Chapter Ten
Lauren
I gripped the handlebars as I started riding around the block. I needed to clear my head after all, especially after everything Max had just said.
Did he really just tell me that it’s okay for me to see other guys? Or kiss them? Or sleep with them?
I still couldn’t believe it. I knew for a fact that he had never told me about this before, so what made him suddenly bring it up?
I could only think of one thing: Wade must have told him we kissed.
I told Max that after Wade dragged me out of Billie’s, everything was a blur, but I could remember bits and pieces. I remembered Wade and me talking, arguing. I couldn’t really remember what was said, but I did remember him kissing me in the middle of the conversation. Or did I kiss him first? Fuck, that would have been so brazen of me. And so bad. Blame it on the alcohol. Regardless, the kiss had been good. Hot. Intense. It felt like I sobered up for a moment only to get even more drunk on Wade.
I sighed. I really shouldn’t have drank that much. Thanks to the curry, the pain relievers and plenty of sleep, my hangover was gone, but there were things that alcohol did that could not be undone.
Yeah, Wade most likely told Max we kissed. They were like brothers, after all. And that was probably what made Max suggest I try things out with other men.
The question was: Did I want to?
I was definitely still attracted to Max. When he gave me that bangle, I could barely hold back tears of joy. For what felt like forever, I had been stuck with a jerk like Clyde. I’d forgotten there were good men out there, and Max had just reminded me of that. He was the Prince Charming I never thought I’d needed, and I wanted to stay in his arms.
But I was also undeniably attracted to Jake. I hadn’t had sex with him yet, so I had no clue what he was like in bed, but I was very curious to find out. And if he became my boyfriend, I just knew he would make me feel safe and treasured all the time, just as he did when he was teaching me how to ride a bike. I could see him being a great dad, too.
Then there was Wade. As much as I hated to admit it, I was attracted to him, too. Then again, I’d always found bad boys attractive, excited to somehow tame them and tear down their walls to see the soft side they were hiding. Either that, or I wanted to be taken along for a wild ride. Wade was an adrenaline rush, a guilty pleasure. I could see myself getting addicted to him.
In short, I wanted all three of them.
The idea nearly made me laugh. A relationship with four people? How was that going to work? I’d heard about men with many wives in some cultures, but a woman with three boyfriends all at the same time?
I tried to imagine what it would be like as I took my bike for another go around the block. Me at home pregnant or taking care of the kids. Jake at his tattoo studio, coming home early to cook dinner. Max working from home, occasionally taking me out on dates at fancy restaurants. Wade doing whatever Wade did, helping me out with the kids and chores, fixing stuff around the house. I imagined us having dinner, sharing stories about our day and laughing together about the funny parts. I pictured us going shopping as a family, would probably be an adventure. I could already see the look on the cashier’s face when we paid for everything. I pictured family trips as well, and holidays. They would never be boring for sure.
Then I imagined what the sex would be like. Would they have to take turns, one per night? Or did I get to enjoy all three of them in one night, like in my earlier fantasy? The idea sent a tingle crawling up my spine, but I sent it away. It was a fantasy. Nothing more.
Yes, Max told me I could be with other men, but there was no way I could have all three of them, right?
Or could I?
I left the house to clear my mind because now I was even more confused. Frustrated. Exhausted. I didn’t want to think about it anymore. For now, I just wanted to enjoy this peaceful late afternoon, this comfortable ride, the quiet…
The roar of a motorcycle engine ripped through the silence, stopping my thoughts in their tracks. When I glanced at my rearview mirror and caught a glimpse of two other bikes behind me, I felt my heart stop as well.
Was one of them the same guy from two days ago? The one from the other club, the Demons? Devils? Did he bring a friend?
Or were they men sent by Clyde to kill me?
Either way, I knew I couldn’t let him catch me. I shifted to a higher gear and sped up, my own motorcycle engine growling in response. I knew I was at a disadvantage, though. I was still basically a beginner biker. I couldn’t go that fast, and I didn’t know any fancy maneuvers. I barely knew how to turn. And this time, Jake wasn’t with me to guide me and keep me safe. There was a good chance I could crash and burn.
And die. I didn’t want to die.
So I made a decision. I stopped my bike, got off it, and ran. I knew I’d be slower on foot, but at least, I had complete control. I could also hide.
When I passed by the empty playground, I decided to hide inside the dome. I was small enough that I was able to slip in, though I crouched and curled to make myself smaller.
Then I took out my phone and sent Jake a message.
I’m at the playground. Help.
And prayed that he would find me before the bad guys did.
When I heard the bikes whizzing past, I let out a breath of relief. I kept my ears open, tuning in to the sound of the motorcycle engines as it faded, waiting for it to disappear. When it became louder again, fear crept up my spine, spreading throughout my back all the way around to my chest where my heart started to race. I could sense my pursuers coming back, but I closed my eyes, hoping that if I didn’t see them, they wouldn’t see me.
Please don’t let them find me. Please make them go away.
The engines grew quieter as the bikes slowed down to a stop.
“She must be around here somewhere,” a hoarse male voice said. “She can’t have gone that far on foot.”
The engines died down, replaced by the sound of footsteps on the pavement. I held my breath.
Please. Please…
When I heard sand crunching beneath someone’s boots, I nearly whimpered. I clasped my hands over my mouth, fearful of any sound escaping.
