Chapter 19
CHAPTER NINETEEN
Tazzy pressed her cheek tighter against Jaxon’s broad back as the Harley rumbled beneath them.
Darkness wrapped the road in deep shadows.
The afternoon at the Sabre warehouse with the Musketiaras still had her heart humming.
She’d laughed until her belly hurt in the Little Room.
The swinging princess chairs and the sneaky, sweet Peeps martinis were perfect.
Now she wanted only one thing. She wanted to be home alone with her Daddy.
Nothing could be better than his hands on her and his voice in her ear telling her she belonged to him.
Wind whipped past her helmet while she held him closer, enjoying the warmth his body provided.
Vibrating through her body, the engine’s throb made her ache for the night ahead.
She squinted when the headlights somewhere behind them hit Jaxon’s mirror and reflected straight into her eyes. Wow, whoever was behind them really needed to dim their headlights.
She looked back over her shoulder and spotted a black SUV.
Didn’t they know it was rude not to dim their lights when they were that close to another vehicle?
Was it the same one that had pulled in behind them when they passed the gas station next to the warehouse?
If it was, it had merged onto the main road with Jaxon.
It was probably nothing. Sure, black SUVs had been involved in several attacks on her friends over the past eight years, but lots of people drove black SUVs. But then it started gaining ground. Now it was too close for comfort.
“Jaxon,” she called, thankful for the Bluetooth helmets. “There is a black SUV behind us. It keeps getting closer.”
“I see it, Darkling’.” Following his lead, she leaned further to the left on the next curve. “Hold on tight. We’re not stopping.”
Jaxon twisted the throttle, and his Harley shot forward. Adrenaline shot through her at the sudden acceleration.
Wind stung her exposed skin, making her cling all the harder. Tilting her head over her shoulder for another look, she could tell the SUV was matching their speed without much effort. It stayed on their tail like a predator on the hunt.
Jaxon leaned the bike into a sharp right turn onto a narrower road.
The tires gripped the pavement hard, but she felt them slipping.
Tazzy’s body followed his every lean perfectly.
A dark calm stole over her, no, more like exhilaration.
Squealing tires behind them confirmed they were still being followed.
Again, the SUV accelerated and closed even more.
Jaxon pushed the bike harder, weaving through what little traffic remained this late.
Horns blared when they cut between two cars and blared again when the SUV followed suit.
So far, whoever was driving hadn’t tried to ram them.
She felt like a mouse being played with by a cat before the kill.
Sweat beaded on Tazzy’s neck despite the cool night air. Her fingers dug into Jaxon’s leather jacket. “It’s still there,” she shouted into her mike. “It won’t go away.”
“Trust me, Darklin’,” he growled back. “I have you. Nothing touches you while you are on my bike.”
Darkness bled into every word, but not like before. Before, it scared her. Now it was different somehow, carrying the same sinister certainty, but now it gave her comfort.
Leaning even deeper than before, he took another hard turn.
Tazzy’s knee came close to the asphalt. Her pulse thundered in her ears.
What a rush. Once they made the curve, she ventured another peek back.
Braking late, the SUV had almost missed the turn, running over a stop sign in its effort to keep up. Still, it kept coming.
They hit a stretch of highway where Jaxon could open the throttle wide. Blurring into streaks of light and shadow, the world passed by. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the black SUV surge forward, trying to pull even with them on their left.
Jaxon swerved to block it, cutting across lanes with precision that spoke of years of training and muscle memory. The SUV swerved and dropped back, but only for a moment.
It surged forward again, this time on the right. Tazzy’s breath came in short gasps. She wasn’t sure if it was more from fear or excitement… or if there was even a difference. So far, the vehicle hadn’t made contact, but there was no mistaking their intent.
Jaxon cursed under his breath and took the next exit ramp at high speed. The curve forced the bike low again. The SUV followed, but the tighter radius slowed it down. The maneuver took them into a quiet neighborhood where Jaxon pushed through a series of quick turns.
Up one side road and down another, they roared down one block, then up the next before cutting through a parking lot to exit out the back.
Jackson brought the bike to a stop and scanned the area.
Behind them, those same headlights turned a corner and came at them.
Jaxon spun the bike around and accelerated hard.
Soon, they left the lights behind and entered a more rural stretch.
Trees pressed close on both sides as the road narrowed.
Jaxon shot through an opening in the trees that Tazzy hadn’t even seen before they went into it.
