Free Steel My Soul (Motorcycle Club Romance) (Sons of Steel Motorcycle Club Book 4) by Vivian Lux Page A

completely and unashamedly naked. I lay back down in bed and contemplated joining him. The ever-present dilemma of curly-haired women - is it worth getting my hair wet?
    My stomach decided for me. In all of the fucking, I had forgotten to eat, and the digital clock on my bedside table told me it was close to two in the afternoon. I decided to surprise Crash with a late lunch, figuring he had to be at least as hungry as I was since he had done most of the work in bed.
    I pulled on my clothes and padded over to my miniscule little wall kitchen. Poking around in my refrigerator yielded me some habichuelas my mother had sent me home with after the last family dinner. I quickly set about steaming some rice, and warming the beans, filling my little apartment with the rich scents. I hoped Crash wasn't afraid of a little Puerto Rican home cooking.
    I hummed a little as I looked out of my kitchen window onto the slushy main street. Lenape wasn't so busy that I regretted living on the main road, but I still sometimes felt like I lived in a fishbowl, especially when I had to find on-street parking. I was zoned out, mindlessly enjoying the novel pleasure of preparing food for someone besides myself, when I saw the car slow down in front of my place.
    The loud noise of the water in the pipes shut off and I knew Crash had finished his shower, but I was too caught up in the man getting out in front of my house. He looked down at a clipboard and back up to the house several times before he started up the walk.
    I was at my front door before he had a chance to walk. Seeing me seemed to startle him.
    "I'm looking for Benjamin Nelson?" he asked, looking down at his clipboard to double-check.
    Crash emerged from the bathroom with a towel wrapped around his waist. His face darkened when he saw the man at the door, suspicion clouding his features. "Who are you?" he barked, his voice laced with leathery menace.
    "Are you Benjamin Nelson?" the man asked with no small amount of trepidation.
    Crash didn't answer, only staring at him. I looked between the two of them, wondering if I should speak. "He is," I finally said.
    Crash shot me a murderous look and I swallowed hard. But the man only nodded.
    "I'm here from Morgan County Elder Care. Marion Hunt had you listed as her next of kin, and our log had you residing at this address." The man looked up at both of our shocked faces. "We had no contact number, so I had to come out personally," he added, sounding aggrieved. "I regret to inform you that Marion passed away about a half an hour ago."
    My heart stood still and I looked back at Crash. I waited for his cry, his shock and grief.  But the only sound was the water dripping from his body to a puddle at his feet. His face showed nothing at all.

Chapter Fourteen
     
    Declan
     
    A belch bubbled up into my beard. I dug my fist into my chest, and tried to suppress it, but it snuck out anyway.
    This fucking indigestion wasn't getting any better. I could chew Tums like candy and it still wouldn't be able to stop the acidic fire in my chest.  Fucking shit food, shit conditions, it was no wonder my stomach lining wanted to eat itself.
    I was miserable, and everyone else needed to suffer for it.
    I burped again and right on cue, Case walked right into the cloud of acid fumes. "Jesus fucking Christ, Doc, " the asshole complained, waving his hands disgustedly in front of his nose.
    It made me feel marginally better to know that I'd pissed someone else off too. I grunted and swung my aching legs down off the sagging cot and looked out into the crowded common area of the safe house.
    A fucking safe house.  This was insane.
    No one was allowed in or out. Storm MC guards seemed just a happy to keep us locked up as they were to keep watch for cartel spies. There were guards at the front door, guards in the upstairs windows facing the lonely highway, guards in the back of the house watching the field that stretched back to the Pines. The place was crawling with