by Harley Wylde
“Only someone who lives around here and knows how to handle weather like this will even attempt to drive on these roads,” he said. “The Rossi family isn’t going to be coming after you just yet.”
“But you think they will eventually, don’t you?”
He shrugged and removed his hand. “Truthfully, from what I know of Sebastian Rossi, he’s a spoiled shit who thinks he can have whatever he wants. If he wants you, he’s going to come for you. Or send someone.”
“You said you’re taking me out of state. Won’t it be hard for him to find me once we leave this area?” I asked.
He glanced my way. “You have a cell phone?”
“In my bag.”
He held out his hand. I unbuckled my seat belt long enough to scrounge my phone out of the bag in the back seat. I plopped back down on my butt, handed him the phone, then buckled back up. Rocky turned the phone on, then turned it toward me.
“Unlock it.”
I placed my thumb on it and the screen opened for him. He grunted as he scrolled through heaven only knew what, then before I realized what he was doing, he’d rolled down his window, popped out the SIM card, and chucked the phone out onto the mountain road. I shrieked and lunged in his direction, but he threw his massive arm across me, pinning me to the back of the seat.
“Why did you do that?” I demanded.
“Your phone has GPS. And if the Rossi family paid for that phone, I’d be willing to bet they have other ways to track it. There are apps where you can track someone, not to mention the phone company would give them information if you’re on the Rossi account.”
My shoulders slumped. I hadn’t even thought of that. I apparently sucked at this running away thing. What would have happened to me if I hadn’t crashed and found Rocky? Would Sebastian have caught up to me quickly and made me pay for what I’d done to him? I wouldn’t have stood a chance.
“They may find your car wrecked on the mountain, assuming it’s not buried, but the snow covered our tracks back to the cabin. They won’t know for sure what happened to you. When they track the phone to this road, they’ll assume you got a lift down the mountain,” he said. “But they won’t know where you’re going from there.”
“So I’m safe once we leave Colorado?”
“Should be. Unless they have some other way to find you.”
“Like what?” I asked.
“Trackers can be placed pretty much anywhere. You can have one in your shoes, somewhere in your bag or the hem of your clothes. I’d imagine they had one on your car.”
My eyes widened and my jaw dropped. “Who the hell does stuff like that?”
“Besides the government? Pretty much any crime family worldwide.”
That didn’t make me feel better. What if they’d planted those tracker things in my clothes or shoes? What if… I drew in a sharp breath.
“I’d know if they’d microchipped me like a puppy, wouldn’t I?” I asked.
His gaze slid my way before returning to the road. “Not necessarily.”
I felt my face pale. That seemed a bit extreme, but what if they really had done that to me? What the hell had my mother gotten me into? I’d known from the beginning that the Rossi family was bad news, but it hadn’t really hit home until now just how much trouble I was really in. Would Sebastian go so far as to kill me if he found me? If he was capable of raping his stepsister, I wouldn’t put it past him to cross that line too. It was obvious to me that he was a monster.
“Where exactly are we going?” I asked. Not that it really mattered. Anywhere but here sounded good to me.
“I’m part of the Dixie Reapers MC. My home base is in Alabama. If anyone can help me protect you, it’s my brothers. Anyone other than your family going to miss you right now?” he asked.
I shook my head. “I’ve never been very good at making friends.”
Rocky was quiet for a few minutes. I wasn’t sure if he was just concentrating on the road, or thinking things over. The last thing I wanted to do was distract him while he was driving down this treacherous highway winding around the mountain. We’d been on the road for a while when my stomach began to rumble. I bit my lip and stayed silent, not wanting to be more of a burden than I already was, but Rocky must have heard it and pulled over at the next little town.
We drove down the main strip, and I admired the stores along the way. It seemed like a quaint place, the type you’d see on a greeting card, or on one of those Hallmark Christmas movies. The streets had been cleared, as well as the sidewalks. It amazed me that we’d been on the road for so long, and yet were still at a high enough elevation for there to be snow on the ground. It was still early in the year for snow, but Colorado seemed to be getting more than its fair share already. I wondered what the weather was like in Alabama. I’d never been down south before.
Rocky pulled to a stop in front of a diner. I remembered how far down the ground was and waited for him to come around and help me out of the truck. His hands went around my waist, and I placed my palms on his massive shoulders as he lifted me off the seat and set me down on my feet. He was so close I could feel the heat coming off his body, but all too soon, he moved away. After shutting the door and hitting the locks, he took my hand and led me inside.
A waitress waved at us. “Sit anywhere you’d like.”
Rocky led me to a booth in the back corner, then he claimed the seat along the wall, where he could see the entire diner. I eased onto the seat across from him. He scanned the area inside and outside before his gaze rested on mine.
“I’ll have to take off the snow chains before we leave. Roads should be pretty clear from this point on. We’ll eat, then you can sit and enjoy some coffee or something while I take care of it. No sense in you freezing while you wait for me.”
