by Chiah Wilder
“You should go to the ER and take care of those cuts,” Wexler said as he walked to the front door.
“I’m good.”
The sheriff stood aside as crime scene investigators came in. “You should find somewhere else to stay for the next few days,” he said to Isla then ambled out.
Sangre pulled her close to him. “You’re staying with me.”
With a dazed look, she nodded slightly. “The sheriff’s right. You need to check out your arm. The blood has soaked through the towel.”
“DR will take care of it.”
“Who’s that?”
“He’s a doc who loves Harleys. He helps us out when we need it. You’ll have to drive. I won’t be able to ride.”
“Okay. Let me get you a second towel to add another layer.”
As she climbed the stairs, more law enforcement personnel filed into the house. He saw Wexler talking with Faith on the sidewalk. Neighbors had come out and stood on their porches and lawns watching.
Isla came over with a yellow towel. “Here, let me put it on the other one.” As she wrapped it around his forearm, he watched her. “Does it hurt?”
Like hell. “Not too bad.”
“You need to call that doctor right now.”
“I need to get you back to the clubhouse. Go grab some clothes and let’s get outta here.” Isla brushed her lips across his then went upstairs. He took out his phone and called DR. He knew he was cut bad and the pain seared through him. The doctor told Sangre he’d meet him at the clubhouse, and he ended the call just as Isla came over to him, wheeling a small suitcase.
When they walked outside, Faith sat hunched over on a folding chair, staring at Isla. “Should I say something?” Isla said.
“I’d leave it alone. I saw Wexler talking to her. She’s gotta be in shock, Finding out someone you trusted betrayed you like that is damn hard.”
Isla sniffled. “Poor Faith. And Carly and Letty. How could he destroy his family that way?” She leaned against him as they walked up the driveway.
He glanced over again and saw Faith holding her face between her hands. “It’ll drive you crazy if you try and find some reason to the fucker’s madness. He didn’t give a shit about his family or anyone. Just himself.”
“He said he was going to come to LA and kill me.” Sangre felt her shudder and he tightened his grasp around her. “He was after me because I didn’t show up thirteen years ago to have a milkshake with him. How fuckin’ sick is that? He killed all those women because he thought they made fun of him. He seemed so normal when he was my neighbor.”
“Seemed is the operative word. He’s a sick sonofabitch, but it’s done and you don’t have to be afraid anymore.”
“I can’t keep the house. Not after all that happened here today. I don’t want to spend any more nights in it. How could I?” She opened the passenger door and looked at him. “I’m driving. I’ll help you in.”
Sangre let her play nurse as she helped him slide into the seat. His arm throbbed like hell and he was glad she’d offered to drive. He wanted to ask her to stay in Alina with him, but after what she’d just gone through, it wasn’t the right time.
Later that night, after ten stitches and a long shower, Sangre stood by the window looking at raccoons as they scurried across the yard in search of food.
“How’s your arm?” Isla said as she wrapped hers around his waist.
The scent of her wisped around him. “Fine. How’re you doing?” He placed a kiss on her forehead.
“Better. A hot shower does it for me all the time. I still can’t believe all of this. It’s so damn surreal. It’s like it didn’t happen but then I remember that it did. Too crazy.”
“It’ll take time. Now you can breathe. It’s over.”
“I know. I feel so free. I don’t have to be scared by every noise or strange look someone gives me.”
“Are you going to take a break from recording?”
“No way. We have to be in the studio tomorrow morning. It’s going to feel so strange not having Mark, Keith, or Jeff tailing me. Anyway, we have to finish our album before we head out to Sturgis.”
Sangre jerked his head back. “You’re going there?”
Isla’s eyes widened. “I forgot to tell you about it. I meant to, but then all the craziness happened. Anyway, we’re playing two shows in Sturgis at the Buffalo Chip. We’ve been trying to get a gig there for five years. It finally happened, and it’s exciting. I bet you’ve been to Sturgis.”
