Honey Stone

Safety in Numbers

'I need to get back there dammit.' Nash snarled at Tommy. Preach and Toad were holding him back from, stopping him from swinging at their President and running off in such a state that he'd more than likely kill himself before he even got to the state line.

'Boy, you calm the fuck down. We've got your girl out. She's safe. The house will be secured and the fucker that caused all this will be dealt with in due course. But not tonight. There's a job to be done here first. We'll get it done, fast, and we'll get back. No bother, but I need you calm and with your head in the game.' Tommy said in a tone far more controlled than he felt inside. He liked the feisty little girl and she was one of them now.

'Tom's right man.' Preach said gruffly. 'Hank's got her out of there now. The women folk will keep a close watch on her and there's three prospects keeping watch on your place. Honey is safe, you know she is.'

'She's my woman, for fuck's sake.' Nash roared, fighting against his friends once more. 'I'm supposed to protect her, I'm supposed to keep her safe. All I've done is left her alone to be terrorised by fuck knows who and in my own damned house.'

'We'll find out who they are Nash.' Preach said calmly 'We'll stop all of it but for now, Tommy is right, we got to get this job done.'

'Clear your head Nash. Clear it and we'll get home. We'll go all night if we have to.' Tommy growled but his eyes showed how worried he was too.

'Come on man.' Toad said roughly 'Your woman is in good hands and the ladies will keep her under watch. No-one will get near her.'

'And the fucker that was in my house? What about him?' Nash snapped 'I suppose we'll just pretend that hasn't happened?'

'No-one is saying anything of the sort.' Preach replied 'It can wait though. She not in any more danger, you know that but she will be if we don't get these fuckers sorted soon and get home.'

Nash's shoulders slumped 'I should never have left her, I should never have dragged her cross country and left her.'

'You're talking pure shit now boy.' Tommy barked 'Where would she be if you hadn't rescued her? Tell me that. She'd be in a worse state than my sister was. She'd have been abused more and more and there would have been no-one to stop it. April had me to protect her and Honey has you...and us .'

'You're right, man, you're right but she doesn't know shit about this life. She's innocent to all our fucked up bullshit.' Nash sighed, defeated and worn down.

'So tell her. When we get back, tell her everything. I'm sure she has a good idea, she's a clever girl.' Toad said. 'She stayed with Buzz and stood up to Roxie and now the girls will be filling her in.'

Nash groaned at the thought of if it. 'Lets get done then. I want this over with.'

'We all do.' agreed Tommy as he rested his heavy hand on the young mans shoulder.

The men stood and walked to their bikes, many more of the club were out with them. All the patched members and the prospects that would be full members, if they lived through this, were out. Maybe 50 members in total. It was an acknowledgement of how well Buzz was thought of in their club, that even their most distant members had been roused into the action of cleaning up this scum.

Tommy's mouth twitched as he headed out onto the open road, the rest peeling out behind him. Preach was on his right and they glanced at each other, unspoken words but the message was clear: Get this the fuck done.

Nash stared ahead looking neither right or left. Usually being in the centre of the riders, flanked all around by his brothers, made his chest swell and he felt secure; but not today. Today he was lost and his head was on his girl hours away from him and scared. She told him once that she had only ever felt safe in his arms. He shouldn't have left her.

*

Honey was ushered into the quiet bar, her footsteps sounding unnaturally loud in the cavernous wooden space. There were running steps that sounded like someone half falling down the stairs and Viola burst into the room followed closely by Mia, Raven and several other women that she recognised. Even Roxy's face was half hidden behind the sea of worried faces.

'Oh my God, girl.' Viola screeched 'Preach called and told me everything. You're safe here with us. No-one will so much as get through that door ain't that right Hank?'

'Yeah Miss Viola.' he beamed at her 'The doors are bolted shut and there men on watch.' Then he nodding curtly at Honey and strode away to some hidden corner. The girls began chattering again and Honey was guided down long corridors and into a room with a metal framed bed. The room was a little bleak but the room smelled clean and the covers on the bed looked new.

'These are safe rooms. The women folk say in them when there's trouble, also any member who's been injured or is sick.' Raven explained quietly. Honey watched as faces disappeared into individual rooms. Viola was pulling things out of bags and getting Honey settled. Suddenly there was a hard grip on Honeys wrist and she turned to face Roxie.

'I'm sorry.' The older woman said in her rasping voice. Three pairs of eyes turned to face her. Roxie shifted from foot to foot and yanked at the neckline of her shirt. A cigarette dangled from her lips and the makeup on her aging face was smudged like she'd been sleeping. 'Look, its not easy for me here. I've got a reputation and no-one wants me 'cept for the odd quickie.'

Honey glanced back at the others but Roxie carried on speaking 'Then you turn up all fresh and innocent and the men fall all over themselves for you. Then you go shooting your pretty little mouth of which, lets face it, should have got you thrown out, but Tommy just lets it slide. Anyway, I shouldn't have said what I did, I had no intensions of going after Nash. He's never so much as looked sideways at me, I just wanted to make you mad, push your buttons.'

'I don't know what to say Roxie.' Honey said hesitantly, wondering what the catch was. 'I, um, apologise for pulling your hair.'

Roxie smiled ruefully. 'Don't worry about it girl, I deserved it and you did well standing up for yourself. Anyway, I just wanted to say sorry and also say that we take care of our own here and if I can do anything, just let me know.'

Then she was gone , leaving a stench of cheap perfume, cigarette smoke and whiskey. Honey turned to her friends 'Did I miss something?'

Viola blinked and Raven looked confused. 'Never seen that before maybe she really is sorry.'

'Yeah, and hell may be freezing over as we speak.' snorted Viola.

'Do you think she had anything to do with what happened at my house?' Honey asked as she clicked the door shut.

'She was here with us all night. She's a bit obvious with the men and and total bitch but she's not that motivated to be that organised.' Raven said. 'and not enough people like her enough to risk getting into it with the club.'

Viola agreed and added that she wouldn't do something so stupid and risk her position in the group.

'What's going to happen now? Do I just carry on as normal?' Honey asked.

'My advice to you babe, is to get some rest. Tomorrow things will seem better and we can start to work out what the hell is going on.' Viola said as she pulled Honey into a hug. Raven, too, joined in the embrace and Honey felt for the first time what it was to belong.