Twisted Asphalt (Asphalt Outlaw Series Book 1)

by Blue Remy

  “I don’t want my position in this club reflecting on my daughter’s well-being anymore. Romeo is a guy, I hate to say it, but it’s not going to affect him like it will Amy. TGMC targeted my daughter, not me, not Romeo. She’s wearing a target and the only way for it to be removed is if I step down.”

  Mace licked his lips, falling back against his seat. Rolling his top lip between his teeth, he looked around the room at all of the shocked faces. Would they all look this shocked when they realized who their club informant was? Would they try and find Mace and retaliate against him?

  “I move for a vote. I nominate the following: Romeo as president. Wolf as vice-president. Saber as sergeant at arms. Axe as treasurer, Talon stays as secretary and Mace as road captain.”

  Mace blinked, head jerking up to look at Stone in surprise. Oh shit, they had a rude awakening coming. They could nominate him, and then seat him, but in three days, he was gone. He would be nothing more than a bad memory in their eyes.

  Stone held up his gavel and looked around the room, “Do I hear any objections to the new order? Does anyone have anything to say?” No one spoke. “Then in three days hence, this motion is put into effect.” He slammed down the gavel.

  Mace watched everyone, not wanting to say anything. He had his own thoughts to deal with. He wanted to run far away from all this shit. He also wanted to throw in the towel and say fuck it. To hell with it all. Keep the girl, give everything up and move on. He hated himself more than anything in that moment.

  Why did he have to stick to his morals? To abide by the law, which he had sworn to uphold and protect at all costs? Why couldn’t he just live and love like he wanted to?

  Most men in this type of situation came out on top. They had their cake and ate it too. Unfortunately, Mace didn’t see a way for any of it to work. The minute Stone dismissed the meeting, Mace was gone. There was no staying and bullshitting, no congratulating everyone. He couldn’t stand the idea of being around everyone and lying about how excited he was to be road captain. Yes, he was ecstatic that he held office, but it came with a price and he wasn’t ready to pay the toll.

  * * * *

  Amy had cried enough. She had felt sorry for herself all day long. In the end, Mace was right. None of it was her fault. Demon was a man, a very evil, crazy, sadistic male, but he was responsible for his own actions. She never made him believe she was in love with him; she had rebuffed every move he made on her. She had said no on more than one occasion.

  The man had tried to rape her! It wasn’t her fault. But, in the end, it still felt like it was. Amy knew Mace was trying his best to make her think otherwise, but it didn’t stop her from thinking of things she might have done to deserve the unwanted advances.

  She had done nothing.

  Amy had been nothing more than herself, and it was obvious that Demon couldn’t handle it. She had to come to grips with it, and soaking in a hot bath had helped her do just that. Of course, Maggie’s request hadn’t helped much either, but Amy would have done the same thing if Romeo had been injured. Club life shortened your life span and Maggie was making sure her sister was taken care of. Thorne was twenty-two, it wasn’t like she was a child, she was a grown ass woman. With her disfigurement, Maggie was being protective.

  Maggie had called Amy earlier and told her the doctors were releasing her in a couple of days. She was healing better than expected, which was enough for a celebration. Amy put together a care package, which not only took up a whole suitcase, but contained her portable DVD player, Dirty Dancing and Urban Cowboy, and her favorite stuffed animal that survived the explosion; a cute, cuddly pink rabbit her mother had given her when she had chicken pox. Stopping by Thorne’s favorite sushi place, Amy got enough sushi to feed all three girls. Thorne would welcome something healthy and familiar.

  Finally making it to the hospital, the door to Thorne’s room cracked open when Amy neared it. She could tell something wasn’t quite right by the look on Dalton’s face.

  “What’s wrong?”

  Dalton pulled the door closed, but never let go of the handle. Concern flooded his features as he looked at Amy. “The doctor came in, and I overheard their conversation. He said she won’t be able to even think about looking at corrective surgery for her face for a year. She took it pretty hard.”

  Amy’s heart broke for Thorne. She wanted to scrub a hand over her face but she was holding the tray of sushi. “Shit.”

