Hollywood (Steel Demons MC #7)

Chapter Six

Winter

“I t’s been so long since I came here,” I told Luisa as I looked around the diner with a ghost of a smile on my face. The place hadn’t changed much in a decade, the tables were still an odd red and off-white checkerboard, but they were clean and shiny, topped with a miniature jukebox and a napkin dispenser. It was perfectly retro and amazing.

“Well I love this place,” Luisa declared. “And I demand all the details of your date with Brad.” She rested her chin in her hand, eyes sparkled with expectation and desperation.

“There’s nothing to tell. Brad was boring and self-centered and I’m over your setups.”

Her honey brown eyes widened in shock. “No way. He’s perfect first date material.”

“If that’s what you think then you need your head examined.” I told her about how his sole focus was on himself. “And when I called him out on not asking me questions, he got angry.”

“Of course. Men like that don’t appreciate being challenged, Winter.”

“Exactly! I’m nobody’s fucking trophy woman, especially some guy who can’t be bothered to put in any effort on the first date. He might be a catch to someone but not to me.”

She sighed heavily and rolled her eyes as she scanned the menu. “That’s because you’re all hung up on the old as fuck biker. He’s too old for you, too experienced, and most of all, he’s your dad’s best friend. It’s not gonna happen Winter and the sooner you realize that, the better off you’ll be.”

She was probably right but I wasn’t there yet. “Don’t you think I know that?” I smacked the linoleum table angrily. “It’s not that I think I have an actual shot with Hollywood, but I want, no I need a guy who makes me feel what he does or at least a fraction of what he makes me feel. I’m not wasting my time with anything less.”

“And if you don’t find it?”

I shrugged and took a sip of water. “If not, then I’m happy to keep searching until I do. I refuse to settle just to be in a relationship because it doesn’t matter to me. I want passion and intensity and if I can’t have that, I’m happy to be on my own.”

Luisa rolled her eyes, “That’s admirable, it really is, but it’s also super fucking annoying.”

I laughed as my breakfast platter and her omelet was delivered to the table. “He was super fucking boring, Luisa. No sane woman would sit through dinner, not even for an expensive Michelin star meal.”

“Okay, fine.” She threw her hands in the air in defeat. “No more blind dates for a while. Picky bitch.”

I laughed. “Picky sure, but I think it’s safe to say we have different tastes in men.”

“Maybe.” I shook my head. “The point is that I don’t want any more finance bros or anyone else. Okay?”

Luisa breathed out through her nostrils and then flashed a brilliant smile my way. “I agree to that. For now.”

I knew it was all I’d get from her right now, so I nodded. “Agreed.” I struck out my hand and she gave it a dainty shake as if she was a member of a royal family somewhere in the world.

Once we were stuffed with diner food, we split a giant slice of apple pie cheesecake before we headed out into the Nevada sunshine. We were all smiles as we chatted with full bellies about everything and nothing. “I have to get back to work soon.”

I frowned. “I thought your boss was out of town?” Luisa worked as an executive assistant for one of the biggest online gambling CEOs in the country.

She shrugged. “He is and thanks to the time difference he doesn’t need me until after lunch, but the days are a lot longer.” She rolled her eyes. “The good news is that he might need me to join him in Florida. Miami,” she specified and wiggled her brows.

“Good for you,” I told her with all the enthusiasm I could muster. “Not all that good for me,” I added with an exaggerated pout.

She laughed. “Well when you figure out what you want to be when you grow up, maybe you’ll get to travel for work too.”

She had a good point. “I’ve been trying to find my passion,” I argued. “It’s not easy.”

“Nothing worth it ever is.”

“I know.” I knew that my dad did me a huge favor by allowing me to figure out what I wanted out of life. I’ve taken a few community college and online courses that were supposed to help me decide what I want to do with my life, but so far, they’ve only shown me what I don’t want. “But I feel rootless and without purpose.”

Luisa wrapped both arms around me and grunted as she squeezed. “That’s the beauty of being in our twenties, we get to take our time figuring out what to do with our lives, if we’re lucky.”

My phone rang and I ignored it without looking at the screen. “Then why don’t I feel lucky? Why do I feel like a spoiled brat?”

