Chapter 3
THREE
MCKENNA
Finding the house wasn’t an easy feat. It’s literally in the middle of nowhere, just as I figured it was, but it was the only Airbnb available.
I pull into the driveway and text the owners that I’m here.
It was something they requested I do upon arrival.
They didn’t have a key code thing, so I needed a key. They said they’d bring it right over.
I should have messaged them after getting food, but I didn’t, so I’m just sitting here waiting for them to arrive with the key.
It sucks they don’t have the keyless entry like some do.
Whenever I go down to the beach, I’m grateful not to have to worry about getting a key.
Maybe that’s where I should have gone instead of here.
Doesn’t matter now, I’ve already paid, and I’m here waiting. There’s no reason to be bitch or anything of the sort. Not that I’m the type of person to be a bitch. My godmother always tells me I’m far too nice for my own good.
Honestly, she’s right. I probably wouldn’t be in the situation I’m in if I were meaner to people. Only I’ve never been able to be anything but. However, I can be sarcastic and full of attitude, but never in a negative way.
Leaning back in my seat, my windows rolled down, I close my eyes, listening to music. I love sitting around listening to the radio. It didn’t matter what was playing, I found it relaxing.
I must have dozed off cause one moment I’m listening to Eurielle Believe in Magic, the next a sound of a motorcycle is pulling in next to me.
Turning my car off, I get out and come face to face with the biker from the gas station. I wait for him to cut the bike off before speaking.
“Hey, I’m McKenna. You must be the owner.” Though I thought the owner was a woman. At least that’s who I’d spoken to via text.
“This is my sister’s place, I’m just delivering the key for her,” he says. His deep voice grated. “I’m Heat.”
Heat.
That’s an interesting name.
“Nice to meet you. I saw you at the gas station.”
“Saw you,” he grunts and tosses me a set of keys. I catch them mid-air. “You need to be shown around or anything?”
“No, I think I’ve got it,” I say, smiling brightly.
“Right.” Heat nods, not getting off his bike. “If you need anything or something happens while you’re here, Evelin and Fire live in the house on the other side of the trees. Just give her a call, and we’ll get it taken care of.”
“Okay.” I appreciate him saying what he does, but I’m not sure what will happen. “Thank you.”
“No problem.” Without another word, Heat starts his bike back up and takes off, circling my car and heading back the way he came.
Well, that was interesting. Not one for words or being friendly, but at least he offered to show me around.
Though I wish, while he’d been talking to me, he’d taken the shades off his face so I could see his eyes. I’m willing to bet he’s got beautiful eyes. They’d go perfectly with his masculine features.
I shake the thought of Heat from my mind and get my bags out of the backseat of my little car.
Loaded down with two suitcases, I make my way up to the house, loving the sight of the cute home.
It’s spacious and homey. Definitely a house I imagine out in the country.
I honestly could see myself living in it, but it’s mine only for a little while.
My place is hours from here, and there’s no way I’d be moving out here. I have no reason to. I’m only here to let things settle.
Unlocking the door, I open and step over the threshold, feeling comfortable and safe in a place I’ve never been before. The thought of being safe, especially somewhere new, is a feeling I’m not accustomed to.
I don’t bother taking my stuff farther than the foyer.
I was hungry and tired. As much as I needed a nap, I still needed to eat and grab some groceries.
If I go back out and get those, I won’t have to do it later.
I wanted to be settled in before it got dark.
Being in a new area, I needed to be safe about where I am and where I’m going especially now with the threat that’s against me.
I still need to call Leon now that I am a bit settled. He’s going to lose it when he finds out what I’ve been keeping from him. Sighing, I figure I’d best get this conversation with Leon out of the way first and foremost.
My stomach takes the opportunity to grumble, and I decide against it. First thing food and groceries. When I get back, then I’ll call Leon. He’ll understand. He knows how I am when I’m hungry.
With the keys to the house in hand, along with my car keys, I lock the house and head back for my car. I’ll get what I need to get done. It won’t take long. If I’m going to be here awhile, I’ll need groceries to last a while and I don’t want to have to go back out after I settle in for the night.
“This is ridiculous,” I mutter to myself on the side of the road, glaring down at the flat I now have to change—something I’ve never done before.
I didn’t even know if there was a place I could call to fix it for me.
The worst part is I have ice cream in the truck melting away.
“Damnit.” I kick the rim with the toe of my sneaker, only to curse some more and hop around. “Why the hell did I do that? Ugh!”
The loud rumble of bikes catches my attention as I move to the back of my trunk, needing to move the bags of groceries out of the way to pull my spare out. I should have just stayed at the house and seen if I could have everything ordered and delivered instead. Then I wouldn’t be dealing with this.