  Dalton frowned as he glanced through the small window, then back to Amy. “I tried to talk to her, I even brought her some flowers, which she threw at me, screaming ‘get out’ and ‘quit staring at the freak show’ She’s going to need help, Amy.”

  Amy chewed on the side of her cheek, blinking back unshed tears. Thorne was not only physically scarred, but mentally as well. It had to be killing her inside; it sure as hell was killing Amy, and she wasn’t the one scarred for life. “We’ll get her help. I promise.”

  Dalton nodded and pushed the door open for Amy. “I’ll help any way I can.”

  Amy paused mid-stride and looked up to Dalton in surprise. “Thank you. You don’t have to do that.”

  “I want to.” He dropped his voice, speaking low enough for Amy to hear. “That’s my brother’s partner laying there, Amy. She’s family. I may not be a medic or anything important, but family is.”

  “You’re important, Dalton. We all are. No matter what we do.” She patted his arm. When she pulled her hand away, she had to hide the look of shock. His arm was solid muscle while not flexed. That was a scary thought.

  “Surprise! The party train has now arrived with sushi and movies!” Amy danced into the room, relieved when she heard Thorne laugh at her antics. “Do we want to start with Travolta or Swayze?”

  Maggie grinned. “I’m down with some Swayze.”

  “Ditto.” Thorne turned to look at Amy. “I’m sorry for yesterday, Amy.”

  “Don’t be. You have every right to be upset. It’s going to take time to heal and get over the accident.”

  “I know, but it wasn’t fair to blame you or Saber for it. I know he rides, and it was a rival gang or some crap, but it still hurts knowing that my dreams will never come true now.”

  “Oh honey,” Amy set the food and suitcase down and rushed over to Thorne, wrapping her arms around the girl, as best as she could, considering. “Don’t give up. And fuck that shit. You’ll be on the cover of Sports Illustrated, even if we have to go strong arm them. You’ve got what it takes, and when you get out of here, we’re going to show them that. Just watch.” Pulling back from her, she smiled. “I promise, don’t give up.”

  “I’ll try. It’s not like I’ll find Prince Charming anytime soon.”

  Maggie rolled her eyes and snorted. “Who wants Prince Charming when you can have Travolta or Swayze?”

  Amy burst out laughing as she grabbed the food and set it out on the rolling table. “Speaking of dreamboats, have you checked out the prospect?” Amy fanned herself.

  Maggie perked up and looked to the closed door. “No, why? I haven’t paid much attention to him.”

  Thorne cleared her throat as she placed a couple of pieces of eel on her plate. “He’s hot, in a pretty boy sort of way.”

  “No fricken way. His arms are like … solid as bricks!” Amy fixed Maggie a plate and handed it to her. “He’s hotter than Saber and Saber is sizzling.”

  Maggie’s laugh turned into a snort; she almost dropped her plate. “He doesn’t have the long lion mane Saber has, but he does have rugged good looks.”

  Amy was happy she changed the topic, men were always fun to gossip about and it would give Thorne a chance to feel like a normal girl and not the bride of Frankenstein.

  “He’s a beast in the gym.” Thorne nibbled on her eel.

  Amy’s brows shot up. “You’ve seen him before?”

  “When I’d wait for Saber at the gym, he’d be in there lifting.” Thorne shrugged as she poured herself a glass of water. “He’s seriously beast. We’re t
alking Hulk smash shit. I would think he was juicing, but looking at Saber, you know it’s genetics.”

  Amy hooked up the player to the TV and put in the DVD. Starting the movie, she sat down to attack her rice and tuna. It was interesting Thorne knew so much about the prospect, but she was Saber’s partner after all. Being around one another for hours on end, she probably knew more about him than she wanted to know.

  “Oh! I almost forgot!” Amy set her food aside and jumped up, darting over to her tiny case. Opening it, she snatched her bunny and took it over to Thorne. “Thorne, meet Cherry. Cherry is a magical bunny that will make you feel oodles better. My mom got her for me when I was really sick and I thought maybe she’d make you feel better.” Yep, she was acting like a twelve-year old, but that was what made Amy the way she was. She would always try to make someone feel better, even if it meant making herself look like a twelve-year old on crack.

