Chapter Six
After the pit stop for drinks, they hit the road again, and it didn’t take long to get out of the city and into the open desert.
Not that they were in the flatland all that long.
He waved toward the ranger station as they passed it and turned to shout so Winter could hear him over the rumble of the engine.
“We’ll stop on the way down, if you want.”
She didn’t say anything, so he’d ask once they reached the top.
They kept to the slower speed limit while in the park, but it was enough that he didn’t get bored as he maneuvered the twists and turns the roadway took on the way to the summit.
As he drove, he let his mind drift, one of the best parts about riding.
He didn’t have to maintain a conversation.
He didn’t have to worry about being polite or reading someone’s body language.
He could let the wind in his face blow his troubles away, at least for the moment.
But this ride was different. Not in a bad way, but something told him things were changing, not the least of them being the woman at his back.
There was something about her. And it wasn’t just that she was a club princess.
Granted from a different club, but it was an allied club, so the difference didn’t matter.
She would be treated like one of their own.
And if anyone balked at that, he’d show them the error of their ways.
That was his job, after all. As Sgt. at Arms, it was his responsibility to make sure all the brothers followed the rules and did what they were supposed to do.
If, or rather when, a punishment had to be dealt, it was his job to mete it out.
Winter shifted behind him.
“You okay?” he asked over his shoulder.
“Yeah, just getting a little stiff,” she shouted back.
“We’re almost there. We’ll get off and wander around for a while.
” He could have said more but didn’t want to shout over his shoulder.
Instead, he kept his attention on the road, adding a little swerve here and there on the straight stretches because the first time he’d done it, while playing, Winter had laughed.
He liked the sound of her laugh, especially with her pressed so close against his back.
He also didn’t miss the heat coming off her pussy nestled against his ass.
He fought the urge to shift himself, as part of him was stiff, and had been since she’d climbed onto the back of his bike and snuggled against him.
When they reached the summit, he was relieved to find it mostly empty.
He gave the others a couple of hand signals then they all pulled up and walked their bikes back into separate spaces.
There weren’t enough people around to be worried about taking up all the spaces, so they might as well get some room.
He killed the engine and patted Winter’s leg.
“Okay, Spitfire. Feel free to wander around. We’ll hang around for a bit.
Probably an hour at least. I want to give that fucker a chance to show up.
The restroom is over there if you need it.
I’m gonna walk around for a bit then maybe check out the ramada.
” He motioned first toward the restroom then the ramada.
“Okay.” She braced one hand on his shoulder as she dismounted.
He swung his leg over the back of the bike and turned to find her holding out his helmet.
“Thank you again.” She put her hands in the small of her back and bent backward.
He heard it pop and crack in several places even from several feet away and couldn’t help looking at her with surprise.
“Dad used to have a sissy bar for me. I guess I was spoiled.” She gave him a sad smile before she turned and headed for the restroom.
Bishop turned and spotted Warlock.
“Stay close to her.”
“You afraid she’s spying?” Warlock frowned.
“No. You’re making sure trouble doesn’t find her. Just in case that fuckwad gets past us, I want to make sure she’s safe.”
“Got it,” Warlock said with a nod. He turned to watch Winter a moment then followed at a slower pace.
Bishop hated that he wasn’t the one to make sure she was safe, but he had a few calls to make and didn’t want her overhearing.
He headed in the opposite direction, finding a trail without anyone on it and heading down a couple hundred yards as he pulled out his phone, found Bulldog’s number, and hit “dial.”
“What’s up?” Bulldog said picking up the line after two rings.
“What do we know about the Fallen Angels out of Montana?”
“Decent guys, loose allies, why?”
“I just had one of their club princesses walk up to me and ask for help. Didn’t even know we had an ally’s princess in our territory.”
Bulldog let out a string of curses that would make a sailor blush. “I didn’t either. How do you know who she is?”
Bishop went over everything that had happened in the last hour, asked him to reach out to Raven, make sure it was all good and to have Hammer, the club’s Tech Sgt.
, start looking into Winter’s life here.
Especially anyone she’d dated—emphasis on anyone named Kevin.
He gave his president everything he knew about Winter, not that it was much.
“No clue how long any of that might take, but I’ll get Hammer started on it. You know if she’s been tracked for more than a day or so, her place probably isn’t safe. Bring her to the clubhouse, we’ll make sure no one gets to her. You need more backup, just in case?”
“Nah. Me and the guys got it. If I need more I’ll reach out. I’ll let you know if anything changes.”
“Thanks. And Bishop?” Something about Bulldog’s tone told Bishop he wasn’t going to like what the president was about to say.
“Yeah?”
“Remember. She’s a princess, not a bunny. You don’t get to fuck her and walk away.”
“Not something I’m likely to forget, Boss.” Bishop disconnected the call without waiting for a response. Bulldog hated when they called him Boss, but that was what happened when you said stupid things.
Bishop shoved his phone back into the pocket of his cut and headed for the ramada.
He liked living in the desert, but you couldn’t stand in the sun too long even in early November.
Blade and Viper were already sitting on the vinyl-coated pulled steel picnic table, booted feet resting on one of the seats.
“What’s up?” Viper asked as Bishop approached.
“Bulldog’s checking on some things. We’re good.
We’ll hang out here for a while and see if Fuckwad shows up.
Then make plans from there. She may just want to go home so she feels safe again.
We’ll have to take her back to her car at some point.
” He didn’t say that if the fuckwad stalking her didn’t show up here, he’d find a reason to search her car and see if he could find a device that told him where she was.
“You know, if he’s tracking her, he’ll know where she lives,” Blade put in.
