by Nikki Wild
“Let’s go!” he said, pulling the girl to her feet.
“No, I can’t…” she shook her head, her eyes filled with fear as she looked back at the tent.
“It’s not safe here!” he insisted, attempting to pull her away with him. “Come with me!”
“Gabriella Loprinzi!” A man’s voice bellowed, startling them both with its closeness.
“Hide!” the girl yelled to the boy, pushing him away. “My father is coming!”
His brow wrinkled in confusion, but he followed his instincts and did as she said, hiding behind a dumpster just as the man rounded the corner.
“Daddy!” the girl cried, running to the man in the black suit who they had just watched hold a man at gunpoint.
“That’s your dad?” the boy whispered to himself, as goosebumps spread over his skin.
He watched the girl be led away, her tiny hand enclosed in the hand that had just taken a man’s life.
She looked back over her shoulder, their eyes colliding once again, neither of them knowing that their destinies had just been set into motion.
Gabriella Loprinzi… That was a name he would never forget.
Gabby
I knew I shouldn’t have been here, but that rebellious streak was rushing through my veins even before I walked in, and I knew I couldn’t turn back now.
So, I didn’t even try.
I strutted directly into the eye of the storm with every intention to fully enjoy its wrath.
Thing is, I didn’t know what that truly meant at the time. Now, I do. Looking back, I see I had no clue what I was really in for.
I walked in that door with one thing on my mind, the self-assured cockiness that only comes with youth and blind faith in your own immortality wrapped around me like an invisible security blanket.
I was invincible, or so I thought.
And who could blame me? I’d been treated like a princess my whole life. Untouchable, because of my name. Because of my family. Because my family wasn’t just a family. We were The Family.
And if you were a member of the family, you always got whatever you wanted, did whatever you wanted, and went wherever you wanted - no questions asked.
So, yeah, I guess I’m a little spoiled in that way, but whatever.
That doesn’t mean I’m a bad person. I’ve still got a heart, for fuck’s sake. It just comes with a little baggage attached. I’m used to getting my way, that’s all I’m saying.
So, when I walked into the biker bar on the edge of Queens, I thought I knew exactly what I was in for. My best friend, Bella Balducci, had already tested the waters, and she came out relatively unscathed. Sure, she had a little trouble walking the next day, but it was a good kind of pain, she’d insisted.
All the raving I’d been forced to listen to had planted a little seed of curiosity. I decided I needed to find out for myself if banging a biker was really as thrilling as she said. Of course, I didn’t tell Bella I was coming. In fact, I hadn’t told anyone, because the information would have been relayed to my father quicker than lightening, and he’d find a way to keep me locked up inside his proverbial castle in Howard Beach under the watchful eyes of his goons for months and there was no way I was going through that hell again.
I’d learned the hard way just how unpleasant that could be.
So, I kept it to myself. Which only added to the wicked deliciousness that I felt as I strode through the doors of Otto’s and saw all heads turn my way.
I’d dressed the part. I’d worn a tight black tank that dipped to a low v in front. Tight jeans hugged my hips, and I had them tucked into a pair of black leather harnessed biker boots.
I lifted my chin, pushed out my tits, and threw my shoulders back, flipping my long black waves over my shoulder as I walked to the bar.
A sweet ripple of pleasure washed over me and I smiled to myself.
Tonight, I could be anyone I wanted.
I wasn’t Gabriella Loprinzi, daughter of the biggest mafia boss in Queens.
I wasn’t the devoted daughter who wouldn’t dare to step outside of her circle of friends and family for a good time. I wasn’t the girl that made every guy she was interested in run away as soon as he found out her last name. I wasn’t the girl that always made sure not to cause any waves so that I didn’t attract any undue attention to the family.
No, tonight I was just Gabby.
No infamous family. No baggage. No expectations.
Well, there was one expectation, but it was my own. I had every expectation of ending this night in one of these biker’s beds, and once I was safely returned to my perfect, boring life, I was going to regale Bella with every juicy detail.
