Page 18 of Praying for Thunder

Diablo grabbed his chest, sickened that a mother was forced to say goodbye to her son… “Through you. It’s… in the blood.”

Images of Rosa bleeding slammed into Anita’s heart. The one that didn’t know how to heal. “You lie!” she screamed. Putting on her backpack, her eyes scanned the room for clues.

She found one.

A leather cut.

Her feet faltered. She swayed back, bouncing off the door jamb. “You’re… Oh my God… a biker?”

When her eyes landed back on Diablo, he felt the hatred she had for motorcycle clubs and instantly knew that was what she was running from. That meant she was in more trouble than he first suspected. “Anita—”

“Don’t you say my name!”

He put his palms together and begged, “I need you to listen to me—”

Needing a head start, she threw the only weapon she believed she had.

Metal bounced off his head. “Jesus! Anita, wait!”

But she didn’t. When he dared open his eyes to see her, she was gone.

“No!” He ran to find her. “Wait!”

In the lobby, the front door was already swinging shut. Anita was running past the window in a full sprint. He ran to catch up, and most certainly could’ve, but bikes were rolling in from all directions at an alarming speed.

His MC President, Grims, not even parked, was yelling, “Why the fuck aren’t you answering your fucking phone?”

Diablo hadn’t answered his phone because he didn’t know it had been ringing. He wasn’t the one who had been in charge during that tattoo.

He tried to explain about Anita—the girl that made him feel something foreign. Grabbing his stomach, where he felt discomfort, he begged, “Her upset hurts—” but was cut off.

“Cleaner! You have a job to do.” Grims observed Diablo being half-dressed. “This ain’t no time for chasing pussy. Get that shit at the club, hassle-free.”

“But,” Diablo looked down the sidewalk, only to find it empty.

A special woman, my Ani, had entered his life like a wave of magic, only to disappear as if the magic trick had ended.

FIVE

NEEDING A BASTARD

Startling from sleep, Stew jumped from the couch when Anita charged into the apartment. I had been sleeping on his chest, but was now awake, too, clinging to his neck. On his feet, we watched her slam the door, lock it, and point. “That was to be bolted!” She was out of breath, sweat matting her hair.

Trying to understand what was happening and, due to his line of work, not push a woman’s button that had already been set on fire, he simply agreed, “Won’t happen again.”

She ran to the window, ripping the drapes shut. “You must hide him!”

Ani’s alarm seeped into me like the moon changing the tide. I was helpless against her force of nature. All I could do was react to the rising water that dared to drown me.

But as I started to cry, her own tears broke through her immense fear, and she rushed to me, arms wide. “Baby.”

Stew didn’t delay handing me over to the lioness who wanted her cub.

Our soul magnets merged.

“Shh, I got you, Little Guy.” She rocked me.

Cautiously, Stew swore, “He’s safe. I promise.”