Read Online Gonzo (Rolling Thunder Motorcycle Club Book 7) by Candace Blevins - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Candace Blevins
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first. My dad took them, and then when they kept pestering me about going back, I found a few places I could take them, with trails we can easily navigate and no danger of bears.”
“I’m more at home in the woods than the city, too. I’d love to take them and begin teaching them good habits to practice when in the wild. You’re welcome to come as well, of course. I’ll protect you all from snakes, bears, and anything else that scares you.”
“Let’s hold off just a bit, but I’m game for an outing.” She looked back to the twins who were dragging things out of a huge closet and told them, “One thing. You may bring one thing downstairs to play with.”
Chloe turned to me and said, “Daddy, would you rather have a tea party or play with soldiers?”
I looked at Connie, hoping she’d change it to two things. When she didn’t, I said, “Let’s have a tea party up here, and then we can take the soldiers downstairs to play with. Does that work?”
----
C onnie and I didn’t leave for our talk for several hours, and I worried as we walked out the door together, but knew I had to do this. I drove her to Harrison Bay State Park and we got out and sat at a picnic table across from each other.
I’d cued up a picture on my phone of my first wife and kids, and handed her my phone.
“This picture was taken a week before my wife was diagnosed with cancer. Five months later, I buried her. A year later I thought I’d found the second love of my life — she was not only perfect for me, but she was great with my kids. I was a skip tracer, so I had guns around. She’d never been taught to handle them so I took her to the range and made sure she knew how to handle them safely and shoot accurately. I kept them locked up because of the kids, but thought she needed access in case there was a problem and I wasn’t home.”
I looked out at the water as I told the hard part. “Her family didn’t tell me about her mental problems. I knew nothing of them until I came home to find both of my kids dead, and barely got out alive myself.”
Somehow, I managed to pull myself away from the story so I could tell it without those damned tears forming again. I pulled my shirt off so she could see the three scars from the bullets I’d taken in the chest, and then put it back on. Werewolves can heal damage, but I’d been human when I was shot. When I was bitten and changed , I came back to the human form I’d had when I’d been turned. However, I was telling this story without the werewolf bits.
“I was in the hospital six weeks, and when I finally got out, my life was just… gone. I got the all-clear to return to normal activity six months later, and I sold everything and decided to hike the Appalachian Trail while I figured out what to do with myself. I made my way from Georgia to the section on the Virginia and West Virginia border, but I was so tired of being around people. I’d expected solitude on the trail but some days it was a fucking freeway of hikers.”
I smelled her grief and had a feeling she hadn’t looked me up to find out my history. I took a fortifying breath and continued. “I left the trail and found some people in West Virginia who welcomed me to stay with them a while if I’d help on their farm. I met Bud — the President of the MC chapter in Atlanta — through them, and now I’m a biker. Someone once told me I’ve found a new family, but this one can protect themselves. If someone pulls a gun on this family, they’ll shoot first.” I shook my head. “I’m terrified for Chloe and Declan, but I know I can’t worry too much or they’ll sense it. I’ll work through it, but I needed you to understand I’ve been a father before, and now that I know I have kids, I have to do right by them.”
She had tears in her eyes as she handed my phone back to me. “I know your daughter’s name was Clara, what was your son’s name?”
“Nicholas, but we called him Nicky or Nick.”
“Clara
“I’m more at home in the woods than the city, too. I’d love to take them and begin teaching them good habits to practice when in the wild. You’re welcome to come as well, of course. I’ll protect you all from snakes, bears, and anything else that scares you.”
“Let’s hold off just a bit, but I’m game for an outing.” She looked back to the twins who were dragging things out of a huge closet and told them, “One thing. You may bring one thing downstairs to play with.”
Chloe turned to me and said, “Daddy, would you rather have a tea party or play with soldiers?”
I looked at Connie, hoping she’d change it to two things. When she didn’t, I said, “Let’s have a tea party up here, and then we can take the soldiers downstairs to play with. Does that work?”
----
C onnie and I didn’t leave for our talk for several hours, and I worried as we walked out the door together, but knew I had to do this. I drove her to Harrison Bay State Park and we got out and sat at a picnic table across from each other.
I’d cued up a picture on my phone of my first wife and kids, and handed her my phone.
“This picture was taken a week before my wife was diagnosed with cancer. Five months later, I buried her. A year later I thought I’d found the second love of my life — she was not only perfect for me, but she was great with my kids. I was a skip tracer, so I had guns around. She’d never been taught to handle them so I took her to the range and made sure she knew how to handle them safely and shoot accurately. I kept them locked up because of the kids, but thought she needed access in case there was a problem and I wasn’t home.”
I looked out at the water as I told the hard part. “Her family didn’t tell me about her mental problems. I knew nothing of them until I came home to find both of my kids dead, and barely got out alive myself.”
Somehow, I managed to pull myself away from the story so I could tell it without those damned tears forming again. I pulled my shirt off so she could see the three scars from the bullets I’d taken in the chest, and then put it back on. Werewolves can heal damage, but I’d been human when I was shot. When I was bitten and changed , I came back to the human form I’d had when I’d been turned. However, I was telling this story without the werewolf bits.
“I was in the hospital six weeks, and when I finally got out, my life was just… gone. I got the all-clear to return to normal activity six months later, and I sold everything and decided to hike the Appalachian Trail while I figured out what to do with myself. I made my way from Georgia to the section on the Virginia and West Virginia border, but I was so tired of being around people. I’d expected solitude on the trail but some days it was a fucking freeway of hikers.”
I smelled her grief and had a feeling she hadn’t looked me up to find out my history. I took a fortifying breath and continued. “I left the trail and found some people in West Virginia who welcomed me to stay with them a while if I’d help on their farm. I met Bud — the President of the MC chapter in Atlanta — through them, and now I’m a biker. Someone once told me I’ve found a new family, but this one can protect themselves. If someone pulls a gun on this family, they’ll shoot first.” I shook my head. “I’m terrified for Chloe and Declan, but I know I can’t worry too much or they’ll sense it. I’ll work through it, but I needed you to understand I’ve been a father before, and now that I know I have kids, I have to do right by them.”
She had tears in her eyes as she handed my phone back to me. “I know your daughter’s name was Clara, what was your son’s name?”
“Nicholas, but we called him Nicky or Nick.”
“Clara
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