Road to Victory (Dogs of Fire Book 5)

by Piper Davenport

  “Beaverton.”

  “Beaverton. Great. Yeah, five minutes works. Thanks.” Ryder hung up and slid his phone back in his pocket.

  “You’re pretty friendly with the cab company, huh?” I took the last swig of tea and set the cup down.

  “One of my guys is taking you home.”

  “I thought you were calling me a cab.”

  “Can’t let a nun pay the cab fare all the way to Beaverton.”

  I frowned. “You don’t think I can pay for cab fare?”

  “Not what I said, Sister.”

  “Wow, you really take this whole I-am-man-hear-me-roar stuff, to a whole ’nother level, huh?”

  His gaze went to something (or someone) behind me and he nodded. “Ride’s here.”

  I decided not to argue; probably because it would do absolutely no good, and slid off my stool. “Thanks for the tea.”

  “Anytime, Sister.”

  Somehow, him calling me “Sister” felt lacking. I took a deep breath. Lordy, I was ridiculous... and I probably needed to confess, but I knew I wouldn’t.

  Again, worst nun award goes to...

  Ryder grabbed my phone and stepped out from behind the bar. “My number’s in there if you need anything.”

  “What would I need?” I asked, and took the phone from him.

  He shrugged. “You never know, Sister. It’s a resource. Feel free to use it.”

  What a strange thing to say.

  “Thanks for everything, Ryder,” I said, leaving my internal thoughts in my head.

  “No problem.” He nodded toward his friend. “This is Reese. He’s gonna take you home.”

  Reese was tall, dark, and handsome as they say, but he had an edge about him that made me a little nervous. His hair was longer than Ryder’s and kind of shaggy, and he was quite muscular. I was fairly confident he wouldn’t hurt me, but had I met him under different circumstances, I might have declined a ride.

  A warm hand settled on my back and I felt a shiver steal down my spine.

  “You okay, Sister?” he asked.

  “Yes, fine.”

  “You’re safe with him, yeah? You have any issues, you call me.”

  “Okay.” I stepped away from his touch and forced a smile. “Reese, it’s lovely to meet you. Thank you for the ride.”

  “No problem.” He waved his hand toward the door. “This way.”

  With a backward glance and smile to Ryder, I followed Reese out to the car, grateful he wasn’t a big talker. Our conversation consisted of him asking me for my address and me giving it to him. The rest of the ride strictly featured me gripping the door handle (as was my habit). I hated cars and avoided them whenever I could.

  It didn’t take long to arrive at the rectory and I thanked Reese and climbed out of the car, a little taken aback when he followed. “I’m fine from here.”

  “Ryder’d kick my a—rear if I didn’t make sure you made it inside safely.”

  “Right, his protection fetish.”

  Reese chuckled but didn’t comment.

  I led him up the brick walkway and to the back of the building where I unlocked the door and stepped inside. “Thanks again for the ride.”

  “My pleasure, Sister. Have a good night.”

  He walked away, and I closed and locked the door.

  * * *

  If you like this sneak peek, you can purchase A Nun Walks into a Bar HERE!

  A Kings of Korruption MC Novel

  Book Three

  By

  Geri Glenn

  ©Geri Glenn, 2016

  PROLOGUE

  Jase

  12 Years Earlier

  Yanking open the door of the gas station bathroom, I let the ladies walk out ahead of me. I follow them into the parking lot, checking my zipper to make sure it’s up.

  Whistles and catcalls ring through the air, coming from the bunch of grown-ass men on motorcycles to my left. I lean over and place my hand on the ass of each girl and kiss them one at a time.

  “Ladies, it’s been a pleasure meeting you.”

  They both giggle and toss a little wave over their shoulders as they walk back to their car, parked on the other side of the lot. I enjoy every step they take, watching their asses sway back and forth inside their cut-off jean shorts.

  Once they’re both inside their car, I turn towards my brothers and my waiting bike with a grin that I don’t bother hiding. Why would I? Those girls were fucking hot. How many guys can say they’ve had a random threesome with two hot women they met at a gas station in the middle of nowhere?

