Forbidden Love (South Coast Brothers Book 4)

by Kacey Hamford

  “Darlin’, we still don’t know how long we are going to have to stay away for yet. You might buy something and then it may not fit.”

  “Oh. Yeah, of course. Let’s go then.” I handed his phone back and I wandered over to the little duck pond that was on the edge of the shopping centre.

  “Ash?” he mumbled as he slipped his arms around my waist and kissed the top of my head.

  “I’m ok,” I reassured him, placing my hands on his. My head snapped to the side as I heard a scream. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing, a guy had slapped a woman across the face and she fell to the floor and he was trying to get her to stand up by yanking her hair. I couldn’t believe how many people had seen it and carried on walking by. He raised his hand up in the air again and Drake shot off towards him, me hot on his heels. Drake pushed him away from her and I wrapped my arm around her.

  “Hey, are you ok?” I led her away from the guy and sat on a bench with her.

  “Yeah, I’m fine. Honestly.” She began patting her shoulder length black hair down and winced at the same time.

  “Who is he?”

  “My boyfriend.” Her eyes dropped to her lap as she fiddled with her fingers.

  “Does he do that a lot?”

  “Only when he gets angry. He wasn’t happy when I told him about my new job. I got fired from my waitressing job, too many sick days. I just found this great job at a pub not far from where I live.”

  “That’s good though.”

  “No, he said all the men would be leering at me, wanting me and I was only his. I am only his, I don’t want anyone else.”

  “Even when he hits you?”

  “I love him.” Shit, I knew you couldn’t help who you loved but surely she could see that this guy wasn’t right for her. “I gotta go.” I looked over my shoulder to see that Drake was heatedly talking to her boyfriend.

  “You sure you’re ok? By the way, I’m Ashlyn.”

  “I’m Vanessa. I’ll be fine. If you want, you can pop to the bar tonight and check for yourself. It’s the Fizz and Bubbles.” She pulled out a flyer from her bag and handed it to me. I looked it over and when I looked back up she was gone.

  “You ok, darlin’?” Drake pressed his hand against my back as he sat next to me.

  “Yeah, what happened with the guy?” I glanced around looking for him.

  “The shopping centre security came and took him away. What about the girl?”

  “She gave me this, she’s working there tonight. That’s why he hit her, he doesn’t like it. Can we go and check on her tonight, to make sure she’s ok?” I gazed around at our surroundings, all of a sudden I got this feeling like I was being watched. There was no one around, it was strangely quiet. The only noise coming from the duck pond behind us.

  “It may not be safe for us to go there, I’ll check in with the Prez at the club. Speaking of, we better head that way.”

  “Ok. Drake, I really want to go and check that she’s ok. I won’t be able to relax until I know.”

  “I know, darlin’.” We stood up and he pulled me close to him. I buried my face in his neck and took a couple of deep breaths. I hated that this was happening to me, being on the run, but I was so happy that I got to spend it all with Drake. “Come on.” He tugged on my hand and we strolled back to the car, hand in hand. Spending this time with Drake and being in love with him made me think of my family back in Devon, I missed them so much. Could I go back? Would I be welcome? Could I get over the fact that I’m no longer good enough for them?

  “Hey, what you thinking?” I snapped out of my thoughts and looked up at Drake, he was standing by the car with my door open, waiting for me to climb inside.

  “Oh, sorry. Just daydreaming.” I placed a chaste kiss on his lips before stepping into the car.

  ***

  Drake

  We had been welcomed by the Lancashire Crusaders, this was a big club and I struggled to remember all of their names. Ashlyn was sitting at the bar sipping on a strawberry cider while she talked to a couple of the Old Ladies, Tara, Lianne and Terri. I took this opportunity to go and have a word with the Prez. I headed down the short corridor, I remembered the Prez saying his office was the last door on the left before you reached the stairs.

  Knock. Knock.

  “Enter!” the Prez’s voice boomed. I pushed the door open and stepped inside. “Drake, what can I do for you?” He pointed to the chair across from his desk and I took a seat.