  Thorne took the stuffed animal, cradling it to her chest. “Thanks, Ames.”

  “Anything for family.”

  CHAPTER 25

  Doomsday was tomorrow.

  The end of Mason Younger.

  At twelve-thirty, Mason Younger would be declared dead and would never breathe life again.

  He felt like a caged animal. He couldn’t breathe. He couldn’t get comfortable. He second guessed everything he did. He couldn’t even hold a conversation. His head was nothing more than noise that refused to quiet down and give him a moment’s peace.

  He met with Jones and gave him all the information. They spent hours going over the plan, then they went over it again. Once Jones had everything, they parted ways so Jones could give the other agents the drill on how the bust would go down.

  Now, all he could focus on was the part of his life, Sam’s life, which would end.

  Amy.

  He didn’t want to hurt her. He hadn’t wanted to fall in love with her, but it happened. He expected a fling, something to pass the time, to get closer to Stone. It was supposed to be a job. But it had become so much more. She had wormed her way into his heart and buried herself there and there was going to be no way of getting her out. He was ruined for any other woman out there.

  Fuck that.

  Unable to take the internal battle any longer, he stormed past the kitchen and headed for the front door. He had to get the fuck out of Dodge, to get on his Hog and ride. He needed to hear the sound of the engine and the tires hugging the asphalt to clear his head. Scooping up his cut, he yanked the front door open and stalked out, slamming it behind him.

  Except it didn’t slam.

  He heard the crunching of hurried footsteps behind him, which he ignored. Maybe if he was mean, it would make it easier in the end. Throwing his leg over the seat, he righted the bike to start it. Before he hit the ignition button, he felt the weight of the bike shift, then it lowered as a body took up residence on the seat behind him.

  He wanted to say something but nothing seemed good enough as he rolled out.

  Mace felt arms slide around him, as she pressed her body to his back, hugging her frame to his own. She knew something was wrong, he could tell by the way she lay against him, her chin resting on his shoulder.

  He opened the throttle and let the bike roll. The wind in his face washed away the stress, the hum of the road became a song for his insanity, drawing reality to the surface, allowing him to breathe and escape into the soothing vibration of the engine.

  Every thought he had of how to get out of the deception he had created, was a bust. Any way he looked at it, he was breaking the law, and he couldn’t do that. It wasn’t in him. He might bend it, but he was never going to break it. If he told Amy, he was breaking it. If he warned Romeo, the law was broken. If he interfered in any way, the law would take him down. He saw no light at the end of the tunnel. There was no way of saving what he had built.

  He felt like he was a volcano on the verge of erupting. He wanted to snap and beat the ever living shit out of something. Mace needed to find an outlet. The bike wasn’t cutting it. His misery was like a steel weight and it wasn’t only dragging him down, it was taking Amy with him.

  Seeing the Avila exit up ahead, he signaled and took it. Night loomed on the horizon, sun setting against the ocean’s horizon. Sycamore Mineral Springs came into view. Whipping through the curves, he throttled down as he sped to the entryway.

  Parking, he shut the bike off. Pulling his helmet off, he set it to the throttle handle, waited for Amy to climb off and step to the side. Sliding off the seat, he pulled on each finger of his gloves, folded them and stuffed them into the back pocket of his jeans.

  He glanced at Amy.

  She stared at him with unspoken questions in her hazel eyes, wise enough not to ask.

  “Come on.” Taking her hand, he pulled her to the registration office.

  The tiny bell jingled when he pushed the door. Heading for the back desk, the sound of their boots echoed through the enclosed room. The desk clerk’s head jerked up in surprise, her eyes growing wide.

  That truly never got old. Mace found the whole scary biker mentality people had hysterical. Yes, there were bikers like that in the world, but not every single one of them. But still, when she looked all scared, it reminded him he could be larger than life as Mace, and it brought every damn ounce of doubt back to the surface.

  “I want to rent Orion for two hours. Is it available?” Mace rested his hands on the counter as the cashier blinked, then got her ass in motion.

