She opened it and Steel stood there, every inch the gorgeous bad boy he had been the previous evening, his black hair slicked back, his tanned, tattooed arms bursting free of his tight t-shirt and his hands adorned with silver rings. He turned and flashed her his wicked smile, and Candy was instantly won over. Any doubts she may have had that morning were blown away in an instant.
Steel was definitely someone special.
“Morning,” he smiled as he leaned against the doorframe.
Candy felt herself blushing almost immediately and she stood back and left a gap so he could come inside. He brushed past her, the scent of his cologne hanging in the air. Candy couldn’t take her eyes off him. The sight of him inside her home was so exciting, and all she could think about was pouncing on him. She smiled at the thought and showed Steel into the front room.
“Nice place,” he said as he sat down on the arm of the couch. “Very girly.”
“Yes, it is a bit,” she giggled.
“How did you sleep?” he crossed his arm across his chest and his muscles bulged.
“Surprisingly well,” she nodded, “considering…”
“I didn’t sleep a wink,” he sighed. “And I won’t until this whole thing is over.”
Candy rubbed his shoulder sympathetically, and he turned his head towards hers.
“I couldn’t stop thinking about you,” he whispered. “I waited outside until the sun was on the horizon, and even then it was hard to leave you here.”
Candy’s heart started to pound. She swallowed her nerves and ran her fingernails through his hair.
“I couldn’t stop thinking about you, either…” she admitted.
Steel looked up at her and she took hold of his face in between her hands. His stubble was rough on her palms, and as they stared into each other’s eyes, she realized what they reminded her of.
“You have the eyes of a wolf,” she said. “Icy blue and consuming.”
Steel smirked and pulled her closer to him so her breasts pushed up against his chest.
“You are the most adorable little thing,” he said. “It’s going to be hard to control myself around you.”
Candy bit her bottom lip and smiled.
She wanted to tell him to let go of his control, to take her right then and there on the couch. She wanted him to tear off her clothes and ravage her, but she also knew that if she crossed that line with him, it could potentially open up so many old wounds, and she didn’t know if she was ready to cope with it all.
“Then take me out for breakfast,” she whispered as she let her lips skim his. “Let’s get to know each other properly.”
Steel smiled and nodded.
“I’ll be two minutes,” she said as she stepped away from him and slowly let go of his hand.
She left him waiting in her front room with only his thoughts for company, and she raced into her bedroom and grabbed her things. She undid the robe and jumped into a white, loose-fitting day dress and smoothed on some tinted moisturizer and lip gloss. The effect on her skin was that she looked fresh and dewy, as if she had just stepped out of the shower. This, coupled with the floaty dress, made her look the epitome of girly chic.
“I’m ready,” she said as she stepped back into the front room.
Steel looked up at her and his mouth almost hit the floor. Candy smiled and walked towards him, the contrast of their appearances so distinct it was almost amusing.
“You look incredible,” he smiled.
He took hold of her hand and led her towards the door. After she locked it behind her and he started to stride towards the bike, Candy pulled back on his arm a little and waited.
“Why don’t we leave that here today?” she said. “It would be good to walk.”
Steel looked confused for a moment before he shrugged and smiled.
“Whatever you want, baby,” he grinned.
They held hands and strolled along the road. Candy’s house was so close to Main Street, it seemed like a shame to not take advantage of the sun and the extra time to talk to each other.
“How long have you been with The Forsaken Riders?” she asked him as they took a left and started to merge into town.
“For as long as I care to remember,” he said.
“What do you think will happen with Red X?” she asked.
Steel shrugged and pulled a packet of cigarettes out of his back pocket.
“I think we’ll be okay,” he said. “The Iron Riders aren’t as established as we are, and they have a hell of a lot more enemies. We won’t be their only concern right now.”
“What would happen if they got the club?” Candy was genuinely nervous.
“They won’t, babe,” he smiled. “We’ll make sure of that.”
They turned another corner and found themselves on Main Street. Candy was still new in town and didn’t generate a whole lot of gossip as far as she was aware, but that day, when she walked along with Steel, she could feel the eyes of the world on her, and it made her nervous.
“Everyone is staring,” she said as Steel pulled out a chair for her at the café on the corner.
“So?” he said with amusement. “Let them.”
Candy smiled back at him and nodded.
He smoked slowly and stared at her. Every time their eyes met, it was as if he was uncovering a part of her soul that she had long forgotten existed. He was reawakening parts of her that Simon had taken away. He was bringing her back to life.
The waitress arrived at the table, and Candy ordered a coffee and poached eggs and Steel ordered a TJ.
“Not hungry?” she asked him, and he shook his head.
When the waitress returned with their drinks, Steel waited until she had gone back inside before he pulled out a hipflask and started to pour vodka into the tomato juice.
“No better way to start the day,” he laughed.
“I don’t think I’ve ever tried one,” she admitted.