It turned out to be a dirt path that wound into the woods, barely wide enough for the motorcycle.
Branches scraped the handlebars. The Harley bounced over roots and uneven ground.
Tazzy held on and prayed they didn’t hit anything solid.
Behind them, brakes squealed. Her heart raced, even though she knew the larger vehicle couldn’t possibly fit.
Jaxon turned the bike to the side before killing the engine and turning off the lights.
In the complete darkness, it was easy to see the SUV lights sitting at the entrance to the trail.
Jaxon turned to Tazzy and put a finger up to his lips in the universal signal to keep quiet. Within a few seconds, the SUV sped away. Its lights soon disappeared in the trees between them and the road.
Jaxon got off the bike and walked the bike deeper into the woods until the path widened into a small clearing. He took off his helmet. Tazzy dismounted and did the same. Silence pressed in on them. Only their heavy breathing and the tick of the cooling motor filled the air.
He leaned against the bike. Reaching for her, he cupped her face and searched her eyes in the dim moonlight that filtered through the trees.
“You’re okay, babygirl. You’re safe,” he said. His voice stayed low and steady now. “I have you. I will never let anything happen to you. Not while I draw breath.”
The fear and excitement still coursed through her entire body, even though the immediate danger had passed.
She leaned into his touch and let his warmth chase away the chill.
“I know, Daddy. But it was strange. There was fear, and also there wasn’t.
Somehow, I knew as long as you were in control, it would be okay.
The worst part was when it seemed they wouldn’t leave us alone. ”
The other feelings, that feeling of excitement and even pleasure, she kept to herself. If he thought she enjoyed the danger, it might mean more restrictions. She wondered briefly if something was wrong with her. Old Tazzy would have never felt this way.
He pulled her closer until she straddled his lap. His arms wrapped around her tight. “I know, baby. I saw how close it got. You did a good job holding on and telling me what you saw. I’m proud of you.”
She rested her forehead against his chest and breathed him in. Leather and soap and the faint scent of the warehouse still clung to him. After a minute, she felt the tension that still radiated from his body. His muscles remained coiled like he hadn’t let the chase go.
She pulled back enough to look at him. “You’re still angry. I can feel it in you.”
He nodded once. His jaw stayed tight. “You’re damn right I am. I’m fucking furious but not at you, Darkling’. It’s those people who were chasing us that I’m angry with. Them and whoever sent them after us. They don’t get to hurt you or scare you. Not when I can stop them. That was a close call.”
“I know! They almost got us.”
“No, not a close call for us. I mean, a close call for them.”
That didn’t sound right. “What are you talking about, Daddy?”
“If anyone had followed us down that trail, they’d be dead right now.”
“You couldn’t just kill them Daddy. Not unless you ran over them with your bike.”
“I can protect you, little girl. Can and will. I’m going to show you this once, just so you know that when you’re with me, you’re safe.” Unzipping his jacket, he pulled a gun from a holster she hadn’t known he was wearing. He held it up, away from her, and moonlight glinted off the smooth barrel.
Tazzy almost slid off his lap. Whatever she’d expected, it wasn’t that. She reached up to touch it, wonder in her eyes.
“Absolutely not, little girl. This isn’t for you. You do not want the spanking you’ll get if I even think you’ve touched this. It’s Daddy only, do you understand?”
“Y-yes, Daddy. I won’t touch it. Promise.”
He studied her face and must have seen what he wanted because he put the gun away.
“You would have shot them, Daddy?
“Without a second thought. Pulling into this trail was me giving them one last chance to live.”
Tazzy pressed a kiss to his cheek. What did it say about her that the idea of Jaxon shooting the people in the SUV didn’t bother her? Her concern was all for him. It must have been hard for him to control his fury.
She could still feel the anger. It still simmered right under his skin. He’d hinted in the past week that he didn’t want to hurt her. No doubt he was holding back pieces of himself because he worried that it might be too much for her. Even when they made love.
Now she had a glimpse of what he needed, even if he hadn’t said the words outright.
A plan formed in her mind right there in the clearing.
Littles weren’t the only ones who needed to be themselves.
There was a way for him to let that edge out when they got home, and she was going to give it to him.
She would push just enough to loosen the tight grip he held on his darkest desires.
“Can we go home now, Daddy?”
“I was thinking the same thing, babygirl. This has been a long damn day.”