Chapter Eleven
Vivian
He clamps his lips into a flattened line, unable to deny me even though he wants to tell me no, but in truth he knows I’m right.
He runs his hand through his tuff of dark brown hair and sighs, “Fine, but you have to do what I say when I say to do it. Don’t get pissy and be defiant because shit might get crazy. ”
Smiling, I kiss his cheek. “Okay.”
Simon’s father gives him a look full of pride. Simon pulls me in for a rough kiss and whispers, “Good girl.” I blush and smile as he takes my hand.
Nuzzling on my neck, he whispers, “Do you want to get on the back of my bike, baby?”
“Yes,” I answered as my body vibrates. The idea of being on his bike, my arms around him and our bodies so close makes me ache painfully.
“We’ll see you all later,” Simon says, waving them off. His dad goes to speak to his mom because he’ll be joining us at the clubhouse, but she’s obviously not going there.
“No detours,” Simon’s mother calls out with a giggle. “I’ll close up the office.”
“Thank you,” I replied, feeling unusually bold at the moment.
When we arrive at the Clubhouse, I see several vehicles are lined up in the lot. So many Riders have gotten here before us, including Uncle Mick and Aunt Morgan. That bitch from the hotel is in deep shit now. I love it more than I should, but she’s involved in everything that caused me pain.
“Please, let’s have a drink,” Aunt Morgan offers her. “What would you like?” Although she’s being polite and it’s nauseating to witness, I recognize it’s just a ruse.
“Um…just water, please. Why are there so many people here?” She looks around nervously, knowing she’s in trouble.
The terrified expression on her face amuses me to no end and it’s just the tip of the iceberg.
I flex my fists, ready to punch her in the face, but I can feel my body being held back by my man. Damn him.
“This is the Clubhouse. There’s always lots of people around here,” Simon says, as if it’s normal, but his words come out menacing. He has that tilted smirk that turns me on. It screams condescending asshole and yet I still could never get enough.
“Is this like a biker Clubhouse?” Does she really have to ask such inane questions? I roll my eyes and catch a smirk from Boomer.
“Yes, it is. Now, here’s your water.” She takes it from Aunt Morgan but doesn’t drink it.
“Thank you,” she whispers.
“You care to tell us why you drove all the way here just to have your car break down near Simon?”
“I think I should be going,” she insists, trying to dig her way out, but it’s like a mudslide and she’s not getting out without our help.
Aunt Crystal crowds her in and blocks her exit. “You’re not going anywhere until we get some answers from you.” Damn, she is too bad ass. I’m sure Mrs. West wants to be here, but can’t because she’s pregnant. Wrench won’t let her and I can’t blame him one bit.
“I don’t know what to tell you.” Her body tenses because we all know she’s lying.
“You’re going to tell us the fucking truth, or you don’t walk out of here at all,” Aunt Crystal says, staring her down.
Sarah swallows hard, shaking nervously, turning to look at Simon for help. “I just wanted to see if he was okay. My father demanded that I stay away from him after I caused trouble at the hotel.”
“You mean after you had him run down.”
She looks at Simon again as she speaks. “I didn’t run him over. I would never.” I’m about to pounce on her the way she says it. The damn flirty tone is annoying as hell.
“You’re the only one with fucking motive and opportunity.”
“You’re mistaken, Simon; I swear it. I only came up behind them and saw him on the ground.” She might be right. It’s not like getting hit by a truck makes Simon a reliable witness.
“Then you know who hit him,” I snapped, teeth clenched as I thought about destroying her pretty face.
She pauses for way too fucking long. My father is standing between me and the woman on purpose because he’s aware of my temper. Simon pulls me to his side. “Stay close to me, baby.” He kisses my temple, which draws Sarah’s attention, and the jealousy is in her eyes.
She nods. “I do.”
A round of snarling growls and hisses with nasty curses comes from those in the room. “You bitch,” I snap, leaping out of Simon’s arms, but I’m too slow because he has my back and my father is blocking the girl from my wrath.
She raises her hands defensively. “It wasn’t me, I don’t even know the kid that did it, but he had one of our vehicles and he was with our lead ski instructor. My father had it recorded via one of our outdoor cameras and didn’t want the lawsuit.”
“That bastard said the security cameras didn’t work,” Wrench roared. The tension in him was palpable. Everyone in the room could feel the rage pouring off him.
“Cyber, can you hack it?” Boomer asked.
“Their system is a closed circuit, but we have our ways,” he said, and I wondered what he schemes were underway. They weren’t just going to let them get away with answers like that.
“So why are you here—spying for your family?” Wrench asked.
She dropped her head and then slowly raised her gaze, giving him remorseful eyes. “I’ve been feeling so terrible about what happened. It’s all my fault. If I hadn’t been flirting with him, none of this would have happened. I was just trying to get away from my father, and it all fell apart.”
“And you thought that coming here, what? You’d be absolved of your crimes?” I challenge, wanting to punch her in her pretty face.