“Whiskey, neat.” The bartender looked me over and I stared straight into his eyes, daring him to ask for my ID. I had one, of course. Two, actually. I was just two weeks shy of my twenty-first birthday, so I still had my fake one if he asked. The two ID’s were identical copies. You’d be amazed what high-quality fakes money can buy in New York City. I guess I passed muster because he turned away after snagging a quick look at my cleavage and began pouring.
I took a moment to scan the room, my eyes slowly raking over the crowd. Almost everyone but the bartender wore a patched leather vest. Men of every size and shape filled the room, but even the smallest of them looked tough as a pit bull.
Maybe tough was an understatement.
They looked worn, scarred, even a little dirty. More importantly, they looked as if they were no strangers to violence.
A thread of fear wormed its way into my heart and I swallowed hard.
These weren’t your normal men. At least not the kind of men I was used to…
The ones on every corner that nodded to me with respect when I walked by.
No, these guys were ruggedly masculine. They were rough riders born of an entirely different cloth than the spunky Italian boys I was used to.
And they had no idea who I was.
Heat flushed over me as my eyes clashed with a man standing in the corner. He looked like he could tear me apart with his bare hands and the intense look in his eyes was unmistakeable and undeniable.
Lust.
I shuddered when I realized that was why I had come here, and yet now I wasn’t so sure I could truly handle it.
I tore my eyes from his intense gaze and continued sweeping the room.
It was then I noticed I was the only woman in the entire bar. Shit, I thought. I scanned the room one more time, hoping that wasn’t truly the case. I’d hoped for a little backup, but as far as I could make out, I was the only one foolish enough to put herself in this situation.
That thread of fear grew to a slow, terrifying throb and I gratefully took a sip of the whiskey as soon as the bartender sat it down in front of me. I threw down a twenty, and it was promptly scooped up by a hand that quickly descended from my right and plopped it right back in front of me.
“Put it on my tab, Tony,” a deep voice said next to me. I turned to my right and stared into a pair of very dark eyes that belonged to the most handsome face I’d ever seen.
He was huge, not just tall, but he had incredibly wide shoulders. He towered over me, his eyes peering deeply into mine, sending shocks of electricity through my limbs.
“Thank you,” I managed to utter, my voice catching as I stared up at him. He was handsome, sure, but there was something else about him. A confidence, a self-awareness that hit me hard. He wasn’t the kind of man you’d argue with. That’s why I allowed him to buy my drink, even though my first instinct was to protest. I didn’t want to owe him anything.
The set of his jaw told me his offer was non-negotiable.
“You look a little out of place, darlin’,” he mumbled. I tore my eyes from his, raking them across his face and down to his huge barrel-chest which was draped in a black t-shirt with a black leather cut slung across his wide shoulders.
“Dante?” I said, reading the name from the patch on the front of his cut.
“That’s
right. And you are?” He raised an eyebrow, the light from the bar reflecting in his eyes, which I saw now actually consisted of endless pools of inky blackness, with tiny slivers of chocolate brown flecks. I wanted to stare into them forever. But I didn’t. It was too much. It was like staring into the sun.
My hands had been shaking with nervousness since I’d walked into the place, but now, under the heat of his gaze, I began sweating, my heart began pounding violently in my chest and my breath caught in my throat.
Luckily, we were interrupted before I hyperventilated.
What might have been a perfectly thrilling moment took a sharp turn. I’ll never know what might have happened if Dante and I hadn’t been interrupted… Maybe we would have had a few drinks, flirted a little, snuck off to the back for a little fun before going our separate ways. I’d have went back to my happy little life with a fun and sexy story to rival Bella’s.
But it didn’t go down like that.
Because what happened next hurled us into each other’s lives with the force of a rocket exploding into space.
It was earth-shatteringly loud.
It was violently messy.
It was monumentally life-changing.
