The older, red-faced officer drawls, “Where you boys been now? Up to no good?”
Luke is the older of the two, the leveler head, but barely, and he cuts Atlas off by quickly answering, “There was a alligator in the marsh at the front-end of our property. We tried to catch it. Fucker was strong!”
Atlas chuckles, “He tried. I arrived just in time to tell him he was a moron.”
“But then you got in there with me!”
“I did,” Atlas grins.
Sage leans toward me, whispers, “What are you thinking about?”
“Huh?”
“You’ve got this weird smile on your face.”
Searching for a believable answer, I hold her curious stare. “This family entertains me, that’s all.”
A grin appears, one just like Luke’s, only after two painful years of braces. “Knock it off. Put your poker face on.”
Celia says, “You’re one to talk,” jumping to my defense with a pinch on Sage’s hip.
“Ouch!”
“Shhh.”
The three of us go back to watching.
With hands still on their holsters, the cops glance around the group. This many bikers surrounding them—they don’t know what’s going to happen. “You just stand over with your friends there,” drawls the pasty-faced cop.
“They’re our family,” Atlas corrects him, “Not our friends.”
Luke’s eyes deaden like he wanted to say the same, but his desire for the cops to leave, is greater. “You got it officer, don’t want to make you nervous.”
This ticks the older cop off. “You don’t make me nervous, boy!”
“Mission accomplished then.”
Dad notices the cop about to lose his temper, and I watch him become the Jett Cocker his family back in Atlanta never sees. There he’s the black sheep, the wild card, but in this house, this family, he’s our rock. “Officer, don’t mind them, you remember how it was when we were in our early twenties. All ego, no brains.” A smirk flashes like it’s an inside joke between him and the ruffled man. “Let us handle the boys. We’ll do more damage than you’re legally able to.”
Unruly eyebrows shoot up and a satisfied smirk appears. “I don’t doubt it!”
They both laugh.
I glance back to Celia and we shake our heads.
Sage whispers, “Look at how the other cop has kept his cool. He’s so handsome.”
“You want me to introduce you?”
She wiggles her eyebrows and quips, “Yes, please, Soph, hook me up!” thinking I’d never do it so it’s safe to tease.
Oh, Sage, you should know me better than that.
I spring up, rush out, and push through the others in our enormous foyer. Sage is right behind Celia who’s right behind me. Serves her right for hesitating in shock. Gotta have quicker reflexes than that if you wanna stop me from making you squirm.
“Sofia Sol, don’t you dare,” she hisses, as other Ciphers turn their heads to watch us, curious and making way for my passage.
I’m a grown woman but what can I say, she brings out the kid in me.
“Officer!” I call out, in my sultriest voice.
Mom tries to grab my arm but I dodge her by blading my body and slipping from her grip with a martial arts evasive tactic. She swears under her breath.
“Officer sexy!” I sing, running down the steps.
“Daughter, get back in the house—”
“I don’t mean to cause trouble, Daddy,” I drawl…and I never drawl. “But Sage thinks this young officer here is awfully handsome and so she’s wonderin’ if perhaps he might be single but doesn’t wanna be?”
I point to her, and damn if her freckles aren’t crimson.
The hot police officer stands straighter, eyes darting to Honey Badger who looks like his head might fly off his neck. “Sage, get back in the damn house!”
Meg begs her, “Sage, sweetie, come on.”
Funnily enough, with everyone watching, this just makes Sage saunter right up to the cop. I’m so proud of her as she flirts with a fake drawl, too. “Well how embarrassin’, and I do apologize for my cousin Sofia Sol. She acts before she thinks, most days.”
I grin, “Was I lyin’?” setting her up.
She eyes me and glances to the ground, then to him, rolling her red hair between two fingers as she comes up with a load of bullshit. “She wasn’t lyin’ because we don’t lie. It’s part of our code to be honest, always and every day. Leaves things out in the open, no room for misinterpretations among a wild group like us, you understand.”
I glance to the older cop. He’s flabbergasted by the pretty girls who’ve overtaken the tense cops-against-bikers conversation, and turned it on its head.
I give him a wink and his eyes go wide.
While I’m doing this, Sage asks her heartthrob, “What’s your name, sir?”
Jaw ticking as he eyes the Cipher men, Hot Cop doesn’t answer.
Unpredictable and snarly, as usual, Honey Badger says, “My daughter asked for your name! You gonna show her disrespect and not answer?”
“Uh…” Hot Cop mumbles, glancing to his partner. He gets the curt nod to go ahead, combined with a look that reeks of don’t get us killed.
“My name is Officer Kelly, Miss. That is, James Kelly III. Nice to meet you…Sage?”
“Sage Honey Martinez,” she smiles, nodding that he got it right. “See, we have nothin’ to hide here. I’ll happily tell you my whole name so you can put me in your files. Any of us would do the same, if you wanted. I’ll even give you a tour if you’d like one!”
The cops are wondering, if this is a test, how do you pass? I bet they’re wishing they’d called for back-up right about now. But Sage’s open expression and relaxed stance in her faded blue jeans and baby-blue halter, says there is no danger.
From her.
“Uh, a tour isn’t necessary, Miss Martinez, we were just following up on a call that there was some trouble in Tennessee, but I guess they were speaking about another club.” He glances to Honey Badger who’s glaring at him, then to my father, our President and clearly the leader he should address if he wants to keep everyone happy. “Mr. Cocker, if we need to
