The Ties That Bind 1

by D. A. Young

  Except, she was here now, and the normally mild-mannered biker looked like he wanted to tear Marcus apart. “What business is it of yours if I spend time with my daughter, Lawson?”

  Ransom felt some of the jealousy and anger drain from his body with that disclosure. His daughter? He’d always liked and respected Marcus “Rage” Glover since meeting the ex-military biker a decade ago. But that morphed into something ugly when he walked into the man’s bar and saw Rage smiling and touching his fancypants. Ignoring the greetings he received, Ransom made a beeline for the duo, intent on breaking up their cozy little get-together and fucking the old bastard up. However, now, he could see they shared similar features, except Billy wore them much better.

  “It’s cool, Marcus. Ransom was kind enough to assist me when my car broke down outside of town. We were so busy discussing other things that I never mentioned why I was in New Mexico.” She flashed a concerned look at Ransom, who was still vibrating with tension. “Is everything okay? You look pissed. It’s not the car, is it?” Her attention was drawn to his injured hands. “What happened?”

  “The car is fine, but it’s going to take a couple of days to get some of the parts in,” Ransom replied, choosing to ignore the question regarding the raw cuts and scrapes that he’d cleaned up as best as he could. “I wasn’t aware you had a kid, Rage.”

  “That’s because it’s none of your or anyone’s damned business, Lawson,” Marcus retorted bluntly. “Why are you so interested in my daughter?”

  It stung Billy to know he’d never mentioned her, but wasn’t that what brought her here? Ransom’s next words mollified her slightly.

  “Because she’s recently suffered a devastating loss and doesn’t need any more disappointments in her life, Rage. So, yeah, I’m making it my business.”

  “Billy has nothing to worry about with me. Can you say the same?” Marcus challenged. “She’s college-bound and only here for a couple of days. You need to respect that she’s not one of those fuck bunnies for you or your club to degrade. Do you understand what I’m saying to you, Lawson?”

  She’s too fucking good for the likes of you.

  It was unspoken, but Ransom received the message. It wasn’t anything he hadn’t already been thinking. Except, having it confirmed enraged him. Ransom wanted to break him down, bone by bone, until he was a dusty, bloody heap at his feet. But for what reason? Telling the truth??

  “Loud and clear, Rage.” The vicious bite in his words didn’t go unnoticed by father and daughter.

  “Enough!” Billy was stone-faced as she snatched her suitcase from Ransom’s hand. “I don’t need this shit! From either of you! I’m going to grab something to eat. Find me when you both calm down.”

  She stormed out of Inferno, leaving the duo to their dick-measuring contest.

  For a moment, Ransom’s attention was diverted by those long legs and that heart-shaped ass until Marcus warned, “Leave her alone, Ransom. You’ll do nothing but destroy her! Maybe you won’t mean to, but you’ll do it anyway. Your kind can’t help it, and I won’t allow that.”

  From his first encounter with Slade, Marcus had developed a strong dislike of the man because of how he treated his children. But money talked like a fucking telemarketer in these parts. He couldn’t afford to upset the MC President who ran this town and drove his business. Marcus left that shit to Lorelai with her swaying hips and pretty titties. Men were like putty in her clever hands. On numerous occasions, he’d caught more than one biker eyeing his gorgeous partner, “President Asshole” included, even though he had a dime piece waiting for him at home. Marcus didn’t want any bikers attention on Billy.

  Did anyone think that it was a fucking option for Billy to break his heart? Ransom wondered. Perhaps, he’d done too well a job of guarding it if no one thought it was a possibility. Funny how that shit had never bothered him until now.

  “That’s some cold ass shit, Rage. You’re not giving Billy enough credit. She knows her own mind and I respect her. Now, unless she tells me straight up to go to hell, I ain’t going anywhere. Right now, you and I both know it’s only because you’re her father that you’re still standing in front of me after saying some slick shit like that. Don’t make me regret my decision to not address it properly.”

  Ransom was gone before Marcus could respond.

