Train's Clash (The Last Riders Book 9)

by Jamie Begley

  Train readied himself for the race. He would focus on the man in front of him—Stud—whose racing suit was black and covered in sponsors’ logos. His bike was also black, sleek, and made exclusively for him. Stud’s reputation building motorcycles was only eclipsed by his racing.

  The suit Train was wearing was one of Stud’s practice suits. It was black without the logos. Stud had told him he usually wore it when he didn’t want others to know he was practicing.

  From the yells coming from the stands, Train could see Stud’s problem. The man had a huge fan base, including Killyama, who was decked out in a T-shirt with Stud’s name embossed across her tits.

  Train got Rider’s bright red bike in position, waiting for the flag to drop. As soon the leggy blonde dropped it, Train took off, letting the riders in front fight it out for the lead position.

  The course had one long turn before leading to a straightway that turned into a series of four intermittent curves. A racer had to repeat the course four times and come in first to win.

  Train took the first curve easily, still staying behind the other riders. Taking the rest of the curves, he let himself become more familiar with the track.

  As he passed the stands where Killyama was, he shot a quick glance to see that her head was turned to the side, talking to Crazy Bitch. He was risking his neck for a woman who wasn’t even watching him. Meanwhile, Sex Piston, Beth, and Lily were leaning over the rail, shouting Stud’s name.

  When Train came out of the first turn again, he hunched over his bike even further, setting his sights on Stud. It took another lap to bring him even to Stud, the two riding side by side through the series of turns.

  Leaning into the curves, Train felt his kneepad ride the track due to making the last turn so fast. He expertly righted himself, preparing for the next turn.

  This time when he passed Killyama, he didn’t have time to look, the danger and the thrill of the ride taking over.

  As they passed the first turn again, they saw one of the racers had crashed. Train skillfully went one way, while Stud went in the other direction to miss the wreck, adroitly handling the bikes until they rode side by side again.

  When they passed the stands for the third time, Train accelerated again, increasing speed to pull away from Stud. Stud wasn’t giving the race up without a fight, though, accelerating until they rode at the same dangerous speed.

  When they reached the last turn, Train was hanging so low to the ground it wasn’t his kneepad riding the track; it was his elbow pad. The forward momentum gave him the extra inch he needed to win the race.

  Using his boot to right himself, he managed to stop his bike before crashing into the stands.

  When he took off his helmet, he grinned at Stud, who was there to shake his hand.

  Getting off the motorcycle, he pushed it into the winner’s circle. He waited for third place to be given before Stud stepped up to accept his second-place trophy. The screams had Train turning to see Killyama and all the others standing as his name was called.

  When Stud stepped down, they shook hands again. Then Train’s name was called to accept his first prize. The huge trophy was held by a buxom brunette with leather shorts.

  He turned again to see if Killyama was cheering for him, only to see that the spot where she had been standing was now empty. He hadn’t expected Killyama to cheer for him, but he was disappointed that she hadn’t even watched him receive his trophy.

  When the brunette would have kissed him, Train dodged her, turning to leave the stage.

  Rider met him at the back gate, helping him load up his borrowed bike onto the trailer while Lily and Beth congratulated him.

  “Wow, Train, I was terrified you were going to wreck when you came out of that last turn!” Beth hugged him before letting her sister shyly take a turn.

  “I knew you were going to win! You were so awesome!” Lily was barely able to get her compliments out before Shade snatched her back to his side.

  “Thanks. Where’s Razer?”

  Beth laughed. “I made him go buy some of Stud’s T-shirts. Hopefully, the next time you race, we can buy one of yours.”

  Train shook his head. “This is my last race for a while.”

  “Why? You won.” Lily’s smile faded. “All of us were cheering for you to win.”

  “Not all of you.” Train scuffed his boot as he kicked a rock.

  Realizing that Beth and Lily were staring at him quizzically, he made an excuse to give himself time to bury the feelings of jealously toward the exuberant cheering Killyama had given Stud.

