Chapter Twenty-One
“You look gorgeous,” Bullet whispers right before his lips meet mine.
I love the little stolen moments we get with no one around to watch us. I guess that’s the positive part of my dad being in rehab. He’s not here to keep a watchful eye on me. With the club having more important things to do, it leaves me and Bullet in our little bubble.
I know my dad will come home eventually and we will have to deal with what that means for us, but for now, I am happy to live inside this little bubble with him. I never want it to pop.
“You keep flattering me like that, and I might have to keep you,” I tease him.
He nuzzles into my neck. “Oh no. The horror.”
I snort. “You haven’t lived with me. I can be a terror.”
He leans back, pressing a kiss to my nose. “Bring it on. I can handle you at your worst.”
I shake my head, trying to hide the big grin on my face. Bullet makes me feel safe. Loved. Happy.
It’s like he took some of the load off of my shoulders, making it easier for me to breathe.
“We should get going. It’s supposed to rain tonight,” he tells me.
I snuggle into him further. “I don’t wanna.”
He laughs. “I know, but we can go home and watch those trashy shows you love.”
“Don’t diss my shows,” I grumble, but pull away from him. “Thank you for bringing me out.”
It’s not somewhere we go often with the Reno Renegades frequenting the city, but Fremont Street has always been a favorite place of mine to go.
As much as I hate the crowds and prefer staying out of the city, this place has sentimental value to me.
I can remember coming here with my mom and dad as a child.
We would always end the night with the light show after eating way too much food and having more fun than should be legal.
When my therapist recommended I remember the good memories of my childhood instead of the negative memories from my mom dying, I knew this was where I needed to go. Just like I knew I wanted Bullet to be the one by my side.
“Anytime,” he whispers, his words holding a promise.
He means it. He will always be here for me anytime.
We walk hand in hand back toward where he parked the bike, my eyes taking in the crowd. There are more tourists than locals here, but the joy on their faces brings back memories of my own joy.
The experience has changed over the years, but the feeling remains. It’s a reminder of how carefree life once was for me.
One day, I’ll bring my own kids here and tell them stories of my childhood. I hope it brings them as much joy as it has me.
“You okay? You look a little lost in thought,” Bullet asks me as we reach his bike.
“I’m just thinking about my mom. She loved coming here when I was a kid. I think she enjoyed it more than I did sometimes. I miss her, is all.”
He cups my cheek. “Anytime you want to come back and remember her, I’ll bring you.”
It’s a promise. One that I appreciate.
“Thank you,” I tell him before slipping my helmet on.
He helps me slip into the chaps he bought me with added skid plates to keep me safe in case of an accident.
Each day he adds a new safety item to my wardrobe.
Today’s addition was the brand new leather jacket with a metal plate in the back.
It’s these little things that make me realize that he cares for me more than I originally thought.
He might even be in love with me. Boy, what a crazy thought that is.
When he is on the bike, I climb on, finding my place behind him. I wrap my arms around him, holding him tight. His hand finds that place on my thigh, squeezing before it goes back to the handles as he takes off.
I love the thrill of the ride. Maybe it’s because I grew up with motorcycles as an integral part of my life, but I love them. The freedom I feel on the back of one is something that can never be replaced.
Once we are out of the city, he opens up the throttle, making me giggle. I’m enjoying the ride until I hear the roar of more bikes. I tap his stomach as I look over my shoulder. He looks back and tenses.
This isn’t good.
He slows his pace, not wanting to push it with people on his tail. I appreciate his caution, but all I want him to do is go faster. Get us away from these people.
When one of them darts ahead of us, Bullet has to brake even harder to keep from hitting him. My stomach is sour as I watch these four bikers surround us. I recognize the patch on the back.
Reno Renegades.
They are in our territory, but with us being alone, that doesn’t matter.
Finally, one swerves into us, making Bullet have to swerve to miss him.
The tire hits a rock as the bike goes down.
I brace myself for the pain as Bullet pushes the bike away from us, grabbing my hand as he twists, attempting to pull me into him.
As we slide across the asphalt, my head hits the ground hard.
It starts to pound as Bullet holds me to him until we come to a stop.
When we do, I look up and find four angry bikers looking down on us.
“Are you okay?” Bullet asks, ignoring the men above us.
“Yeah,” I whisper, knowing that I’m going to have some wounds from tonight.