  After leaving Inferno, Billy realized that she had nowhere to go. Her growling stomach reminded her that she hadn’t eaten anything but half of a sub sandwich early that morning. When she pulled the other half of it out of her bag, it didn’t look that appetizing. Billy decided to regroup at Tia Sophia-Li, the Mexican-Chinese restaurant she’d seen earlier. She grabbed a booth by the window and ordered. While waiting, Billy stirred her iced tea listlessly.

  The aroma of sizzling burgers and roasted green chilies wafted around her, fueling her hunger even more. New Mexico was infamous for them as well as the red ones. They were in everything on the menu and even hung in multi-colored ristras from the rafters.

  What the hell was going on between Ransom and Marcus? The animosity between them had been unexpected, and she wondered if she’d made a bad situation worse. Billy was surprised that Marcus had jumped into the mix like that. Part of her was pleased that he cared enough to take a curiosity in who might be interested in her. The other part felt sorry for Marcus because if Ransom wanted Billy as much as she wanted him, there was no way in hell she was going to be able to resist the biker, let alone allow her father to interfere in their business.

  Billy leaned her head back against the padded blue vinyl of the booth and stared up at the ristras. This summer wasn’t turning out quite the way she’d planned. She was supposed to divide her time between getting to know her grandparents, finding a part-time job, and hanging out with her best friend Kenton Medina. But he was off backpacking in Europe with most of their graduating class. Billy was supposed to be on that trip, too. Yeah, she’d canceled those plans and pretty much her life months ago. Right now, things were a little awkward between her and Kent since the night they’d graduated, but hopefully, they could get back on track once he returned.

  The summer was supposed to be hers, a take charge season of discovery, ownership, and accountability. Instead, Billy had lost her compass and with it, her sense of direction and place in the world. She’d never felt more alone in her life yet knew she wasn’t. Billy could practically hear Melody as if she were sitting right next to her.

  “Head up and heart strong, babygirl! Keep going! You haven’t reached your destination yet. This is merely a pit stop… this is only temporary!”

  Normally, her mother’s advice had the ability to soothe Billy. Now, she was filled with a twisting uncertainty that made her stomach dip and triggered a vicious pounding in her temples. Cue her present state. Billy exhaled slowly, massaging the corners of her temple with her knuckles.

  “Here you go!” her server announced cheerfully. He shoved the order in front of Billy, forcing her to drop her fists. “Two bacon cheeseburgers with green chile and jack cheese and fries. Your date’s not here yet?”

  A movement in the corner of her eye caught and held Billy’s attention. “Actually, he’s right behind you.”

  The server turned around, blanched at the sight of the big, bad biker headed their way, and practically bolted from the table. Billy didn’t blame him. Ransom looked ready to rip someone’s arm off and beat them over the head with it if they were dumb enough to approach him. Judging from the tight lines around his eyes, she surmised that additional words were exchanged after she left.

  “You made it just in time,” she informed him as he slid into the booth. “I appreciate punctuality in a man. Glad to see you guys were able to put your dicks away.”

  He didn’t say anything, just kept sliding until he reached her. Ransom cupped her face and kissed her, staking his claim in front of everyone. Despite her strict internal lectures not to let her willpower diminish, Billy melted. She loved the way his mouth felt, how he tasted, and how
familiar they were with each other in such a short time. More than anything, Billy loved that Ransom felt comfortable enough to do it. Instinctively, she knew being demonstrative with his feelings wasn’t his strong suit. It wasn’t hers either. She wasn’t sure what was transpiring between them, only how voracious she was for all things Ransom Lawson. Especially his touch.

  “What was that for?” she breathlessly asked when he finally let her up for air.

  “That’s me telling you that I don’t give a damn what Rage said. I care about what you say. You tell me you’re not interested then I’ll just go harder to change your mind, fancypants.” Ransom didn’t give a shit who was watching or what they thought. His attention was focused solely on Billy and convincing her to give him a chance.

  “And the part about you ruining me?” she whispered, her dark eyes brimming with an enchanting mix of innocence and awareness. Ransom’s eyes grew turbulent in response to her question.