“I try to go every year or so. The club’s going this summer. That’s cool. You can ride with me.”
She moved over to the bed and sat on the edge of it. “I should go with the band. We can definitely hook up once you get there.”
Hook up? What the fuck? “Sure. How long are you gonna be there?”
“A few days. What about you?”
“A week or so. Some of the brothers will stay the two weeks, but I have to get back. We don’t like leaving the club shut down for too long.”
“I love that we’ll be there at the same time. Do you stay in a RV or tent?”
“RV. Eagle, Shotgun, and I went together on one. Where’re you staying?”
“Kent booked a hotel for us. I have my own room. I want you to stay with me while I’m there.”
“Damn straight. Are you coming back to Alina afterward?”
Isla broke eye contact and lowered her head, and he knew the answer was no. A sharp pain socked him in the gut. “Very soon after our show, we start a five week tour in California, Oregon, and Washington. The label’s most probably going to sign the band on.”
I should tell her I want her to stay. That I love her, but I don’t wanna fuck up her dreams. “That’s what you wanted.”
“Yeah.” She wrung her hands over and over in her lap. “Would you like to go on the tour with me? I’d love for you to be with me.”
“I can’t leave the business or the club for that long. Maybe I can come out and see you in LA when you get back from touring.”
“That’d be great,” she mumbled.
A silence stretched between them.
Sturgis was a few weeks away and he planned to make the most of their time together. He went over to the bed and sat down next to her. “Take a day off recording and let’s spend it at Crystal Lake.”
She wiped her nose with the back of her hand. “I’ll see if I can get away.”
His chest constricted, and he curled his arm around her. “It’ll be fun.”
She raised her head and fixed her eyes on him. “Are we still just friends? I mean is what we have a friends with benefits type of deal? Because I don’t really know how you feel about me.”
He sucked in a deep breath then slowly let it out. “We passed the friends stage the minute I realized it was you.”
“So what does that mean? Tell me how you feel, dammit.”
Sangre scrubbed his face: He didn’t talk about his feelings. All he knew was that she was the only woman who moved him in a way no other woman ever had or could. She was all he thought about, and he wanted her always in his life. When he was in high school, he spent most of his time wanting her and the rest of the time telling himself that he’d blow their friendship. He didn’t want to do anything that would take her away from him, so he held back.
“By you not answering me, you spoke volumes.” She rose to her feet, but he grabbed her wrist and pulled her back down.
“I don’t want you to leave, but I don’t wanna fuck up your music career and your dreams.” He pushed her down on the mattress and leaned over her, his fingers gently caressing her bruised cheek. “I’ve had you buried so deep in my heart that no woman could ever capture it. I just didn’t realize it until you came back into my life.”
She blinked rapidly. “Are you telling me you love me?”
He pressed his lips to hers. “That’s what I’m saying, babe. I love you. I’ve never said that to any woman. When I thought I was gonna lose you today, that was the worst fee
ling in the world.”
Tears streaked down her face as she pushed him down next to her. “DR said you’re supposed to keep pressure off your arm.”
He guffawed and, with his good arm, drew her close to him. “That’s classic. I never say shit about my feelings and I just told you I love you, and your response is about my arm. I fuckin’ love it.”
She giggled. “I just didn’t want the stiches to break or something.”
“And dirty your robe?” He burst out laughing and she joined in, their guffaws filling the room.
When they’d calmed down, she tilted her head back and looked up at him. “In the letter I wrote you the day my family moved, I told you how much I loved you. But when I didn’t hear from you, I was crushed and felt like a fool for telling you about my feelings. I’ve loved you for a very long time. No one ever compared to you. You’ve always been in my heart.”
Sangre crushed his mouth on hers and kissed her as though it would be their last kiss. After a long while, he pulled back and held her gaze. “You told me you loved me back then?”