  I’m just swinging my leg over my ride when I hear my buddy, Ryker. “You’re fuckin’ unbelievable, man. Leave it to you to pick up some pussy on a deserted fuckin’ highway.”

  “Jealous, fucker?” Soft chuckles from some of the others fill the air and my grin widens. I can’t resist the urge to tease Ryker. “Hear that guys? Ryk’s jealous ‘cause he can’t get no pussy.”

  “Oh, I can get pussy,” he retorts, chucking an empty chocolate bar wrapper at me. “Every one of us can get pussy.” He sweeps his arm out to indicate our brothers. Eleven gruff and burly bikers stand beside their motorcycles, shaking their heads and laughing at our exchange. It’s nothing they haven’t heard before.

  Ryker and I grew up in their shadows, making a playground of their clubhouse. Our fathers were members of the Kings of Korruption Motorcycle Club long before we came along. They’ve listened to Ryker and me since we were just kids, running around, causing all kinds of shit. Now that we’re finally fully patched members of the Kings ourselves, they get to hear it on their road trips too.

  “The rest of us just know better than to stick our dick into any willing pussy there is,” he continues. “We have fuckin’ standards, man.”

  I frown and jerk my head back in confusion. “What do you mean ‘standards?’ Those girls were hot!” Ryker laughs and shakes his head. I roll my eyes. “Whatever, man. You wish you could get half the pussy I get.”

  “You’re nineteen, Jase.” I hear from behind me. I turn to see Smokey staring at me, eyes serious, as he takes a long haul off his cigarette. “For fuck’s sake. Your pecker’s gonna fall off before you even figure out how to use it properly.”

  I smile and cup my balls as laughter erupts from the group. “Fuck you, old man. I can fuck better than you, make the girls scream my name ten times louder than you ever could. We all know it.”

  He smirks and takes one final haul before tossing the butt to the pavement, crushing it beneath the toe of his giant boot. “Yeah, I’m sure you’re a real fuckin’ porn star, boy.” He settles himself on his bike and points one of his big meaty fingers in my direction. “One of these days, Jase, you’re gonna meet a bitch that won’t let you sweet talk your way into her panties. You’re gonna tie yourself up in fuckin’ knots, tryin’ to figure out a way in, but you’re not gonna know how because you always pick the easy ones. You’ve never had to work for it.”

  I look to Ryker, who’s standing by his bike with a giant grin on his face. He loves to see me catch hell from Smokey. “Apparently, Smokey missed the memo.”

  “Oh yeah? What memo’s that?”

  “The one that says what every one of these fuckers already know. That all women fuckin’ love me.”

  Ellen

  “It’s positive,” Julie says, her eyes wide as she holds up the white stick displaying the two pink lines.

  My head swims as I gape at her in horror—my whole world seeming to screech to a halt. I open my mouth, but all I can manage is a choked gasp as I reach for the pregnancy test with a trembling hand. Hot tears fill my eyes, blurring my vision as I stare down at the test that may mean the end of every dream I’ve ever had for my future.

  I have a baby growing inside of me—a real baby. I can’t be a mom. Babies need stuff like milk, diapers, and a roof over their heads. I can’t provide that… can I? How can I teach this baby anything when I’m still trying to figure life out for myself?

  I lif
t my head and look at Julie, my chin trembling as a tear slips down my cheek. “What am I going to do?” My voice comes out in a terrified whisper as I struggle to catch my breath. I feel like I’ve been punched in the stomach.

  I just turned sixteen! I have to finish high school and go to college. I’ve worked so hard and get good grades because I want to be a doctor, but how would that be possible if I have a baby!

  Julie wraps her arms around my shoulders and squeezes me tight. “Don’t worry, El,” she coos. “We’ll figure this out.” I cry as the feeling of hopelessness threatens to pull me under. Julie rocks me slowly from side to side as sobs wrack my entire body. I hold her as if my life depends on it, my tears soaking into her shirt. We stay that way for what feels like forever, and it’s more than okay with me. The longer we stay in this bathroom, the longer I can avoid facing this problem.