  “It is, sir.”

  Mace looked at Amy, then back to the cashier, his voice growing sarcastic. “Okay, so how much?”

  “Huh?” She blinked and paled a bit when she looked between the two of them.

  “You’ve got to be—”

  Amy stepped in front of Mace, smiling to the girl. “We’d like to rent it, since it’s available. How much do we owe you?”

  “Oh, okay. Yeah, uhm,” she clicked on her mouse, then grabbed a card and a pen, handing it to Amy. “I’ll need you to fill this out. Do you need towels?”

  “Yes, we do, thank you.” Amy looked back at Mace.

  Was she silently scolding him? Really? That was funny shit right there. The cashier was an idiot, and he was getting scolded, great. Mace shook his head and pulled out his wallet.

  “All right, and would you like any scented oils for the water?”

  Mace didn’t mind the sulfur smell, but some people did. “Pick a couple out if you want to.”

  Amy’s smile brightened his heavy heart when she mouthed a thank you to him, then dug into the oil basket to find a couple of scents she liked.

  “The total comes out to sixty-five. Will that be cash, debit or credit?”

  “Debit.” Mace hated carrying around cash. He kept enough on him for just in case moments, but other than that? Nope. He pulled out his credit card and slid it over to the girl as Amy set two oils on the towels. Once he was prompted, he selected debit, put in his four-digit code, grabbed the receipt and headed for the door as Amy scooped up the towels.

  Holding the door open for her, they made their way up the long ass set of stairs that would take them to the top-most hot tub, aptly named Orion. It was a completely hidden hot spring, guarded by a wooden barrier and nature, set against a mountainside.

  “Thank you.”

  Mace glanced at Amy, quirking a brow. “What for?”

  “For not telling me to get off, and for this.”

  His throat ached with defeat as a stab of guilt lay buried in his chest. Mace shoved his hands in his pockets, his shoulders hunched forward as he nodded and continued the long trek up. He faced a lightless future and that thought left him tortured and empty. He couldn’t hide the thickness in his voice, making it gruffer than usual. “We needed this.”

  More like he needed it. He needed one last moment with her. One last reprieve. A moment of rapture he was going to hold close to his heart for the rest of his life, because he wouldn’t be able to hold her ever again. His life would be meaningless
without her laughter or her smile. He would be nothing more than an empty shell, existing day by day, going through the motions of living.

  His lips twitched into a sad smile when he felt her hook her finger into his belt loop as they turned direction, climbing the next set of stairs toward the top. Her tiny show of possession kick-started his heart.

  Reaching the gate, he opened it up, stepping to the side for her to enter first. There were candles set on the wooden deck, ready to be lit. The spring was covered, though the bubbling sounds were easily heard over the chirping birds. Twinkle lights lined the top of the fence, adding to the ambiance.

  “I don’t have a bathing suit on.”

  He heard the underline teasing in her voice while he knelt down to light the votives. “And I do?” He teased back, fighting the urge to crush her to his chest and spill his fucking guts and tell her everything about him was a lie.

  “Kinky.” Amy bounced her brows suggestively as she peeled off her top, leaving her in an all lace bra.

  “Uh … no, that is kinkier.” She definitely had a way of keeping him on his toes. He could almost make out her dusky colored nipples through the lace; it made him hard at the thought of taking one into his mouth.

  “Really? Cause I thought this would be.” She happened to be wearing button fly jeans, and in one swift motion, every damn button came undone.

  Good God, she was commando. That wasn’t fair. The way she wriggled out of the jeans, never taking her eyes off of him, was something that would drive him to an early grave. She was absolutely beautiful and so damn adorable in so many small ways, and she never saw it. It was the tiny shy smiles, the way her eyes grew big at something she realized she said, the way her nose crinkled at something she thought was funny. The little things she did stole his heart.

  He stood, then moved over to the tub, lifting off the first half of the cover, laying it on top of its other side. Pushing it onto the deck, he turned to face a fully nude Amy, and she captured his breath. The moon cast a shadow against her pale skin.