Running Wild (Hell Ryders MC Book 1)

by J. L. Sheppard

He released her immediately. Her feet hit the ground moments before she put distance between them. She tilted her head back to stare into the eyes of the man who’d carried her out the door. It took a while because he was tall, as tall as her brother.

  One look and a deep, startling feeling settled in her gut. That feeling knotting her stomach got worse each second. And she didn’t know what it meant.

  Whoever he was, he was hot, so hot he could’ve made a career out of it. He had dark eyes and dark brown hair the same shade as hers. Every feature on his face was chiseled as if carved from stone: a strong brow, a square jaw, and thick, sinful lips. The scar marring the side of his lip, the bulging muscles lining his shoulders, arms, and chest were well defined too, and she knew this with certainty. Not a minute before, her face had been plastered against his chest.

  He crossed his arms and barked, “Stay here.”

  God, his voice was hot, even laced with anger. The low rumble touched her in places she refused to put much thought into.

  She was tired of being treated like crap by these men, but she didn’t want to fight Hot, Angry, Badass Biker. Not like she could fight any of them, anyway. At five-foot-six with a small frame, she weighed no more than a hundred and twenty pounds. Exhausted, moody, and now scared Dead Eyes hurt her brother, she didn’t have the strength to fight anyone.

  “But Ty—”

  He clenched his perfectly squared jaw. “He’s fine. It’s over.”

  “W-what?”

  He didn’t respond, instead he grabbed the duffel bag off her shoulder and set it on the ground.

  At least this one was sort of nice. He kept his gaze on her face, and he relieved her of the little she brought. She looked away and sighed heavily. Her eyes watered. She met his gaze, curious to see if he noticed. Her luck, he had.

  His expression hardened, a muscle in his jaw twitched. “Army’s fine. He can take care of himself.”

  Army? What the…

  He must’ve seen her confusion. The next second, he said, “Your brother. He’s fine.”

  The door to the office slammed open. She angled her body to peek from behind him and saw her brother. His lip torn and bleeding, he gave her his million-dollar smile. She ran toward him, slamming into him, and wrapped her arms around his waist. He chuckled, placing his arms around her shoulders, and squeezed her tight.

  She sighed. For the first time that day, a relieved sigh. She found her brother. She wasn’t alone in the world.

  He cupped her cheeks and pulled away to look at her. “Missed your brother, eh?”

  With tears brimming in her eyes, she nodded.

  He kissed her forehead. “None of that. I’ve survived worse.”

  Yes. He’d served in the military: two tours in Iraq and one in Afghanistan, but she always worried about him and always would.

  His gaze darted behind her. “Thanks for getting her outta there, bro. I owe you.”

  “Naw, you don’t.”

  She turned hesitantly, and Hot, Angry, Badass Biker’s gaze met hers for a brief moment. He picked up her duffel bag and handed it to her brother.

  Feeling the heat of her brother’s gaze, she directed her attention to him. “Allie, this is Jace. Served together on our last tour.” Tyler then introduced her. “Jace, this is Allie, my baby sister.”

  She glared at her brother, playfully. “Haven’t been a baby for twenty-four years, Ty.”

  He laughed. God, how she’d missed him. She especially missed seeing him laugh. For so long, even before he enlisted, he hadn’t laughed. Even though they spoke on the phone and he often laughed, seeing and hearing were two different things.

  Addressing Jace, he said, “How’d I know that was coming?” He chuckled, then faced her. “So you’ve come to visit me, finally.”

  God, she should’ve called, should’ve given him a heads-up. She just couldn’t. “Um…well…” She hesitated, looking away from him. Those damned tears she held back clouded her vision.

  Tyler’s face hardened. An angry look completely erased his earlier amusement.

  “It’s…” She spared a glance at Jace. Her cheeks flushed, hating she couldn’t control her emotions. Her gaze darted back to her brother then she blurted, “I left.”

  Her brother’s eyes widened. “You left? For good?”

  She nodded. “I know I should’ve called to let you know, and I know you have your own life. I don’t mean to intrude. I know this is an inconvenience for you—”

  His eyes narrowed. “Allie.” His voice firm. “Have you fuckin’ lost your mind?”

