“We said we’re sorry!” Dave snivels trying and failing to hold back tears.
“I know. But you’re not forgiven, and I sure as fuck ain’t forgettin’ this anytime soon. You feel me?”
“I feel you,” Dave cries out in pain again.
That’s when the last guy, Phil, comes rolling outside. As soon as he sees his two pack mates on the ground, his eyes go wide and he backs up.
“He touch you, darlin’?” Axel asks.
“No… he didn’t do anything,” I tell him, but Axel points the pipe at him, anyway.
“Pick up your pack mates and get the fuck out of here. I see any one of you anywhere you’re dead fuckin’ men,” Axel threatens, tossing the pipe a considerable distance away from us.
He isn’t wearing a helmet and doesn’t have one attached to his bike. He tosses his leg over and tilts his head for me to get on.
I take one last look at the men crumpled on the ground and the man on the bike in front of me. I know the show of violence shouldn’t do so much for me, but it does. Now that I’m protected, I feel bold as I give my failed dates the middle finger and jump on the back of Axel’s bike.
My arms wrap around his middle, holding him tight as his engine purrs and we leave the chaos we created behind us in the dust.
No one ever lets me ride without a helmet, and my hair is whipping wildly in the wind as he drives through the night. He’s cautious with me on the back, but he doesn’t hold back on theturns or slow down his speed too much. I appreciate him even more for not treating me like porcelain.
I thought he might take us back to the compound, but he’s headed in the opposite direction. I bask in the ride, my face pressed against the cool leather of his cut, and I take in his natural scent. It soothes me, calming down my nerves from the earlier altercation.
If Axel hadn’t shown up, I have no clue what would have happened. How far would have things gone? And what the fuck did they mean about the price Kurt is asking for me?
I press my head even harder against Axel’s back, seeking his comfort. His left hand leaves the handlebar, and he uses it to knead the flesh of my thigh, letting me know that he’s got me. We might be going too fast with no helmets in the middle of the night, but I feel safer on this bike than I did at the restaurant. I’m not sure what it says about me that I feel more comfortable on the back of a bike with a criminal than I do with what society would consider good men, but I do.
I hold his cut like a lifeline and thank God that he was there to protect me. As always, the reality of my situation hits me like a slap to my face.
I need protection; I need a pack; I need Axel.
Things are only going to get harder for me. My emotional state has been all over the place. My sexual desires are running rampant. I know that after my birthday I won’t have much time before my heat.
Running away with Axel won’t be enough, as much as I wish it was. Even if he were an Alpha, it wouldn’t be enough for me. As safe as I feel in this moment with my front pressed against his back, all I feel is complete fucking hopelessness.
Lily’s holdingon for dear fuckin’ life around my waist as we drive through back roads. I know I should have taken her back home. That’s probably where she wants me to take her.
I couldn’t get a good enough read on her at the restaurant, didn’t help that I was close to killin’ those fuckin’ guys.Who do they think they are putting their filthy fuckin’ hands on a woman—my woman.
Honestly, I don’t give a fuck if Lily is scared after seeing how far I’ll go to protect what’s mine. If anything, it’s better that she sees this side of me sooner rather than later. Sure, she knows we can get rough, she undoubtedly knows we do illegal shit, but we keep the violence away from the compound. The clubhouse is our sanctuary, where we can let shit go.
But out in the real world? All bets are off, and when it comes to somethin’ I consider mine? It’s fuckin’ game over.
Her small fingers grip the leather of my cut and the press of her cheek against my back brings me back to reality.
What if I wasn’t there?
What if I wasn’t so fuckin’ jealous and pissed off that she was goin’ on a date that I stayed home? What would they have done to her then?
My anger is bubbling towards the surface, and I do everything I can to tame it. I can’t let my temper spill out on her. That’s one thing I’ll never do.
She didn’t want to go on the date in the first place; she’s just following her stepfather’s rules. The same man I find myself being led by, and the same man I’m beginning to resent as the days go on. Tate’s plan is sounding more and more solid each and every day.
I drove off with no destination in mind, but it seems my inner child or some shit led the way. I slow down as we near the lake. Solar lights illuminate the path down to the pier, and I park by the bench.
We both just stay how we are for a moment, neither of us eager to stop touching each other or talk about what just happened.
If she’s scared, I’ll just have to promise it’ll never happen again, even if it makes me a liar. I’m probably a piece of shit for thinking of ways to keep her, but I don’t care. I never claimed I wasn’t selfish.
