Crotch Rocket: A Bad Boy Motorcycle Club Romance

by Natasha Tanner

  By the sound of it there were only a couple, but out in the parking lot was not the best place to take them on. I hopped off the bike and ran back into the store, the whooshing of the electric doors and the wave of air conditioning hit me as soon as I entered. My mind reeled through my limited options. I had no intention of ignoring these men but I needed to go at them where I would be most effective. Lauren looked at me with a strange look on her face.

  “I thought you were leaving.”

  “Yeah, I thought I was too but take a quick look outside,” I said as the three Diablos rounded the corner into the parking lot.

  “Oh shit!” Lauren exclaimed as she turned towards Ms. Richards.

  “Take her in the back where you’ll be safe. I’ll take care of them out here. Do you have any sort of weapons?”

  “No…sorry. I’d told my parents to get something a million times.”

  “That’s fine, it doesn’t matter now. Is there a way to lock the doors?”

  “Yeah there’s a key. It’s right here,” she said as she began to rummage below the counter. She threw the ring of keys to me and then gave me a frightened look, “Don’t do anything stupid ok?”

  “I’ll do whatever I have to so that you and your customer stay safe. Go in the back now!”

  She released Ms. Richards hand and ran to me, her soft fingers cupping my face to pull me down. She kissed me lightly as she looked deep into my eyes. “Be careful,” she said as she kissed me again and then hurried back to the elderly woman.

  I headed towards the door and started to work the keys in the lock. It took me several tries before I found the right one. I tried to ignore the three large men as they pulled up to the front of the lot and jumped off of their bikes. The looks on their faces indicated they meant business. Well, so did I. There was no way they were going to get in here. I was not going to permit them to hurt anyone in this store. They might get through the front door but that’s as far as they were going to go. I grabbed a broom that was left leaning against a shelf. It looked as if Lauren had been using it to clean up before I had arrived. I held the wood firmly between my hands and broke the broom over my knee creating two jagged pieces. I held one in each hand and waited for the fight that was coming.

  I stood before the door and watched as one of the men, the largest of the three, grabbed an outdoor trash can, hoisted it over his head as if it weighed no more than a watermelon, and flung it at the glass doors. Normally the sensors on the doors would have pulled them open but with the lock firmly in place they remained absolutely still save for the slight bulge when the can hit them. They shimmied and shook but managed to hold. He sneered, stepped forward and grabbed the can for a second throw. This time he turned the can so that the rounded metal lid was facing forward and would be the main impetus when the can hit the glass again. He pulled backwards and shot the can forward like a missile. On the third try, the can hit and the glass shattered into a million shards.

  I could feel my heart pounding, and the blood rushing through my veins. Three of them and one of me. I don’t know why I felt so bound to Lauren. It wasn’t the store; we could get other stores. It wasn’t her family. It wasn’t the rival gang. It was something about her. There is something about her that I can’t put my finger on, something about her riles my instincts. Despite my commitment to remaining a free man, I found myself wanting her. This powerful feeling that was growing inside of me cemented the fact that I would do everything I could to keep these thugs from ever laying a single finger on her. In that moment, despite the fact that we hadn’t had the opportunity to even go on our date yet, I knew I was fighting for her and her alone.

  Chapter 4 – Lauren

  I gripped Ms. Richards hand firmly in mine. Her skin felt like the thin tracing paper I had used to outline my favorite cartoon characters as a kid. It was balmy and waxy and her bones felt frail and fragile beneath its surface. Her hands shook and her teeth chattered as we made our way back to the storage room.

  “It’s going to be ok,” I tried to tell her as we passed through the heavy rubber doors. “Jacob is going to keep us safe,” I reassured her despite my own worries. I didn’t want Jacob up there alone fending for our safety. I had seen the men, he was outnumbered. I didn’t know what I would do if he were hurt. I’d thought about him all these years, and now, just when things were coming together, the store was under attack and there was no one here to save it but him.

