Rori followed the directions to the Manchester chapter of the Steel Brotherhood and was met at the gate by a prospect. "Have her put the motorcycle inside," a woman said from the door, and he opened the gate then ran over to the multi-bay garage attached to the warehouse-like building. She parked her baby in the back. As she got off and removed her helmet and chaps, the heavyset woman was on her. "Welcome, child. I'm Howler, I'm head of the Steel Ladies here. Three Tequila explained everything, you're safe here." She gave her a big hug and looked at the Prospect. "Fill her tank, wash it then cover her motorcycle with a sheet," she said as she led her away.
"Thank you for taking me in," she said.
"Rori, you should know by now that the Ladies will always take care of their own." She opened the door that led into the clubhouse; it was big, with a kitchen and bathrooms behind the long bar, pool tables and a bunch of booths and tables. She led her over to a table where three men were sitting over coffee and pancakes. "Rori, this is Bear, my old man and chapter President. His VP, Throttle, and his Master-At-Arms, Reaper."
The three men stood, and instead of the handshakes she expected, each of them pulled her into a quick hug. They all sat down, with Rori sitting between the Bear and Howler. The names fit; Bear was a huge man, barrel chested with long brown hair and beard. Throttle looked like a racer, he was thin but strong, and Reaper? He just looked dangerous. He had curly black hair to his broad shoulders and dark eyes. "Have you eaten yet?" She shook her head no. "PROSPECT! Bring another plate and some juice for the girl."
The President looked over at her. "When I talked to Mongo this morning, I told him I'd make sure you were taken care of. He was pretty shook up over what you told him, but I need to hear it for myself. What kind of trouble are you in, Rori?"
She had thought about how much she could say to him, and it was a little more than she expected. She started with her walk in the woods with her friend, how her friend was almost killed as they tried to take her and then they tried again at the hospital. "They called me Charlotte, said I belonged to them," she said as her food arrived. "I don't know why. I was adopted when I was one, I don't know who my birth parents were. I talked to my Mom, we had to get out of there and disappear. The Police Chief helped with the judge, we changed our names under victim protection laws, sold the house and most of our stuff, then moved to Orlando to start over. That's where I really started riding and painting, and I got involved with the Steel Ladies."
"I saw the photos of your mural, you're very talented," Bear said.
"Thank you. Anyway, we left town thinking all was good, but I noticed someone following us near Madison. I got a good look at the driver, then didn't see him again. He was a big guy, in his forties, and he stared at me for a second and I could feel his possessiveness. I thought maybe I made a mistake, that it was a coincidence."
"It can happen. Sometimes a guy sees a woman on the road and takes an interest," Throttle said.
"So we fast forward six months. A friend invites me to the Adirondacks where her family has a place for the Fourth of July. I ride up there with her and her father. We get to the house, we're meeting people, then he shows up."
"The guy from the road?"
"Yep. He stares at me, says 'Welcome home, Charlotte' and I panic." She looks down at her hands. "You should know I'm not all, um, there all the time. I have schizophrenia and blackouts, sometimes I can get out of control." Howler put her hand on Rori's in support. "I take meds to control it, but the shock of seeing him, I blacked out again. I woke up in a bedroom in the middle of the night, naked and alone. The door was locked. I couldn't trust any of them, not if they were associated with the ones who almost killed my best friend. I snuck out the window and got to my motorcycle. They'd placed a tracker on it. I took off, barely getting past a couple of guys on the road before I got off their property and drove away as fast as I could."
"That's when you called Mongo?" She nodded. "These people... did they do anything to you while you were out?"
She could see the anger in their eyes; she was one of the Ladies, even if she was a thousand miles from her home chapter, and they would kill anyone who touched her that way. "No... I don't think so. There wasn't any blood, and I'm not sore... you know." Howler pulled her into a hug, and she let go of the emotions she had been holding back. They let her cry as the Prospect came over with a piece of paper and handed it to Bear. He read it, then passed it to the others.
She finally stopped crying on Howler's shoulder and sat up again. Bear handed her the sheet, and she read it. It was a region-wide BOLO (Be On Lookout) for her; it had her Florida driver's license photo and a license plate and description of her Harley, down to the custom wolf art. She was listed as a runaway with a mental illness that may cause violent outbursts. She handed it to Howler, then looked at the men. "It's true, except the runaway part. Mongo is going to explain to my Mom why I had to leave. I can't let these people harm her to get to me."
"We're going to have to keep you under wraps for a while, let things cool down," Reaper said.
"Her motorcycle is distinctive, it's freaking amazing the art on it," Howler said. "Add in the Florida plates, and they'll see her."
Bear turned to Rori in full President-mode. "You have the protection of our Club, and run of the grounds. There is a guest room upstairs you can use as long as you wish, and we'll keep your bike hidden. We just need you to stay out of sight, at least until things cool off for you," he said. "Your ride stays parked and covered, you stay in the Clubhouse or the Garage, and do what we tell you to keep you safe."
"I understand," she said. "I won't be a problem, and I'll help out where I can. I can clean or something, I can pay for room and board."
"You're a guest, Rori," Howler said. "But, I'm sure I can come up with a few things to keep you busy if you're willing."
"Thank you."
"Finish your food, then my old lady will show you to your room and get you settled," Bear said. "Reaper, send out a text to the patched members, church at six tonight to talk about all this. In the meantime, pass the word, nobody is to talk about Rori with anyone who is outside the Club. Got it?" They all nodded. "Now you've got my curiosity up, I gotta go see this bike. Do you mind, Rori?"
"Not at all. The mural was a stretch for me with its size, I do most of my work at normal painting size, but it was fun to customize my Harley that way."
"I gotta see it too," Throttle said.
"Why don't we all go, I have to grab my bag," Rori said. "I had a big breakfast so I'm pretty much done anyway." The five got up, and the Prospect followed them out along with a couple more members who had overheard what was going on. Her Harley was in the back corner, and when she pulled the sheet back there were whistles.
"Holy shit, that's some nice work," Bear said. The men walked around it, taking in the detail of the custom paint. "It's not airbrushed," he said.
"I haven't learned airbrushing, that's all done with brushes," she said. "Acrylics, then four spray clearcoat layers to protect it."
"Damn." He looked at the prospect. "Make sure it's clean and don't scratch it," he told him as he unhooked her bag and handed it to her. "If you want to do any work while you are here, I want to be first in line."
"Second," Howler said. "She's a Steel Lady, and I saw her first."
Rori just blushed. "I don't have any of my supplies, hell, I barely have any clothes."