  Fuck. Silent, but warranted. She never thought staying with her brother would be permanent, but she hoped to crash with him while she looked for a job and found a place of her own. She could’ve gone anywhere, but she wanted to be close to him, the only family she had left.

  “Allie?”

  Her gaze darted back to him. “It’s okay.” She reached for her bag. “I can go—”

  He grabbed her wrist firmly, preventing her from getting her duffle. “Allie, you aren’t going anywhere. Why you think this is inconvenient for me, I have no fuckin’ clue. Remember, anytime, anyplace?”

  She remembered. She’d never forget the words he ended each letter and call with.

  “You’re my fuckin’ sister. When have I not been here for you?”

  He didn’t wait for her to answer. “Never. I’ve always been here for you despite Dad’s fuckin’ threats.”

  Dad’s threats? She meant to ask, but he looked beyond pissed and continued to ramble, so she let him.

  He stuck his finger in her face. “You’re fuckin’ staying with me, Allie.”

  Chapter Three

  His fingers on her wrist tightening, Tyler hauled her through the garage doors and into a long, narrow hallway.

  The garage was much bigger than she’d thought. It went for what seemed like a mile and led into a large living room with several haphazard couches, where several men were seated, drinking beers, and watching a game on a big screen TV. Tyler didn’t stop and introduce her. He didn’t even look their way. He continued dragging her into another long hallway lined with doors and up a flight of stairs. At the top, he made a right into another hallway. Opening the last door at the end, he allowed her in first.

  It had to be Ty’s room. Everything in its place. In the middle, the made, cherry wood, king-size bed with a navy-blue comforter. To its left, a dresser topped with several colognes and a picture frame. In the frame, a picture of Ty and her. He had his arm around her shoulder, staring into the camera with a big smile on his face. She was smiling too, but her face was turned to him. To the right of the bed, a closet, an armoire, and a door that probably led to a bathroom.

  Ty unceremoniously dropped her duffel on the floor, the sound resonating around them. She faced him, then, and finally, let herself cry. The next instant, her head lay against his chest, and his arms wrapped around her.

  He ran his hand up and down her back in a soothing motion. “Shh…It’s okay, Allie. Your big bro is gonna fix this.”

  She pulled away to look at him and shook her head. “I don’t want you to fix anything, Ty. I want to start over. I have money saved. I could’ve gone anywhere, but I wanted to be near you.”

  He sucked in a breath, trying to stay calm.

  Tyler and their dad didn’t get along. In fact, they hadn’t spoken since her father disowned him eleven years ago. Even before, Tyler and their father hadn’t gotten along. She had no idea why. Neither one of them ever told her. When he’d turned eighteen, he joined the Army. Her father disapproved. He wanted Tyler to follow in his footsteps and become CEO of his real estate company, Holden Holdings, LLC.

  She’d been fourteen at the time and kept in the dark about much of it. What she did know, she’d learned from hearing her parents fight after they thought she’d gone to bed. Much of that fighting was her father forbidding her mother from contacting Ty. She didn’t know if her mother followed through.

  Ty never mentioned if he
still spoke to their mother, but their mother gave her the letters Tyler sent her. She always wrote back and gave her mom letters to send off. She knew he received them because every letter he wrote he told her so. This went on for two years. She never learned why her mom continued to disobey her dad, but she didn’t care. She had Ty.

  Two years later, she saw Tyler again. On leave at the time, he surprised her by showing up at her school. With their mom covering for her, they’d spent the entire week together until he had to go. Before he left, he bought her a prepaid cell. After, they communicated when he wrote and when he called.

  She graduated from high school a year and a half later. Their mom had just died, and their dad had been stuck in a meeting at work and unable to attend, but Ty had gone to her graduation. They continued to call and write throughout her college years and after, when her dad hired her right out of college. By then, Ty had been out of the military for a year.

  Allie still had that prepaid cell and all his letters. They were the first two things she’d packed when she decided to leave.

  “Tell me what happened.”

