Chapter 7 #3
“You don’t have a choice, Delilah.” I got it.
She was in a tough spot and I couldn’t blame her for being torn, but she had no idea how lucky she was to be given the chance to walk out of here alive.
I could’ve taken the time to explain it to her, but I doubted that it would ease the guilt she was feeling.
“You need to remember that Danny got himself into this mess. It’ll be up to him to get himself out of it. ”
Despair crossed her face as she whispered, “But he’s my brother, Hawk.”
“I get that, I really do, but if Danny’s any kind of caring brother at all, he’d want you to get out of here. You gotta know that.”
“I know, but—”
“Delilah, get your stuff.”
I waited as she quickly grabbed what few belongings she had, then led her down the hall.
I expected her to be thrilled about finally getting back to her own life, but she looked even more terrified now than she had when she first arrived, especially when she noticed that we weren’t going out to the parking lot. “Where are we going?”
“Viper wants a word with you before you go.”
“What?”
When we got to his door, I knocked, then eased it open. “He’s waiting inside for you.”
“You aren’t going in with me?”
“He wanted to talk to you, not me.”
“Why do I get the feeling that this isn’t going to be a conversation I want to have?”
“He’s waiting, Delilah.”
She let out a deep breath, then stepped inside his office.
I closed the door and waited in the hall for what seemed like an eternity.
I had no idea what he was saying to her, but when she came out ten minutes later, I could tell by the horrified expression on her face that he’d made quite an impression on her.
I didn’t ask her about it. Instead, I led her towards the back door.
As we got to the parking lot and walked past a couple of the guys, she wouldn’t even look in their direction.
Pretending to ignore them, she silently followed me over to my Harley.
When I handed her a helmet, she looked at me like I’d lost my mind. “Wait ... What’s this?”
“That is a helmet”—I motioned my hand towards my bike—“and this is a 2019 Road King Classic.”
“You don’t have a car or something?”
“Nope.”
“What about that truck they brought me—”
“Not mine.” I threw my leg over the seat and slipped on my helmet. “Unless you wanna stay here, get on.”
“But I’ve ... um … never ridden a motorcycle before.”
“Nothing to it.” I took her things out of her hands and placed them in the saddlebags. “You’ll see.”
When she overheard the guys snickering behind her, she rolled her eyes and put on the helmet. Looking less than pleased, she eased her leg over the seat and settled in behind me. “Okay ... Now what?”
“Just hold on and follow my lead.”
Once she’d placed her hands on my hips, I started up the engine and pulled out of the parking lot.
The second I pulled onto the main road, Delilah leaned in closer, tightening her grip around my waist, and damn, it felt incredible.
That’s when it hit me. I’d never had a woman on the back of my bike—at least not one who I’d found remotely memorable.
Not a woman like Delilah. I didn’t expect to like it as much as I did.
I wanted to savor the moment. It was one of the reasons why I chose to take the long way back to Danny’s place.
When we finally got to his apartment complex, I pulled up next to Delilah’s car and parked.
As soon as she got off my bike, she asked, “How did you know to come here?”
“I wouldn’t be doing my job if I didn’t.” I reached into my back pocket and pulled out the phone and keys we’d taken from her on the night Shotgun and Rafe brought her to the clubhouse. “You’ll need these.”
“Thanks.”
As she took them from my hand, I told her, “I texted your mother.”
“You did?”
“Yeah ... and your boss.” She glanced down at the screen, skimming through the messages I’d sent, along with all the missed messages she’d received. “Told them both that you were sick with some stomach thing, so keep that in mind when you talk to them.”
“Okay.” I grabbed her things out of the saddlebags and handed them to her. She went over and put them in the back seat of her car, then turned back to me. “So, now what?”
“Go home ... Get back to your normal routine, and while you’re doing whatever you do, don’t breathe a word about the last forty-eight hours.”
“What if someone asks me about Danny?”
“You’re a smart girl. You’ll think of something.”
I knew she wasn’t happy with my answer—or lack thereof.
It was written all over her beautiful face.
As fucked up as it might’ve been, seeing that look on her face made me want her even more.
Hell, it took every bit of my restraint to keep my fucking hands off her, especially when I saw the fire in her eyes roar back to life as she stood there glaring at me.
After several long, agonizing moments, she started towards her car with all the sass she could muster and spat, “All right then. I guess I’ll ... see you around.”
“Oh, you’ll be seeing me. You can count on that.”