  “I want to tell Stud I’m leaving to go back to the clubhouse. Rider, if you’re done tying the bike down, I’ll be back in a minute.”

  “Take your time. I’m going to go buy myself a couple of T-shirts.”

  Train stopped in his tracks. “You’re going to buy some of Stud’s T-shirts?”

  “Hell no. I’m going to buy some plain ones. The women can paint my name on them. That way, all the brothers will see who’s their favorite. You want me to buy one for you girls, too?” Rider stared at them expectantly, missing the glowering frown from Shade.

  “That’s okay,” Lily delicately refused. “We can wait until Train has some made.”

  Shade stared down at his small wife with a gleam that promised retribution.

  Rider loved to rile The Last Riders’ enforcer. One day, though, he would go too far. Train hoped he would be there to witness it when it happened.

  He found Stud’s trailer where his bike was parked next to, but Train didn’t see him. However, Sex Piston was sitting on the hood of the truck, her legs hanging off the side.

  When he approached, her eyes narrowed on him, making no effort to hide her contempt for him.

  Braving the woman’s surly manner, he drew closer.

  “I wanted to tell Stud I was leaving. Is he going to be back soon?”

  “He’s busy. I’ll let him know you left.”

  Another man would have cut and run from her attitude. Train wasn’t that man. He had dealt with women long enough to know what made them tick, and he knew what made Sex Piston tick. The bitches watched out for each other.

  Train was determined to have Killyama, and Stud’s wife was just as committed to keeping her from getting hurt. What she didn’t know was that he had no intention of hurting her.

  “I can wait.” Train stubbornly leaned against the truck door, crossing his arms over his chest.

  Her mouth set in a hard line. “If you’re waiting for Killyama, you’re wasting your time. She already left.”

  Train’s lashes lowered. He had hoped to see her before she left. “That’s fine. I’ll still wait.”

  “Fucker, what are you not getting? Are you stupid? You think you can try to use my man to get back in my bitch’s panties?” She agilely hopped off the hood of the truck. “I’ll rip the pitchfork out of the devil’s hand if I have to, to keep you away from her.” She waved him away from her with a shooing motion. “Go back to those hos you keep your bed warm for.”

  “The only woman I’m keeping a spot warm for is Killyama.”

  Sex Piston rudely snorted her disbelief. “I’ll believe that when I see it.” She tried to shoo him away again. “You’re wasting your time getting Stud to help you. The only one who is going to talk Killyama into giving you another whirl is me, and that won’t be happening … no matter how many races you talk Stud into losing.”

  Dumfounded, Train’s mouth dropped open. “You think Stud deliberately lost the race because I asked him to?”

  “My man doesn’t lose.”

  “I have news for you. He did today. I’m not ashamed to admit I wanted to win because I wanted to impress Killyama, but I certainly didn’t ask Stud to let me.”

  “I can vouch for that,” Stud said, walking up from behind the trailer. “He beat my ass fair and square.”

  Train took the hand held out to him. “I wanted to thank you again for getting me into the race and letting me borrow your su
it.”

  “No problem. I was glad to help. It gave me someone new to race. In this arena, it’s usually the same ones who show up each time. I hope to see you here again. Maybe next time you’ll take it easy on me.”

  Train moved, avoiding the truck door that Sex Piston slung open, nearly hitting him.

  “She gets easier to tolerate the more you get to know her.” Stud excused his wife’s behavior with a shrug.

  “I’ll have to take your word for it.”

  “If you think she’s bad, wait until you have to deal with Crazy Bitch. She’ll drive you over the bend. Fat Louise and T.A. aren’t much better, but you can feed them to get them to back off when they get cranky.”

  Train didn’t try to hide his interest.

  Stud’s humor vanished. “Killyama is hard to describe.” Leaning an elbow on the hood of the truck, Stud studied him. “I saw her beat the hell out of some of the brothers in the club when they pissed her off. Then she bought Rocky a mini-bike when I told her I wanted to wait. She paid for Fat Louise’s mother’s rehab. When Star got sick and the doctor didn’t want to admit her, she left, and ten minutes later had her admitted.” Stud gave a low laugh. “Sex Piston said Killyama cornered the doctor in the doctor’s lounge.”