  She wiped her face and took a deep breath. “I hate my job,” she blurted for some insane reason. True. Her dad had practically forced her into the accounting profession, but it wasn’t the point. “You know Wyatt?”

  He nodded. She’d told him about Wyatt and talked about him often though they’d never met.

  “He’s a lawyer, handsome, well-off, and from a prominent family. We’ve been dating for a long time, and well…he proposed, and I said yes because I loved him …” She paused, gathering the strength to admit what she had to. “What you don’t know is that he’s a cheater, too.”

  Tyler’s eyes narrowed. “He cheated?”

  She nodded.

  The muscle in his jaw jumped. “On you?”

  She nodded.

  “Fuckin’ bastard.”

  “About two months ago, I caught him cheating, confronted him, and broke off our engagement. I didn’t tell you. I was…” She shrugged. “Devastated, and he kept sending me flowers and saying how sorry he was. I gave him another chance. I…” She looked away from him, and then met his stare again. “I know this sounds crazy, but I didn’t trust him after what he did, so I hired a PI and caught him cheating again. I sent him the pictures and broke it off.”

  “That’s not crazy, Allie. That’s smart. Better now than when you’re married with kids.”

  “Dad showed up that night and said I should give him another chance because he was a good catch. Like I care. I mean…” Tears brimmed and spilled. “I don’t care if he’s well-off and handsome. Don’t I deserve someone who loves me enough not to cheat?” Her voice trembled.

  “Yes, Allie, you do. You’re beautiful, talented, and hard-working.”

  She smiled softly. “You have to say that. You’re my brother,” she whispered, wiping her tears with trembling fingers.

  “I wouldn’t say it if it wasn’t true.”

  She swallowed. “Dad said all men cheat. That it’s normal. He said—”

  “All men do not cheat. If a man knows he’s got a good thing, he doesn’t cheat, Allie. Trust me on this.”

  “Would you cheat, Ty?”

  “Allie,” his voice laced in emotion. “I find a woman I love, I’ll never fuckin’ cheat. Ever. That’s a promise to you, to her, whoever the hell she is. I don’t have a woman ’cause I haven’t found her.”

  “I asked Dad if he’d cheated on Mom,” she whispered.

  He clenched his jaw.

  “He said because I was old enough now, I should know he’s had a mistress for thirty years.” Her voice broke. Something in his eyes told her he already knew. “You knew?”

  He looked away from her and nodded.

  “I thought the world of him, you know. Well, except for what he did to you.” She hesitated before she said, “After he left, I sat in bed for a long time thinking, and I realized everything around me was a lie. I hate my job. Hate it, Ty. I knew I’d hate it. I didn’t want to study business. I wanted to be a teacher. I did it for Dad, and I did it because Mom agreed with Dad. I hate my big, fancy apartment in the city. I wanted to live in the suburbs, but Dad said I needed to show people I lived well. I didn’t want to meet Wyatt, but Dad said I had to. He’d given him his word, said he could meet me, and he doesn’t break his word.

  “I’m a pushover and I met him, and then he asked me out. I knew that was Dad’s intention, so I agreed thinking I’d go on one date, and then blow him off. I couldn’t. Dad kept pushing him at me, inviting him over for dinner, and I started falling for Wyatt’s lies. Next thing I know, I’m planning a three-hundred-thousand-dollar wedding with a man who’s cheated on me multiple times.

  “I told Dad I wasn’t going to marry him, and he said I had to because it would connect two very prominent families, and it would help the company!” By this point, she half-heartedly yelled her frustration. “The company? Really? What about his only daughter? Why am I not important enough to make my own decisions? Why doesn’t he care about my happiness?”

  The tears came in droves then, streaming down her face. About damned time. Tired of hiding and suffering in silence, she wasn’t ashamed either, not with Tyler.

  “It’s a lie, Ty, and I can’t live a lie anymore,” she whispered.

  He grasped the back of her neck and pulled her into a hug. She cried and cried, and after a while, the tears dried.

  “I’ll fucking kill Dad,” he said, angrily.

  She believed him. It’s why she’d waited a week before coming and hadn’t called ahead of time. “Ty, you can’t. You’re all I have left, and I don’t want to visit you in prison.”

