Joyride: Savage Menace MC Book 4

by Marie, Kay

  “He and Sienna went back to y’all’s apartment,” he continues. “He said you left your phone, but took everything out of an emergency stash you and Sienna had in case one of y’all ever needed to run. What are you running from, Little Bird? What are you hiding with all that make-up?”

  Tears well up in my eyes. “I can’t tell you, Sketch. Not right now.”

  “Can you tell me what happened for you to ice me out?” I risk looking at him. His eyes are sad, pleading.

  “You really don’t remember,” I ask.

  “I remember doing way too many shots with the guys and I remember waking up on the couch at Minx’s house,” he admits. “Anything between that is lost.”

  “You found me before I left the reception. We walked up to Minx’s house together. When we got there . . .” This time I pause. So many times I’ve thought about that night and could still feel his lips on mine. Even now as I think about it, I can feel them against mine. I sigh. “You kissed me.”

  He hangs his head, possibly ashamed of his actions. I’m not sure. When he looks at me, his eyes hold mixed emotions.

  “I can’t say that I’m sorry I kissed you,” he tells me. “What I am sorry for is kissing you when you weren’t mine to kiss, and for not remembering it.”

  I gape at him. Before I can respond, the door to the house opens. I don’t take my eyes off Sketch.

  “There you two are!” Harper walks out onto the deck. “Oh, shit. Am I interrupting something?”

  I slowly tear my eyes away from Sketch and turn to Harper. “We were just talking.”

  “Diesel hasn’t been drinking, so he and Elena were going to run up to the liquor store. Do either of you need anything,” she asks.

  “Nope, I’m good,” I tell her.

  “Thanks, but I’m alright, too,” Sketch says.

  “Suit yourself.” She walks back inside. Sketch scoots closer to me and brushes a strand of hair out of my face.

  “I like what you did with your hair,” he tells me.

  “Thanks.” I smile at him. “I thought it was time for something new.”

  “Can you tell me one thing,” he asks.

  “What’s that?”

  “Are you and Zack still together?” Both his tone and expression are hard to read.

  “No, we’re over,” I admit. The wheels in his head are turning. I’m sure he’s piecing together Zack having something to do with me running. He pulls his phone out of his pocket. The screen is lit up with an incoming call.

  “It’s Shade, I should probably take this,” he says.

  “Please don’t tell him you found me. Not yet,” I beg.

  6

  Sketch

  “What’s up, brother?” I answer my phone. Wren went inside before I answered.

  “What the fuck happened,” Shade asks. Wren asked me not to tell him I found her. She’s obviously going through some shit and if I tell him she’s here, he’s going to drive out here and drag her ass home. On the other hand, lying to him could get me in some deep shit. She’s going to owe me big time.

  “A fight broke out and I had to help stop it,” I lie to him. I lean back against the couch. This is a lot comfier than it looks.

  “Shit. Well, look, you’ve talked to Wren a lot. Do you have any idea where she might have gone,” he asks.

  “If she was ever in trouble, I thought she would run to you or the club for help. She’s never said anything about leaving Texas,” I tell him. That part is true. As much as we talked before, she never mentioned any other states unless she was talking about her mama back in Colorado. “Have you called your mom?”

  “No, if she went there, Mom would have called me,” he tells me. “I don’t want to call her and get her worked up unless I absolutely have to.”

  “That’s understandable. Do you have any information you could give Tech to look for her,” I ask.

  “Yeah, Sienna remembered a little bit about the car. I’ll let you know if he finds anything,” he says. “Let me know if you hear from her. I’m sure she’ll reach out to you before me.”

  “I don’t know about that, but I will.” With that, we hang up. I walk inside the house. Wren is in the kitchen, going through the cabinets. She turns around to face me.

  “You need to reach out to Shade or Sienna ASAP. At least let them know you’re okay,” I tell her.

  “I know. I will in the morning,” she says. “They can’t know where I am, though.”

  “None of the guys will say anything. I need you to be able to tell me why, Little Bird.” I move so I’m a foot away from her.