It’s not his fault, though. No, the blame is fully on the men surrounding us.
Bullet stands, helping me up before he pushes me behind him.
“If you are going to kill me, then do it, but leave the girl. She is nothing,” Bullet growls at the men.
“You don’t need to die today. You can get a message back to your pres though.
He is the reason Dansworth is here, so he needs to solve that little issue.
Fucker had the FBI raid our clubhouse. I suspect the same thing happened to you.
He is coming after the MCs. If he doesn’t do something, we will, and trust me, Reaper won’t be on the good end of that stick. ”
“Your pres is the one who befriended him and offered him help. You gave him room to grow, so why should we clean up your mess?” Bullet growls.
“Because if you don’t, then we will be forced to air out all the dirty laundry.
Including the one where Dansworth used to be a prospect for the Lotus and the exact reason he is no longer there.
He shared a lot of details with us. Ones that will ruin him and all the clubs around, even ours.
It’s the nuclear option, but we’ll be damned if we let him get away scot-free. ”
Bullet nods once. “I will deliver your message. We are leaving now so I can get my girl medical attention. I’m warning you, though. Don’t cross my path again because I will kill you for every mark on her body.”
The guy gives him a wide grin. “I’d love to see you try.”
The four men leave, the sounds of their motorcycles growing quieter as they disappear.
Once they do, Bullet pulls out his phone and types out a message. Then he turns to me.
“The bike seems okay. I’m taking you to the hospital.”
“Absolutely not. I’m fine. We need to tell Reaper what he said,” I argue.
“We will. After you get checked out.”
“No way. I’m going to the clubhouse. You can either come with me or go to the hospital by yourself.” I cross my arms.
He comes to me, cupping my cheek gently. “I need to know you are okay.”
“Then call Evelyn, but I’m not going to the hospital.”
He shakes his head. “You stubborn woman. Fine, but if she says you go, you go without argument.”
I salute him mockingly. “Yes, sir.”
He mumbles something about me being the death of him as he picks up the bike.
I’m not going to be the death of him, but the Renegades might be if we don’t do something and soon.
I can’t lose anyone else.
I drive extra carefully back to the clubhouse. The bike is okay for the most part. It’s mostly scraped up from the fall. Had we been going faster, both of us would have been severely injured. Instead, we are both okay. At least, I hope we are.
It goes against every part of my being not to drive Harlee straight to the hospital, but I respect her wishes.
Instead, I have Evelyn on the way to meet us there to check her out.
Part of me wants her to insist Harlee go to the hospital, but the other part doesn’t want anything to be wrong with her. It’s really eating me up inside.
She could have been seriously hurt. Going into Vegas has always been safe for us for the most part, but with things so up in the air, I should have known better. Now the Renegades are threatening us?
I need to update the guys, but first, I need to care for Harlee. She is my priority right now.
As soon as we pull into the clubhouse, I note all the council members’ bikes here.
Good. I can update them all in one go.
Evelyn’s car is also here. I’m glad we won’t have to wait for her.
Helping Harlee off the bike, I don’t miss the wince she has on her face. Something is hurting her. I hope it’s something that heals quickly.
As soon as we step inside, Evelyn calls out to us.
“I figured we would go to your room to do the exam.”
I nod. “Good idea.”
“Harlee, is that okay with you too?” Evelyn asks the woman under my arm.
“Yeah. Sure,” she mumbles, letting Evelyn lead us down the hall.
At my room, I pull out the key and open the door, holding it open for the women to step inside in front of me. Then I step in behind them.
“What hurts the most?” Evelyn asks as she leads Harlee to my bed, urging her to sit down.
“My side. I think I was protected from most of the damage that could have been done, but it’s going to bruise.” Harlee lifts her shirt, showing the discoloration on the side that is already starting to form.
I growl, hating that I couldn’t protect her from that.
“Bullet, can you go update Reaper and the rest of them? They need to know ASAP what happened,” Harlee tells me.
“I don’t want to leave you,” I admit.
“I’ll be right here. Please? Then we can go home after this.”
Reluctantly, I nod and leave the room.
It kills me to leave her behind, but I respect her and her wishes. So instead, I make my way down to church.
I knock twice and wait for them to answer. I’m surprised that Hades, the nomad who came in to help with the William bullshit, answers.