  “I think she bought me a new wallet. It came in the mail without a card.”

  Stud nodded. “That sounds like her. She’s sneaky as fuck, but you already know that, don’t you? If she sent it to you, it means she likes you.”

  “How do you know?” Jealousy reared its ugly head. Train had never been jealous over a woman in his entire life. That Killyama could bring out those feeling was going to take some getting used to.

  “How do you think I got all those sponsors? Killyama called them when I was thinking of giving up racing. It takes time out of my work schedule, and Sex Piston’s shop was going through a slump when she ticked off one of her biggest customers. With four kids, it was hard to justify my racing.”

  “If you need—” Train had started to offer a loan, but Stud stopped him.

  “It’s all good now. The money made from the sponsors picked up the slack, and Sex Piston’s customer came back. She’s good at her job, and the rich bitches like to look good.”

  “If you need anything, the offer is there.”

  “I won’t. Congrats again. I better be going before she rips out my radio.” Stud started to leave then stopped. “I heard what Sex Piston said. She is right about one thing. If you want Killyama, you will have to go through Sex Piston first.”

  “I’m figuring that out for myself. Any ideas?”

  Stud rubbed a thoughtful finger across the bridge of his nose. “Find something she wants, but don’t let her have it.”

  Train drew a blank. “Like what?”

  “Damned if I know. I had to use my kids to get her attached to me.” He gestured toward Sex Piston. “And brother, I might like you, but you can’t have my kids. You’re more than welcome to drop in for a beer when you want to see Killyama, but it won’t earn you kudos from either of them. You’ll think of something … You have a clubhouse at your back to bounce ideas off of.”

  Only one brother was smart enough to help him out of this dilemma … Shade.

  “I’m going to take your advice. Later, Stud.”

  Stud waved back as he got in the front of the truck.

  Train waved politely at Sex Piston, seeing her raise up her finger in a fuck-you gesture as he turned away.

  Rider was waiting when he slid in the front seat of the truck. He had to shove the large pile of T-shirts over so he could get in.

  “How much did you spend?”

  Rider put the truck in gear, heading home. “Two hundred.”

  “You spent two hundred dollars just to piss off Shade?”

  “Yep.” Rider grinned unrepentantly. “Making him mad is worth any amount of money.”

  “I’ll remind you of that when I’m covering your casket with dirt.”

  “Shade won’t kill me. He might want to, but he won’t. It’ll hurt Lily too much.”

  “Brother, a woman is going to bring you down to earth, and when she does, you’re going to hit hard.”

  “That woman doesn’t exist,” he stated cockily. “You need me to give you some lessons? I didn’t see Killyama hanging out with you after the race. Did you at least get a kiss for winning when you went searching for Stud?”

  “No, she already left. But Sex Piston made sure to congratulate me when she told me to fuck off.”

  “Damn, that must have hurt.” Rider’s cheerful attitude had him wishing he had caught a ride with Shade and the women. “What’s your next move, since that one didn’t work out so hot?”

  “I don’t know. Sex Piston told me I had to get past her first.”

  “She said that?”

  Train nodded. “She came right out and told me I wasn’t getting into her bitch’s panties without her say-so.”

  “You going to ask Shade what he would do?”

  “I don’t need Shade’s advice.” He would, but he wouldn’t admit it to Rider if his balls were on fire.

  “You need more than Shade’s advice; you need a fucking miracle.”

  Train looked up to see they were stopped at a red light. Rider was waving at an attractive woman in a sports car who was waving back. Maybe the person he should be asking was sitting right next to him. If Rider knew he wanted his advice, though, he would never hear the end of it.

  Trying to be cool, he nonchalantly asked, “What would you do?”