  Once my sobs subside and my breathing returns to normal, Julie lets me go and wipes at my cheeks with cheap toilet paper. “Class is just about to end,” she whispers. “You need to tell Paul.”

  Again, my chest starts to tighten. Paul. He’s not going to be happy. I’ve only been dating him for a couple of months now. He’s eighteen, good looking, and captain of our school’s football team. He’s popular, and before him, I was not. I had friends, of course, but nothing compared to what I have now that Paul and I are together. When he’d shown an interest in me at the beginning of the school year, I’d been flattered. He’d asked me out on a Friday, and that very night, I went on my first date and had my first kiss. It was magical.

  Things with Paul had moved fast, but I love him… at least I think I do. I know I would do anything for him, and that’s why the idea of telling him about this has me wanting to barricade myself inside our high school bathroom until the end of time.

  Julie holds her hand out, gesturing for me to take it. I stare at it, not wanting to take another step. I don’t want to go out there, and I don’t want to tell Paul. I don’t want to be pregnant.

  Julie waves her hand at me once more. I take a deep breath before grasping it like a lifeline. She leads me out of the bathroom and down the deserted hallway that will fill up with thousands of students as soon as the bell rings.

  We turn the corner to go to my locker just as it rings. Students spill out of every door, clogging up the hallways, making me panic.

  “Here he comes,” Julie whispers. “I gotta get some stuff out of my locker. You talk to him and I’ll meet you back here in a few minutes.” She doesn’t wait for an answer because Paul is already behind me.

  His arm wraps around my waist and his lips graze the sensitive skin on the side of my neck. “Hey, babe.”

  I take a deep breath and straighten my shoulders, deciding that it’s now or never. I could wait to tell him, but what’s the point? I don’t need to go through this alone if we can go through it together. We need to be a team.

  I turn in his arms and paste on the best smile I can manage. “Hey.”

  His eyes narrow, not missing the fact that I’m acting strange. “What’s going on?”

  “Um…” I bite my lip and look around, making sure nobody is close enough to hear our conversation. “I need to talk to you.” I stare up at him, doing my best to tell him with my eyes that this is serious.

  “So talk.”

  I shuffle from foot to foot, my eyes not quite meeting his. “Well, I…” I take another deep breath and look at him from beneath my lashes. “This is important, and I’d like to talk to you in private.”

  His arm pulls away from me and he takes a step back, more than a little annoyed now as he looks me up and down. “What the fuck, Ellen? I’ve gotta get to practice, so just say what you gotta fuckin’ say.”

  I taste blood on my tongue from nibbling furiously on my lower lip. Why is he being so mean? My eyes dart around the hall once more, not even taking in my surroundings anymore. My heart races, and I wish more than anything that the cement floor would open up and swallow me whole.

  “I don’t think this is—”

  “Say it!” he snaps, not even caring who’s listening.

  My face heats as the chatter in the hall dulls. I look to see everyone within hearing distance watching us. I feel the bile rise up my throat as I take in his uncaring face. Suddenly, my fear is much different than just upsetting him. My fear is that he will abandon me altogether, and with everyone listening. Everyone will know.

  I spin on my heel, intending to dash down the hall, but he grabs my arm and yanks me back. “What the fuck do you have to say that’s so goddamn important?” I stare up at him, unable to believe that he would grab me like this. My arm hurts from where his fingers are digging into my flesh. “Whatever,” he spits, shoving me away. “I don’t have time for this shit.”

  “She’s pregnant, you asshole,” Julie says angrily from behind me. “Did I seriously just see you grab her?” My eyes are glued to Paul’s, whose are wide now, and on me.

  “This true?”

  I nod, tears spilling down my cheeks.

  “You saying it’s mine?” he asks with his nostrils flared and his jaw clenched.

  I can’t believe he’s asking me this. He’s the only guy I’ve ever been with, and he knows that. He shakes his head from side to side, not bothering to hide the disgust on his face. “Yeah? Well, we’ll see about that, you stupid bitch.”