  “I can’t, Sketch.” Her eyes are pleading with me. I brush my thumb across her cheek, causing her eyes to flutter closed. A tear falls down her cheek and I pull her into me, enveloping her in my arms.

  “I only want to keep you safe, Wren,” I whisper into her hair.

  She pulls away enough so she can look at me. “And I want to keep you safe, which is why I can’t tell you.”

  “You shouldn’t have to worry about keeping me safe,” I tell her. My eyes fall to her lips, then back to her eyes. I instantly know it was the wrong move.

  “I should go get some sleep.” She pulls out of my arms and turns her back to me.

  “Wren.” She stops but doesn’t face me. “You might be fresh off a break-up, but I’m here when you’re ready. I’m not going anywhere.”

  She walks away without a response. Zack did something to her, I know he did. I’m going to find out what and fuck his world up. I open the fridge, grab a beer, and walk into the living room.

  “Everything okay, brother,” Kicks asks.

  “Yeah, everything’s good,” I reply. I sit in a recliner and observe everyone. Clutch seems to be into Aria quite a bit. I have yet to see him indulge in a deep conversation with a chick before tonight. He’s one that typically avoids conversations with women. He doesn’t even try to sleep with Aria when she goes to bed.

  We end up crashing in their living room. Diesel on the couch, Clutch and I each in a recliner and Kicks on the floor.

  * * *

  The next day, I’m awake before anyone else. I head out to the back deck to get some fresh air. I spent most of the night wracking my brain about what Wren could be running from. Why she wouldn’t come to Shade or me for help. I decide to text Tech.

  To Tech: Were you able to dig up any information about Zack?

  It’s still pretty early, so I’m sure I won’t get a response for a while. We’ll be meeting with Gator later today. They’re having a BBQ this afternoon so we can get to know the guys wanting to join the MC. Once we get an idea of the guys, we’ll check in with Bull and set something up for them to come out to Texas to meet him.

  My stomach growls, letting me know how hungry I am. I’m looking at my phone as I walk inside for some water to hold me over.

  “Holy shit! Where did you come from,” Wren asks. Her hair is half up in a bun and half down. Her face is clean of make-up, and I notice some bruises I didn’t see last night.

  “Is that why you had so much make-up on last night?” I growl out. “What the hell happened, Wren?”

  “Nothing that concerns you,” she snaps out at me and stomps out of the room. I clench my fists and release them, taking a deep breath.

  Clutch walks into the kitchen, rubbing his face. “What the fuck just happened?”

  “Are you the only one awake?” I avoid his question, ready to get out of this house and give Wren some space.

  “Diesel was stirring. He might be awake now,” he says. “Kicks sleeps through everything.”

  “Let’s wake him up. I’m fucking starving.”

  “On it.” He goes back into the living room to get them up. I search for a pen and some paper to write Wren a quick note.

  “They gotta have a junk drawer.” I open a couple more drawers before I find what I’m looking for. I scribble a note, fold it and stand it up so she’ll see it when she comes back in here.

  I walk into the living room
. “Y’all ready?”

  “What the fuck time is it?” Kicks stands and stretches.

  “Time for you to get your lazy ass up so we can go get breakfast,” I tell him.

  7

  Wren

  The front door opens and closes. I let out a breath I didn’t realize I was holding. I didn’t know they were going to stay here last night or I would have covered my bruises. I’m not ready to explain them to Sketch. I don’t want him going after Zack and ending up hurt or killed.

  Zack’s father is a powerful man. He could easily have something happen to Sketch and make it look like an accident. It’s why I don’t want to tell Shade either. I wouldn’t be able to forgive myself if either of them or any of the Savages ended up hurt or killed because of me.

  “Tell me again why we have to leave? Why can’t we have breakfast here?” Kicks' voice is loud and whiny. I move to the window, peeking through the blinds.

