Oh Jesus, I loosen my grip on his legs.
“You’ll be fine. Just keep hold and lean when I lean.”
Easy, yeah. Right. We set off and go through the security gate. As he picks up speed, I cling to him, put my head down and keep my eyes shut the whole way. It doesn’t take too long and when we stop, I all but fall off the bike, only that he catches my arm I don’t land on my ass.
He helps me with the helmet and I thank him.
“We’ll get your car fixed up tomorrow.”
“You don’t have to do that.”
“Don’t worry about it, I’ll sort it for you.”
“Nashville-”
“Stop arguing, and get inside, it’s late, and it’s cold. Where is your coat?”
“I didn’t realize it was going to be this cold,” I lie. He nods and tells me to go. Shit, I pick a house and run towards the door, pretending to take out my keys. I wave for him to leave and after a moment, he does. “Fucking hell,” I lean against the wall and count to fifteen, until I can no longer hear the bike.
When I’m sure he’s gone, I hurry down the block and around the corner to my actual home. Thank God he left. I’m embarrassed enough.
And not just about where I live. Being pressed up against his back, feeling the hardness in his abdomen muscles as he turned the bike and the thickness of his thighs against mine scrambled my brain. I let myself in and hurry up the stairs as usual. There are two men hanging out on the corridor just past my door.
Avoiding eye contact, I push my shoulders back and try to look unaffected, but my heart is hammering. I don’t know about embarrassment, I’m likely to die of heart failure first.
My hand shakes as I get the key in the lock, the two men are watching me and one shifts as the door opens. I practically fall inside, close and lock the door. Then quickly drop everything and run to the dresser and start pushing.
The door handle rattles and my panic ratchets up as the stupid dresser moves a couple of inches, nowhere near enough to stop anyone coming in if they decide to break down the door.
“Hey sweetheart,” a dark voices says from outside. “Want some company.”
My instincts tell me not to respond and I continue pushing the dresser, moving it a little more.
“Come on, let us in, we can have some fun.”
My eyes start to water and my arms and legs strain as I put all my weight behind moving the dresser. A bang on the door makes me yelp. I’m not going to get it across in time.
Then a voice interrupts the two men and the rattling stops. I strain to hear and instantly recognize the voice. Shit even more on all the other shits.
“I’ll give you to the count of three to get away from that door before I fuck you up.”
Chapter Seven
Nashville
I knew the second she walked away from the bike that wasn’t where she lived. This isn’t a nice neighborhood, I know people from around here, the kind a woman on her own should never be around, especially a woman like Charley.
To not make her any more uncomfortable, I rode away, but I didn’t go far, leaving the bike and walking back, just in time to see her go into the worst fucking place she could be entering. I didn’t want to risk losing her, or for something to happen so I ran up the steps and into the building.
Fuck it doesn’t even have security doors, any asshole could walk in. And they do. There are people at this address that have worked with the club. Charley is just round the second floor staircase as I hurry up behind her. I can’t miss which apartment she goes into. I’ll bang on doors if I have to.
I’m not scared, people here are scared of me.
When I reach the second floor, Charley is gone but there are two scumbags trying to get into a door further down the hallway and the shit they’re saying makes me see red.
When they start trying to break the door open, I walk up behind them. There is no doubt this is the room Charley went into.
I’m so pissed right now, anyone who crosses me may end up shot or thrown over the fucking railing to the ground floor.
