“This has been one of the best dates of my life,” Jamie said as Decker held her tightly.
“Mine too,” he whispered as he kissed her slowly on the lips.
“Thank you for bringing me home,” she said before he kissed her on the top of the head.
“I don’t want to leave you,” he whispered.
And she didn’t want him to go either, but she knew that she had to go inside and speak with Tammy. She had to put her plan into action.
“Do you think she’ll come?” Decker asked as he looked down at Jamie with hopeful eyes.
“I’m going to try my best,” she said with certainty.
And Jamie meant every word. Decker had agreed with her when she had suggested trying to get Tammy and Lynx back together, and now they were a proper couple, it felt even more imperative to get their friends back on track too.
“I’ll be waiting,” Decker winked as he stepped back toward his bike. “See you tonight.”
Jamie blew him a kiss and turned to walk back toward her home. The sun was already fading and she knew that Tammy would be in her usual place, moping and hoping for a miracle. Well Jamie was about to be that miracle. She knew how to turn Tammy’s life around.
She pushed open the front door and closed it lightly behind her, and when she walked through into the kitchen and saw Tammy sitting there at the table drinking a huge cup of coffee and rubbing bloodshot eyes, she knew what she had to do…
“Remember when we said that we were going to start living?” Jamie asked with a certain type of authority.
“Yeah?” Tammy replied as she looked up from her book and closed it shut.
“Well, it’s time to get up, spruce up, and change into a little black dress. You’re coming out with me tonight.”
Tammy bit her bottom lip and looked at her as if she was mad. But Jamie could see in her eyes that she wasn’t going to have to ask her twice.
The Bleeding Bullet was even busier than it had been the last time that Jamie had been there, and as they approached the front door, she could sense Tammy’s nerves getting the better of her. It hadn’t been easy to persuade her to leave the house once Jamie had told her where they were heading, but in the end, she had managed to convince her.
“You can’t hide away all your life,” she’d said. “And I know he wants to see you.”
They climbed the steps and worked their way past the loitering women, all dolled up and drunk, wishing and hoping for a biker to come and save them. Jamie could see why Decker despised them, and understood even more what he saw in her. She really wasn’t anything like those girls. She had a lot more to offer.
Jamie led the way, holding onto Tammy’s hand tightly and as they made it inside the bar and into the thump, thump of heavy music and the fog of smoke, she smiled as she remembered how good it had felt to be a part of something like this. Something so raw and new.
She could see Decker up by the bar, and he turned as if he could sense that she was there. Her stomach did a little back flip and she remembered how he had made love to her, how he had done things to her no one else ever had. He smiled when he caught her eye and Jamie felt Tammy’s hand grip hers even tighter as Lynx stepped to the side, next to Decker and looked at Tammy with tears in his eyes.
Jamie could feel the tension between them but also the love. He had pushed her away to keep her safe, but even the time apart hadn’t been enough to destroy his feelings for her, or hers for him. They were meant to be. Much like Jamie and Decker were.
Jamie headed toward her man and he wrapped his arm around her shoulder and kissed her longingly on the lips. Lynx stepped forward and moved toward Tammy. She was trembling, Jamie could see, and a lone tear rolled down her cheek.
“I’m so sorry, Tam,” Lynx said as he took hold of her hands. “I don’t know why I did it. I just didn’t want you to get hurt. So much bad has happened and so many people have been caught in the cross fire.”
Tammy nodded slowly but crossed her hands over her chest. Jamie could see how much she wanted him, but there was no way he was going to get away with it that easily.
“Please,” he whispered as he turned her sideways so that they were more private. “I’ve been a mess without you. I don’t want to spend another day without you in it.”
Tammy’s eyes were swimming with tears and Decker squeezed Jamie’s hand excitedly. Jamie smiled and raised her eyebrows. It looked as if their plan may work.
“You’re an ass Lynx,” Tammy said with a pout. But behind it Jamie could tell a smile was beginning to creep across her face. “But I’ve missed you too… a hell of a lot.”
Lynx sucked in a lungful of air and nodded his head, he went to speak again but she shook her head to silence him.
“Let’s not talk here,” she said.
Lynx still had tears in his eyes and so did Tammy, she wiped a lone one that had escaped down her cheek and when Lynx saw it he lunged towards her. She let him pull her to him and fold her into his arms.
Jamie turned to look at Decker and grinned from ear to ear.
“I think we did it,” she stated into his ear over the blare of the music.
“I think you’re right,” he winked as he took a sip of his beer and squeezed her tight.
Lynx ran his hand through Tammy’s hair and looked deep into her eyes. She looked so right with him, as if they were really meant to be, and Jamie was so glad that she had managed to get them back in the same room and on the road to reconciliation.
As Lynx kissed Tammy, Jamie felt a twinge of excitement for her. She knew how much her friend loved him, and seeing them back together was a wonderful feeling.
“Thank you,” Lynx said as they both walked over to join Jamie and Decker at the bar. “This never would have happened without you guys.”