  “I don’t mean to interrupt…”

  “I’m just sorting out the strippers for the party this weekend.” I glanced at his desk and it was covered in photos. “Any catch your eye?” I shook my head. “This one, Jade. Mmm, sweetest pussy you’ll ever taste.”

  “I’ll take your word for it.” I chuckled.

  “What’s wrong, got an Old Lady?” Before I had a chance to answer, he shook his head. “Of course you don’t, you’re a prospect. Got a girl at home waiting for you?” I wanted to tell him that Ashlyn was mine but something was niggling at me, something was telling me not to let on that me and Ashlyn were together.

  “Yeah, my girl is waiting for me at home.” At least that would keep him off my back about the strippers.

  “Well, what she don’t know, won’t hurt her.” He laughed. Well, that plan didn’t work.

  “Nope, I’m a one woman man.”

  “Whatever floats your boat. So, what did you want to talk to me about?” I sat there and explained to him about the couple at the shopping centre and what Ashlyn was feeling, I asked for permission to take a couple guys and at least go and check out this bar. I didn’t bother asking if Ashlyn could go, I knew the answer already and if I was being completely honest, I didn’t want her going either, at least not where she could potentially be put in more danger.

  “Yeah, take Spud, Toad and Tabs with you.”

  “Thanks, Prez, I appreciate it.” I stood up ready to leave when he stopped me.

  “I’m not finished, sit down.” I sat back in my seat and was curious what else he wanted. “So, this guy that wants Ashlyn? Why does he want her?”

  “He kidnapped her a few months ago, got the wrong girl but he kept her anyway. Tortured her, he claims that she is his and he wants her back to only do god knows what to her.” I tried to keep calm, if I blew up then the Prez would know there was more than me protecting her going on and for some reason I just felt uneasy around him. Once I had checked this place out, and could put Ashlyn’s mind at ease, we were getting the hell out of here.

  “Hmmm, I see.” He paused, he was deep in thought as I sat there quietly. “Well, I hope it all goes well for you tonight.” His attention was back on the strippers and I used that as my cue to leave.

  Chapter 11

  Drake

  We arrived at the bar Fizz and Bubbles just after eleven, it was dark outside and a constant flow of people walked in and out of the bar. I felt on edge, I didn’t ask the Prez if I could bring Ashlyn with me but I didn’t feel comfortable leaving her at that club without me.

  “Why are we just sitting here?” she asked impatiently.

  “I’m just checking the area, making sure I know all of my escape routes in case something goes wrong.”

  “Oh.” She was quiet for a little while and when I glanced over to her she was biting her finger nail and her eyes were zoned in on the club door. She yelped in surprise when a knock came at my car window. I rolled it down so I could hear what Spud had to say.

  “It’s very busy in there. There is a young chick behind the bar, sexy as fuck, blue eyes and black hair.”

  “That’s her,” Ashlyn added.

  “I’m glad you appreciate her being sexy as fuck too.” He winked at her.

  “Great, we know she’s ok…”

  “I wanna see her,” Ashlyn cut me off.

  “Dar… Ashlyn, it might not be safe taking you in there. We’re meant to be laying low.” I had to stop myself from calling her darlin’ in front of Spud. I’m sure the Prez already
knew how important she was to me.

  “We can lay low later, in fact you can lay right over the top of me,” she whispered as Spud’s gaze landed on someone walking past the car. She took the opportunity to run her hand over my crotch and I had to stop myself from claiming her lips.

  “Fine, let’s go in. We’re in and out in two minutes, got it?”

  “Is that what you say to all the ladies?” Spud chuckled, throwing his head back at his own joke. I ignored him and waited for Ashlyn to round the car.

  “You stay close to me. No wandering off.” I gripped hold of her hand and kept her close. We walked through the double doors at the front of the building, the place was packed, the music was loud and people were shouting at each other to be heard.

  “Can you see her?” I asked as I placed my lips against her ear, she shivered and tipped her head to the side, causing my lips to trail down her neck. “Darlin’?”

  “Oh.” Her head snapped up and I could see her eyes trailing over the room. “There she is.” She pointed out at the far end of the bar and started moving towards it.

  “Where are you going?” I growled.

