Chapter 9
ASH
Days trapped in the snow without interruption with Noelle was the best Christmas present I could have wished for.
But when I woke up on the third day to no howling wind and bright sunshine streaming through the blinds, I knew our cozy little getaway had come to an end.
But not our time with Noelle.
No way.
I wasn’t about to let that happen.
She’d been wonderful these last three days.
I might not trust her, but damned if I was going to let her walk away before I found out the truth.
Or before we finished extracting every ounce of pleasure from her.
“Check the bikes.” Rafe walked into the room, already dressed in his leathers, and gave me a dark look. “We’re leaving in an hour.”
The rumble of a snow plow punctuated his order.
Bishop stood near the windows, and he cracked the blinds to peer out. “Road’s clear. We shouldn’t have any trouble making rounds.”
Noelle straightened from where she’d been propped against the bar. “Where are you going?”
“Out.” Rafe’s dark look caused her cheeks to pinken.
“And you’re coming with us.” I held out my hand toward Noelle. “Come on. I’ll show you around the garage.”
“Oh, no. That’s okay.” She sidestepped, banged her hip on the bar, and stopped.
I really had to figure out her angle.
While I was fully willing to worship her body in and out of bed, I had to get close enough to find out why she was really here.
“Oh, yes.” I held out my hand and wiggled my fingers. “You want the real story of the Steel Vipers, you have to see this.”
Curiosity widened her eyes, and she took a step forward. “What’s important about this trip?”
“You’ll see.” She’d be more likely to believe us when she saw it for herself.
I took her hand and tugged her toward the garage, handing her a thick coat since she didn’t have one of her own.
Shaking it out, I helped her slide her arms in and pulled it up over her shoulders.
“Ash.” She whispered my name in a sultry voice that went straight to my cock.
“What?” I leaned over her shoulder and pressed my cheek to hers. “What’s bothering you?”
“I’m…” She gulped a breath. “I’m too big for a motorcycle.”
I snorted.
I couldn’t help it, and I didn’t mean to, but the noise blew out hard and fast. “Not even close.”
“But I’ve never ridden one before. It’s not a good idea for me.”
She hugged the leather jacket tight over her stomach and crossed her arms.
I wrapped my arms around her and pulled her to me. “Trust me, you’re going to love it. You’ll ride with me. I insist.”
I kissed her cheek. “It’s time to pop your cherry, and I’m the best one for the job.”
She stopped resisting and let me guide her to the garage.
“I just need a few minutes.” I checked all the bikes, deemed them fit for riding, and opened the garage door.
Bishop and Rafe stood on the other side, and the three of us straddled our custom bikes.
I held out a helmet toward Noelle. “Put that on and get on behind me.” I sounded enough like Rafe that he cocked an eyebrow.
Noelle took the helmet and turned it around in her hands. “You don’t have to take me.”
“You’re our old lady.” I started the bike with a grin.
The familiar rumble of the engine thrummed through me. “This is part of the deal.” I could let her stay behind, but I wanted her to understand the truth behind the mask.
Noelle settled the helmet over her red hair and swung a leg over the bike.
“Hold on tight.” I guided her arms around my waist and locked them together. “We’ll be going slow and making lots of stops. If you need anything, pat my stomach, okay?”
She nodded against my back. “Okay.”
Rafe led the way out of the garage and made a left on Pine Street, headed toward the retirement village on the edge of town.
The brisk air cleared my head, and the hum of familiar engines put me on the verge of euphoria.
There was nothing like being on a bike with the wind and sunshine offering the kind of freedom I’d never found anywhere else.
Bishop slowed so I caught up, and the two of us fanned out behind Rafe.
The slushy roads posed a few problems as we avoided slick spots the trucks had missed, but we made it to the cul-de-sac without any mishaps.
Rafe stopped outside the first house and dismounted. “Everyone split up. Go door to door. See if anyone needs anything.”
Noelle released my waist and tried to move off the bike.
She lost her balance and staggered to the side, falling into Bishop’s arms when he jumped forward to catch her. “What are we doing here?”
“What Rafe said.” I held out my hand, and to my surprise, she took it. “We’ll start on the north loop.” I pointed toward the houses behind us. “Meet you in the middle.”
Bishop nodded, and we parted ways.
Rafe reached the first door and knocked.
When we reached our designated door, the woman who lived there had already spotted us and stood with the door cracked open.
She grinned up at me, her white hair waving in the breeze. “Didn’t expect to see you today. Figured the roads were too messy for you lot to be out and about.” She caught sight of Noelle. “And who’s this?”
“Mrs. Grissom, this is Noelle.” I nudged her forward. “How are things around here? Do you have everything you need?”
“I’m good.” Mrs. Grissom patted my arm. “You should go check on Robert down on the other side. I been looking out my window every day, trying to keep an eye on things, and he didn’t open his curtains this morning.”
“I’ll go there next. Are you sure you’re okay? We can bring back supplies if you tell us what you need.” I tried to ignore the way Noelle’s mouth fell open at the interaction.
