52. Kiera
KIERA
I wasn’t a professional rider or anything, but a week of practice with my captors would have to be enough.
The morning of my meeting with my mom, I stood outside in the warm spring sun, waiting for my three protectors to meet me outside Dom’s mansion.
The armored clothes Leo and Dom had sourced for me were far too hot for this weather. But they were insistent that I wear as much gear as I could. If all of this went south, they wanted to make sure I’d be safe on a speeding bike.
I pinched at the knees, trying to give my legs more room to breathe. All black, the outfit would be anonymous enough to hide me once the helmet was on.
I wondered if I should have stayed inside until everyone was ready. But in all honesty, the vibe inside was tense and the air was thick. At least out here I was able to get some fresh air and take a break from the anxious energy.
Missions were always tense. But this was different. A calculated risk, this mission could make or break our chances of taking Zeus down.
And if we failed, we might not just put the operation at risk but also my life.
Leo stepped outside first, pulling the front door open and smiling at me. “Goddamn.”
Rolling my eyes, I leaned against the limited edition Brabus bike behind me. “Does someone need to check your heart rate, Doctor?”
With a devious smirk, Leo walked closer, wrapping her arm around my waist. “Maybe.”
The lightness that came from our sexual tension faded quickly as the reality of what was coming next hit both of us.
“You have to promise me you’ll be careful.” Leo’s face grew stern, her chiseled jawline taut with anxiety.
“I will be. Besides, you’ll be in the shop with me if anything goes south.” I rubbed the arms of her matching black top. Her armored suit was bigger, bulkier than mine. But in a flash of motorcycles, it should be hard enough to separate out from mine.
Leo shook her head, her light brown eyes searching mine. “I don’t just mean physically, Princess. I worry about the way she manipulates you, what she might convince you of.”
Nudging her, I rested my palms on her chest. “I’ll be fine, I broke out of her spell a long time ago. And we’ll be back home before you know it.”
Leo bit her lip. “I just don’t want anything bad to happen because I love you.” Her face went flat at the words, maybe a part of her hoping I’d missed it. There was a fear in her eyes, like she was worried she may have pushed me too far.
It was the hesitant look I’d see in her gaze when I first came to the house, when my two captors were worried about pushing the straight girl away.
But I’d heard her loud and clear. Those three words were something I’d been thinking about for a long time.
A grin took over my face and I grabbed her shoulders. “Look at you, the Major’s talking about her feelings.” Pulling her ear to my lip, I whispered back to her. “I love you too, Leo.”
Waves of relief crashed over Leo’s entire being, her shoulders relaxing as the words hit her ears. But what followed was a tidal wave of desire. Her hands lifted to my jaw, grabbing my face and pulling it into hers for a deep, needing kiss.
A hunger swelled in my stomach, one I knew how to cure.
“Oops, sorry.” Spencer flung the front door open, a cheeky smirk telling us she knew exactly what we were about to get up to. “Don’t let me stop you, you know how much I love to watch.”
In Spence’s dark eyes, I could tell she knew it was more than something sexual. And I was sure she’d be making fun of Leo for confessing her feelings as soon as our mission was over.
Dom wasn’t far behind, towering behind Spencer. “Time to roll out.”
Peeling myself off her bike, I moved toward Spencers. I knew hers was the bike I’d be riding home, at least part of the way. The entire plan was meshing in my head. All I knew was, I needed to get the IPO date out of my mom and keep as much of my life a secret as possible.
“You’re with me, Viper.” Dom growled at me, grabbing my hand before I could slip from her grip. “Get on.”
She didn’t leave much room for disagreement.
Instead, I turned back to the Brabus and took the black helmet from Dom’s hands. Placing it on my head, the world darkened under the tinted visor.
“Comms check.” Leo threw her helmet on and pressed a button on the side. “Doc, out.”
The noise so close to my ears startled me, but it was loud enough that I’d be able to hear their voices over the roar of the motorcycle engines.
Spencer had been hard at work in the shop, modifying dozens of helmets to make sure we could all communicate. We needed to prepare for the worst case scenario.
From the blue Suzuki, Spencer replied. “Gamer, copy.”
Dom’s was more of a grumble than a voice. “Prometheus, copy. Damsel?”
Without clicking my button, I flicked up my visor and glared at Dom. “Absolutely not.”
Through the comms, Leo laughed. “We couldn’t decide whose nickname was best. So we made a new one.”
