After kissing Aoife on the forehead, Chibs pulled on a pair of sweatpants and a black athletic tank and padded out to the beer refrigerator. Juice and Tig looked up from their pool game. "How is she?" Juice asked.
"Still asleep." Chibs popped the cap off the beer and took a long swallow on his way to them. "Thank you. Both of you."
"Absolutely, brother." Tig gestured with his thumb towards the pool table. "You want to take a turn getting your ass kicked? Beating Juice is way too easy. You're at least some competition. We'll keep the bets under $100 each game."
"Generous offer, but, no, Tig. Your hair and eyes may be the same color, but my old lady's prettier than you and in my bed." Chibs turned his gaze to Juice. "What do we know about the guy who ran Aoife off the road?"
"Black SUV, nobody spotted plates, nobody even saw the driver. Our best bet is that it was smashed up badly enough that it's noticeable. I put out messages to our contacts at other garages." Juice chalked up his pool cue while he talked. "I've hacked into the databases of most of the rental car companies that are less than a day's drive and am looking for any black SUVs currently unaccounted for. It's the best we can do right now."
Chibs sighed with frustration and took another sip of beer. "I know, Juicey-boy. I just wish we could find the bastard so that I could chop his damn head off for hurting my lass."
"I'll hold him down for you." Tig clapped a hand on Chibs' shoulder in solidarity. In a subject change that only made sense to Tig, he then said, "Hey, we were thinking of ordering Chinese. Menu's on the bar. You and Aoife want to get in on that?"
"Aye, that sounds really good." Chibs circled some items on the menu. "And since Juice still owes me a twenty, he can pay for ours." Ignoring Juice's protests, Chibs informed Tig that he was going to go check on Aoife.
Aoife opened her eyes when Chibs closed the door behind him. "Hey, handsome," she mumbled.
Aoife winced as she tried to sit up, and Chibs rushed to assist her. "It's probably time for your pain medication. I'll go get it and some water." She swallowed the pills down with a grimace. "Tig and Juice ordered some Chinese food. You feeling up to eating in the clubhouse?"
"Food sounds lovely, but I feel…grungy."
"Then let's get you cleaned up." Chibs helped Aoife up and provided an extra set of hands to get her out of his t-shirt and boxers. He covered the cast to keep it from getting wet and then removed his own clothes. He turned on the water, checked the temperature, and stepped into the shower, holding his arms out to Aoife. She followed into the shower, and then he enfolded her in his arms and stood there, holding her under the hot water. Chibs brushed his lips to Aoife's and then his right hand ghosted over her cheek, skipping over the abrasions and barely touching the purpling bruises. "I am so sorry this happened to you."
"There was nothing you could have done, even if you were with me. You'd be just as banged up as I am." Aoife caught his hand and held it to her cheek. "You're here now. That's what matters to me." They kissed again then Chibs used her shoulders to turn her around.
"Let's get you cleaned up," Chibs breathed. He picked up the shampoo bottle and poured some of the liquid on his hands. He massaged the shampoo into her dark tresses, rinsed it away, and then washed his own hair before reaching for the conditioner. He could already see his ministrations and the hot water had reduced some of the tension in her neck and shoulders. Aoife braced herself against the shower wall as Chibs squirted her body wash onto a washcloth and slowly, sensuously, washed her entire body, rinsing away the suds and then kissing her clean skin.
"So fucking beautiful and sexy," he murmured as his lips danced across her shoulders. Aoife leaned into his touch.
Aoife heard a thump. "Is someone banging on the door?"
Chibs turned off the water, and they heard Tig yell. "Chibsy! Pull your damn pants up and get your ass out here before I eat all your fucking food!"
A pile of empty takeout containers and dirty forks and chopsticks sat on the table where Tig, Juice, Aoife, and Chibs were seated. They were taking turns breaking open the extra fortune cookies that had come with their order. Aoife cracked open her third and read aloud, "When all else fails, smile for today and just love someone." She looked over at Chibs, who winked and leaned in for quick kiss.
"Get a room," Tig mocked, playfully tossing a balled-up napkin at them.
The door to the clubhouse slammed open so hard it bounced off the wall, and Jax walked in. "We gotta move. The ATF is in town thanks to those militia idiots, and it's only a matter of time before they're here. Where's Clay?" Jax noticed Aoife for the first time and turned on his 1000-watt smile. "Hey, darlin', how you feeling?"
"Better," Aoife assured him.
"Good. I know Chibs doesn't want you here when the ATF shows up, so I was going to call my Mom and ask her if she could take you back to your place. I need Chibs here with me. Sorry, sweetheart."
Chibs' hand moved to cover Aoife's. They exchanged a look, and Aoife nodded. "I understand. I'll go gather my things."
Aoife flipped her phone closed. Chibs had almost finished his work for the night and would be over soon. She'd fitfully slept away the rest of the afternoon, checking her phone for texts from him. He'd been good about it, sending brief notes to update her and assure her he was fine, discounting that those "bloody ATF bastards" had scratched his favorite pair of sunglasses when they threw him to the ground. She was "sleeped out," she told him in one text, and hoped she wouldn't keep him up too late. She dug into the freezer and came up with a pint of Ben & Jerry's ice cream. As she scooped out her first spoonful, she heard a motorcycle engine. Picking up the pint and spoon, she wandered over to the window and peeked out. She watched two bikes ride under her window - Bobby and Tig, if she guessed right. Her eyes followed them up the street and then she froze. She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and then looked at the black SUV parked just a little down the street, backed into the angled spot the wrong way. The SUV's front bumper was crumpled and scraped. A hole edged by ragged glass was where the passenger side headlight should be, and the front passenger side corner was crushed. Cramming the spoon into the ice cream, Aoife pulled her phone out of her robe pocket and dialed Chibs.
"Aye?" he answered on the fifth ring.
"Filip, I think I found the SUV that hit me."
"Where?"
"It's sitting across the street from the shop, backed in."
"Is someone inside?"
"It's too dark to tell, but it feels like I'm being watched."
"Shit!" he cursed. "Ok, Me, Juice, and Sack are wrapping up here, but we've got a twenty minute ride back. I'm going to see if I reach Tig and Jax and get them over to you. You keep an eye on that SUV and tell us if anything changes. Aye?"
"Aye," she agreed.
"I love you, lass. Nothin' bad's going to happen to you tonight."
"Love you, too."