  Rider took his eyes off the blonde, who looked like she was ready to jump out of her car and into their truck, and looked at him. “What would I do?” he asked in shock.

  Flushing, Train clenched his jaw. “Yes, how would you make Sex Piston like you?”

  The light turned green. “Give me a minute to think.” Rider’s face turned thoughtful.

  He should have just kept his big mouth shut until he could talk to Shade.

  “I know.” Rider snapped his fingers.

  “What is it?” Train asked when Rider didn’t tell him right away.

  “What’s in it for me? I did my good deed for the day when I loaned you my bike.”

  Train sighed. “What do you want?”

  “You know what I want.”

  Train did. Rider was curious about how Killyama was in bed. He had repeatedly asked what she had done to him the night she had spent in the clubhouse to make him yell out. Train had never answered his questions. Now Rider wanted to watch when Train had sex with her.

  “I’ll tell you what. You help me figure out how to get past Sex Piston, and if Killyama ever lets me invite anyone to watch, you have first dibs.”

  Rider shrugged. “I can live with that.”

  “So…?” If the brother didn’t wipe that expression off his face, Train was going to deck him when the truck came to a stop. The randy bastard was anticipating more than just watching. He was going to be shit out of luck, unless Killyama was on board.

  He listened to Rider’s plan for the rest of the ride back to the clubhouse. Then, when he pulled into the parking lot, Train could only stare at him.

  “Viper will never go for it,” was all Train could say.

  “Convincing Viper is up to you. I’m only telling you what I would do.”

  “It’ll never work.”

  “You’ll never know if you don’t ask. If he won’t do it, ask Winter to try to persuade him.”

  “I stand a better chance asking Stud if I can adopt one of his kids. I’ll try it on my own. If not, then I’ll ask Viper.”

  They got out of the truck to unload Rider’s bike.

  “I don’t envy you. I don’t know what’s worse: Sex Piston liking you or hating your guts.”

  “I’ll just be happy if she doesn’t try to poison my beer when I’m not looking.”

  “I take it you’re going to take up Stud’s offer of a beer sooner than he expected?”

  Train nodded. “As soon I get cleaned
up.”

  “I’ve got this. Go ahead,” Rider offered when they unloaded the bike.

  “You sure? I was going to wash it for you.”

  “I’ll do it.” Rider was meticulous in caring for his bikes, and he hardly offered to loan them out.

  “Thanks, brother.”

  “I’d say any time, but I would be lying,” Rider joked as he pushed the motorcycle through the back entrance of the factory where he kept his collection under lock and key.

  Train took the steps two at a time. Killyama or Sex Piston might not be at the Destructors’ clubhouse when he showed, but he would use the opportunity to become more at ease with the men in the club. So far, he had only gotten to know Stud and talked a time or two with Cade. If he was going to make a relationship with Killyama work, he needed to get used to hanging out with all of them. If they were as close-knit as The Last Riders, Sex Piston wasn’t going to be his only challenge.

  He heard everyone in the kitchen when he came through the front door. The living room was empty. From the aroma, The Last Riders were settling down to dinner. He wanted to join them, but he continued up the steps.

  When he had tried to talk Killyama into joining the club, he had expected her to make the sacrifice of giving up a club she loved for him. Staring at himself in the bathroom mirror, he thought, if they couldn’t come up with a compromise, he could be the one choosing another club to make someone else happy.

  Shaking the depressing thought off, he decided not to worry about it yet. He needed to catch the woman first, and if he didn’t bring Sex Piston around, the only thing he was going to be worried about was picking which plot in the cemetery he wanted to be buried in.

  20

  “You want Stud to make him leave?” Sex Piston poured a shot of tequila into her empty glass.

  “You need to go easy on that,” Killyama warned. “You have a conference with Meri and Keri’s teacher in the morning.”

  “I didn’t forget. The bitch keeps sending me reminder emails.”

  “That’s your fault for missing two meetings with her.”

  “Because I was working. I told her I couldn’t get off till six.”