  “Now, that part was true. But only for other men and in the best ways possible, wildthing,” he vowed with such raw intensity that it robbed Billy of speech. “Let me show you how and a little bit of my home state while you’re here.”

  Billy caressed his jaw, and Ransom really wished it was his dick instead because he was in need of some serious relief. “I’ll consider it—if you tell me what all the drama was about and what happened to your hands.”

  “Hell if I know. All of a sudden, your pops has a hard-on for bikers, I guess.” His lips twisted cynically. He put his hands on the table in front of her, allowing her to observe her fill of his injuries. “This is who I am, Billy. I was born into the Immortals MC. My father is the president and before him, my grandfather, and so on. I live, breathe, and die for my club. It’s in my DNA and comes before anything else.”

  Billy processed Ransom’s words as she carefully ran her fingers over the lacerations covering his hands. The knuckles on his right hand swelled more than the ones on his left, but not by much. “And these came from club business? What kind of business transpired in the hour that we were apart?!”

  His eyes were cold, his shrug, one of callused indifference. “I didn’t say it was all rainbows and unicorns. When motherfuckers fall outta line, I don’t let them take me to dinner, sweet talk me, and then we kiss and make up, fancypants. My job is to make them see, feel, and regret the error of their ways.”

  “Have you ever shown any leniency?”

  He thought of his parting words to Rage. “This is the code I live by and honor, Billy. Respect is everything. Leniency would make what I do irrelevant.”

  Sarcastically, she asked, “So, what’s a typical day in your life like? You wake up, eat a good breakfast, and then run through your ‘people to maim and kill’ list in time to make it home for dinner?”

  Ransom’s hearty laugh unsettled her. Why was he laughing? This shit sounded scary as hell to Billy, and he was laughing about it! “Did I say something funny? This is funny to you?”

  “Nah, you’re just so damn cute. I won’t lie and say that there haven’t been extremely productive days,” he glanced meaningfully at her. “But I also work at the auto shop. I’m actually going to be the one working on your car. Feel free to drop the judgmental tone and insert your thanks here.”

  “Thank you,” a blushing Billy said automatically. She glanced around the restaurant before whispering, “Uh, just so we’re clear. Have you—”

  “A better question would be how many, Billy.” Ransom watched her shudder, eyes closed in response to his concession. “But I won’t discuss that with you. That’s club business. This is a “by any means necessary way of life”, babe. Outsiders don’t get it and never will. I’m trying to be as honest and upfront about everything that I can to help you make an informed decision. Until I met you, I never planned to explain that to anyone. However, I don’t want us to be clouded by bullshit and lies.”

  He picked up a fry and held it to her lips. “The food is getting cold. Let’s eat.”

  Billy opened her mouth and allowed him to slip it past her lips. She chewed slowly, self-conscious of the way Ransom stared at her. “Stop ogling me!”

  “Unless you plan on putting a paper bag over your head, wildthing, you’re just gonna have to deal with it. Sorry,” he drawled, not sounding the least bit apologetic. He picked up his burger. “Tell me more about yourself.”

  Billy shook salt and pepper on her fries and nudged his arm with her shoulder as he took a colossal bite. “I thought the only thing you wanted to know was if I was jailbait or not.”

  “No, that was what was most important at the time,” Ransom replied salaciously. “See how responsible and law-abiding I can be? I should get brownie points for that.”

  “For obeying the law?” Billy scoffed playfully. “I don’t think so, buddy. Let’s see…I’m eighteen years old. I’ve lived in L.A. my entire life but recently moved to Santa Barbara to stay with my grandparents until freshman orientation. That starts next month at Famon University where I’ll major in theater. The situation with my grandparents didn’t work out, and I came this way to meet my father for the first time and get a little closure.”

  “What happened with your grandparents?” Ransom squirted ketchup on his fries while Billy chewed her burger morosely.

