by Sophia Gray
“No,” I said finally. “No. I’m riding, and that’s fucking final.” I turned to Bruno, who was rubbing his jaw. It was beginning to swell, and I grinned at the results of my handiwork.
Suddenly, Vanessa threw herself into my arms. She was soft and warm and supple and she wrapped her arms around my neck, kissing me passionately. Even though her breath was stale and she smelled like sweat, I felt more turned on than I ever had in my life. I couldn’t believe it—she was mine again. And this time, I wasn’t ever going to let her go.
“I can’t agree to those terms,” I said loudly, clearing my throat after the passionate kiss. “They’re too much. Too dangerous.” I shook my head. “I ain’t agreeing to that.”
“It’s the only way we’ll leave you alone,” Bruno said smugly. He’d stood up and brushed the dirt from his pants. “Otherwise…” He raised his eyebrows at me. “Otherwise, we might have to borrow the bitch for a little while before we let you alone.”
“It’s okay,” Vanessa said. Her voice was soft but firm, and my jaw dropped as she stepped forward between myself and Bruno. “It’s okay. I agree to the terms.” She wriggled close to me again, pressing her hot little body against mine. In my pants, my cock stirred to life as though it had been hibernating. A powerful wave of lust broke over me and I felt my skin break out in a fierce sweat. I wanted Vanessa so badly that I could have yanked down her panties and fucked her right then and there.
“What are you doing?” I hissed into her ear. Vanessa grinned and giggled like a schoolgirl.
“I can take care of myself,” she said sweetly, gesturing to the gun in her hand. I hadn’t noticed that before, but upon closer inspection, I realized that it must belong to Isaac. It was a shiny black revolver with a mother of pearl grip on the handle and the initials T.R. carved into the side. “Haven’t I proven that already?”
My shoulders sagged in defeat. “I can’t let you sacrifice yourself like that,” I said softly. “What happens if I lose?”
Vanessa winked at me. She looked cocky, confident, almost like the kind of girl that I’d grown so sick of before I’d met her. “Like I said,” she said in a light voice, “I can take care of myself.” She winked at me. “And besides, you’re going to win anyway, aren’t you?” She made big eyes at me and I felt my resolve weaken. “I believe in you.”
Pulling Vanessa close, I wrapped my arms around her and kissed her passionately. My tongue slipped between her lips and danced with her tongue, and she pressed her small body against mine with a passionate heat. Her lips were soft like petals and I closed my eyes, letting the kiss grow steamier and steamier with each passing second. My heart was beating hard in my chest when we finally broke away.
“I’m gonna marry you as soon as this shit is over,” I said firmly, putting a finger under Vanessa’s chin and tilting her cute face up to meet my own. “I love you, and I’ll marry you as soon as I can. To make sure that none of this happens again.”
Chapter Thirty-Four
Vanessa
I couldn’t believe how cool I was able to play it as Cade and Bruno got ready to race. I was more nervous than I’d ever been in my whole life, even back in the basement when, for a terrible moment, I’d thought that Cade was really dead.
“It’ll be okay,” I whispered aloud, sticking my hands in my pockets and sitting down on the grass. Apparently, races between MCs were a more common way of settling scores than I’d previously thought.
There was some kind of detailed procedure beforehand that involved each MC checking out the other MC’s bike. Bruno and Dante paced around Cade’s bike, watched by Rudy, as Tyler and Boulder did the same thing to Bruno’s. The protocol made me nervous. Hell, even breathing made me nervous right now.
The men all called out something to each other as they ambled around, swaggering to the best of their masculine ideals. I sat on the grass and folded my legs, trying to think about what would happen after the race.
The idea of being turned over to the Demon Catchers was terrifying. I didn’t exactly think Cade would hand me over, but Rudy was there to enforce the rules. The way that Bruno and Dante were looking at me made me feel incredibly uncomfortable, like I was some kind of prized pig, just waiting for my rightful owner to claim me. Between the adrenaline and the anxiety rushing through my body, I started feeling like I was floating away from the situation itself, carried on the very winds that twenty minutes earlier had propelled me away from Isaac, Bruno, and Dante.
Isaac lay in the grass, moaning and rolling around. I still had his gun clutched in my hand—it was an ugly, heavy little thing. I wanted to get rid of it, but although I trusted Cade, I didn’t feel safe giving it up until the end of the race. I’d rather die than become the property of some MC scum, and with my training, I knew exactly where to shoot if I had to.
“Hey,” Rudy’s voice was low and soft behind me. “Chill out, okay? It’ll be a short race.”
I sighed and bit my lip. I was still intimidated by him, this giant man who had driven Cade and me apart the first time. But I could sense that something small had changed about him. His demeanor wasn’t quite so rude as it had been the first time that we’d met. Or the second, or the third.
“I know,” I said softly. I tried to force a nervous chuckle from my mouth. “It’s just a lot, you know?”
Rudy nodded. “Cade’s a good racer,” he said confidently. “I’m not worried.” He sat down next to me on the grass with a blade of grass between his lips. “Look, they’re starting.”