The bikes come to a stop behind me rather than passing, as so many other cars have already. This road is busy, and I’m lucky that the flat is on the passenger side rather than the driver’s. I’d be hit and splattered all over the road if it were. I barely got my car over the white line.
The bikes all shut off, all four of them.
There’s no missing the bikers getting off their bikes. The first to approach, I knew. I’d seen him twice now already. Heat.
“What are you doing here?” I blurt out the question, not thinking better of it. He still had his shades on, and the sun was starting to set.
“Saw you when we passed by, turned around, figured I’d find out what was going on,” he says, looking past me to the flat.
“Other than having my ice cream melting away and needing to change a tire, nothing’s going on.” I try my best not to sound stressed out, but I was. My stress levels were through the roof right now, and I didn’t know how to bring them down.
“Right.” Heat grunts and whistles to the men approaching at a much slower pace. “Fire, this is McKenna, she’s the one renting Evelin’s place right now.”
“McKenna.”
Holy shit. This guy was hot. All of them are hot. Hotter than I’ve ever seen a man be. Damn. Well, not as hot as Heat is. He’s perfection. A man made of Gods.
I need to get my head examined. This is something I shouldn’t be thinking about. Not when things are as bad as they are for me.
While I’d been in my car driving, I’d gotten a text from a number I didn’t know. One that freaked me out and added to my stress. The text stated the person knew where I was and that I couldn’t hide from them.
Totally creeped me out.
“Um, nice to meet you, Fire. The house is nice. Definitely middle-of-nowhere cozy.” I ramble, making the men around me chuckle.
“I’ll tell my ol’ lady you said so,” Fire quips with a grin.
“You got a spare for this?” one of the others that I hadn’t been introduced to asks.
“Yeah, I was about to dig it out,” I answer sheepishly.
“We’ll get this taken care of and get you on the road,” Heat mutters.
“It takes four of you to take care of a tire change?” Now, why the hell did I just blurt that out?
Stupid. Stupid. Stupid.
I’m a complete idiot.
“Sorry, I shouldn’t have asked that. Of course it doesn’t. Blame it on the lack of sleep brain of mine.”
Now I’m more than an idiot. I need to learn to keep my mouth shut. I can’t seem to stop making a fool of myself in front of this man. I’ve never been like this with anyone, and here I am doing it all the same.
My face is tinged with pink. I can feel my embarrassment burning my cheeks. Thankfully, with the sun starting to set, I can pretend Heat and the others can’t see it.
“Trouble,” Heat grunts and shakes his head. A grin tugging at the corner of his mouth.
“What?” I blink, not understanding him.
“Nothing,” he says and turns his attention to his brothers. One of them was working on getting my tire off. The other is pulling the spare out. Fire was standing with Heat, watching the traffic. Heat’s gaze comes back to me. “We’ll have this taken care of and you back on the road soon.”
“I appreciate it.” Thankfully, I didn’t think I sounded swoony. Who knows, I might have.
“Give me your cell,” Heat demands, holding his hand out.
“Why?”
“So I can get your number and tell you where to take your car tomorrow to get the tire fixed. Can’t ride around for long on a spare.”
Right. I knew that. But that doesn’t mean I have to give him my cell. “I saw a garage in town. I’ll take it there tomorrow and have them fix it.”
Fire’s chuckles should have drawn my attention, but they don’t. I keep my eyes focused on Heat, and trying to keep my heart rate in check.
“Fuckin’ trouble,” Heat mutters lowly, eyes narrowing, hand out. “Hand me your cell, McKenna.”
“I don’t see the point in handing you my phone.
If you want something. One, you should ask nicely.
Second, I don’t know you, so I won’t be handing you anything.
I appreciate the help with my car’s tire, considering I don’t know how I was going to do it myself.
” By the time I finish saying this, the spare is on my car, and the bad one was being placed in the trunk.
“Regardless, I don’t hand my number out to strangers.
I’ll take my car in the morning to the garage in town. ”
Heat holds my gaze for a long while before he grunts something I don’t understand and jerks his head in the direction of their bikes.
Without another word, he and his brothers leave me standing there with my now fixed, for the time being, car.
I stay frozen in place, watching the men straddle their bikes and start them.
“Get in your car, McKenna,” Heat orders over the rumble of his bike.
I hope none of them notice my jumping at the harshness of Heat’s voice pulling me out of my frozen state.
Darting around the back of the car, I open the driver’s door and get in.
Thankfully, there was a break in the slew of cars going by, and I was able to pull back out onto the road with the bikes following suit.
Five minutes later, I turn off the busy road onto a back road. Ten minutes after I do this, I’m turning once again into the driveway of my home away from home.