She nodded and he swept his finger over her lips; they were smooth and red, slightly swollen and glossy from his kiss. “Ever since you told me about the letter, I wondered what happened to it. It finally hit me—I bet Jay took it.”
“Jay? How would he have known about it?”
“He was supposed to come over that day, and he never showed. After that he had an attitude and that’s when we started drifting. Damn, if I knew you loved me back then, I wouldn’t have wasted all these years without you.”
Isla ran her finger down his throat. “I think we needed the time to grow. Coming together now makes our love stronger.”
“Will you stay in Alina? We can get a place together.”
“I want to but what about the band? We have the gig in Sturgis, the tour, and a label interested in signing us. If I leave now, the label will never sign Iris Blue. I can’t fuck up this opportunity for them.”
“I wouldn’t respect you if you did.” He cupped her chin. “As much as I want you to stay with me, I know music is in your soul.”
She grasped his hand, brought it to her lips, and kissed it. “Long distance relationships are so hard. They really never work,” she said softly.
“We’ll figure something out. I can meet up with you while you’re touring. Stay a couple of days.”
“That would be good, but I want to be with you the way we are now.”
“I do too, but I can’t leave the brotherhood and you can’t leave the band. It’s the way life plays out sometimes.” I’m gonna miss you too fuckin’ much. “Let’s go to Crystal Lake and have a good time. We have a few weeks before Sturgis. And we’ll have a kickass time there too. I’ll take you for a ride around the Black Hills. You’re gonna love it.”
She threw her arms around his neck and kissed him hard. “I love you so much.”
“Me too, honey.” He sat up then bent over her, but she pushed up causing him to fall back onto the mattress.
“Remember your arm?” A sly smile danced on her lips as she straddled him. “I’m going to do all the work, so relax. You’re in for a wild ride.”
“You sure you’re up to this? You went through a lot today.”
“Right now, I don’t want to think about him, me leaving, or anything. I just want to feel and be connected with you. That’s all.” She slowly undid her short robe and shrugged it off.
Sangre sucked in a deep breath then released it slowly as desire ripped through him. “You’re so beautiful,” he said in a low voice, his gaze grazing her naked breasts: They were tanned and the nipples were pink and taut, begging him to touch them, taste them. He brushed his fingertips over them, making her arch against his hand. Her skin felt as hot as his desire for her. He began to pull up, but she placed her hands on his shoulders and eased him back, her tits swinging in his face. He grabbed them and drew one nipple into his mouth, nipping and sucking it.
Moaning, she leaned back, her breasts falling out of his grasp. “That’ll come later.”
“You’re quite bossy.”
“I’m in control here.” A smile played on Isla’s lips as she tried to look stern.
He watched her as she unfastened his belt, unzipped his fly, and drew down his pants and boxers. She ran her tongue up his legs then placed her hands on his inner thighs, spreading him wider; his cock sprang upright. Slowly she ran her fingers up his length, teasing him, her eyes locked on his. Then he saw her take the tip of him in her mouth and felt her tongue swirling across it.
He hissed then settled back and watched as she lovingly took him into her warm mouth.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Sturgis, SD
The black banner overhead read “Welcome Harley Riders” and spanned the length of Main Street in downtown Sturgis. Underneath it, the road was thick with motorcycles, tattooed and bearded men, and scantily clad women. For the men, skullcaps, sunglasses, boots, sleeveless shirts, and black leather were the norm while body paint, thongs, and pasties would do for many of the women, but the stars of the rally were the thousands of custom-painted Harley-Davidsons parked four rows deep and lined up for blocks, their chrome sparkling in the sun.
“Fuckin’ wicked,” Sangre said as he admired Hawk’s bike. “I heard you customized it, but you outdid yourself. I’m thinking of buying a new bike. I’ll have to ride it to Pinewood Springs to have you do your magic.”
“Just give me the heads up before you come.” Hawk pointed to his burnt orange bike. “This one took me about six months to do, but I went out of control with it.”