“I have news,” I tell them.
“Let him in,” Reaper calls out.
When I step in, I see they were in the middle of a heated discussion. Ignoring that, I deliver the information I came for.
“I took Harlee into Vegas for the night. On the way home, we were ambushed by some Renegades in our own territory. They caught us off Last Chance Road. I was taking the long way home, and they surrounded us. I slowed down since I had Harlee on our bike, and they crashed into us.”
“Is Harlee okay?” Colt asks.
“She’s being checked out by Evelyn in my room. She didn’t want a hospital,” I tell them.
I don’t blame her. The last time she was at one, her mother had died.
“What else?” Wrath asks.
“They said that our mess brought Dansworth into this town and that we needed to clean it up or they would. They said they wouldn’t be prejudiced about who they took down with them in the process, including the Lotus.”
Reaper runs his hand over his face. “They are the ones who invited Dansworth into their bed, and now they think they can intimidate us?”
“I guess even though Dansworth is running for mayor of Vegas, he’s been chumming it up with the mayor of Reno. Seems they share the same agenda,” Trigger says, turning his laptop to show a photo of both men with the headlines reading, “Rid Nevada of its Biggest Gangs: Motorcycle Clubs.”
“Thank you for the information. If there’s nothing else, you should go check on Harlee,” Colt says as Reaper reads the article Trigger showed us.
“Let me know what I can do to help.”
“Maybe get yourself checked out. You’re bleeding,” Wrath adds.
I look down at my hand and see the blood. I hadn’t even realized I was bleeding. I nod once and step out. I’m surprised when Hades steps out behind me.
“Let’s go find the good doc and your patient,” Hades tells me, clapping me on the shoulder.
I wince as the pain settles in. Yeah, I’m okay, but I took on some damage as well. Now that the adrenaline has worn off and Harlee is getting care, I can feel it.
I knock on my door and wait for it to open. When it does, Harlee is sitting on the bed. I brush past her as I go to kneel in front of her.
“Are you okay?” I ask.
She nods. “Some bruises, but nothing is broken. Time is all I need to heal.”
“What are you still doing here? I thought nomads hated staying in one place,” I hear Evelyn say to the man at my door.
Harlee looks over, so I do too.
“Your brother needs some extra muscle around. Figured I would stay to lend a hand.”
Evelyn snorts. “If he needs muscle, he shouldn’t be coming to you. What? Are you on steroids? You know that they make your cock this big.” She holds up her finger and thumb, but from this distance, you can’t see the space between them.
“If you are concerned for my health, Doc, you are more than welcome to examine me thoroughly. I wouldn’t mind donating my body to science for your observation,” Hades says in a low voice.
“No, thank you. I see much better bodies on a daily basis. Yours is only average. In fact, I need to get back to work.” Evelyn comes over and grabs her bags.
“She is to rest for the next couple of days. Call me with any concerns, and take her to the hospital if you think it’s serious.
Harlee, I’ll come by your place and check you over again in a couple of days. ”
“Should I worry about concussion?” I ask Evelyn.
“It is always a possibility, but I don’t think so. She said she was pretty protected with all the gear you had on her. You did a good job, Bullet. She’s going to be okay.” Evelyn pats my shoulder.
“She is right here, so maybe stop talking about me like I’m not?” Harlee sasses.
I turn to her and cup her face. “I’m glad you are right here and okay. Thank you, Evelyn.”
“Anytime.”
As she leaves, I hear the door shut behind her. We can hear her and Hades bickering all the way down the hall.
“I’ll go grab a cage and take you home,” I tell Harlee.
She shakes her head. “Can I borrow a shirt? I’d rather sleep here tonight. I don’t want to move too much.”
“Of course.”
I grab her a shirt from my dresser and help her down the hall to the bathroom. When she’s done, I get her settled into bed before I go to the bathroom to handle my own business. As I suspected, the bleeding was from a scrape on my shoulder. Nothing serious.
After showering and getting cleaned up, I pull on a pair of boxers before I head back into my room.
Seeing Harlee lying in my bed sleeping soundly does something to me. I like having her in my space. Sliding into bed beside her, I smile when she turns to me, cuddling into my side.
I could have lost her tonight, but I didn’t.
I send up thanks to whoever is listening because I know I won’t be able to live without this woman.
I love her.