My stomach lurched as I looked up and saw Cade and Bruno mounting their bikes. Compared to Cade’s, Bruno’s looked fierce. He had a big fader on the front of his bike and giant metal saddlebags strapped to the back. It almost looked more like a car without doors than a bike. Cade’s bike was classic American muscle, all shiny black metal and chrome. It made my panties slightly wet to see the way Cade straddled it and eased up to the starting line.
Rudy stood up. “Excuse me,” he said. I couldn’t resist a smile—it was the most charming thing I’d ever seen him do. He swaggered over to the guys and stood between them. “On your mark, get set, go!”
They were off with a roar and a cloud of dust. From what I understood, they were going on a Demon Catcher course around the property. That alone made me nervous—Cade wasn’t familiar with this area of town, much less the Demon Catchers hideout. If Bruno knew the course, he’d have the advantage.
A powerful wave of nausea struck me as I heard the whine of bikes grow fainter and fainter. Cade and Bruno were so far away already that they just looked like tiny ants racing across the horizon. I clambered up off the grass and stuck my hands in my pockets, milling around and craning my neck to see who was in first place.
A hand on my back startled me. When I looked up, Boulder was standing there.
“Hey.”
I’d noticed he was a man of few words. I nodded in response.
“You nervous?”
I nodded again. “I feel like I’m gonna throw up,” I said quietly. “I can’t stand this.”
“Look,” Boulder said. “Those Demon shits are all bluff. They aren’t shit, and Cade’s a better rider than all of them put together. You don’t have anything to worry about, you got that?”
I swallowed nervously. “It doesn’t feel like nothing,” I said softly. “Those guys meant business.” I shuddered. “I can’t even believe that I was able to get away from Isaac.”
Boulder nodded. “Look, you’re obviously a smart chick.” He paused and wiped the sweat off his brow. It was a chilly day, but we were both sweating. “You know how this shit works. But try to relax, okay? Cade’s not gonna do anything to fuck you up. He really cares about you.”
I bit my lip and looked away. “He only wants to marry me to protect me.” As soon as the words were out of my mouth, my cheeks turned red with shame. Shit! “I’m sorry,” I added softly. “I shouldn’t have said that.”
Boulder chuckled. He patted my shoulder, like a brother. “It�
��s okay,” he said again. “It’s gonna be alright. You know Cade cares about you. It’s more than just wanting to protect you,” he added. “I’ve never seen him look a girl the way he looks at you.”
The whine of the bikes had almost completely faded and the anxiety inside of me felt too big to contain. I nodded at Boulder—I was afraid that if I opened my mouth, vomit would come spilling out.
Boulder smiled again. “You’re gonna be okay,” he said. “Just try to breathe, okay? All of this will be over soon.”
Well. At least he was right about that.
Chapter Thirty-Five
Cade
As soon as we took off, I knew the race had been a bad idea. My back was aching—the vertebrae in my spine hurt so damn badly that I felt like the bones were going to pop out of the skin—and my head was killing me. But I was spurred on by thoughts of Vanessa. Thoughts of Vanessa bound and gagged, at the mercy of the Demon Catchers. I couldn’t let that happen. I’d die before I let that happen.
Bruno was a tough son of a bitch. He set a fast pace that I tried to match and almost immediately fell behind. I knew that for the bulk of the race, I had to let him lead. After all, I didn’t know the course. The terrain out here was bulky and full of rocks and trees. And while I’d mocked his giant bike before, now I understood that he was probably at an advantage.
At least the shocks on my bike had been replaced recently. That was about the only thing I had going for me.
Bruno led us through the woods and down a narrow path where I had to follow him. I stayed hot on his tail, desperately trying to think of a way to edge into the lead. My back was starting to hurt so much that I saw stars flash across my field of vision and I gripped down tightly on the handlebars in an attempt to stay conscious. My head was swimming. All I could think about was Vanessa. Her name was like a mantra that kept repeating in my brain. Vanessa, Vanessa, Vanessa….
Bruno let out a loud yelp and I saw his bike rise into the air and then land solidly down on a patch of grass a few feet away. Grimly, I braced myself for the same jump. There was a small stream with tons of rocks in the middle and I yanked on the handlebars of my bike, soaring through the air until we finally hit the ground with a loud mechanical crash. I winced at the sound of something snapping inside my bike—no idea what it was, but it wasn’t like I could stop to check it.
We raced across a field and I recognized the area as where we’d started. My stomach flipped over and I knew that soon, we’d be closing in. The race was almost over. Who would win? What would happen?
Suddenly, as if by miracle, Bruno seemed to slow down. He cursed and spat and began beating at the back of his bike, but undeniably he was losing speed. With a grin, I twisted my bike into the highest gear and sped ahead of him. The ground of the field was soggy and wet and I could feel the rubber tires on my bike churning out clods of grass and dirt as I raced in front of Bruno. Vanessa and the others came into view, and without a doubt, I knew that I’d made it.
Somehow, I’d done it. As I soared across the finish line, the grin on Vanessa’s face was so wide that her little cheeks seemed to spread apart. Tears were openly streaming down her face and I couldn’t slow down fast enough to leap off my bike and pull her into my arms.
