Chapter 44 Kiera
KIERA
I’d chosen to ride on Leo’s bike because, given my previous experiences with both of my saviors, it was a much smoother ride. What I didn’t anticipate was Spencer goading Leo with her reckless driving. And Leo sure didn’t like losing.
I clung to her back for dear life as she revved the engine, picking up speed to match the blue Suzuki.
The backroads outside Valemont were abandoned at this time of night, which meant it was just me and my angels streaking through the darkness like falling stars. I’d have liked to think the stars were pretty, but in truth, I couldn’t see them through the blur of motion.
Cutting Spencer off, Leo slowed the Ducati, forcing Spencer to slow with us. But a second later she was zipping forward, slowing long enough to shoot me a wink before zooming ahead into the woods.
They only slowed once we pulled off the paved road, climbing up a loose dirt pathway through the woods where our traction wasn’t as certain.
I had half a mind to hop off and walk the rest of the hill, but before I could make the suggestion, we arrived at our destination, and the pissing contest finally came to an end.
Thank fucking god.
The dense trees opened up to a small clearing of patchy grass with a big, cement structure sitting at its center.
Built into the side of a mountain, the windowless block only had one opening: a big black void guarded by a rusty old gate.
One, it seemed, these bikers had access to since the tunnel was wide open.
I couldn’t make out much through the darkness, but the tunnel seemed to be teeming with partiers.
Scattered around outside of it were a handful of trashcan fires and a whole lot of bikes. Valemont Violence didn’t play around when it came to a party or their rides, it seemed. The bikes varied in color, size, and make, but one thing was clear even from a distance: they were pristinely maintained.
Rock and metal blared over the clearing from a large portable speaker on top of some nearby rocks. But the closer we drew to the tunnel, the more obvious the tremors in the earth became: something much louder and much deeper than that speaker vibrated from within the tunnel.
Leo turned to pull the Ducati in line with the other bikes, but not before Spencer jacked the closer spot to the door. Leo’s shoulders stiffened as she muttered under her mask. “Fucking asshole.”
Once we parked, I pulled my helmet off and immediately looked over to Spencer. “What the fuck is this place?”
“The Hollow.” She smirked. “Abandoned tunnels that go waaayyy below Valemont. Town officials have tried changing the locks on us a million times, but no one knows the underground like we do.”
She hopped off her bike, offering me a hand up as Leo pulled off her own helmet. “If you think it’s wild from the outside, just wait until we go down.” Before I could ask what else was down there, a handful of bikers jostled over, thrilled to see Leo and Spencer.
“Hey, hey,” Spencer chuckled, pulling a short biker in a camo jacket in for a rough hug.
“Long time.” Leo muttered as she dapped up a tall brunette with an undercut beneath their ponytail.
Other members of Violence, I assumed. It was impossible to make out tattoos under their jackets, but the familiarity they all moved with spoke to a tie that ran deeper than simple friendship.
I felt myself shrinking, ready to fade into the background, when Spencer pulled me into the fold.
“This is Kiera. Kiera, meet Tanner and Chels.”
The more feminine one — Chels — smirked at me as she crossed her arms over her chest. “So this is the one Dom has been so possessive over?”
My cheeks heated at the suggestion. “Dom isn’t— I’m straight.”
Chels raised their brow at Spencer, but Tanner just shook her head. “Don’t mind them. They get excited about new friends and forget their manners.”
“Don’t worry, it’s a compliment.” Chels smiled. “I can totally see why Dom would want you to herself.”
They weren’t the only one. I could see a handful of bikers at the edge of the group giving me the once over. But if anyone had questions about what I was here for, Leo quickly shut them down by placing an arm around my shoulders. “She’s not here with Dom now, is she?”
A wave of butterflies kicked up in my stomach at her touch. I wasn’t used to being so publicly claimed, even if it was platonic. And to my relief, it worked — eyes turned away from me as they assumed I was taken.
Good. I’m not ready for anyone’s attention right now. Not until I figure out whatever this feeling with my saviors is.
“Come on,” Spencer grinned. “Let’s get inside and show our guest the real fun.”
After fetching some beers from a cooler by the entrance, I let my angels lead me down the tunnels into the pits of hell. If I’d thought outside was lively, this was an entirely different vibe.
Deep red lights lit the length of the tunnels, giving everything within it a sexy crimson glow.
All throughout the main passage there was deep, pulsing club music and bodies swaying against each other.
The red lights made it hard to see exactly what was happening, but suffice it to say it was nothing kosher.
Most of the crowd was drinking, but more than a handful were doing much more.
Lit joints and small plastic bags passed between fingers with ease, along with wads of cash bigger than anything I’d held.
And that was only the hands I could see.
Others, when they weren’t raised in the air, were busy sliding over bodies and under clothes.
Leo pressed through the crowd ahead of me, clearing a path while Spencer brought up the rear, letting her hands rest on my hips as she boxed out a space for me in the crush of the crowd. I was relieved to have the buffer — I couldn’t remember the last time I’d passed through a crowd so easily.
All I wanted to do was dance. And I was sure that none of the women around me would have taken any issue with that, but not having to worry about it at all was a relief.
As we glided through the dancefloor, a handful of tunnels branched off of the main entrance in either direction.