I nodded. I’d never dealt with snow chains and didn’t have a clue how they went on or came off. I hadn’t even realized he’d have to take them off partway down the mountain. Even though the Rossi family spent most of their time in New York, my mother and I had stayed in their Beverly Hills mansion once she’d married Carl Rossi. There were times, after I’d gotten older, that she’d go with him to New York and other places, but I’d remained in California. It was only during occasional family trips, like this one, that I’d gone anywhere with them.
The waitress came over and dropped off two menus, some rolled silverware, and two glasses of water. “I’ll be back in a few minutes, after you’ve had time to look at the menu. Just holler if you need anything.”
Rocky opened his, and I reached for mine. I was starving, so of course everything looked good. I could have ordered one of everything, but my thighs were chunky enough already. A salad wasn’t going to cut it, though. I really did need to diet and exercise more, but I honestly just loved food too much. All kinds of food. I had a healthy appetite, always had. Even when I was little, I’d been a little fatter than most of the kids in my class. I’d been teased a lot, and even now received some snide comments when I went out places.
Our waitress came back over, her pad in hand. “Do you know what you want or do you need more time?”
“Mara?” Rocky asked.
“Um, I think I’ll have the meatloaf with mashed potatoes and carrots, and can I get some corn bread with that? Oh, and a Coke if you have it.”
The waitress smiled, nodded her head, and wrote down my order, then turned to Rocky.
“I’ll have two of your deluxe cheeseburgers, fries and onion rings, and a glass of sweet tea.”
I had no idea where he was putting all that food. I mean, yeah, the guy was freakin’ huge, but he was also solid muscle. How could he eat like that and still look that good? My expression must have said as much because he grinned and winked at me.
“I’m a growing boy,” he said.
I snorted. “If you grow much more, they’ll have to reconstruct the buildings so you can get in and out of them.”
He shrugged. “I already duck for most doorways.”
I lea
ned back in the booth. I’d known he was a lot taller than me, but just how tall was he? Not that it took much to dwarf me. I was barely over five feet. I’d gotten my height from my mom, but little else, thank goodness. I really didn’t want to be anything like that woman. And if I found out she’d known what would happen to my dad, or had a hand in it, I just might kill her with my bare hands.
“It’s about twenty hours from here to where we’re going,” Rocky said. “I want to get as far from this area as we can, and then we’ll pull over for the night. You only have winter clothes with you?”
I nodded.
“You’ll want something a little cooler to go with your jeans once we start out down through the southern states. Once we get to Kansas, I’ll stop at a Wal-Mart or something, let you pick up a few shirts and anything else you might need. You can’t have much in that bag of yours.”
“I have the outfit I wore yesterday, and one more. That’s pretty much it. I didn’t really have much of a plan other than to get away. I didn’t care where I went, as long as it was far from Sebastian. If I’d gone home, he’d have followed me there.”
“So you were just going to drive until you found a place that looked good?” he asked.
“I guess.”
He leaned his forearms on the table, crossing them in front of him. “Are you wanting to completely disappear? Start over?”
“The thought did cross my mind, but I don’t have those kinds of resources.”
“With the Rossi connections, even if you changed your name, they would eventually find you. We’ll talk to Torch when get to the Dixie Reapers compound. He’s ex-military, and I’m pretty sure he’s done off the books work for the government over the years. If anyone can figure this shit out, it’s him. In the meantime, I have Wire working on unraveling the fucked-up mission that killed your dad.”
“Thank you,” I said softly. “For taking me in, and for helping me.”
“Anything for Thomas O’Malley’s kid.”
Well, that certainly put me in my place. I knew he found me attractive, but if he insisted on seeing me as Thomas’ kid, then he’d never act on those feelings. And I wanted him to, so badly. I’d never been tempted to lose my virginity until now. I wanted Rocky to be my first. There was something about him that pulled me in, made me feel safe, and I just knew that it would be perfect if I were to give myself to him. If it was really going to take twenty hours to reach our destination, then I had some time to work on him. He’d either give in, or tell me to fuck off. At least I’d know for sure where I stood with him.
Chapter Four
Rocky
I’d not stopped driving, except for gas and food, until we reached Wichita, Kansas. We’d been on the road for over eight hours, but I’d wanted to put as much distance between us and the Rossi clan as I could. Mara had napped off and on, and my eyes were starting to feel like sandpaper, but I’d pushed through. Stopping at a Target gave us a chance to stretch our legs, and Mara the opportunity to buy more clothes. I’d sent her off for whatever girly shit she needed, while I grabbed a small rolling suitcase for her new things. It didn’t take me long to find her in the lingerie department.
Seeing the pink, lacy bra in her hands made me audibly swallow as I imagined the scrap of cloth cupping the rather spectacular breasts that peeked through the V-neck of her sweater. Whatever she was wearing right now seemed to barely contain them. I willed my cock into submission, not wanting to walk around the store with a tent in my jeans. Maybe it had been too damn long since I’d had a woman, but something told me it wouldn’t matter if I’d gotten laid last week. There was just something about Mara. She was curvy as fuck, just the way I liked a woman. And the innocence in her eyes made me want to corrupt her.
I set the suitcase into the shopping cart she was using and tried my damnedest not to think about her wearing any of the things she’d picked up since I’d left her in the shoe department an hour ago. The panties now in her hands were so sheer they wouldn’t hide anything. She studied them, holding them up to the light, before tossing them into the cart, then reached for another pair made of black lace.