He slapped Decker playfully on the shoulder and Decker nodded his head and smiled.
“What are friends for?” he said happily.
Jamie reached out and squeezed Tammy’s hand, and she could see how happy she was. When something is meant to be, there really is no way to stop it from happening. Much like Jamie and Decker, meeting against all odds, in a small gym in Slate Springs. And even though she had been so determined to stay away from him, fate had had different ideas for them all.
Jamie looked into Decker’s eyes and he pulled her close to him, she couldn’t wait to see what the future may hold for them, and she knew that whatever it was, was certainly going to be a wild ride. He was so different to anyone she had ever met, and yet he seemed to understand her completely. It was such an amazing change in her life, and one that she never could have predicted, and yet it was so right.
The four of them all stood along the bar, with the men behind the women, holding them tight around the waists in front of them. Jamie felt so safe and protected, and she could see the glares of jealousy from some of the women around the room. It wasn’t something she welcomed, but she couldn’t help but feel a little bit smug. Without even trying, just by being herself, she had got the man that they were all hoping for.
“So, now I guess we can have a double date?” Decker joked.
Lynx threw his head back and roared with laughter and Tammy and Jamie giggled.
If there was one thing they all knew, it was that a Forsaken Rider would never double date. But what they would do is ferociously stand by the women they love, and protect them always.
THE END
Ax (Book 10)– Coming Soon
Through the Gateway
Iona Savage
Copyright ©2015 by Iona Savage. All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic of mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
Thank you so much for your interest in my work! Please
Chapter 1 The Cellar
“You sure you want one of them?” Tammy double checked with the guy, i
f she couldn’t change his mind, it meant lugging a crate of beers from the cellar.
“I’d like what I asked for, if it’s all the same with you?” Niyol was not going to change his mind.
Tammy tried to stare him down. Okay, so he was a good looking guy, tall and handsome, with a trace of Native American features, but didn’t he realize that her shift was nearly over and she really didn’t want to go into that damp, dark cellar, just to get his bloody beer?
“Is there something special about that particular beer, that none of the others taste like?”
Niyol noticed the cold stare she was giving him, but he knew he wasn’t going to change his mind. It wasn't by chance that the beer he wanted was in the cellar.
“Sorry,” he replied, staring back at her with no intention of being the one to look away. “That’s the beer I ordered, and that’s the beer I want.”
Tammy knew her cold stare wasn’t going to work on this guy. She was going to have to go down there, in the last ten minutes of her shift, just for this punk.
“Right,” she said, in his face, “you’ll have to wait until I fetch some up from the cellar, won’t you?” she told him, hoping this might change his mind.
“I suppose I will,” he replied, equally as cocky, “you better get going then.”
Nothing she said was going to work. With a loud audible sigh, especially for his benefit, she turned and looked for the cellar keys. Tammy slammed the drawer open and shut, ensuring he knew exactly how she felt about his bloody beer.
“Sorry,” she said, turning back to him, “it seems Paul, the cellar guy, has taken the key with him on his lunch.”
“Is that not it there?” Niyol asked, pointing to a key hanging on a hook, just under the wine glasses shelf. She really wasn't making this easy for him, he thought.
That was her last throw of the dice, she knew exactly where the key was, and it seemed that so did he. She had tried to appeal to his better nature, but this guy didn't have one, Tammy thought to herself. There was no point asking anyone else either, because the few staff on duty were all new here. This job sucked. Staff were always changing, customers were awkward, like this guy here, and all she wanted to do was finish her shift, go home and pick up with her friends on Facebook.
“Okay, I won’t be long, Sir,” she placed extra emphasis on the sir, letting him know exactly what she thought of him.
Tammy opened the cellar door, reluctantly. She hated the cellar, it always gave her the creeps, and she usually refused to go down there. It was definitely haunted, she was sure, or perhaps it was just her imagination, but there was something about it. Maybe she should just get her coat and go home now, she had less than ten minutes left on her shift, no-one would be any the wiser. Nah, she couldn’t afford to be sacked again, the rent was due. She’d just have to suck in air and get down there. Quickly, she turned around to see if she could change his mind, but he had his back to her. If only she knew where this particular crate of beers was located, then she could be up and down in no time at all. It was going to take ages to find it.
Switching on the light, she mustered up courage and put one foot in front of the other, descending into the damp smelling, black hole of a cellar. The light was dim, Paul her boss was a cheapskate and hadn't replaced the blown bulbs down here, making it difficult to see. Somewhere there was the drip, drip of water. She wouldn’t be surprised if mushrooms didn’t grow down here, or something worse. She quickly scanned all the crates, searching for this guy’s particular brand, desperate to get out of this place, when she heard a noise, like a scraping, as if a door was opening.