It was hard to see what hid down them — one had a small bar set-up, another housed a lounge where people were getting very comfortable, and a third seemed to have some sort of market.
I’d have to venture closer if I wanted to see anything more.
The dancefloor is plenty for now.
Once we found a decent spot I let the beat vibrate through me, nodding my head and swaying my hips in time with the music.
“That’s the spirit,” Spencer purred, letting her fingers curl slightly against my hip bones. In my boots, my ass was mere inches from her crotch, and her temptation was palpable.
It was taking every ounce of her control not to pull me against the strap I was certain she was wearing, to let those fingers slide under my skirt. And god, was it fun to let her imagine it.
As Leo turned to face me, her eyes were filled with a similar heat.
If it weren’t for the red lights, I’m sure my blush would have given away just how flustered she made me.
I took a step back to get a better look at Leo, pressing my hips back against Spencer and grinding along to the beat of the song.
“Jesus, Bunny.” Spencer growled in my ear as she pressed right back against me.
Leo eyed us hungrily, and for a moment, I let her take in the show before reaching forward and lacing our fingers, pulling her closer. “Come on. Spencer doesn’t have to have all the fun. I know you can move those hips.”
She stepped forward at my beckoning, letting me place her hands on my waist and I dipped and swayed along to the pulse of the music.
We danced like that for a good while, with an angel on either side of me. Other friends cycled in and out, dancing and laughing and drinking along with us, but my saviors kept me insulated from the crowd by a wall of muscle.
No one came close to me without my say so. I’d never felt so fucking free.
Is this what it would have been like to have a normal adolescence?
As my gaze drifted over the sea of tattooed and pierced bikers swelling around us, I couldn’t help but laugh.
No, none of this is normal. Normal people aren’t this fucking sexy.
Leo raised an eyebrow as she leaned in, grumbling in my ear so I could hear her over the droning synth. “What’s so funny, Princess?”
“You.” I purred back.
It wasn’t totally a lie. Of all of the sexy people in this crowd, it would be a lie to say that anyone here brought the same butterflies to my stomach as Leo or Spencer.
Or Dom.
I grimaced as that unsavory realization washed over me, flipping my hair to block Leo from noticing. Just the thought of Dom was enough to tighten my chest, and I didn’t like to think about why.
Clearly I’d had too much to drink if I was considering Dom a viable option for my misguided attraction.
Before Leo could pick up on my shift in mood, a new friend wandered over carrying a round of shots from the bar.
“Bella!” Chels smirked, grabbing a shot off of her. “Where the hell have you been?”
“Getting these.” She teased, before handing over some shots to Leo and Spence. She eyed me with a wide grin. “Want?”
“I’m alright, thanks.” I smiled back. As the others caught up with her, I lowered my voice and turned to Tanner. “Is there a bathroom around here?”
“Down the end of the main hall to the right.” She nodded toward a far corner of the tunnel I could just barely make out through the crowd.
“Thanks.” I smiled, taking advantage of my angels’ rare moment of distraction to slip off into the crowd.
A quick break from the dance floor should sort me out. Plus, the more I could learn about this place, the more insight I’d have on who I was really living with.
As I ducked through the crowd, I was surprised at how easily the partiers filled out the cavernous space.
Either Valemont Violence was way bigger than I’d assumed, or they had a lot of friends outside the club.
I scanned the crowd for matching tattoos to Spencer and Leo, and I certainly found a few, but mixed in with them were other variations of the tattoo as well.
Maybe it’s just a personal preference?
After all, Spencer’s tattoo wasn’t a perfect match to Leo’s: the wings on hers wrapped protectively around a set of scales that were absent from Leo’s. As I pictured it, I couldn’t help but imagine what kind Dom might have and where she might be hiding it.
Stop that. No more Dom.
I shook my head, trying to focus my thoughts. It was hard to imagine them being this open with anyone outside of the motorcycle club. All it would take was one cop, and a couple dozen bikers would be leaving this place in cuffs.
Then again, they’d trusted me enough to come here. I wasn’t sure exactly what to make of that trust, but warmth buzzed in my chest at the thought of it.
By the time I broke from my thoughts, I was totally lost in the crowd.
I really should have asked for better instructions.
It felt like I’d passed the same tunnels a dozen times already, like the main hall had no end. I tiptoed to get a peek over the crowd, but it was useless. I couldn’t even see Spence and Leo from here.
Ducking my shoulder, I picked through the end of the crowd until I emerged outside of a new tunnel, much darker than the others
What the fuck are they hiding down here?
I pulled the leather jacket tighter around my shoulders as I headed down the dark hall. Compared to the thrashing chaos of the main hall, this place was eerily abandoned. Decent privacy, I supposed, for anyone looking to get away from prying eyes.
But it wasn’t their sexcapades that I was interested in. After seeing so much cash pass hands tonight, I wanted to know what the fuck they were doing with it. This wouldn’t be a bad place for a drop spot.
I ventured further down the tunnel, looking for any indication of what this place used to be, or even what it was now. There was a small doorway off to the right with a flickering yellow light just beyond it. Certainly that leads somewhere good…
I picked up my pace, eyes trained on the door. But before I could round the corner to the next offshoot, a pair of hands shot out of the shadows, covering my mouth as they dragged me farther into the darkness.