Chapter 17 Rebel
“Hey, Spark,” Heron greeted me as he entered the bar. “You ready for our date?”
“Yep.”
A lazy grin stretched his lips as he slipped his arms around me. “You wearing that dress? Because it looks like it’ll fly up in the air as soon as we hit the highway.”
I’d chosen a cute little sundress, a jean jacket, and brown ankle boots. The skirt flared enough to swing but wasn’t a problem for the bike. “It’ll be fine.”
He frowned, standing back to drag his gaze over me from head to toe. “Beautiful, Babe.”
“But?”
“Don’t want anyone to see that fine ass of yours.”
“Good thing I wore more than a thong.” I lifted the dress, showing off the white shorts I wore underneath.
He snickered. “Yeah, okay. Let’s get goin’, Spark.”
For the last two weeks, Heron took me on multiple dates. We rode his Harley all over Nevada from Tonopah to Las Vegas to Henderson. He visited Hoover Dam and made out on his bike. Took a gondola ride at The Venetian. We even went back to the aquarium.
He led me outside and tugged on his sunglasses. “It’s too fucking hot out. You gonna be okay in that jacket?”
“Sure. I don’t want my shoulders to burn, and this outfit is cute together.”
“So it’s style over comfort?”
“Something like that.”
“Hey, I don’t care what you wear as long as all that pretty skin is covered.”
No surprise there.
I pulled on the helmet he handed me as I stood beside his bike. “Where are we going first?”
“To eat,” he laughed. “I’m starving, Babe, and I need food.”
“Steak or seafood?”
Heron didn’t hesitate to answer. “Steak, baked potato, and you for dessert.”
I swung a leg over and sat behind Heron as he started his bike. My arms slipped around his waist, and I watched the sun streaming past us in bold colors painted across the sky with the setting sun. We parked at his favorite restaurant and entered, enjoying our meal without any hurry.
He patted his stomach once we finished, pushing his plate aside. Nothing of his steak remained except for the T-bone. I helped him eat the loaded baked potato and enjoyed my shrimp scampi.
“Want anything else?”
“Ice cream,” I answered, already eagerly envisioning the massive cone I’d get once we left the restaurant.
Heron chuckled. “I’ve created a monster.”
“It is your fault,” I agreed. “You’re the one who took me for the best ice cream I’ve ever had. Now I’m spoiled.”
His gaze softened. “Good. It needs to happen more often.”
I couldn’t argue with that.
The sun had long set by the time Heron led me outdoors. We both gazed at the starry sky, noticing the first droplets of rain plop onto the thirsty ground.
“My hair,” I complained as the sky opened and the rain began to fall harder, sinking into our clothes.
Heron tugged me to the bike and reached for the helmet, plopping it on my head before my hair got too wet. There wasn’t anything to do about our clothes, and we both laughed as the water soaked into the material, puddles growing around us and reflecting the dark sky and moon above.
He patted the seat, and I sat behind him, shivering as the wet dress clung to my skin. The jean jacket felt too heavy the wetter it got, but I didn’t remove it. The wind would whip around us once we began to ride, and I knew the jacket added a layer of protection.
“Babe, I gotta get you someplace where we can wait out this storm.”
I didn’t think it was bad until thunder boomed too close for comfort. Lightning flashed to the right only a few seconds after the crack split the air. Nodding, I held onto Heron as he rolled the bike forward and merged onto the street. I didn’t know where he planned to go for shelter, but I didn’t think the ice cream shop was the best choice.
Turned out I was right.
Heron parked close to the entrance of a little convenience store and shut down the engine, hauling me toward the entrance as the rain fell in heavy sheets. I shivered as he tugged me under the awning and through the glass doors. “Fuck, Rebel. Let’s get you warm.”
“Do they have any blankets or coats?”
“Let’s find out.”
We strode up and down every aisle but didn’t find much in the way of warmer clothing. He managed to snag a lightweight blanket, but it wouldn’t do much with my wet clothes. I found a rack with women’s pajamas. There wasn’t a lot of variety, but I snagged a pair of lounge pants and a matching sweatshirt in shades of pink and gray.
“Nice. Let me pay for those, and you can change in the ladies’ room. We’ll just wait out the storm to leave.”
“Good idea.”
