by London Casey
Erik rubbed his chin. His middle finger touched one of the marks on his face and he curled his lip. “You interested in my face?”
“No,” Kaity said. “I’m more interested in what’s happening right now.”
“Sure you are.” Erik grabbed Kaity’s arm. “Come with me.”
As they walked, Erik couldn’t believe how warm he was getting just by touching this woman’s elbow. She threw her hair to the side and the scent of her cheap shampoo attacked his nose. It smelled delicious.
He walked Kaity to the garage and whistled for Willy who sat holding a cloth to Jack’s face. Jack’s eyes were open, but he looked like he was ten miles - or years - away.
Erik smiled. He had always had a vicious right hook. He had knocked out plenty of men with that right hook.
“What do you want?” Willy asked.
Erik made a fist with the same right hand and showed it to Willy.
“I’m sorry,” Willy said. “What can I do for you, Erik?”
“That’s better.” Erik pointed out of the garage. “Fix the car. Whatever it needs. Make sure it runs.”
Willy looked at Kaity and then back to Erik. “Yeah, I can do that.”
“You will. You know how to get a hold of me.” Erik bent his knees. “Anything else you remember about that day?”
“Not me,” Willy said. “I was focused on cars and nothing else…”
Erik smiled. “While your cousin was balls deep in your ex…”
“Fuck you,” Willy said.
Erik stood up. He put his hand to Kaity's lower back. “Let’s walk and talk for a second.”
“Okay.”
They walked out of the garage and into the sun. Erik put his sunglasses on and looked at Kaity. She was disappointed that she couldn't see his eyes.
“I’m only doing this because I don’t want those two grease fucks to be bothering you. I take it you have no place to go?”
“No, but I can survive,” Kaity said as she turned away from him.
“Sure you can,” Erik said. “You’re coming with me for the moment. I’ll make sure you get somewhere safer than right here."
Erik made a quick turn and faced Kaity. "Got that?”
He grabbed her by the arms and made damn sure she stared at him.
“Hear me?” he asked.
“I heard,” Kaity said. “I don’t need to be saved.”
“I’m not saving you, babe,” Erik said. “I’m taking you away from a fucked up situation. You want to stay with Willy and Jack? Fucking wait for your car then.”
She looked into the garage at the sweaty, creepy men and sighed. “I guess that means I’m riding on the back of your motorcycle?”
“Hang on tight.”
“I’ll try.”
Erik shook his head. “The way you’re looking at me right now is pissing me off.”
“Why?”
“You see my face, right?”
“Yeah.”
“You don’t seem to care.”
“Why would I?” Kaity asked.
“Fucking women,” Erik grumbled. “Get on the back of the bike and keep your eyes and mouth shut.”
Erik started to walk and a few seconds later felt someone grab his wrist. He didn’t want Kaity to try to hold his hand, so he kept his hand in a fist so tight that it hurt.
Fucking women.
five.
Kaity was trapped.
To her left was a tall, strong biker holding out a helmet to her. He was dangerous yet beautiful at the same time. Whatever happened to his face definitely had him doubting everything about life. His attitude was unstable and the way he spoke and acted should have scared her. But it didn't.
To Kaity’s right was her car. The back window shattered. The car itself in need of major repairs.
She could take one of two paths.
Or just run like hell.
She was sure Erik wouldn’t chase her down. The other guy - Blaine - he might, but that would only be because he wanted to get laid.
“What the fuck are you doing?” Erik asked.
“Sorry,” Kaity said and grabbed the helmet.
She put it near her face and smelled man and sweat. It was an intoxicating smell. Under different circumstances it would have been gross, but looking at Erik as she put the helmet on made it impossible not to imagine him covered in sweat, smelling so potent and manly.
Once on the back of the motorcycle, Kaity slid her hands around Erik’s body. She was shaking as her fingers felt for his shirt. When she curled her fingers she felt Erik’s body.