  “I need to speak to her, make sure she’s ok.”

  “No.”

  “Yes, Drake.” She started moving and I grabbed hold of her hips, halting her.

  “You will be the death of me, woman.” I kept my grip on her as I pushed her through the crowds of people. Once we reached the bar in front of this Vanessa chick, I placed my hands on the bar to box Ashlyn in.

  “Oh, hey, you came.” Vanessa sounded surprised as she looked towards the corner of the bar. I followed her eyes but the area was empty.

  “Yeah, I just wanted to check on you.”

  “I’m fine. Honestly. Let me grab you a drink.”

  “No,” I bit out.

  “It’s just my way of saying thank you.” Ashlyn looked at me over her shoulder and I shook my head. She went to speak when I dropped my lips to her ear.

  “You know it isn’t safe. If you want a drink we’ll have one at the clubhouse.” She nodded but I felt her shoulders sag.

  “Sorry, we gotta go. I’m glad you’re ok.” Her eyes searched the same spot in the bar again, she looked worried.

  “Wait!” she called out as we started moving. We both looked at her as one of the other bar maids whispered in her ear. “Never mind. It’s ok. Thanks again for your help earlier.”

  “No problem,” I answered as I led Ashlyn away. Once we stepped outside, I saw that Spud, Toad and Tabs were sitting on their bikes ready to leave. I nodded my head at them and they took off back to the club.

  Ashlyn and I climbed into the car and just as I was about to start the engine she said, “Oh, what’s that?” I looked to where she was pointing and there was a piece of paper under my windscreen wiper. I opened my door up and leant out to get it.

  “It’s probably just another flyer or something.” I threw it in the cup holder between us and Ashlyn grabbed it to have a look. I looked over my shoulder, getting ready to reverse out of the space when a sob escaped Ashlyn’s lips.

  “What is it?” she handed me the note.

  ‘Hand her over, or more girls will keep getting hurt. Send my love to Amber’

  “Fuck!” I roared. “I knew it wasn’t a good idea to come here.” I slammed my hand down on the steering wheel several times.

  “He was behind Amber’s attack all along. We need to tell Pipe. She could still be in danger.”

  “You could be in danger with us being here. We need to get the hell out of here.”

  “But…”

  “No, Ashlyn, you are my number one concern. I’m keeping you safe. We’ll head back to the club and leave first thing in the morning.”

  “Can you at least call Pipe when we get back to the club, please? If he’s had more girls dumped at his gate it could be Switch. Please?”

  “Ok, once we get back to the club.”

  “Thank you.” She grabbed my hand that was resting on the gear stick and placed it in her lap. She held on tightly and it had me wondering if she was scared.

  When we pulled into the compound and got out of the car, the front door to the club opened and Terri came flying out towards us.

  “You need to get out of here.” She looked over her shoulder. “I heard the Prez and Tabs talking.”

  “Your Old Man?” Ashlyn asked.

  “Yes, he said Switch knows where you are. He’s coming here, for you, any minute. You gotta get out of here.”

  “Thanks,” I said as I started pulling Ashlyn back towards the car.

  “Wait, what about you? Tabs will know you told us.”

  “Screw him, I’m leaving him. I’m fed up of him screwing around behind my back. I deserve better. I want to be happy and have a family. Now go.” She shooed us away.

  “Thank you.” Ashlyn hugged her before we got back into the car and I drove as fast as I could to get away, making sure I kept a constant check to see if we were being followed.

  Chapter 12

  Ashlyn

  Dread filled my stomach and I just kept hearing Terri’s words over and over in my head, ‘He knows where you are, he’s coming for you’. Drake was driving frantically, speeding through the towns. His hands were gripping the steering wheel so firmly that I wouldn’t be surprised if he left Drake-shaped handprints. I looked him over and his short bearded jaw was clenched and his left knee bounced up and down at a constant rate.

  “Where are we going?” I asked quietly. When he didn’t answer, I added, “Are we heading to Scotland?” I knew he wanted to get me far away.

  “I’m not losing you, he isn’t having you,” he growled. “You’re mine.”