“No. I just wanted to see if he was okay and hoped he still hadn’t gotten his memory back because my father is a very dangerous man.”
Simon scoffs, and so do several others. He may be dangerous, but that’s nothing. We’ve handled dangerous, because all the Riders are devious. They will make a fucking shining example of all these bastards, and they will start with the guys who came after Simon and then her father.
“Well, boys, it looks like you’re all having a meeting and leaving me out of it.
” Miles walks in with his three-piece suit and a smirk.
That man is something else. If there was any one of us who came from the original Riders with too much bravado, it’s Miles.
Then again, the man proves that he is exactly who he says he is.
“How the fuck did you know about this?” my dad asks, chuckling and shaking his head.
“Let’s just say I was in town on other business, and the sudden scurry of Riders caught my attention.”
“Mr. Ivanov?” the Vail tramp gasps. We all stare, wondering how she knows him. I’m sure Elsa wouldn’t like that.
“Well, hello, Ms. Steiner,” Miles says with pure arrogance.
“You know them,” she states with pure accusation.
“Yes.” The slight uplift of the corner of his mouth is the only giveaway that he’s amused.
Miles carries himself so stiffly that you can’t read him unless you know him well.
“By the way, I just came back from my trip to Colorado. Papa, this is for you.” He tosses his father a flash drive.
“It’s everything you need.” Cyber walks away with the drive and goes to the security office.
Sarah’s mouth falls open, and her hand goes to her chest. “So you weren’t planning on investing in my father’s business after all.”
“I invested, Ms. Steiner. However, business is discussed between men, not little girls. The only woman I discuss my life with is my future bride. Excuse me.” He swiftly turns on his heel without another word in his three-piece suit and leaves us there with our mouths open while we’re staring at Sarah.
“Oh goodness, that man is hot, but he’s a grade-A jerk.
He was even more rude than you. What am I, hideous?
” she blurts out, shaking her head in amazement.
She has no idea how serious Steele Rider men are about their women, and Miles Ivanov is no different.
Elsa Martin has always been his even if she doesn’t want to be.
No other woman will do and this chick had no chance.
“Desperate is more like it,” Petrol says. He’s a Rider now, like all the other men here, too. I have to cover my mouth to stop from laughing, but several others don’t let their manners get in the way and let out a couple of cackling howls.
“You would be, too, if you had a sociopath for a father.” I can see the tension in some of the older men in the family, but fuck if I care. All I can think about is my Simon. If it wasn’t for her, he wouldn’t have been mowed down like he was a bump in the damn road.
“Listen, I don’t give a fuck about your father.
We need to get this shit done and my life with Vivian started,” Simon says, giving me an intense stare.
A deep rumble comes from my father beside us.
I don’t want to even glance at him because I’m sure he’s not pleased and might even try to stop us.
My eighteenth birthday is tomorrow, and it’s not like girls my age aren’t already banging their boyfriends.
Simon’s only three and a half years older.
“So who was the ski instructor that you mentioned?” Uncle Boomer questions, returning to the subject at hand.
“He’s our star attraction, Thaddeus. All the girls love him, and the guys envy his game.”
“And you don’t know who the other guy was?” Wrench asked.
“No, but she knows him,” she says, pointing right at me. The accusation is clear in her eyes.
“What makes you think I know him?” I ask, annoyed that she dared to make up some bullshit.
“You were with that guy several times throughout the weekend.”
Everyone looks at me, and I have to think about who was there that weekend. “You couldn’t be talking about any of Simon’s brothers.” I bite down on my bottom lip and then gasp, “Wait, are you talking about Richie?”
“Hell, no. Richie Henderson?” my dad asks.
“That prick. I remember now. Jack and Eric messaged me that they were stopping him from kissing you.” I blush and duck my head, shame filling me.
Simon cups my chin with his strong hand and lifts my face to look into his eyes. I never wanted Richie; I just wanted revenge on Simon. “Don’t do that, babe. I’m going to destroy that fuck, but right now we need to do something with her.”
“What?”
“Don’t worry, we’re not going to harm you if you’re telling the truth.”
“We’ll take care of her. You two head out and let us handle this,” my father says.
My brow lifts, but my father just kisses my cheek and says, “You might be eighteen, but you still have to graduate high school, so I expect you home in a few hours, young lady.”
“Yes, Daddy.”
“Have fun, kiddos.”
“We’re going to have more kids around here soon,” I hear someone tease as Simon and I walk out the door.
I blush. “Relax, Viv. As much as I want to fuck you so damn hard and deep tonight, I’m not. I’m taking you on a date, and then I’m taking you home.”
“Are you serious?”
“Yes, I’ve stayed away and good all this time.
I’ll be a good boy for a little longer.” I can’t believe this.
My entire body is vibrating for this man, and he’s passing it up like he isn’t given the pass to have me just where he wants me.
I try not to let my doubts sink in, but they’re at the back of my mind.
Maybe I’m the one truly in love and he’s just not that interested.