“Fuck. We’ll have to find out where she is so we can be sure she’s protected.” He didn’t tell them he hoped to spend more time with her. Whether it was under the guise of protecting her or not, he’d take any time he could get.
“Got any more of that?” He motioned to the bottle in Viper’s hand. Viper didn’t say anything but reached into the zippered bag sitting on the bench between him and Blade and pulled out another bottle of water.
“Always, you know me.”
“Thanks. Toss me another one and I’ll go find Winter. She’s not from around here and probably isn’t used to how much water you need in the desert.” He caught the second bottle Viper tossed him. “Any idea where she went?”
“She was headed that way a few minutes ago.” Blade tilted his head toward one of the scenic outlook spots. “Warlock tagged behind her but I don’t think she realizes he’s following her.”
Bishop nodded and headed in that direction. When he spotted Warlock, he caught his brother’s eye and jerked his head toward the ramada. Warlock nodded and headed for the others. Bishop scanned the area, spotting Winter almost immediately.
“Hey, Spitfire,” he said as he approached her. “Brought you something.”
“What?” She turned toward him. “Oh, thank you.” She took the bottle he offered but didn’t open it, instead she held it while she turned and looked out across the valley. “It’s huge,” she said after a moment.
“What?” He frowned at her wondering what she was talking about.
“The city. It’s huge.” She flung one arm out, motioning to the horizon. “It’s not just over here but all the way around us.”
“I know. The metro area is huge, something like fifteen thousand square miles. But if you’re looking for something, you can probably find it somewhere in town.”
She shook her head slowly. “I’m still getting used to it. Craven’s Creek might have two thousand people.” She shook her head again. “I don’t even want to think about how many people are out there.” She motioned to the city below them again.
He bit his lip to keep from telling her there had been more kids in his high school than in her hometown. She was feeling lost and pointing out how out of her depth she was wouldn’t help.
“You need to drink that, not just hold it.” He motioned to the water in her hand.
“Oh.” She looked at it. “I’m not thirsty. I just finished that other bottle.”
“It’s a desert thing. Drink before you’re thirsty.” He tilted his chin toward her. “it’s cooled off some but it’s still warmer than you’re used to. Trust me.”
“If you say so.” She cracked the seal, tipped the bottle back, and downed several swallows. “Do I need to down it or can I take my time?”
“Take your time. We’ll be here a while. Tell me, though, what kind of car does that fuckwad drive?”
One corner of her mouth lifted. “A white fucking Prius. One of the all-electric ones. I was willing to overlook that, until he started bitching about my truck.” She shook her head and turned toward the city again.
“What is that saying? You can take the girl out of the country, but you can’t take the country out of the girl.
I’m not giving up my truck. Not for some stuffed suit with more money than brains. ”
“Tell me how you really feel, Spitfire.” He liked that she wasn’t willing to compromise who she was for someone else’s opinion.
Winter glared at him. After a moment he took a step closer, then another, not wanting to spook her but finding it hard to keep his distance.
After a moment, he stood behind her, close enough he felt the heat from her body.
He wanted to pull her into his arms. Hold her.
Kiss and taste her. To sink deep inside her.
Instead, he forced himself to be content with his hands on her shoulders as he stood behind her.
“I take it you were a bit of a daddy’s girl.” He wanted to distract her. Sure, they were up here waiting to see if that fuckwad showed up, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t enjoy the place and he couldn’t get to know her better.
She snorted, surprising him. She’d talked about her dad and that he was part of the Fallen Angels, but she’d not even mentioned her mother.
“I thought maybe, from the way you talked about him...” he trailed off, hoping she’d fill in some gaps.
“I loved my father with everything in me, but I am definitely not a daddy’s girl. I’m more of my father’s daughter.”
Bishop frowned.
“I’m not sure I get the difference.”
“Daddy’s girl implies I was indulged and pampered.” She let out a wry laugh. “It’s almost like a daddy’s princess. He gives her whatever she wants, or nearly, and does everything he can to shield his princess from the harsher side of the world.”
“Your dad didn’t do that for you?” ‘
“Fuck, no. I might have been a daddy’s girl once, but I knew more than I wanted about the harsher side of the world before I turned eleven.
After that, I became my father’s daughter.
He taught me to survive. I can do whatever I need to do, or figure it out.
It’s almost like he knew he wasn’t going to have a son to pass on all his knowledge so he gave it to me instead.
” She didn’t look at him but kept her gaze on the city stretched out below them.
He suspected it was easier for her to talk about this without looking at someone, without knowing someone was watching her expression.
“Can I ask what happened, or is it too much?” He kept his voice soft so they wouldn’t be overheard and she wouldn’t feel like he was putting her in the spotlight.
“The Angels had an ongoing rivalry with a couple of clubs in neighboring counties, one of them found my mom when she was in town, in Craven’s Creek—not their town—and he took her.
” Her voice had taken on a distant, neutral tone, as if what she was saying didn’t matter.
He knew it wasn’t true, but it was likely the only way she could tell the story, by distancing herself from it.
“There’s a lot more to it, but the short answer is they killed her.
I didn’t know the details at the time, and I’m not saying that’s a bad thing, but as I got older, Dad didn’t hide shit from me.
I was fifteen when I found out some of the details, eighteen when I learned the rest. She didn’t go easy.
” She took a deep breath and stepped forward.
Bishop let his hands slide off her shoulders.
Winter seemed to want to stand on her own, to prove she could do it. Bishop didn’t want to stop her. He just wanted to stand between her and the harsher elements. Be the shelter that keeps the world from crushing her.