And I wouldn’t have had it any other way.
Dante
“Looks like you two are lost,” the deep voice boomed behind us. The girl and I turned at the same time.
“Just having a drink, that’s all,” I replied, sizing up the guy. He was big, no doubt… But I was bigger. Fear was an emotion that I didn’t waste time on, so I wasn’t about to back down to him.
“Otto’s belongs to us,” he growled, running his hand over his greying beard.
“I don’t see that posted anywhere,” I replied. “It’s a public place.”
“Don’t matter. You ain’t one of us,” he sneered, turning and lewdly leering at the girl at my side. I didn’t know her name yet, but I wasn’t about to let this asshole look at her like that. I took a step to my right, gently pushing her behind me.
“Look, brother. We’re just having a drink. Not looking for any trouble.”
Two of his buddies saddled up next to him as I remained calm, lifting up a glass and polishing off my beer.
“We aren’t familiar with your club,” his buddy said, nodding at the Outlaw Kings MC patch on my cut.
“We aren’t one percenters,” I replied.
“Yeah, well we are,” he crossed his hands over his chest. He was doing his best to intimidate me but that was fucking impossible. He just didn’t know it yet.
“Look, the lady is going to finish her drink and we’ll be on our way,” I said, turning back to the bar. I didn’t want to put my back to them, but it was the only way to move things along. I wasn’t in the mood for a fight. I was never in the mood for a fight. In fact, fighting was at the very last of my list of preferred resources. Again, not because of fear, but because hurting people never really turned me on. If this was going to turn into a fight, then I’d rather hurry up and get it over with.
A yelp sounded beside me and I turned to see the girl with her eyes wide and her mouth open in shock.
“You pinched my ass, you fuckin’ cazzo!” she yelled, charging at the biggest guy and slapping him right across the face. Hard.
His buddies erupted in laughter and the big guy’s face flushed red with anger. He grabbed her arm, pulling her close to him and then slapped her back.
She fell to the ground at my feet, her cheek flushing red as she stared up at us in shock.
He hadn’t hit her hard, but the fucker hit her and if there’s anything in the whole fucking world I can’t stand it’s an asshole that puts his hands on a woman. There’s no excuse in the whole fucking world for that, as far as I’m concerned.
“I really wish you hadn’t done that,” I said, facing off with him. He snickered.
“What the fuck are you going to do about it, asshole?” he sneered. “Take us all on?”
“Not for nuttin’, but you’re a real fuckin’ scumbag, you know that?” Every time it was time to fight, my past came rushing back, as well as my New York accent. You don’t grow up in Queens without fighting, and the feel of the adrenaline pumping through my veins always reminded me of my old days runnin’ the streets.
I didn’t wait for an answer. My fist made contact with his jaw before he could reply. He went down hard and his buddies were on me quick. I ducked, taking the first one out with a vicious right hook, then unloaded on his friend before turning to see how many more I was dealing with.
There were at least another dozen bikers in the club and they were all focused directly on me. I grabbed a bar stool, knocking three more of them out of the way before grabbing the girl off the floor and pushing her behind me.
“Stay behind me!” I barked, as I began moving towards the door. I needed to keep her close and try to make it to the exit as I fought my way through these guys, but now that she was on her feet, she grabbed a stool and began swinging at them, too.
She pushed one away with the legs of the stool, then swung it high over her head and came down on his neck in one fell swoop. He landed at her feet with a heavy thud and she swung it again, taking down the next guy like this wasn’t her first rodeo.
I pulled her away, knocking through two more guys as we fought our way towards the door.
By the time my back finally hit the heavy metal door, we’d left a dozen patched members of the Iron Godz MC laying bloodied on the floor. They weren’t going to stay down long. When I saw one begin to crawl to his knees and pull a gun out of his boot, I grabbed the girl’s hand and pulled her outside.