For the first few seconds, I didn’t feel anything. Vanessa’s body flung against mine and she wrapped her arms around my neck, pulling me close and kissing me hard. I felt her teeth smash against mine and I gripped her by the waist and lifted her into the air.
“I knew you would win,” Vanessa whispered hotly in my ear. Behind me, Bruno and Dante were screaming and cursing but their sounds meant about as much as the sounds of a gnat. They were nothing. They were trash. They were garbage, and I was fucking done with those assholes for the rest of my life.
“I wasn’t so sure,” I whispered back as I crushed Vanessa to my body and kissed her fiercely. Her heart was slamming against her ribs, and despite the cool air, her skin was hot and sticky.
Vanessa pulled away and wiped her lips. Suddenly, she looked bashful again.
Rudy grinned and strode over to us. “Congrats,” he said. He clapped me on the shoulder and glanced down at Vanessa. “I knew you could do it, man.” He grinned at me again and shook his head. “Mitchell, that was one hell of a race. I’m real fuckin’ proud of you.”
I grinned back—his energy was infectious. My adrenaline was pumping high and the pain in my back had all but disappeared. “Thanks,” I said. We half hugged and then I pulled Vanessa to my side once more.
“Let’s get the fuck out of here,” Tyler said. He sidled up to me with a big, goofy grin on his face. “I know a clubhouse full of beer and we can order a pizza.”
“Like a fuckin’ middle school dance,” Boulder said, but he was grinning too. The two of them climbed on their bikes and roared off.
“Vanessa, come with Cade to the clubhouse,” Rudy said, looking the part of the strict lieutenant once again. “We have some things to talk about.” Without another word, he climbed on his bike and roared off behind Boulder and Tyler.
Vanessa gazed at me. Her blue eyes were wide with wonder and excitement, and she was trembling. As I reached out to push her soft brown hair away from her forehead, she bit her lip and snuggled close.
“What’s going to happen now?”
I shrugged. “I don’t know, baby, but we’re in this together. You got that?”
Vanessa nodded slowly. I climbed on my bike and she got on behind me, putting the small cap-shell helmet on her delicate head. As she wrapped her arms around me and cuddled close, I felt her chin rest on my shoulder.
“I told you, everything would be fine,” I said with a grin as I started my bike. “And now everything is.”
We slowly rode away from the Demon Catchers hideout. Bruno and Dante were kneeling over Isaac in the grass, cursing and wailing loudly. I couldn’t help but grin. Payback might have been a bitch, but damn if she didn’t always feel righteous.
As I pulled up to a stoplight, I felt Vanessa push up against my back. Her breath was hot against my ear as she whispered, “Will you marry me?”
Chapter Thirty-Six
Vanessa
When we got to the clubhouse, Cade picked me up off his bike like I was a little kid. He pulled the helmet off my head and gently tucked it into the side bag on his bike before grabbing my hand and leading me towards the entrance.
“I haven’t been here in a while,” I said. I hadn’t been back since that fateful night where Cade and I had met. “But it feels good to be back.”
Cade nodded. “This is gonna be your home, too.”
I paused nervously as we walked through the doorway. Despite everything that had happened, despite Rudy treating me with more respect than I thought I deserved, I couldn’t help but feel nervous when I thought about the future. After all, Cade and I led two very different lives. I was the perfect student, he was the bad boy biker. I wanted to link up my life with his forever and ever, but somehow it just didn’t feel all that practical to me. I wondered how the hell we were going to make things work out.
Rudy handed Cade two beers, one of which Cade handed back to me as soon as we were inside. Rudy had changed into jeans and a t-shirt and he looked remarkably normal, not imposing like the figure he’d cut back in the field. He sighed and dropped into a chair and I realized that like everyone else, he must be exhausted.
“First thing’s first,” Rudy said. “We need to get some food.” He eyed me cautiously. “I bet they didn’t feed you, did they?”
My stomach rumbled. “I haven’t eaten since breakfast yesterday,” I said softly. “So yeah, food would be great. Thanks, Rudy.”
Cade squeezed my hand. He guided me over to a red velvet sofa that I recognized as the sofa we’d been sitting on the night we first met. “We’ll get a pizza or something,” he said. “Tyler, you go make the call.”
Tyler and Boulder had been sitting off to the side of the room by the little bar. They had a vodka bottle between them that
they were passing to each other and when I stepped closer, they pushed the bottle towards me.
I glanced up at Cade. “What’s this?”
Cade snorted. “Consider it a little ritual,” he said. “Take a shot.”
I hated taking shots, but I stepped forward and bravely gripped the glass between my fingers. The smell of vodka made me wrinkle my nose but I closed my eyes and tossed the liquid down my throat. After I swallowed, Cade clapped me on the back.
Rudy stood up and wiped his hands on his jeans. “You kids talk. We’re going out for pizza.” He snapped his fingers at Boulder and Tyler and they trotted behind him like puppies.
When they were gone, I sat down and looked at Cade. “What do we do now?”
Cade pressed against me and kissed me hungrily. His tongue explored my mouth and my breasts began to tingle as he slipped his hands down the front of my shirt. He was just about to touch my nipples through the fabric as I shivered and let out a cry of delight into his mouth.