front. We were cheered as we arrived, and Mongo and I were back where we needed to be. We were honoring our fallen.

The party was a blowout, and by the end of the night, I felt better. I had so many people tell me about Easy, Peasy and Crash and their antics; I even laughed a few times.

The building was filled to overflow, spilling into the parking lot and forcing the Ladies to take prospects on emergency food and booze runs. The reloadable debit cards Chase left with us were a lot lighter the next day. The rank and file police, seeing the Sons had killed their brothers and we weren't the thugs they made Mongo out to be, defied their Chief and showed up en masse. It was past three am when the last guests were home or transported to their hotels by the prospects.

I looked around the big space as Mongo hugged me from behind. "I like this building, a lot more room and fully air-conditioned. We couldn't have pulled it off in our old building." That old clubhouse was a third this size, including the garage. "What if we bought this place using the insurance and sold the old property for development?"

"It's a lot more money, but I get what you mean. We could have three times as many rooms, all bigger and nicer."

"I'll talk to Rori. If she's serious about putting the rest of the money from that house, she got to the Club, maybe the numbers work. I'd rather fix this place up and keep it than move again in a year."