“Damsel, copy?” Dom repeated herself as she saddled her bike.
There wasn’t any time to argue. Instead, I pushed the button on the side. “Damsel, copies. Assholes.”
We said our goodbyes, flicking on our visors. I straddled Dom’s back, pressing her body between my thighs as I got myself situated on the back of her pitch-black bike. The engine roared to life as she fired the ignition.
We’d selected a meeting location far from Valemont, giving us plenty of road to lose the tail we suspected Maura would lead right to our door. A drive that would have normally taken us 45 minutes down the river toward the city took closer to an hour and a half.
Dom was taking odd roads, trying to obscure our path and make it as difficult as possible for anyone to trace us. Eventually, we would end up in Tarrytown: a small but crowded city within an easy commute to New York City.
It would be crowded with tourists and easy to disappear into crowds and heavy traffic.
Holding on to Dom’s back, I tried not to let the anxiety in my chest grow.
As I rested my head on Dom’s shoulders, I looked behind us, watching as Leo and Spencer’s bikes peeled off down a smaller road.
My brows furrowed, surprised to see them leave us. Until Dom’s voice sounded over the intercom. “They’ll meet us there, remember?”
Pressing my comm button, I nodded against her back. “Copy, Prometheus.”
Just as I was starting to wonder if we’d ever make it to our destination, the sign appeared welcoming us to Tarrytown. We followed Main Street to the center of town, I could see the sign for Coffee Labs Roasters down the block.
But Dom made a sharp turn down an alley and put the bike in park a few blocks away.
As she stood from the bike, offering me a rare hand getting off the bike. Dom clicked her comms button. “Let’s go over it one more time.”
Dom wasn’t going to lift her visor, knowing that every camera in town could be watching us. “Spencer will be waiting outside on her bike with her helmet on. Leo will be inside, in a disguise and watching your meeting.”
We’d agreed on this arrangement, knowing that Spencer had the most to lose by having her identity revealed. The kids could be hurt or worse, any legal case she’d hoped to build could be destroyed.
Dom was at risk of being caught, blowing up the whole operation if she was discovered.
But Leo had already lost her family, she’d already had her career. Plus, a part of her wanted to see what would happen if they found out who she was.
Pointing out of the alley, Dom continued, “You’ll walk out of here and make a left, walk two blocks to the stucco building. I’ll be waiting in the wings, ready to roll out whenever you finish.”
Maybe I was reading too much into it, but I could have sworn there was a pang of remorse in her voice. Like she wished she could waltz in there with me, give Maura a piece of her mind and whisk me back to safety.
“I’ll be okay.” I let my fingers intertwine with hers.
Clearing her throat, her face was hidden by her visor. “I know that. I wouldn’t let anyone get close enough.”
“Okay.” Blowing out a deep breath, I pulled the helmet off of my head, my red hair a beacon. “I’ll see you soon.”
Dom nodded. “I’ve got you, Kiera. Eyes everywhere.”
As much as it was a comfort, it was also terrifying. I knew that the second I pulled off my helmet, my identity was revealed. Isaac could have stationed his goons around the corner, ready to grab me the second I stepped into the daylight.
My saviors would never let that happen.
I had to take the comfort where I could.
Marching out of the alley, I dropped Dom’s hand and walked into the light. The streets were crowded with weekenders enjoying their summer vacations just outside the city. I weaved between them and headed toward the coffee shop just a few blocks away.
A rectangular sign with a brown labrador logo just above the Stucco doorway told me I’d arrived.
My pulse raced as I reached for the doorknob.
A wolf whistle behind me startled me out of my haze.
Whipping around, I saw a biker in a matching outfit to mine and a discreet black bike. Just from the way she held her body, I knew it was Spencer.
I couldn’t help but roll my eyes as I walked into the coffee shop, a bell dinging overhead to announce my arrival. The sight of my protector had eased the anxiety for just a moment, and spotting Leo in the shop made my shoulders relax.
I tried not to stare, but she looked hot in her disguise. A black leather jacket covered her tattoos, but the tight tshirt underneath showed off her abs and broad chest. The helmet on the table told me she was ready to run out of here at any moment.
Her eyes were obscured by the black baseball cap, but I knew she was watching me even under her dark sunglasses.
But the comfort didn’t last long.
Seated at the window, Maura waved at me and the blood drained from my face. She was really here.