Rising to my feet, I hold my hand out. “Come on, let's go.”
She peers up at me, her gaze reflecting pure hellfire and indignation. I don’t give her a chance to respond; I just shake my head as I respond, “I don’t have time for your shit right now. Let’s go.”
Her eyes move over my shoulder to Cornelius, and then I add, “Don’t look at him. He’s not going to help you right now.”
Cornelius steps closer, resting a hand on my shoulder. “I can help if you need me.”
I shake my head again. “No, I got it for now, but I’ll shoot you a message so we can meet up later and go over everything.”
He smacks me on the back a couple of times and says, “You good for now, then?”
I stare down at Vivian, who’s not even attempting to make a move to stand. “Got any zip ties?”
Without a word, a couple of zip ties appear before me, and I nod in thanks as I pick them up. Then Cornelius asks, “Need help wrangling her?”
I laugh hollowly. “I don’t know, maybe.”
“I can freaking hear you,” she snarls. She’s now glaring up at us, and while she’s no longer braced forward on her palms, she still has made no move to stand.
“I’m pretty sure you’ve heard this before, but easy way or hard way?”
Somehow, her glare manages to intensify, and then she crosses her arms over her chest. “I think you know the answer to that one.”
I don’t hesitate. I have her face down on the pavement before she can flinch. I stick my knee right between her shoulder blades, putting enough weight on her where I know she won’t be able to wiggle free. Cornelius, being the good friend that he is, helps me wrangle her hands behind her back, and we manage to zip tie them securely without too much fuss. Cornelius helps me to my feet, and then the two of us grab an arm and yank her upright.
She stays on her feet, her eyes narrowed, jaw clenched, and I can tell she has a few choice words for us. I’m actually surprised that she’s not going off like the hurricane I know she is.
And then she glances at my bike and mutters, “I don’t know how you think you’re gonna get me on that thing.”
Cornelius laughs, slaps me on the back as he says, “Guess I’ll leave you to it.”
He walks away laughing softly to himself, and I yell after him, “Thanks a lot, man.”
I turn back to Vivian, who’s still standing with the most belligerent expression. I step into her, knowing she won’t step back, and then I stop when our fronts are touching, leaning down so we’re eye-level. “You’re gonna get on that bike. You’re not gonna pull any bullshit that could get us killed. And when we get back to my place, you’re gonna tell me what’s going on.”
“Or what?”
“Or I’ll bring you back in there and leave you to whatever seeks you out.”
She stills completely. Her eyes search mine. I'm sure she sees the truth there because obviously I don’t want to do that, but if she gives me no other choice, that’s what will happen. If we dick around too much more around here, it’s going to come get her regardless.
I move my hands to her waist, my fingers inching under her shirt and stroking the soft skin there. I lean my forehead against hers and whisper, “Please, Viv. I don’t think you understand what’ll happen. You need to just come with me now, and when we get back to my place, you can lose your shit all you want. You can attempt to kick my ass sunup until sundown and fight me every step of the way. But now is not the time.”
She pulls back slightly so she’s once again looking in my eyes. I don’t try to remain stoic. I make sure she can see every bit of truth and emotion in my eyes, hoping that she will acquiesce to what needs to be done here.
After a moment, she swallows visibly. And then with a short nod, she steps around me, and my hands fall away. She stops beside my bike, then turns back to me and says, “Gonna be kind of hard for me to hold on with my hands behind my back, though.”
I close the distance between us, pulling out the small utility knife that I keep in my pocket. I grab the zip ties with one hand, and right as I have the knife there to cut them off, I pause. “Is this a trap?”
Her lips twitch slightly, and I see some humor back in her eyes. “I don’t know. Is it?”
A low growl forms in my chest, so I slice through the plastic. It falls away, and I shove it into my pocket, most of the trepidation falling away as I help secure her helmet. I give her a light tap on the top of her helmet, and I can tell she’s grinningat me through the darkened glass of the visor. After putting my own helmet on, I get astride my bike, helping her climb on behind me and settling in. I don’t have to tell her to scoot close. She presses herself against me fully, her hands sneaking under my shirt, her warm palms a comfort against my skin.
Reaching back, I squeeze the outside curve of her ass. She squeezes me tightly in response, indicating that she’s ready to go.
Slowly, I maneuver us around, and we meticulously make our way along the switchbacks until we finally hit open road before us.
And then we’re gone.