“It’s a beauty though.” Sangre ran his hands over the neon flames and ghoulish skulls. “Are you and Cara staying in a tent or an RV?”
Hawk guffawed. “No way would Cara stay in a tent. We rented a big ass RV. It’s like a damn house. What about you?”
“An RV. Eagle, Shotgun, and I went in on it. Who else is here from the Insurgents?”
“Banger, Throttle, Wheelie, Rags, and about twenty more brothers. Did everyone come from the Night Rebels?”
“Pretty much.”
“Sangre.”
He turned around and grinned when he saw Isla walking toward him.
“Is that your main squeeze in Sturgis?” Rags said. Many of the men had “girlfriends” in Sturgis who they’d hook up with each year at the rally.
Sangre looked at the Insurgent MC member and shook his head. “She’s my main squeeze in Alina.” But she’s going back to LA. “She’s the lead singer in Iris Blue. The band’s playing tonight at Buffalo Chip, and they really know how to rock.” He leaned against his bike.
“That’s cool. I’ll have to check them out,” Rags said.
“Hi, sexy,” Isla said, lightly punching his arm. “When did you get in?”
“Late last night.”
“I’ve never seen so many motorcycles in my life. I’m sure this is a biker’s paradise.” The sun bounced off her mirrored sunglasses. She waved her hand at Hawk’s Harley. “That is a true work of art. Amazing.” Hawk stared at her.
“It’s this brother’s bike,” he said, draping his arm around her shoulders.
Isla cocked her head. “And who is ‘this brother’?”
“Hawk. He’s the vice president of the Insurgents.”
Isla extended her hand. “I’m Isla.” Hawk looked down at her hand then at her face.
“She’s my woman,” Sangre said.
Hawk’s features relaxed and he shook her hand. “Nice to meet you.” He clasped Sangre’s shoulder. “I didn’t know you had a woman.”
Sangre gave a small nod then bent down and kissed the side of her face. “Do you have some free time?”
“Yes. We aren’t playing until tonight. I was checking out the vendor booths before I spotted you. Why didn’t you call me this morning?”
“I was planning to, but we came to check out the bikes and I lost track of the time.”
“You guys love your Harleys. I never thoug
ht I’d have to compete with a motorcycle.”
“We love the ride, the freedom, the brotherhood.”
“Fuck yeah,” Hawk said while Rags raised his fist in the air.
Isla pressed closer to Sangre. “Do you want to grab a bite to eat?”
“Sure. Let’s get a beer and some food then go to your hotel and have some fun.” He kissed her. “Tomorrow we can go for a ride in the Black Hills. There’s nothing like weaving your way through those mountains on winding roads. They’re so different from the San Juan Mountains back home. They got meadows and grassland instead of forests. It’s so beautiful and relaxing. For me it’s damn spiritual.”
She ran her hand across the side of his face. “I can’t wait for you to share it with me.”
Army, Shotgun, Eagle, and Crow came over, laughing and talking with Jerry, Throttle, and Wheelie from the Insurgents MC.
“The fuckin’ Satan’s Pistons are here,” Crow said as he came over to Sangre.
“I saw them earlier. Did they say anything to you?” he asked.
“Nah. If they did, there’d be trouble.” Crow cracked his knuckles.
“The Deadly Demons are here as well,” Hawk said. “Reaper came over to Banger and me and acted like we were his long lost fuckin’ friends. I didn’t pick up that they want trouble. They know it would mean war.”
Then all the brothers stopped talking and stared at Isla as though they’d just remembered that she was there, privy to their conversation.
“Why don’t you and your woman head out?” Hawk said, his eyes fixed on her.
Sangre felt her hand tighten around his arm. “We were just leaving to get a bite to eat. I’ll catch up with all of you later. I wanna check out the races later on.”
“Just text me, dude, and we can meet up.” Eagle said.
As Sangre and Isla wound their way through the people, she chuckled softly.
“What’s so funny, honey?”