Heron paid for the clothes, and I walked into the bathroom, locking the door behind me to change. There were only two stalls, and I didn’t want any surprises. As I stripped, I found a new pair of socks and plain white slip-on athletic shoes. It wasn’t the most stylish thing I ever wore, but everything was clean, dry, and comfortable.
I folded the jean jacket, dress, and my other socks, placing my boots on top. My hair hung in wet strands around my face, and I hated that. Since I always kept a hair tie around my wrist, I decided to throw it into a messy bun as it dried. If I didn’t, it would drive me crazy.
I peeked out the door, and he smiled. “Everything okay?”
“Sure. The shoes are a little tight. But it’s okay.”
“No.” He strode forward, holding out his hand. “Hand them over.”
“Fine.” I slipped them off, and he took them. “Need anything else?”
I thought it over. “Well, my bra is soaked, but I can live with it.”
“Not sure we can find a replacement here,” he laughed.
“Right.” I nibbled on my lip, glancing at the makeup aisle.
Heron noticed. “What is it?”
“I’ve got mascara in my eyes.” They stung, and I winced and blinked. “I think my makeup began running before you helped me with the helmet.”
“Tell me what to buy.”
I explained about makeup remover wipes and face lotion. Heron listened and spun on his heel, striding down the aisle and taking at least ten times longer than I would have to find the items.
Once he paid for the second round of stuff, he returned with a bag. “Here ya go. I’ll wait outside the door.”
“Perfect.”
“Hey,” he called after me, a funny look on his face.
“Yeah?”
He opened his mouth and shut it. For a second, I thought he might walk away without saying a word. But he turned, giving me an indecipherable look. “You sure you need to do this right now?”
“Positive. My eyes will hurt all night if I don’t.”
He surprised me when he closed the distance between us and hugged me against his body, lowering his head to kiss me like we hadn’t locked lips earlier that morning. We spent far too long in bed. I nearly blushed with the memory when I thought about all the naughty things we’d done.
“Yeah. I won’t be long.”
“Your choice.” He frowned. “I’m right here. Not going anywhere.”
“Okay.”
I returned to the bathroom and cleaned off all the makeup, applying lotion so my skin wouldn’t get too dry. My parents had blessed me with combination skin that liked to flake if it got dry enough. I could never keep enough face cream around.
Just as I finished, there was a knock on the bathroom door.
Heron must be worried. Maybe I took too long.
I didn’t hesitate to walk toward the exit, fling the door wide and plaster a smile on my face. “Hey, miss me already?”
“Never stopped.”
I jolted as I faced the man from my nightmares. His deep, gruff voice wasn’t the one I expected. A wide smile twisted his lips upward, but there wasn’t any warmth in his eyes. Just cold, flat, and simmering with fury.
Fuck. Where was Heron?
My gaze shot to the side, and I saw one of the Grave Robbers MC members tugging Heron into the bathroom and dragging him by his boots. He was unconscious. Whatever they did, he wasn’t in any condition to wake up or help me.
I was on my own.
Paul ticked his head toward the front of the store. “We’re gonna leave. Nice and quiet. Any sudden moves or attempts to run, and I’ll have Snake Eyes put a bullet in that bastard’s head.”
I understood. He didn’t need to threaten me. “I’m coming with you without a fight, and I won’t try anything,” I promised.
In the bathroom, I’d left my phone with my clothes. There was no way I could turn around and grab it now. Stupid.
“You have your cell?”
“No. It’s with my change of clothes.”
Paul nodded. “Good. Move. I want to get on the road.”
I didn’t dare fight him or disagree, heading toward the cashier in the front of the store. I didn’t say a word as he told us to have a good night, wondering if he was clueless or if Paul had bought his silence.
It didn’t matter. Either way, I needed to focus on staying safe and trying not to anger Paul. He wouldn’t hesitate to punish me the first chance he got, and if I wanted to survive this, I had to keep my wits.
Paul was intelligent while also being one of the most brutal people I had ever met. He used his large size to his advantage and intimidated people. The sick bastard got off on it. I wasn’t surprised to learn he ruled over other men. Paul was the type of personality who never worked under a boss without issues. He liked to be the one in charge.
And now he had men without limits who thrived on the same brutality and followed his commands.
If I didn’t find a way to escape him soon, I’d never see Heron again.