  Sketch turns to Kicks. “Because we don’t need to overstay our welcome. We shouldn’t have stayed the night to begin with.” There’s a sadness in his tone. It’s subtle, but I caught it. I’m sure I’m the reason for it, too. I’ve been so hot and cold with him. I don’t know how he hasn’t given up on me. Honestly, I’m glad he hasn’t. Now, I need to get my life together before I let him back in. Easier said than done. “Plus, we have shit to do before we meet with Gator.”

  “In other words, he pissed Wren off again,” Clutch states.

  “Fuck both of y’all.” As if he can sense me watching him, his eyes come to my window. I duck to the side to avoid him seeing me.

  “Uber’s here,” Diesel says. I chance another look out the blinds. Sketch’s eyes haven’t moved. “Let’s go, brother.”

  Diesel nudges Sketch’s shoulder. He shakes his head and tears his eyes away. I watch until he climbs into the car and drives away.

  I make my way back to the kitchen for some coffee. Watching the coffee drip into the pot, I wonder what could have been going through Sketch’s mind as he was staring at my window.

  “Hey,” Aria says, walking into the kitchen. “Clutch texted and said they left. Did something happen?”

  “Sketch saw my bruises. I did what I do best and snapped at him,” I tell her. “What the hell is wrong with me?”

  “You’re afraid. You have real feelings for him, and after the bullshit Zack put you through, you’re scared.” Her bluntness is spot on. “What’s this?”

  I turn around to see what she’s talking about. In her hand is a folded piece of paper with my name on it. I snatch it out of her hand and open it.

  Little Bird,

  I’m sorry I keep upsetting you. I care and worry about you. I’ll give you whatever space you need. Please know, if you’re in trouble or need help, I’m here for you. No judgment, no questions asked.

  I miss you.

  Sketch

  Under his name, he wrote his number. As if I don’t have that already memorized. I have stared at his texts plenty of times to have his number seared into my brain.

  “What does it say,” Aria asks.

  “Nothing important,” I lie. I grab a coffee mug, filling it three-fourths of the way up. I need plenty of room for creamer. Once I get my creamer mixed in, I go sit on the back deck. It’s oddly comfortable outside. Not too hot with a slight breeze. Being the end of June, it’s normally disgustingly hot, even first thing in the morning.

  I sit on the couch Sketch and I were on less than twelve hours ago. Thinking about what he said to me, I pick my phone up to send a text to Sienna.

  To Sienna: I’m safe. I’m sorry for leaving the way I did. Please don’t look for me. I’ll explain soon. I love you both.

  Once the text goes through, I turn my phone off. I trust Sienna with everything I am, but she’s dating my brother. I can’t risk them giving my number to Tech to track me.

  I lay back against the couch and attempt to plan my next move. Do I stay in New Orleans or go back to Texas? Do I tell Sketch and Shade what happened and get the club’s protection - risking something happening to one, or both, of them? Or do I keep running and pray he never finds me?

  “Hey, girl.” Elena breaks me out of my looming thoughts.

  “Oh, hey. I didn’t even hear you come out here,” I tell her.

  “You seemed pretty deep in thought.” She acknowledges. “Last night was interesting, huh?”

  “That’s one way to put it,” I say. “I saw you talking to Diesel.”

  “Yeah. He wasn’t even trying to get in my pants.” She laughs. “He was actually really cool to talk to.”

  “He’s a good guy. Unless, of course, you get on his bad side. From what I’ve noticed, he’s into this chick name Tink,” I tell her. “I’m not sure he’s acted on it, though.”

  She nods her head but doesn’t say anything. We sit in silence for a few minutes.

  “I reached out to my best friend.” I break the silence.

  “She’s the one dating your brother, right?”

  I nod. “Yeah, Sienna.”

  “What did she say?”

  “I’m not sure. I turned my phone off after I sent it. I don’t want Shade blowing my phone up or trying to track where I am,” I admit. If I was talking to Aria about this, she would give me so much shit for doing that. Elena somehow puts herself into other people’s shoes and can see both sides of the situation, making her a great person to confide in.