Hard.
Rock fucking hard.
It was all muscle.
Holy hell.
The motorcycle roared to life and Erik and Blaine were quickly side by side as they rode away from the auto garage. They cut onto the main strip Kaity had been on before she found the auto garage. The rumble of the motorcycle was intriguing and sexy, and it only made it worse as Kaity had to grip Erik tight to hold on. She had no idea where she was going and it should have scared her. But the unknown had become a good friend to Kaity.
Worse case, a little protection from a sexy biker couldn’t do any harm, right?
The two motorcycles hung a right down a side street. The sound of the engines reverberated off the narrow walls next to them making the motorcycles sound ten times as loud. At the end of the side street, they turned right and when Kaity poked her head to the left, she saw a long, open road. She then turned her head to the right and noticed something in the distance.
It looked like two black dots at first, but then they got closer and she realized the dots were actually two more motorcycles. Kaity figured they were part of the group Erik and Blaine belonged to, but then Blaine cut his bike to the right and spun around. Erik did the same and Kaity gripped so hard at Erik’s body that she felt his abs tightening as the back tire slid against the ground and screamed.
Between all the noise, Kaity didn’t hear the first few gunshots. When she looked back, however, she saw that the motorcycles were getting closer and the men riding them had bandanas covering their mouths and handguns pointed. Kaity’s mouth fell open as she heard the guns going off.
Somehow Erik managed to keep moving left to right and not only dodged the bullets, he kept the motorcycle from falling and probably killing both of them.
This was not what Kaity expected at all.
But she should have known… from the second she looked into Erik’s eyes. She should have taken her chances with the two men at the auto garage.
Now it was far too late.
Erik hit the throttle and the motorcycle roared louder. He and Blaine rode hard and fast, cutting around turns when they could, trying to escape the barrage of bullets. They were now down an alley and at the end of that, the motorcycle spun around once and Erik turned his head.
“Get out of here!” he screamed.
“What?” Kaity asked.
“Get off the fucking bike,” Erik growled. “Find somewhere to protect yourself.”
“What’s happening?”
“My life.”
Kaity hesitated and Erik throttled the motorcycle. It jerked and Kaity jumped off the bike. She took the helmet off, but Erik was already riding again. He and Blaine were off and she stood in shock. Reality crept back and Kaity realized she was going to be right in the middle of this fight if she didn’t move.
Erik and Blaine came to a stop up ahead and turned their motorcycles around. They were getting ready to take on the men who had shot at them. Kaity darted across the street and took shelter next to an old white abandoned building. She put the helmet back on her head and stood to watch.
The other two motorcycles came from the alley and turned. Their bikes were long and dark, their leather dark, their bandanas just as dark. They were like thundering demons, guns in their hands. But at the opposite end of the alley, Erik and Blaine were bigger. The sound of the four motorcycles revving made Kaity’s heart race. Side by side, they approached each oth
er. The men with the bandanas wasted no time in firing their weapons. For some reason, they were hell bent on killing Erik or Blaine or both. This wasn't a relaxed club of guys that enjoyed motorcycles. This was serious, and they meant business.
Bullets kept flying and when Erik and Blaine returned fire, it got even crazier. The two men with bandanas climbed off their motorcycles in a slick move that hinted to Kaity that they had done this before. Both of the men then pulled out another gun. It was four guns to two.
Erik and Blaine stopped shooting for the moment. And then everyone started screaming.
“Put the guns down!” one of the men yelled.
“Fuck you,” Blaine yelled. “You’ll kill us either way.”
“Then die with honor, fuckers. Hands and knees. I’ll blindfold you.”
“You want to kill someone?” Erik asked. He stepped off his motorcycle. He dropped his handgun to the ground and put his hands out. “Shoot me, asshole.”
Kaity shook her head. “No… no…”
Erik stepped once and then twice.
“On your fucking knees,” one of the men yelled.