  I watch in horror as he spins around and storms off down the hall. What just happened? Paul’s never talked to me this way before.

  A ninth grader with a large stack of books is in Paul’s path. I cry out as he picks the kid off the ground, books and all, and tosses him against a locker. The poor boy slides to the ground, looking scared to death. Paul then pushes and shoves his way through the crowd, screaming at kids who are unfortunate enough to be in his way.

  The hall erupts once more in a cacophony of conversation. I turn to face Julie, feeling even more afraid than I did before. “Well,” she says, “that went well.”

  * * *

  If you like this sneak peek, you can purchase Jase HERE!

  Loving Lo: Devil’s Knights Series

  Copyright © 2015 Winter Travers

  For questions or comments about this book, please contact the author at wintertravers84@gmail.com

  Chapter 1

  Meg

  HOW DID JUST stopping quickly to get dog food and shampoo turn into an overflowing basket and a surplus pack of paper towels?

  “Put the paper towels down and back away slowly,” I mumbled to myself as I walked past a display of air fresheners and wondered if I needed any.

  “Oh dear. Oh, my. I… ah… oh, my.”

  I tore my thoughts away from air fresheners and looked down the aisle to an elderly woman who was leaning against the shelf, fanning herself. “Are you ok, ma‘am?”

  “Oh dear. I just… I just got a little… dizzy. ” I looked at the woman and saw her hands shaking as she brushed her white hair out of her face. The woman had on denim capris and a white button down short sleeve shirt and surprisingly three-inch wedge heels.

  “Ok, well, why don’t we try to find you a place to sit down until you get your bearings?” I shifted the basket and paper towels under one arm to help her to the bench that I had seen by the shoe rack two aisles over. “Are you here with anyone?” I asked as I guided her down the aisle.

  “Oh no. I’m here by myself. I just needed a few things.”

  “I only needed two things and now my basket is overflowing and I still haven’t gotten the things I came in for.”

  The woman plopped down on the bench chuckling, shaking her head. “Tell me about it. Happens to me every time too.”

  “Is there something I can do for you? Has this happened to you before?” She really was looking rather pale.

  “Unfortunately yes. I ran out of the house today without eating breakfast. I’m diabetic. I should know by now that I can’t do that.” My mom was also diabetic so I knew exactly what the woman was talking about. Luckily, I also knew
what to do to help.

  “Just sit right here and I’ll be right back. Is there someone you want to call to give you a ride home? Driving right now probably isn’t the best idea.” I set the basket and towels on the floor, keeping my wallet in my hand.

  “I suppose I should call my son. He should be able to give me a ride,” the woman said as she dug her phone out of her purse.

  I left the woman to her phone call and headed to the candy aisle that I had been trying to ignore. I grabbed a bag of licorice, chips, and a diet soda and went to the checkout. The dollar store didn’t actually offer a healthy selection, but this would do in a pinch. The woman just needed to get her blood sugars back up.

  I grabbed my things after paying and headed back to the bench. I ripped open the bag and handed it to the woman. “Oh dear, you didn’t have to buy that. I could have given you money.”

  “Don’t worry about it. I hope if this happened to my mom there would be someone to help her if I wasn’t around.”

  “Well, that’s awfully nice of you. My names Ethel Birch by the way.”

  “It’s nice to meet you, Ethel. I’m Meg Grain. I also got you some chips and soda.” I popped opened the soda and handed it to Ethel.

  “Oh thank you, honey. My son is on the way here, should be only five minutes. You can get going if you want to, you don’t need to sit with an old woman,” Ethel said as she ate a piece of candy and took a slug of soda.

  “No problem. The only plans I had today was to take a nap before work tonight. Delaying my plans by ten minutes won’t be a problem.”

  “Well, in that case, you can help me eat this licorice. It’s my favorite, but I shouldn’t eat this all by myself. Where do you work at?” Ethel asked as she offered the bag to me.

  “The factory right outside of town. I work in the warehouse, second shift.” I grabbed a piece and sat down on the floor. If I was going to wait for Ethel’s son to show up, might as well be comfortable while I waited for him.