  “In my opinion, you should talk to Sketch,” Elena says. “Tell him you’ll talk to him, but he has to promise he won’t do anything reckless.”

  “I should. It’s eating me up not talking to him or Sienna. I’m so used to telling them everything.” I sigh.

  “Think about it. Maybe even sleep on it,” she tells me. “I’ll be there with you when you talk to him if you want.”

  “Thanks, E. I appreciate that,” I reply. I mull over everything Elena said, contemplating having her with me if and when I decide to tell Sketch. It would, without a doubt, make it a little easier having her with me.

  We sit outside for an hour before Harper comes out, suggesting the four of us go get brunch. Between the four of us, it takes an hour for us to get ready before we head to The Breakfast Club. It’s a little hole in the wall that’s only open from nine to two. They have the best brunch around.

  8

  Sketch

  After breakfast, we went back to the hotel to chill. I fell asleep for a couple of hours only to be woken up to the incessant vibrating of my phone. Glancing at the screen, it’s a number I don’t have saved.

  “Hello?” I growl out.

  “Sketch? It’s Sienna.” Her voice is soft and laced with concern.

  “What’s up? Is everything alright?” None of the Ol’ Ladies ever text or call me unless it’s an emergency. Maybe Cali went into labor early.

  “I got a text from Wren,” she tells me. My heart skips a beat. “But when I tried to call her, it went straight to voicemail.”

  “What did her text say,” I ask her. A feeling washes over me that I can’t quite place. Wren took my advice and reached out to Sienna.

  “She said she was safe and apologized for leaving like she did,” Sienna explains.

  “Have you told Shade?”

  “Not yet. He’ll want to trace the number and drag her home.” She’s not wrong.

  “You don’t want him to do that,” I question.

  “I love him, but no. She left for a reason. When she’s ready to talk to us, she will. I know she’s safe and that’s all I needed,” she tells me.

  “So why did you call me?”

  “I know you two are close. I was hoping you could reach out to her and let her know I didn’t tell Shade. That I won’t unless she wants me to.” She pauses. “I have this feeling she’s in New Orleans.”

  “Why do you think that?” For a second, I wonder if she knows I saw her. There’s no way she could.

  “Because of something she said to me once.” She doesn’t explain any further, and I don’
t press.

  “Text me the number she texted you from. I’ll see what I can do,” I tell her.

  She lets out a heavy breath. “Thank you, Sketch.”

  “No problem.”

  Seconds after we hang up, I get the text. I save the number as Little Bird and save Sienna’s number, too. Kicks isn’t in the room. He must have gone next door to Diesel and Clutch’s room. I grab a set of clean clothes and walk into the bathroom to shower.

  Once the water heats up, I step in. I hang my head between my shoulders, letting the water rain down on my neck. The little sleep I got in the recliner last night has my body feeling stiff. After a few minutes of hot water hitting my neck, I already have some relief. I move on autopilot for the rest of the time.

  When I’m done, I shut the water off, grab my towel and dry myself. Once I’m dressed I go back to the main part of the room. Still no sign of Kicks. I check my phone. No new notifications. Sliding it in my pocket, I check to make sure I have my room key, then walk next door to Diesel and Clutch’s room. I rap my knuckles on the door and wait for one of them to open it.

  “Hey, Sweet Cheeks. Get enough beauty sleep?” Clutch pokes fun.

  “Ha-ha, asshole.” I push past him into the room. Kicks is sitting in a chair with his feet propped up on the table while Diesel is lounging on the furthest bed.

  “What time are we meeting with these guys,” Diesel asks.

  “They’re having a BBQ around three. Gator said to show up whenever we want,” I tell him.

  “Fuck,” Clutch mumbles. His eyes are glued to his phone. “I need a shower before we go anywhere.”

  “Something or someone got you worked up?” Kicks smirks. Clutch gives him the middle finger, which only makes Kicks laugh. I kick back on Clutch’s bed and reminisce about the first time I met Wren.