“Let’s go!” I said, dragging her out into the darkness of the parking lot. A gunshot rang out, the bullet ripping out the door and whizzing over our heads as we ran away.
“Oh, shit! Guns!” she cried, running alongside me. “My car is this way!”
“Fuck your car! Get on! Now!” I said, jumping on my bike and starting it up. The front door flew open and three bloody and extremely angry bikers stumbled out onto the sidewalk.
“Shit!” She cried, jumping on my bike as I kicked it into gear. She wrapped her arms around my waist and buried her head in my shoulder.
“Hold on tight,” I yelled, as we roared out of the parking lot, gunshots following in our wake.
Her arms gripped me so hard I could barely breathe. I gunned the engine, the vibrations running through our bodies violently as we sped through the night.
Gabby
The fat tires of Dante’s bike gripped the asphalt as he took a corner fast and low. I was shocked I hadn’t fallen off yet and the fear of having my brains splattered all over the road washed over me. He hadn’t given me a helmet and my hair flapped wildly behind me.
This wasn’t how I wanted things to go… None of this is what I’d expected.
I was terrified, and now that I was hurtling across the George Washington Bridge with my entire life in the hands of this stranger, I was wishing like hell I’d never gone into that filthy bar.
What the fuck was I thinking? How did I think that could possibly turn out okay? Stupid fucking Bella! I completely blamed her.
And why in the fuck had I gotten on this guy’s bike? I took off and just left my car there in the parking lot. It was my only security and my only method of escaping. Now, I was completely at Dante’s mercy, and other than his name, I knew absolutely nothing about him, except that he was incredibly fucking handsome and fought like a fuckin’ warrior.
It had all happened so fast. Maybe if I hadn’t turned my back on that fucking prick, he wouldn’t have pinched my ass. Maybe if I hadn’t slapped him, he wouldn’t have slapped me back. Maybe if I had managed to keep my shit together, then Dante wouldn’t have had to fight the entire fucking bar to keep me safe.
How in the hell was it possible that an hour ago I didn’t even know this guy existed and now my life was completely in his hands?
Terrified to loosen my grip, I kept my arms firmly wrapped around him, th
e warmth of his body the only thing comforting me.
Fuck! Maybe I could get him to take me back to my car. I’d even left my purse behind, which held every other bit of security I had. My phone, my wallet, the keys to my apartment. I’d never felt so helpless. I tried to console myself with the thought that Dante probably wasn’t going to hurt me, seeing as he just risked his life pulling me out of a bad situation…
But still. There was no guarantee.
So, maybe he wasn’t like the others. What had he called them? One percenters? As far as I knew, he was the only one wearing a different patch than the others, and from this view, I had a good look at the Outlaw Kings patch on this back. I hadn’t noticed any difference until the asshole that ruined my whole night had pointed it out. A huge skull stared back at me. I shivered and closed my eyes, laying my head on his back and gripping him harder, trying as hard as I could to calm my frazzled nerves and hoping like hell the skull was just for show.
Maybe he was one of the good guys? Because those guys back there definitely weren’t good guys.
At this point, all I had was hope. If I had to call my father for help once we stopped, so be it. I’d swallow my pride and make up some story. He’d send a car for me, and I could go home.
Once Dante stopped, I’d have him take me to a phone if he wouldn’t take me back to my car.
Everything was going to be fine.
Fuck, I hoped everything was going to be fine. It had to be.
Only he wasn’t stopping.
We rode on into the night as mile after mile passed beneath us. One hour bled into another and I began tapping him on the back to get his attention.
“Where are you going?” I yelled, my words gobbled up by the wind.
He ignored me. I tapped again and he reached back with a warm hand, squeezing my right thigh, which I think was supposed to be reassuring…
It had an entirely different effect.
Warmth and desire ripped through my stomach and I let out a little gasp. When he pulled his hand away, a part of me wished he’d put it back… I took a deep breath, inhaling slowly, trying in vain to again slow the adrenaline racing through my limbs.