“Because you, my friend, are too serious for your own good. Winston owes you this time, Winter. He took the years from you where you dreamed of being a firefighter, an ice skater, princess, or astronaut. This is your time to test it out and figure it out.” She smacked a loud, exaggerated kiss to my cheek. “Accept it and don’t dwell on it. Brat.”

I laughed and shook my head before I shoved her away. My phone rang again, and I let it. “You’re not funny. I can’t believe someone pays you for that attitude.”

“I know, right?” She threw her head back and laughed as a car blasting loud music approached us from behind. “Ugh,” she moaned. “Walk faster.”

Luisa took my hand and walked so fast she was practically dragging me behind her. “Hang on,” I complained but she didn’t stop. Instead she sped up.

“Hey baby, how much for a good time?”

“Not for sale!” Luisa tossed a dismissive wave over her shoulder, still pulling me along in determined strides.

Several men laughed at her response. “Don’t be that way chica. I love a sassy woman with curves.”

His words seem playful and flirty enough but something about the whole situation gave me bad vibes. “Let’s get out of here,” I whispered to my best friend.

“Don’t be that way,” one of the guys said, his voice sounded behind us.

“Go,” I shouted and picked up my pace.

“Hey, don’t be that way.” A hand wrapped around my arm and I tried to yank it away, but the man was stronger than me.

Panic set in. “Get your fucking paws off of me!”

He laughed. “She’s feisty, this is gonna be fun.”

“This is anything but fun,” I replied and yanked myself from his grasp successfully.

“I hate an uppity bitch,” the other one snarled and stopped in front of me and Luisa. “You think you’re too good for us?”

“No,” Luisa answered primly. “We’re just not interested.”

“Too bad,” the one behind me said and grabbed a handful of my hair. “Because we are so fucking interested and you’re comin’ with us.” He yanked me back until I lost my footing, dragging me by my hair.

Luisa’s eyes widened in shock, and she lunged forward to help me when the other guy hooked an arm around her waist. “Winter!”

Over Luisa’s cries came the loud roar of motorcycles that gave my heart a leap even though it was foolish. No one knew about our lunch plans and even if they did, it wasn’t as if my father had sent the cavalry to save me from some unknown assholes who thought they could take what they wanted whenever they saw it. “It’s okay, Lu. Run,” I mouthed to her.

She shook her head and started kicking, landing one foot on her captor’s shin and then his balls.

“Bitch!” He released her and she jumped towards me, wrapping her arms around my ankles.

“I got you, Winter.”

None of this felt real, some assholes trying to kidnap us in the middle of the day? Even for Steel City this was a bold type of crime. “Save yourself,” I tried to mouth to her, but Luisa’s face was buried between my calves, hanging on for dear life. “Please,” I cried. My eyes closed and tears slid down my cheeks as they dragged us closer and closer to the music.

This was not how I pictured my last day on earth would be, but at least I had a belly full of good food and a few hours of fun with my best friend.

The sound of the motorcycles drowned out my pitiful thoughts until I heard a familiar voice. “Winter!”

I froze. Hollywood? Now I knew I was hallucinating because there was no fucking way.

But then the man’s grip on my hair loosened and I fell to the ground with a thud. Another man grabbed the guy behind Luisa, hit him with three successively brutal punches and then grabbed Luisa. “No!”

“It’s okay,” Hollywood’s voice sounded in my ear a second before I was lifted off the ground, sure I was dreaming. “I’ve got you Winter.”

“What? How? Why?” My mind raced with so many questions, but I couldn’t seem to form any but the basics.

“Later,” he assured me and settled a heavy helmet over my head. “Just stay close and hang on to me, yeah?”

Without missing a beat I nodded, still foggy brained and unsure what was actually happening. “Luisa?”

“My boy Rebel has her on the back of his bike. You’ll be back with her soon enough, I promise.”

That was good enough for me and I did as he instructed, pressing my chest against his back while I circled my arms around his waist, feeling the movement of his abs with every breath he took. An eternity, or maybe fifteen minutes later, we arrived at a crop of buildings inside a fenced area. There were no names or awnings or anything to indicate where I was.

My concern returned ten-fold. “Where are we? Why am I wherever this is?”

Hollywood looked at me with that killer smile as he helped me get the helmet off my head and led me inside.

To my death or my salvation, I wasn’t sure yet.