She pressed her lips together and hugged her ribs. “I can go knock on his door. It’ll go faster if all four of us split up.”
“You don’t have to do that.” I waved goodbye to Mrs. Grissom when she reassured me that she was fine and had stocked up before the storm blew in.
“Glad they didn’t lose electricity. These communities like this are great, but if they lose power, they’re all in danger.
Not a single one of them has any other means of heating their homes. ”
She turned her face away, shaking her head lightly. “Wow.”
“What?” I hooked my finger under her chin and brought her around to face me.
I’d never seen such blatant shock on a face before. “What’s that look for?”
“I just…” She blew out a long, slow breath that filled the air between us with a cloud of white. “I didn’t expect you all to have such a soft side.”
I grinned wide enough to make my cheeks ache. “Welcome to the real side of the club.” I guided her up the narrow sidewalk still covered in snow and onto the narrow porch where Robert lived.
Noelle glanced left and right toward the windows that bracketed the door. “Looks deserted.”
“Which is unusual. Robert and Mrs. Grissom have a thing.” I waggled my eyebrows. “They wave at each other every morning.”
“They like each other?” Noelle clasped a hand around her throat, her expression morphing. “That’s so sweet.”
“I’ve tried to tell them they should go on and move in with each other. They always laugh and wave me off, telling me I’m being too modern.” I knocked on the door. “Robert, it’s Ash. You okay?”
Noelle cupped her hands around her eyes and pressed her face to the window on the door. “Hard to see even though the curtains are sheer. I’m not seeing anyone.”
I knocked harder, then reached for the doorknob. “Robert, I’m coming in.”
I raised my voice over the sound of the door creaking open. “If you try to shoot me, I’m going to be very upset with you.”
A cough rattled out from the kitchen. “Wouldn’t… dream… of it.”
The wheezing breath that followed sent me rushing forward at a dead run.
My boots thudded on Robert’s brand-new hardwood floors.
Any other time, he’d shout for me to settle the fuck down.
When he didn’t, fear lodged an icicle in my chest. “Robert, what the hell?”
I found him in the kitchen, sitting at the table with a cup in one hand.
Blue tinged his lips and his eyes were hooded with pain. “I’m calling 911.”
“I’ll do it. You stay with him.” Noelle grabbed the phone from the counter and held it to her ear. “Shit. No signal.”
“That’s… why I have—” Robert broke off with a cough that sounded like he might hurl a lung across the table.
“Here.” I pulled my phone from my pocket and tossed it to Noelle.
Half an hour later, Robert was on his way to the hospital, and the four of us were back on our bikes on our way to the next location.
We stopped outside town to fill up, and Noelle leaned forward. “You’re a softie. Never would have thought it.”
“We are not.” I scoffed, trying to blow off her comment. “Robert and everyone else in that community are there because they don’t have any family. We check in on them when we can.”
“Like I said. Softie.” She squeezed my waist. “Don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone your little secret.”
“Thought that was what reporters do?” I questioned her even as I swung us off the bike and headed into the store for a snack. “Aren’t you supposed to be clearing up our image so the local PD will get off our backs?”
“Sure. But there’s a difference in cleaning up misconceptions that cause you to have trouble with the law and telling everyone you take care of the elderly.” She set the helmet on the back of my bike and fluffed her hair.
The thick curls fell around her face and made me want to kiss her right there in the middle of the parking lot. “I think it’s noble and brave.”
I opened the door and motioned her in ahead of me.
There were a dozen things I could say.
Stories I could tell about the things we were held responsible for.
But the truth of it all was that Rafe let those rumors fill people’s ears.
They had a purpose.
Our bad boy reputation kept us safe from rival gangs.
Conflicts between gangs were common enough, but they’d all come for us without mercy if they thought we were weak.
The things we did, things like checking on the poor, the sick, and the elderly, were done with precision and outside of the limelight.
We didn’t chase fame or glory.
Noelle’s comment burrowed deep, cracking straight through to my heart and nestling in like a puppy dog in a warm blanket.
She saw us, the real us, and she didn’t poke fun of us or call us weak.
Noble and brave.
No one had ever associated those two words with me, with any of us.
What would Rafe and Bishop think if they knew what Noelle thought of us?
“How often do you check on people?” Noelle picked up a bag of sour gummy worms and walked past me to the register.
I shrugged though she had her back to me. “Whenever necessary.”
The conflict of our bad boy appearance made our efforts around town complicated.
People saw us as troublemaking trash, and Rafe wanted them to continue that monologue.
Except, he’d allowed Noelle into our midst.
He’d agreed to let her help us gain a better reputation with the police and other locals.
Doing that meant risking our rivals finding out about our softer side.
What happened then?
I’d never question Rafe.
There was a reason he was our leader, and I trusted him.
I had no choice but to let this play out.
I grabbed a sucker from the rack and followed Noelle to the register.
She nodded toward the lollipop. “One of these days, you’re going to have to explain that to me.”
I knew what she meant, and I gave her my most devilish smile. “With pleasure.”