“Erik, stop this,” Blaine said.
“No,” Erik said. “I want to see how real they are. You want to take one of us out? You want to start that war?”
“War’s already started,” the other man said.
Kaity slid along the wall and stepped from the building. She couldn’t help herself. She couldn’t imagine seeing someone get shot in the head. Not like this. Not today.
“Come on you fucking pussy,” Erik taunted. “Shoot me.”
The man stood up. “On your knees first.”
“Fuck you.”
“Get on your fucking knees!”
“Fuck you,” Erik said again. He looked at Blaine. “They want to set this up and take pictures. Guarantee you. That’s all this is.”
“Listen to me!”
Both handguns were pointed at Erik. The other man had his weapons pointed at Blaine. Blaine had his gun on the other man. It was a giant mess. Yet Kaity couldn’t stop walking. She moved along the building, the motorcycle helmet still on her head. She shook with fear even though this wasn’t the first time she had been in the midst of a shootout.
“You’re not going to kill me,” Erik said. “You could have already done that on the road out there. You’re a big pussy, aren’t you? I bet your friend right here gives it to you real good.”
The other man now pointed one of his guns at Erik. Three weapons were ready to unleash at Erik. He smiled. The guy freaking smiled. Kaity had never seen anything like it. He must be insane. Absolutely insane.
But Kaity continued to walk, so maybe she was the insane one. She wanted to help Erik, and not just out of this situation. She wanted to know more about him and what made him so damn crazy.
“Erik,” Blaine said. “There’s a problem.”
Blaine glanced at Kaity for a split second. Erik did the same and his lip curled. When she saw the anger in Erik's eyes she finally realized how dumb it was to come out from the building. If the other two men noticed her, they were going to kill her.
Dead wasn’t good.
Dead would take her back to him. Brad.
That couldn’t happen.
“Just shoot me,” Erik said. “I don’t have time for this shit.”
The man fired both guns, moving them up so the bullets didn’t come near Erik. He didn’t even flinch. He just stood like a statue, unafraid.
Erik was really going to take bullets. He wanted to die.
“The next ones won’t miss,” the man warned.
“Fucking prove it,” Erik said.
“Don’t do this,” Blaine said. “Holy fucking Christ, man. We can talk…”
“PULL THE TRIGGER,” Erik growled.
The man had the guns pointed at Erik. This was a do or die moment and from experience, Kaity knew the man would do it because of the conditions. She had seen last second decisions change everything. Before she could stop herself, Kaity was the one making a last second decision that would change everything.
She couldn’t stand the sight of the guns pointed at Erik. She couldn’t stand the idea that he would die without care. She couldn’t stand to see more bullshit in her life and more things taken away.
Kaity ran out from the comfort of the shadows. She waved her hands and started to yell.
Everything went to hell and back in a second.
At first all she heard was screams. Erik’s voice overpowered everyone else. Blaine yelled something about fuck. The two men with the guns were screaming, but she couldn’t make out what they said.
Kaity looked to the left and saw the man had taken his sights off Erik and set them on her. Her body froze and as she fell, one of the guns went off. A hot, stinging pain went through her left leg. She flipped over on the ground and slammed her head down, the helmet actually coming to use.
Erik reached into one of his boots and pulled out another handgun. He lifted the gun and shot once, hitting the man in the neck. Blood shot out of his neck, his head snapped to one side, and his eyes went wide. He collapsed, probably dead before he hit the ground.
Now the tables were turned.
Erik and Blaine had their weapons on the other man. He quickly dropped his weapons and put his hands up.
Kaity's leg was in so much pain. She looked down and saw blood. The entire day played through her mind, but she couldn’t figure out where it all really went wrong. Mostly because what went wrong went back further than she cared to really think about.
six.
Oh… fuck…
Erik took a step closer to Kaity where she remained on the ground. His eyes were locked on the other biker still alive and standing. His hands were up, and he was shaking his head.
