Harlow"Splendid!" Madoc exclaimed. "That's exactly the kind of go-get-'em positive thinking we need. Hip, hip..."Madoc threw his arm in the air, waiting for a group "hurray," but it never came."I see we don't do group chants," he said. "We'll work on that.""This is bullsh*t," said Bonnie."Now, Ms. Black," Madoc replied, "if you have feedback you wish to share, please save it for the suggestion box. You can hash out the rest of the details yourselves. I'll be right over here if you kiddies need any help."Madoc sat on a bar stool, pulled out a newspaper from his jacket, and began working on a crossword puzzle.Bonnie looked like she was about to blow her top."I'll be ok," I assured her."We're sending Stitch as one of the escorts," she said. "At least we'll have someone there to help if Harlow gets hurt. That leaves three more.""I volunteer," Cyrus said, throwing me a quick glance."You just wanna go 'cause your wannabe girlfriend's leading the charge," Blayze snapped.
HarlowThe next day, Red, Goldie, and I finished up all the passports for the trip. Then Red closed up the bar at 3:00 in the afternoon, so everyone had time to get ready for the potluck. The whole MC was expected to be there, and from what I could tell, a lot of non-MC pack members were attending, too. That also meant that Cyrus and I would once again be in the same place. But being surrounded by people from both sides, we couldn't actually interact with each other."This used to be Arlene's big tradition," Red explained. "A pack-wide potluck at her place the night before a group got on the road for a big out-of-town mission. I've actually kinda missed it. The last one we had was right before the Mexico incident.""That was when Cyrus's father was killed?" I asked.Red nodded. "Him and eleven others. Lola, Dax, and Mac were the only ones on that mission that made it outta there alive. D*mned hunters just ambushed 'em. That last potluck was the last time things really felt whole."
Harlow"What's that about?" I thought to myself after seeing some blonde getting handsy with Cyrus. After all we'd been through in the past week, I felt like I could trust him. His "friend" on the other hand… Brat, Red, Gunner, and I got the food off the back of our bikes and followed Bonnie to the front steps of an old farmhouse. Cyrus had walked up to the porch and was talking to a pleasant-looking middle-aged blonde woman. She was full-figured with a round face and wore a hippie-style dress under a fringy leather jacket. "Is this the famous Harlow?" she asked when we approached. "Our newest prospect," Bonnie replied. "It's good to see you, Arlene." "You too, sweetie." Arlene gave Bonnie a kiss on the cheek. She turned to me and said, "You've certainly made an impression on both of my boys. I'm Blayze's mom." She extended her hand to me. "And Cyrus's momma number two." "It's n
Harlow"You human b*tch!" Stella screamed as she lurched forward and put her hands on Brat's throat. The girl was small, but she was still a werewolf and had no problem lifting Brat off her feet. She dropped Brat back down, though, when Red and Gunner both pulled her back."Stella, come on!" Gunner exclaimed.Stella began to shift, and sandy blonde hair began to sprout all over her body."Enough!" Blayze's voice roared from across the yard.Suddenly, Stella stopped the shift and came fully back to her human form."Blayze," she said with a pout. "This human—""You're at my mom's house," he said sternly. "You disrespect her; you disrespect me. Get out.""But—" Stella began."Now!" Without another word, Stella left. One of the Howler guys followed her out. I presumed to give her a ride.Red and Gunner both burst out laughing as Bonnie and the other officers approached."Well," Bonnie said to Brat, "that's one way to start a patch-in.""I'm sorry, Bonnie," Bra
Harlow"Do you know how to attach a PDF to an email?" Madoc asked, shattering the ominous moment we'd just shared."Wait—what? Was that your question?" I asked. He turned on his heels and hurried back to his computer. "Yes. I've spent the last hour-and-a-half trying to figure it out." I was taken aback when I realized he was using a boxy computer monitor that was so large it looked like it could launch a nuclear missile. A burst of laughter slipped out before I could stop it. He scowled."Sorry," I said. "I just realized that you're using a computer that came out before I was born." He still wasn't amused. "Why do you want my help anyway? You could have asked anybody else to do this for you.""I like you." Madoc shrugged. "In a purely platonic sort of way, that is. So...is that a 'yes' with the PDF?"I sighed. "Yeah, I can help you." "Amazing." He got up from his swivel chair and pulled it out for me."I just find it…" I paused, trying to be delicate. "Unique that
HarlowThe next morning was a big day for a couple of reasons. One: We would be getting on the road and driving to Mexico to pick up what we could only guess was illegal cargo. Two: We would know sometime that day if Brat made it through her first shift. If she survived, she'd be a Blood Dog for life.Before we got started, I rode my bike to Brat's little house to say goodbye. Goldie's bike was parked out front. She'd kept watch of Brat through the night. Stitch drove up behind me with his medical bag."Mornin', Harlow," he said as he dismounted. "Just here to give some TLC to our girl before we get on the road."The front door was unlocked, so I let us both in."Hello?""In here," Goldie's voice called from the bedroom.The bedroom doorway had a beaded curtain separating it from the living room, and the beads rattled as Stitch and I stepped through.Goldie looked exhausted, but Brat looked awful. She was awake but drenched in sweat. The mark on her wrist from Bonnie was deeply
HarlowI was greeted by six cuts bearing emblems of a flaming sword surrounded by seven rings as I sped toward the Seventh Circle bikers from behind. They'd been following our caravan for several minutes and were quickly gaining on our four bikes. From my vantage point, I could see that these guys were packing, and pretty soon, they would be in firing-range of Cyrus and the others.Thinking fast, I pulled up to within six feet of them. Once I matched the engine speed with the transmission, I pressed down on the clutch and stepped on the gas pedal, which made my GTO roar like a metal beast. Panicked by my sudden appearance, the two men bringing up the rear swerved and almost lost control of their bikes.To drive my point home, I brought my car closer and revved the engine even louder than before. They seemed to take my threat seriously, and all six of them took the nearest highway exit. Crisis averted.I let out a huge breath of relief and gave the steering wheel a hardy love pat. "
Harlow"Those were some good enchiladas," Red said as everyone left the restaurant. "And tamales...and chiles en Nevada.""Nogada." Cyrus corrected him with a smirk.We'd spent the better part of three hours there while the guys gorged themselves on round after round of Mexican food. We'd finally gotten word that the truck had been loaded and was ready to go.As we approached the big rig, the reality of what we were doing settled in. Crossing the border with an empty truck was one thing. But now that it was fully stocked with whatever illegal cargo we were transporting, we had stepped into the dangerous world of smuggling. Everyone in the group seemed on edge.The same Sunshine Corp employee who kept us out of the warehouse approached. "You should get moving. The transportation of these goods is time-sensitive. And I remind you that if the shipments are tampered with before you reach your destination, there will be consequences.""Alright, let's move out," Red called out. On his