“Want to?” he raised his eyebrows, but Candy smiled and shook her head. Steel grinned and downed the Bloody Mary in one.
The tension between them was rising and Candy knew why. They were both so hot for each other, it was impossible to have a conversation. She wanted to ask him questions, she wanted to know all about him and his past and of how he came to be in Slate Springs, but at the same time, she knew she couldn’t answer the ones he might have for her. She looked up at him and stirred milk into her coffee. They were both undressing each other with their eyes, and all Candy wanted to do was tell him that she needed to be looked after and she knew that he was the man for the job.
“You’re too good for a place like that,” Steel said finally, breaking her gaze.
“What do you mean?” Candy sat up straight.
“You’re not dumb,” Steel smirked. “I knew that the second I met you… It’s all an act.”
Busted.
“What do you mean?” she asked playfully.
“What I mean is, I think you play the dumb blonde card so all of this checks out. But I don’t buy it… There’s more to you than that.”
Candy shifted uncomfortably in her seat, and although he had hit the nail right on the head, she wasn’t ready to tell him that he was right.
“Maybe,” she said. “Or maybe I am just a dumb blonde,” she tossed her napkin across the table and winked.
“Maybe…” he grinned as he looked off into the distance.
“What about you?” she said finally. “You don’t seem so stupid yourself.”
“That’s because I’m not,” he lit another cigarette and blew the smoke up into the air.
Candy felt her pulse began to quicken again.
“Well, then,” she said, deciding to be brave. “Why the gang? Why not a straight life?”
Steel smirked and dragged on his cigarette again.
“I could ask you the very same thing,” he looked up at her.
Candy knew what he was trying to say. He was aware that she wasn’t who she was pretending to be, but she
had the feeling he was doing exactly the same.
“I just don’t like the system,” he said. “And now, the club’s like family. There’s real honor there.”
She nodded. That was definitely something she could understand.
“What are you running from?” he asked suddenly.
Candy felt as if she had been backed into a corner, and she started to stumble over her words.
“I’m… nothing,” she said.
Steel sat forward and took hold of her hands.
“If there’s something I need to know,” he began, “I want you to tell me…”
Candy shook her head and smiled nervously.
“Nothing,” she said. “Look, why don’t we…” she started to change the subject when suddenly the growl of a deep bike engine came thundering down the street and interrupted.
Steel dropped her hands and got to his feet immediately, looking in the direction of the noise and squinting to try and see who was riding.
“King,” he said. “Something’s wrong…”
Candy got to her feet, too. She could sense the urgency in the manner King was coming towards them, weaving in and out of cars and screeching up onto the pavement. Steel rushed forward and waited for King to climb off. Candy could tell that something was bothering him as he slammed his foot-break down and ran a shaking hand through his hair.
“King?” Steel said with urgency.
“It’s bad,” King said as he looked up at them both. “You’re going to have to come with me. We can’t talk here.”
Steel threw twenty dollars down onto the table and took hold of Candy’s hand.
“Clubhouse,” Steel barked as King nodded and mounted his bike again.
He pulled off back into traffic and Steel strode with Candy, pulling her back in the direction of her home.
“What’s the matter?” she panted, trying to keep up with him.
“We have to get to the clubhouse right now,” he said. “Something’s happened, and it’s the only place we’ll be safe.”
Candy started shaking, and Steel stopped before he turned her to face him and held onto her tightly by the shoulders.
“Whatever we are walking into,” he whispered. “You’re my priority now, and I’ll do everything I can to keep you safe.”
Candy felt her stomach lurch at his honesty, and even though she knew they were in a hurry, she couldn’t miss the opportunity. She pushed up onto her tiptoes, wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him passionately.
As Steel wrapped his big, protective arms around her, she was weak at the knees. She wanted and needed him so badly, and she was terrified that after finding him, she might lose him in this rivalry.
“Please,” she said as she blinked back tears. “Don’t leave me.”
“I’m not going to, babe,” he said. “But we have to get to the clubhouse.”
He pulled her down the road and back onto her street. His bike was still parked outside of her house in the space where her car would normally be, and she remembered it was still at Red X.
“Forget your car for now,” he said, almost as if he could read her mind. “You won’t be going back to the club… I’ll get you a new one.”
“What?” she laughed. “I can’t just forget my car… And what do you mean? You said that everything would be alright?”
He shook his head and stopped in his tracks.
“Maybe not now,” he said. “I can tell something big has happened.”
He held onto her by the waist and lifted her up onto the back of the bike before he climbed on in front of her. Candy wrapped her arms around him as he started the engine, and she realized that she was shaking. She had no idea what was going on, but Steel and King were obviously worried.
As they flew down the highway and out onto the other side of town, her heart raced and her mind churned.
What had happened to the club?
What had happened to Marv?
And more than anything else, if the other gang managed to take over Red X…what was going to happen to her?
9.