Calm down, Lauren. Don’t make a sound. Not a peep. Not a…
The phone in my pocket vibrated, startling me. For a moment, I froze in fear, knowing the sound had just given my presence away, then I tried to crawl out of the dome as fast as I could, sprinting as soon as I was on my feet. I only managed to reach the edge of the playground before someone grabbed my arm.
“Where do you think you’re going, missy?”
I turned and saw two men in maroon leather jackets, the one holding my arm taller and with purple hair and the other bulkier and bald with “Raging Devils” tattooed on his forehead.
So they were from that other MC. I felt a shred of relief knowing that at least they wouldn’t be dragging me back to Clyde, but I was afraid of them, nonetheless. I tried to wrench my arm free, but Mr. Purple just held it tighter, giving me a grin that showed a missing front tooth.
I glared. “What do you want from me?”
“You’re the one who was riding with Jake two days ago, weren’t you?” Mr. Purple asked.
I frowned. “Let me guess. You’re the asshole who tried to get us both killed.”
“Oh please. All I did was stop in the middle of the road. Jake would have easily avoided me, and he did. Well, not easily, though, since he wasn’t the one driving. Still, no harm was done. Normally, he’d just let it pass, and yet, this time, he took revenge.”
My eyebrows arched. Jake did what?
The devil with the purple hair pulled me closer. “Which means you must be important. Actually, we heard you’re Max’s girlfriend.”
They did? How?
I stuck out my chin and looked straight into my captor’s eyes. “Then you heard wrong. Max isn’t my boyfriend.”
Not anymore,, anyway.
He shrugged. “Whatever. You’re still someone important to Jake, which means our boss has to meet you. Come on.”
He started to drag me to his bike. I tried to resist as best as I could.
“Shouldn’t I be going with Jake?” I asked.
He grinned. “Don’t worry. For sure Jake will follow, though maybe not after the boss and you have become…good friends.”
I shuddered, knowing what he meant. There was no way I was going to let some biker gang leader do whatever he wanted with me.
“Let me go!” I struggled harder to free myself, but his fingers dug into my arm, hurting me. “Or I’ll scream.”
Mr. Purple chuckled. “In case you haven’t noticed, there’s no one around, sweetheart. And the people in this town know better than to get involved with us bikers.”
“I’m not your sweetheart.” I tried to pry his fingers off me one by one. “Let me go!”
He frowned and grabbed my other hand. “Listen, missy. You either behave and ride on the back of my bike or my friend here will put you to sleep and bring you to the clubhouse on the back of his. Either way, we’re taking you to see the boss.”
I glanced at his bald companion, who already had one hand curled into a fist, driving it into the palm of the other.
Fuck.
“Fine,” I said. “I’ll behave.”
Maybe I could jump off when I was on the back of his bike? It would be dangerous, but I was getting desperate.
Mr. Purple smiled. “Good decision. Now, come along and…”
He stopped talking as we heard two bikes approaching, two men in black leather jackets on them. My heart skipped a beat.
Jake! He must have received my message.
Sure enough, after a few seconds, I saw Jake get off his bike. Wade, too. Now, I could finally breathe.
Jake and Wade walked toward me, their jaws clenched and their eyes narrowed. I could almost see the steam coming out of their ears.
Wade spoke first. “Let her go.”
Mr. Purple didn’t obey. “Easy,” he said. “We’re only doing what the boss told us to do.”
Wade prepared his fists. “And I’m only going to do what my boss told me to do.”
“You started this!” I could sense my captor’s panic in his voice. “You trashed my bike. I thought we were supposed to keep bikes out of our fights.”
“You were supposed to leave our women alone,” Jake answered.
Mr. Purple shook his head. “Back then, I didn’t know…”
He was unable to finish his statement because his companion threw a fist at Jake. Jake moved aside to evade it, and the man stumbled forward, crashing into Wade’s fist. He fell to the ground clutching his stomach.
My captor gasped.
“Let her go,” Jake told him. “While we’re asking nicely.”
Still, he refused, taking his knife out and holding it against my neck. The cold blade touched my skin. My stomach churned.
“Take one more step closer and she bleeds,” he threatened.
I swallowed.
Jake and Wade, however, didn’t look the least bit afraid. Jake just scratched his head and sighed. “Now, you’ve done it. Wade?”
One moment, Wade was beside Jake, and the next, he was right in front of Mr. Purple and me, pushing Mr. Purple’s arm away from his body and twisting it as the knife fell from his fingers.
As he yelped in pain, I was finally free, and I ran toward Jake. He wrapped his arms around me. His hand stroked my hair.
“Are you okay?” he asked as he pressed my head to his chest.
I nodded.
I was now. After all, Jake had come for me just, as I thought he would.
“Let me get you out of here,” he said, placing his jacket around my shoulders.
As he led me to his bike, my eyebrows furrowed. “What about Wade?”
Jake strapped a helmet on me. “He can handle this. Trust me.” Then he got on his bike. “Hold on tight.”
I wrapped my arms around Jake’s waist. As he drove off, I glanced over my shoulder, seeing Wade take Mr. Purple down with hardly any effort. The bald man got up, but Wade didn’t have any problems dealing with him in a few practiced, perfectly executed moves either.
So cool.
I’d had enough excitement for the day, though, so as the bike turned a corner, I just clung to Jake and leaned on his broad back, reveling in his warmth and his strength.
Thank goodness he found me.