  He chuckled humorlessly, the anger in his eyes abating. She smiled her best fake smile, then looked away.

  “Did he hit you, Allie?”

  Her gaze snapped back to him. He wasn’t joking. She swallowed, hating herself for what she would do next. “No.”

  He lifted her chin, gaze scanning her face for endless moments, and then he released her. “I’ll call Dad. Tell him you’re with me, so he doesn’t call the cops.”

  “No, I’ll do it.”

  He shook his head. “No, you aren’t. I don’t want him fuckin’ with your head. I’m not telling you never to speak to him again. That’s your decision, but I’m telling you, you need time, and you’re getting that time. I’m making sure of it.”

  A command, one she wouldn’t take lightly considering he never commanded her to do anything. She didn’t have the will to fight him anyway.

  “Rest easy. I’ll be back later.” He then walked out the door and shut it behind him.

  ****

  “What’s the deal, Army?”

  Trigger wanted to know, but couldn’t summon the courage to ask, so he was glad when someone else did.

  “My dad’s a fuckin’ dick,” Army replied snidely, still in a foul mood. Army didn’t often get angry, but when he did, it was nasty, and it could last days.

  “Yeah, well, thought you knew that, bro.”

  Rake. The damned brother couldn’t say anything without sarcasm. Annoying as hell, especially when you were in a bad mood, and Trig usually was.

  “Yeah, I knew, just didn’t think he’d be a dick to my baby sister.”

  Army’s sister. He couldn’t believe his luck. Finally, a girl worth something walks into the garage, and she’s related to his brother, meaning off limits.

  She wasn’t just pretty. She was beautiful. All it took—one look, and she had him. On the thin side, but she had curves, fantastic legs, dark, long hair, and hazel eyes that turned olive-green in the sun. Even wearing slim-fitted jeans and a loose, white blouse, she was something. Not like it mattered; she had class and money, the type who had gone to the best private schools and took etiquette lessons. Women like that wouldn’t look twice at a biker like him. They steered clear of men with rough pasts who grew up in trailers.

  Still, never in a million years would he have guessed a gi
rl looking as sheltered as her was related to Army. He’d known Army for seven years now, and never had the brother mentioned he’d come from money. He had known he had a sister.

  “Hate to break this to you, but there’s nothin’ ‘baby’ about your sister,” Dash said with a smile.

  Trig thought the same thing, but he’d never in a million years say that shit aloud. Stupid considering Army’s nasty mood, not to mention, he’d just punched another brother in the face for claiming her.

  Army’s eyes hardened and flared, his shoulders tensing. “You want a broken nose, too?”

  Dash shrugged. “Naw, thanks, gotta tap tonight.”

  Sure, he did. Bikers, especially with cuts of Hell Ryders MC, all had their share of “taps” meaning girls willing to roll in the sack with no strings attached.

  Army pulled his phone out of his pocket, dialed a number, and brought it to his ear. “Asshole.” His greeting. It got several chuckles from his brothers. “I’m calling to inform you, you’re done fuckin’ with my sister. She’s with me. Don’t even think about calling the cops. She came on her own ’cause her piece-of-shit cheating, lying bastard of a father wants to fuck with her life. You aren’t fuckin’ with it anymore. You’re never fuckin’ with her again. You try, you’re dealing with me.”

  Army paused, looking like he would reach through the phone and strangle his father. “She quit the company. She doesn’t want that fancy ass apartment, and you know what else? She isn’t marrying that cheating bastard either.”

  With those final words, he ended the call, stormed out of the room, and into the kitchen. A moment later, a crashing sounded and echoed through the room.

  Rake took a pull of his beer. “Bet you fifty bucks Army’s gonna need a new phone.”

  Trig barely heard it, still thinking about the last words Army barked. He couldn’t explain why, but the knowledge of it made his blood boil. Fisting his hands, he stood and headed toward Army. At the threshold into the kitchen, he paused. Army stood with his back to the door, both hands in fists at his sides. His phone lay in pieces at his feet.

  “Brother.”

  Army turned.