She looked in the direction of the noise but could not see anything in the darkened corners, although one corner looked a little darker than the others. She was about to turn her head again when she felt a light breeze flow across her face. Staring hard now into the corner, she was now convinced that it definitely was darker than anywhere else in the cellar, as though there was another room. She’d never noticed another room before. Maybe the specialist beer crates were in there, because she couldn’t find them here. As she neared the darkened shape, she could make out it was an entrance to another room. She supposed it was a bit hidden away. With this dim light it was no wonder she’d not noticed it before. With a bit of luck the crate would be in here, and then she can get off home.
Chapter 2 Flickering Light
As soon as she stepped into the passageway, she knew she had made a mistake, it seemed to go on forever. What was she thinking? Just turn back round Tammy girl, get your coat and go home, sod the dude and his pretentious beer. Then she turned to look back but couldn't see the entrance, all she could see was the cellar wall, she must have made a turn somewhere, without realizing. Looking in front, she could see a light glowing. With an increasing feeling of trepidation, she headed for the light.
The light flickered, like a flame, but she couldn’t see anyone lighting a fire down here. A breeze blew up the tunnel and she realized she was about to step outside. How could it be the outside? She looked on in puzzlement, yes, it was definitely the outside, it led to a woodlands. There were no woodlands at the back of the bar, she was certain.
Her heart pounded in her chest and her legs felt like jelly, but bravely, she stepped out of the end of the tunnel, and into a dense woodland. Sat in a small clearing, next to a camp fire, was a figure. It seemed to have a cape or blanket over the shoulders. As she approached the figure, she could soon make out that it was an old man.
“At last you’ve returned to us, Princess Tamara, and not a moment too soon,” the figure spoke to her with a deep rattling voice.
Tammy was surprised to hear the old man call her by name, her Sunday best name at that, but she had never met him before, she was certain.
“I think you’ve got the wrong person, old man, I just work in the bar over there, and I ain’t no one’s Princess,” she turned back in the direction she had come from, and all she could see were trees in her wake. “Where the f… I’m telling you, I just came down a passageway, back there, and now I can’t see it. I have to get back, there’s a customer waiting for me.”
“You have bigger problems than customers, Tamara,” the old man told her.
“Do I know you? I’m sure I would have remembered you. How do you know my name?” Despite her question, she was certain she’d never met this man before in her life.
“I gave it to you,” he replied, with no further explanation.
“Are you crazy? I don’t even know who you are, or how I got here. And, while we’re at it, where is here, exactly, it’s no part of Baltimore that I know of?” She was beginning to feel afraid and unable to keep the rising levels of panic out of her voice. Something was wrong, maybe it was just a dream.
“Calm yourself, Tamara,” a voice spoke behind her.
Tammy swung around at the sound of the voice behind her, and was a little stunned at what she saw. It was the guy from the bar. Speechless, all she could do was stare at the man.
“Are you following me?” she managed to utter. “Just because I work in a bummer of a job, doesn’t mean you can stalk me.”
The man looked at her with contempt, but said nothing, instead he walked over to the old man.
“It’s a mistake to bring her here, look at her, she cannot help us Father.”
The old man looked at his son.
“She is our only hope, she always was,” he looked at his son harshly. “Make your peace, divided we are weak, and that suits no one but our enemies.”
Father? There was some crazy stuff going on here, and Tammy’s head was in a spin.
“I don’t know what you two are about, but I think you’ve got the wrong girl, here,” she huffed at him and walked away, only thing was, she had nowhere to go.
Turning to Tammy, the old man beckoned her to sit by him.
“Come, I have much to explain and little time to do so.”
She stared at the two men, unable to see any resemblance between them, although the father�
��s skin was darker, and his features more pronounced. His eyes were dark, almost black, and seemed to look like deep pools, but she found them calming. He smiled at her and beckoned to her again. She was still uncertain, but the fire looked warm and comforting. What did she have to lose, she thought to herself as she walked up to the old man and sat down next to him.
“My name is Angeni, and if you are ready, I shall begin?”
She nodded and waited for him to start.
Chapter 3 The Cruel Truth
She listened to what the old man had to say, with rising incredulity at what he was telling her. It was simply unbelievable.
“You are from a bloodline of Royalty that has ruled this land for a millennia,” he started, what followed was nearly an hour of pure fantasy in Tammy’s mind. These guys were playing some kind of trick on her.
“Look,” she said to the younger guy, when the story had finished, “can you just show me how I can get back to the bar? I don't mean to be disrespectful to the old man, but that story is simple nonsense. Surely you don’t expect me to believe all this crap about me belonging to a Royal family and my brother’s gonna murder me if he discovers I’m in this fairy land. All because I can neutralize his magical powers. Hah!” she spat out her last word. “Are you two nuts?”
“I told you it was a waste of time, Father. She’s not worth the effort,” Niyol said, contemptuously. “My Father holds a lot of faith in you. I warned him not to bring more bad blood into these lands, we have enough with Vaclav. How do we know this sister will not side with her brother?” He turned to the old man as he asked this question.
DECKER: MC ROMANCE (Forsaken Riders MC Romance Book 9) Page 8