  “Yes, you’re right, I’m yours.” I stretched my hand up towards his head and ran my hand over the clipped side of his hair, I loved how it felt under my fingertips. He seemed to relax slightly for a second before he sat back up straight, his back rigid. His eyes glanced between all of the mirrors, he dropped down a gear and swerved the car around, doing a U-turn in the road. I looked around frantically wondering if someone was following us and he was trying to get us away. When I noticed that the roads were quiet, I glanced back at Drake and placed my hand on his thigh.

  “Where are we going?”

  “We’re heading back.”

  “What? No. He’ll find us. We have to get away!” I screamed. My body started to shake, I felt sick and dizzy. He was going to get me again, torture me and mark my body even more.

  “Darlin’, they will never expect us to head back. They will think we want to get far away. It’s the perfect plan.”

  “No.” I sobbed as I brought my legs up to my chest and placed my head on my knees and cried.

  “It’ll be ok.” When I didn’t answer him, he added, “I need to talk to Prez or VP.” He reached in to the inside pocket of his leather jacket and pulled out his phone, looking down at it and dialling. “Prez, we have a problem…”

  I zoned out as Drake spoke to the Prez to form a plan, my whole body was numb and I didn’t want the fight in me to leave. How would I fight him off if he came for me again? How would I even begin to overcome it if I was saved? Would I always spend the rest of my life scared of my own shadow? Wondering if someone else would be after me? Would I ever be truly happy? I glanced at Drake again, I was so in love with him and I hated to think what it would do to him if he couldn’t keep me safe. I wanted to be selfish and keep him to myself but I knew in reality that sooner or later we either had to end our relationship or he loses his brothers, his family. I hated thinking about him defying his club and the rules.

  Was there a time in my life when I felt happier than when I was with Drake? Yes, only one memory sprung forward in my mind but I didn’t allow myself to think about it, that memory had all the power to break me and I needed to stay strong.

  “Got it.” I snapped out of my daze when Drake tossed the phone into the cup holder. “We’re headed back to the Leicestershire Crusaders…”

&nbs
p; “Did Pipe get hold of Amber? Is she ok?” I asked, lowering my legs back to the floor and turning in my seat to look at him properly. I looked around when the car started slowing down. “Why are we stopping?”

  “We need to sleep, darlin’. I’m exhausted…”

  “I can drive, it’s only like three hours there, right?” I asked, cutting him off.

  “Would you stop cutting me off when I’m talking!” he boomed. “We both need to get to sleep, it’s nearly one in the morning and I’m meeting a guy here at five, he’s bringing a new car.”

  “A new car?” I screwed my face up in confusion, there wasn’t anything wrong with this one.

  “Yes, it’s just a precaution, no doubt Switch and his guys know what car we’re in.”

  “Oh.” I dipped my head and let my hair fall in front of my face.

  “Come on, darlin’. They’re expecting us.” Drake got out of the car and I sat there staring at the three story house with the large sign outside that read Dingle’s B&B. An older lady stood in the doorway in her dressing gown and slippers, we had obviously got her out of bed. I looked at Drake once my door opened up and he was pulling me out. We hurried towards the front door and Drake introduced us to the lady and shook her hand.

  “We appreciate you letting us come in so late.” Drake smiled at her.

  “It’s not a problem, we can’t have you driving tired now, can we.”

  “Thank you, we will be up and gone again by five so if we could pay now that would be great.” He handed over a bunch of notes, which had me wondering how much it actually cost to stay here. The lady looked up at Drake in surprise after she counted the money.

  “Keep the rest for yourself, for the inconvenience we have caused,” Drake muttered as he filled in the booking form. I glanced over his shoulder to see he had put us down as Mr & Mrs. Davies, a fake name, which had me smiling.

  “It’s really not necessary,” she argued.

  “Please, I insist.” Drake placed his hand over hers and I swear I saw a blush creeping up her skin.

  “Thank you.” She turned around and unlocked a small cabinet on the wall behind the desk and retrieved a key. “You’re in room three, up the stairs and first door on the left. It has an en-suite and tea and coffee making facilities. Can I get you anything else?”