Chapter Fifteen
Oliver
The gas pump clicked. I pulled the nozzle from my tank and glanced at the total before sliding my card back into my wallet.
The whole morning felt... different.
Not because we were stopping at Kwik Trip before work.
Because I couldn’t stop thinking about Lark. The kiss.
Hell. The kisses.
For years, I’d been perfectly content keeping people at arm’s length. It was easier that way. Simpler. Nobody expected much from me, and I never gave them a reason to.
Then Lark crashed into my life like a tornado in worn-out Converse and somehow convinced me to smile.
She laughed too loud. Talked too much. Never respected personal space.
And somehow... I liked every damn bit of it.
I should’ve been keeping my head clear.
Wrecker had trusted me with keeping her safe, and getting involved with her wasn’t exactly following orders.
But every time she smiled at me...
Every time she called me Ollie...
Every time she looked at me like I wasn’t some quiet, broody biker she had to tiptoe around...
The reasons I kept telling myself to stay away got harder and harder to remember.
I shoved the gas nozzle back into the pump.
Across the lot, I looked toward the front of the gas station.
Jude was still standing at the register talking to the cashier while Ever and Lark walked out balancing coffees and a paper bag that probably held Ever’s breakfast.
Lark laughed at something Ever said.
Even from thirty feet away, I found myself smiling.
The girls stepped off the sidewalk and started across the parking lot.
A black van rolled slowly between the pumps.
Nothing unusual until it stopped.
My eyes narrowed, and the side door flew open. A man jumped out, and I didn’t think; I moved. “Lark!”
She looked up, and our eyes met. Confusion crossed her face before she turned toward the van.
Ever happened to be closest to it, and without hesitating, Lark shoved Ever with both hands. “Ever!”
Ever stumbled sideways with a startled yelp, crashing to the ground.
The man reached out, and his hand wrapped around Lark’s upper arm. He jerked her so hard her coffee exploded across the pavement.
Lark screamed. “What the—”
He yanked her toward the open van, and I hit him two seconds later. My fist connected with the side of his face hard enough to snap his head sideways.
The bastard stumbled back, but he didn’t let go.
“Lark!”
She cried out as he dragged her another step.
Ever was on the pavement on her hands and knees. “Jude!” she screamed at the top of her lungs.
I grabbed the guy’s wrist with one hand and slammed another punch into his jaw.
He grunted but was still holding on to Lark.
The driver leaned out the front window. “Get in!”
The guy ignored him and tried pulling Lark again.
Rage exploded through me, and I drove my boot into his stomach. Air rushed out of him in one violent grunt, and his fingers finally released Lark’s arm. He doubled over before scrambling backward.
The driver screamed again. “Move!”
The guy dove into the side door just as the van lurched forward.
The door slammed shut and tires screamed against the pavement.
Rubber burned.
The black van shot out of the parking lot and disappeared into traffic before I could get close enough to read the damn plate.
For half a second...
Everything went silent.
Then the entire parking lot erupted.
The gas pump beeped behind me.
Someone inside the store shouted.
Ever was crying.
The front door burst open and Jude sprinted outside. “Ever!” He dropped beside her, helping her back to her feet. “You hit?”
She shook her head frantically. “I’m okay! Lark!”
I turned.
Lark stood frozen exactly where she’d been left.
One hand clutched her upper arm. Her breathing came in short, uneven gasps. I crossed the distance in two strides.
“Lark.”
She looked at me, fear filling her eyes.
Real fear.
Not the joking, playful Lark I’d been getting to know.
This was raw.
“What the hell...” she whispered. “What the hell was that?”
I gently took her arm.
“Let me see.”
“It hurts.”
“I know.” I carefully turned her arm over.
Red, finger-shaped marks were already blooming across her skin where the guy had grabbed her.
Anger hit me so hard I thought I might be sick. I pulled her against me without thinking. She came willingly, burying her face against my chest. My hand rested against the back of her head. “I’ve got you.”
Her fingers twisted into my shirt.
“I’ve got you,” I repeated.
Jude walked over with Ever tucked tightly against his side.
His expression was murderous as he stared in the direction the van had disappeared.
“That,” he said through gritted teeth, “was the Northbound Reapers showing their damn faces again.”
Lark looked between us.
“You think so?”
I didn’t answer. I couldn’t.
Jude already had his phone out. “I’m calling Wrecker.” He dialed the number and put it on speaker.
The phone rang once.
Twice.
Wrecker answered. “Talk.”
Jude didn’t waste a second. “They made a move.”
A pause. “Who?”
“The fucking Reapers.” The temperature around me seemed to drop. “They tried grabbing Ever and Lark at the Kwik Trip.”
Another pause. Longer this time. “Are they alive?”
“Yeah.”
“Hurt?”
“Bruised. Shaken. Oliver got Lark away from them before they could get her into the van.”
“What about Ever?”
“I’m good,” Ever called loud enough for Wrecker to hear. “Lark pushed me out of the way.”
“Anyone get a plate?” Wrecker asked.
“No. Black cargo van. Tinted windows. They were gone before we could get close.”
“I got it,” Ever said. “Before they drove off, I thought to look. 518HRJ.”
“Good,” Wrecker said. “I’ll work on running it and getting everyone back to the clubhouse. Get back here. We wanted more movement from the Northbound Reapers, and now we have to deal with it.”