They turned off the highway and made their way down a beaten track. Candy didn’t recognize where she was, but she knew now where she was going. They were heading to The Forsaken Riders’ headquarters, the clubhouse, the only place either of them would be safe.
They were in the middle of the desert, riding fast and swerving to avoid potholes. The sun shone down on them fiercely from above, and Candy looked out over her shoulder to see a dust cloud trail billowing out behind them. As they went over a small rise, the road opened out ahead of them and there, deep in a valley, Candy could see the proud old building and the warehouses and garages surrounding it. She didn’t know what she had been expecting, but it hadn’t been on this scale. It was like its own little town, and the house in the middle of it all was tall and ancient.
“Wow,” she smiled. “This is incredible.”
Steel reached down and squeezed her hands with one of his.
They pulled up outside of the clubhouse, and Candy could see from the track marks and the bike that King was already there. Steel helped her down and he ran with her towards the steps of the house, jumping up them two at a time until he reached the front door.
He pushed it open and Candy could hear the hushed voices inside. Steel gripped her hand tightly and took her inside the darkened building, her heart pounding and her mind willing that everything was going to be okay.
They entered a room and a circle of bikers turned to face them.
Steel tensed and pulled Candy closer to him.
“Tell me,” he said. “What…?”
King blinked back tears and walked to the front of the crowd.
“The Iron Riders,” he said. “Those fuckers stormed Red X at dawn this morning.”
Steel sucked in a lung full of air and braced himself for the full story.
“They killed Marv,” he said without emotion. “Not that anyone will miss that fucking prick, but…he’s dead.”
Candy gasped. How could this have happened? She hadn’t liked Marv in the slightest, but she didn’t wish him any harm… How could he be dead? How could it all be over, just like that? She felt tears welling behind her own eyes, and she looked up at Steel for reassurance, but she could tell that he had much more on his mind than a low-life cokehead who owed him money.
He wasn’t fazed by the information about Marv, but Candy could see that something was bothering him and that he was now scanning each face in the room…looking for someone, trying to discover who else was missing. The expression on everyone’s face was so glum and somber, Candy already knew what was coming…
“Where’s Tanner?” Steel asked sharply, his eyes widening.
King dropped his head and a lone tear rolled down his cheek.
“Tanner was there, Steel,” King said. “He got caught off guard.”
“No…” Steel said.
King nodded and reached forward, trying to comfort his friend, but Steel pulled back and turned away.
“They shot him,” one of the other bikers interjected from the back of the room. “He was gone when we arrived. There was nothing we could do.”
Candy stood there, completely frozen to the spot and full of regret. Could she have done something to prevent this? The tension in the room was so heavy and fierce that she could barely stand it.
“Steel,” she whispered.
He shook his head before he clenched his fists and turned back to face the room.
“They’re not going to get away with this,” he said, spitting rage. “They want a war, they’ve got a war.” He punched his fist into his palm, and Candy shuddered. He was so angry, so powerful, so dangerous…
“When do we ride?” he asked with fury.
“Midnight,” King said. “We’re going to burn those fuckers to the ground.”
Steel took Candy’s hand in his and led her up the main staircase of the clubhouse and to the third floor. He hadn’t spoken a word since, and
it was eerily quiet. She looked around and tried to catch glimpses of life elsewhere in the house. Behind doorways hushed conversations were being had, and she could hear a low sobbing coming from one of the bedrooms.
As they got up to the top floor, Steel marched along to the end of the corridor and pushed open the last door on the left. He pulled Candy inside and closed it behind them, and then he collapsed down onto the bed and put his head into his hands.
“Tanner was the closest thing I ever had to a brother,” he said solemnly. “I can’t believe he’s gone.”
Candy felt the sadness rise within her. She had to comfort him.
“I’m so sorry,” she said as she rushed to his side. “Tell me what I can do…?”
Steel shook his head, and although he wasn’t crying, Candy could tell that he was as close as he would ever get. His face was etched with so much sadness and grief that it was unbearable for her to see.
“What’s going to happen?” she asked him. “I’m so afraid.”
“Don’t be, babe,” he said quietly. “We just have to do what we have to do.”
“But you promised you wouldn’t leave me…” She looked at him hopefully, praying that he would change his mind.
“I have to avenge him,” he said. “I have to make them pay for what they’ve done, and we’re going to take what’s rightfully ours.”
“Where will you find them?”
Steel rubbed his eyes and sighed.
“They’ll have taken the club by the sounds of it… Your friend is probably there with them right now.”
“Destiny?” she scoffed. “She’s no friend of mine.”
“She’ll get what’s coming to her, too,” he said seriously, “They all will.”
Candy had no more loyalty to Destiny after she had fooled her so expertly, but she didn’t like the thought of her being seriously hurt.
“I know she’s wronged us all, Steel… But please, don’t hurt her.”
He looked up at her with fire in his eyes, but it quickly gave way to defeat.
“For you,” he said. “That’s all I can promise out of this fight.”
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