“Please… it wasn’t my idea…”
“Take the shit off your face,” Erik said. “Now.”
The man tore the bandana off his face.
“Helmet,” Blaine said.
He unsnapped his helmet and let it fall back to the ground.
“Who are you riding with?”
The man ignored the question. Blaine took a step forward. The man stepped back, but when he did he stepped into his own helmet, twisted his ankle, and fell to the ground. He screamed in pain and on the back of his leather, Erik saw the patch.
Eight Under.
These motherfuckers wouldn’t go away. If it was a war, then it needed to be ended. They needed to all face each other and settle this shit once and for all.
Erik walked up to him and kicked him in the face. The man’s head seemed to spin completely around. He fell to the side, his hands up, blood everywhere already.
“Look at him bleed,” Blaine said.
“Fucking prick,” Erik said.
Erik turned and walked to the man he killed. He rolled him to his stomach. Sure enough, another piece of shit from Eight Under. Erik kicked over the bike the guy had been riding. Then he looked back at Kaity. She was still on her ass, but she was trying to find a way to stand up. Her left leg stuck straight out and when Erik saw the spot of blood, he rushed over to help her.
“Fuck,” he whispered. He had never meant for this woman to get in the crossfire of a club problem.
Erik dropped to his knees, chains hitting the ground. He put his gun down and his hand to her leg just below her knee.
“How bad?” he asked.
“I don’t know,” Kaity said.
“How bad does it hurt?”
“It stings. A lot.”
“Look at me, Kaity.”
Kaity looked at Erik. He gauged her eyes and the color of her face. She looked pretty normal, considering she had just been mixed up in a shootout and took a bullet.
When Kaity tried to look down, Erik put a hand to her chin. “Keep looking at me, babe.”
“Okay,” Kaity whispered.
Erik unclipped the helmet and took it from her head. Her hair was a mess. A few strands fell to her face and Erik used the
back of his fingers to move it out of the way.
“What the fuck were you thinking?” Erik asked. “You have no idea…”
“You were going to die,” Kaity said. “I didn’t want to see you die without knowing why…”
“Why what?”
“Why you want to die. Because… sometimes… I want to die too.”
Erik was taken back for a second. His hand cupped Kaity’s cheek. He didn’t know what to do right now. Scream at her? Throw her to the ground and walk away? Or just fucking kiss her?
Kaity slowly reached up and with just her pointer finger, she touched Erik’s face. She touched his left cheek and ran her finger down his scars. Erik gritted his teeth and pulled back.
No. Hell fucking no. I’m not… no…
Erik stood up and offered his hand. Kaity took it.
“Can you stand?” he asked.
“I’ll try.”
Erik pulled and Kaity flew up. She used her right leg and purposely fell back to the building. Erik went with her, as he was still holding her hand. He then placed his hand to her waist, not sure why, but it felt good. He pulled at Kaity, bringing her forward. She pressed against his body and her arms were around him.
“Erik!” Blaine yelled.
Erik looked back. Blaine pointed to the man on the ground as he crawled, blood dripping from his face.
“I have to finish this,” Erik said. “Just lean against the building and we’ll figure something out.”
Erik moved away from Kaity. He told himself not to look back at Kaity. She didn’t see his scars the way he knew everyone else did. She touched him… and she said… sometimes… I want to die too.
Having a beautiful woman wanting him should have made Erik feel good about himself. But it didn’t. It meant shit to him. It pissed him off. He started to walk faster, charging to the man on the ground. When he got there, the man looked up at Erik and let out a cry before Erik kicked him again, this time in the ribs. The man lifted off the ground completely and fell to his back. Erik pulled his gun out and got on one knee, putting the gun between the man’s eyes.
“Fuck, Erik,” Blaine said. “Don’t.”
“Why not?”
“Please…,” the man said. “It wasn’t my idea. It was his. He wanted to ambush you. Make a name for ourselves.”