  “I had a falling out with my grandfather. Harsh words were exchanged, so I left, but I wish him no ill will. He’s from an older generation that’s set in their ways. My mother wasn’t close with them, but aside from Marcus, they’re the only ties I have left to her. I’d like to make amends with him before going off to school. I’m hoping the distance between us will put things into an amicable perspective. Life is too short to bear grudges.”

  “And that’s more important to you than anything, isn’t it? Trying to stay connected to those who knew your mom?”

  “Wouldn’t you want to stay closest to what makes you feel alive? Without her, I felt broken and suffocated. Now, I’m just sucking it all up and trying not to dwell on anything as I put my pieces back together. Except, I don’t try to squash my fears, anger, or sadness. I’m entitled to them because I’m a day-by-day work in progress. I’m wholly fine knowing that my process doesn’t need to be a race to the finish line. It’s more like a marathon.”

  Ransom ate his food in silence, attempting to beat back his protective instincts that demanded he take care of her. The Immortals were a wild and crazy bunch, but come hell or high water, at the end of the day, they were family. Essentially, Billy was a nomad. The fact that she had no one didn’t sit well with Ransom. He wanted to be her family.

  To claim her.

  Her outburst distracted him. “Is it me or are we crazy? This is crazy, right? I mean, what are what are we doing?” Billy’s teeth sank into her bottom lip and she tugged it, looking at Ransom helplessly. “We haven’t even known each other twenty-four hours and you mean…”

  She trailed off, dropping her burger on her plate and rubbed at her face in confusion. How could he matter to her in such a short time? This wasn’t her. She was a planner and a thinker, not one prone to getting caught up in emotions. Again, nothing about this summer was normal. Taking a steadied, controlled exhale, Billy released it with an impish smile.

  “Did you imagine that your day would play out like this when you woke up this morning?”

  Heat crept up Ransom’s neck as he recalled Tawny riding his dick. Now, that shit felt like a lifetime ago. It also felt like he’d cheated on the gorgeous girl sitting next to him. As soon as Ransom got home tonight, he was ending shit with Tawny for good. He looked at his hands, thinking of Harley with remorse and anger.

  “Nah, I didn’t expect any of this.”

  “What are you thinking about? Whatever it is, shake it off!” Billy held his hand, careful of his injuries as her fingers slipped through his, marveling at how well their interlocked fingers fit and looked. “Tell me something else I don’t know about you, Ransom.”

  He fed her some burger with his other hand because he wasn
’t about to let hers go. “I have an identical twin brother named Harley. He’s older by seven minutes.”

  “There are two of you? I bet y’all have all the girls going crazy, double-trouble,” Billy half-kidded. “There! Now you have a nickname, too.”

  The change that came over Ransom was puzzling. His face hardened imperceptibly and his grip suffocated her hand. “I’m nothing like him, Billy.”

  She winced at the pressure he applied. Upon hearing the distressed signal, Ransom brought her hand up to his lips and kissed it. The haunted look in his eyes disturbed her. As an only child, Billy often wished for a sibling and imagined they’d be the best of friends. Now, she wondered what could have occurred between identical twins to channel the drastic change in her biker.

  “I’m a good listener if you want to, you know,” Billy replied gently, offering him a compassionate smile. “Unload on me, Ransom.”

  “The only thing I want to talk about right now is how we’re going to be spending the next couple of days together,” Ransom insisted, his sexy tenor making her body deliriously happy. He tipped her chin up and brought his mouth down on hers. Their lips touched once and then again, and the déjà vu feeling of coming home and rightness enveloped Billy.

  “Say yes. Let me show you everything New Mexico has to offer. All I wanna do is keep that pretty smile on your face. Say yes, wildthing. I promise you won’t regret your choice.”

  The earnest, rakish smile he offered with his tempting proposition was making it impossible for Billy to say no. Maybe the summer wasn’t going as planned, or maybe, just maybe, it was going exactly how it was supposed to. Either way, Billy intended to make the most of her time with Ransom. He was the reason she’d been feeling untethered about this new season. It wasn’t supposed to be hers alone. A little of it belonged to them.