“Are you doing this on purpose?” I asked.
She turned to me with wide, innocent eyes, the lace panties clutched in her hands. But that look was a little too innocent. Yeah, the minx knew exactly what she was doing. She’d made it no secret she wanted me, but I wasn’t the right man for an innocent virgin like her. I turned away from her, surveying the area. I didn’t think it was likely that Sebastian Rossi could find us here, but the Rossi family had eyes everywhere. If anyone recognized Mara, we were screwed. Not that Target was really the type of place millionaire criminals liked to shop. They had a tendency to lean more toward silk shirts and custom-made suits. We were surrounded by moms and teens, and the occasional disgruntled dad following his family, each step labored, as if he’d rather be anywhere else.
“I’m almost done,” she said.
I looked into the cart that was nearly overflowing with clothes and shoes. I couldn’t imagine what else she could possibly need. As she left the lingerie department, tossing in some sleepwear that I knew was designed to kill me, I trailed behind her. It was another half hour of her tossing things into the cart before we were able to check out. I had no idea how long we’d been in the store, but it felt like forever. Now I knew why my friends had always declined to shop with their women. This was insane. How could one woman need so much shit?
The cashier rang up the total, and my eyebrows shot upward when it came out to almost four hundred dollars, but before I could reach for my wallet, Mara was pulling cash from her pocket. That must have been what she’d gotten out of her bag before we’d come into the store, but I hoped she wasn’t using everything she had. It wasn’t like she could access the funds in her account or use her credit cards. Not unless she wanted to lead Sebastian right to her location.
She pulled five one-hundred dollar bills off the roll, then shoved the rest back into her pocket. It looked like she had maybe another five hundred. It wasn’t going to last her long, not unless I found a way to get Sebastian off her trail. If Torch didn’t have any ideas, I’d have to hope that whatever Wire had come up with would incriminate the entire Rossi family. Even if she went on the run, they would eventually catch up to her. She just didn’t have the resources she would need to stay ahead of the Rossi family, or those in their employ. Their reach was far and wide, spanning continents, and Mara didn’t stand a chance. Not on her own anyway.
I loaded her things into the back seat of the truck, then drove to a small town a little farther down the highway before pulling into a motel. I was exhausted, and Mara probably was too. It was past time for dinner and some sleep; then we’d get a fresh start in the morning. The Sleepy-Daze Motel looked like it had seen better days, but it would do for tonight. Mara waited in the truck while I got a room key, then I pulled around to the back and parked in front of room 117.
“We’ll take all your things inside, and you can pack your new suitcase, then use your old bag for your dirty clothes until we reach the compound. Then you can do some laundry,” I said. Not really having any idea where she’d stay once we got there, but we’d figure that part out later.
I helped her carry everything inside, but I froze in the doorway and silently cursed. One. Fucking. Bed. When the asshole behind the counter hadn’t asked if I wanted one bed or two, I assumed all the rooms came with two. Guess that just went to show what happened when you assumed shit. Mara pushed at me, and I entered the room fully, giving her enough space to step inside. She dropped her stuff on the bed but didn’t comment on our accommodations.
“You want to eat in or go out?” I asked. “I saw a burger place a few lights back. I could swing through and pick up something, or there was a Waffle House on the corner.”
“Burgers are fine,” she said. “I’m going to sort this stuff out, then take a quick shower while you’re gone.”
I nodded. “Anything special on your burger?”<
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“Everything with double bacon and extra cheese.” She smiled. “And I want fries. Do you think they have shakes?”
I shrugged.
“If they do, get me a chocolate one. If not, any type of soda is fine.”
“All right. I’ll be back in a bit. I’m taking the room key with me in case you’re in the shower when I get back. Don’t step out of the room for any reason. This area looks safe enough, but you never can tell.”
“I won’t,” she promised.
I stared at her a moment before heading back out to the truck. She was giving me another of those I’m so innocent looks that I didn’t buy for a minute. There was no doubt she was naïve, and yes, she was a virgin, but I could see the naughtiness lurking inside her, and it called to me. The look in her eyes, the curves of her body, made me want to bend her to my will, command her to do things a good girl would never dream of. My cock started getting hard just thinking about urging Mara to her knees, and I groaned, then readjusted myself as I climbed into the truck.
For a small town, the burger place was packed. The drive-thru said it was closed for maintenance so I had no choice but to go inside. There were at least six groups ahead of me, maybe more. Most were high school kids, and I wondered if this was the local hangout. Every small town had one. With everyone clustered together, it was hard to tell which couples were on a date and which ones were out as a group, but I slowly got closer and closer to the counter.
By the time I placed my order, received my food, then had them correct the parts they’d screwed up, it had been over a half hour since I’d left Mara at the motel. I didn’t like leaving her for so long, not knowing if there was a way for the Rossi family to track her. Ever since she’d asked if they could have microchipped her, I’d kind of wondered if maybe she did have a tracker on her somewhere. Without the right equipment, there was no way to tell, and the only way to remove one would be to cut her open. That wasn’t something I was anxious to do.