  I could hear the heavy thud of something being thrown at the front doors. I prayed that they would hold. With each new thud I felt certain that I would hear the sound of shattering glass. With the third thud I heard the glass give way and I knew the men would be on top of Jacob in seconds.

  “Ms. Richards,” I said trying to get her to focus on me. “I need you to stay here, ok?” I said as I moved a couple of cases of beer to a hidden corner and helped her to sit down upon them. “I need to go check on Jacob. You’ll be ok,” I said slowly and sternly. She gave no indication that she heard me so I grabbed her face and forced her to look at me. “I need you to tell me you understand,” I said looking directly into her eyes. “You need to stay here. I’ll come back for you.”

  She didn’t say a word but managed to nod her head. Her whole body shook and quivered but I couldn’t wait any longer. I felt guilty for leaving her but deep in my gut I knew I needed to go see after Jacob.

  I tried to exit the back room as carefully as I could. I pushed lightly on the heavy rubber doors and peeked out into the store. I didn’t see anyone but my view was limited. I had no choice but to summon up my bravery and hope that there was no one on the other side. I stepped one foot out and then the other. I glanced around the dairy department to ensure that I was alone and then quickly scurried to hide at the end of a long aisle. I prayed that the metal shelving was enough to hide me from any searching eyes. I could hear the sounds of a scuffle up front by the register. The low sound of grunts and the crashing and shattering of items that had once been on the shelves.

  I tiptoed from one aisle to the next until I could move forward without being seen. I edged around the corners and snuck glances around the canned goods until I had a decent view. I gripped the shelving fiercely with my fingers as I watched the scene unfold. I could see the back of Jacob clearly. His muscles bulged and stretched the thin fabric of his shirt as one of the El Diablo Rojas members stepped back and pulled something from his pocket. I could see the glint of brass knuckles as the man pushed them down over his fingers. My worry for Jacob grew. I only saw two men before him and had been certain there had been three. I looked out to the parking lot and saw four bikes, three were theirs and one was the bike that Jacob had ridden. I had no way of knowing where the other man was and my blood ran cold when I considered where he might be. I had hidden Ms. Richards well and hoped she had stayed that way. I couldn’t go help her now, I needed to help Jacob if he ended up needing it.

  Jacob was tall and towered over the other men, but I worried that wouldn’t be enough in a two versus one battle. I know he was raised a fighter but two against one is difficult for anyone. If they caught him off guard, they could get the upper hand and could seriously injure him. I didn’t let my mind wander to the other more permanent thing they could do.

  My breath hitched in my throat as the second man stepped forward and took a swing. Jacob angled back skillfully and the jab missed. Jacob swung out with the broken broomstick in his hand and landed a heavy hit to the man’s torso. The other man lunged at him, the weight of his body hit Jacob like a truck and sent the two men flying to the floor. They wrestled, the other man cheering his club mate on as they each got in their punches. Jacobs nose was bleeding but he seemed to be getting control. Seconds later he flipped the other man and began to pummel his face. He was fast and with each punch I could see his anger rising. I don’t know if it was the adrenaline, but it was the hottest thing I had ever seen. Jacob was doing all of this for me, for my parent’s store. He could have run away, he could have gone to get help and
left me here alone, but he didn’t. In the scuffle the front of his shirt had ripped and I could see his abs flexing with each hit. They rippled and glistened with sweat and I could only tear my eyes away from them long enough to notice that the other man was moving in.

  I grabbed a can off of the shelf and hurled it at the man’s head. The tomato soup went flying and knocked him right in the forehead. He turned and glared at me as he wiped his hand across his forehead. A small streak of blood ran from his temple to his eye. In the same moment Jacob looked up and realized that I was there.

  “You need to go!” he yelled as the man underneath him sucker punched his stomach. He doubled over and growled “Get out of here” as he climbed off of the man and went after the one I had hit with the soup can. The man went to punch him but swung wide. Jacob came up with an undercut and hit him square in the jaw. I could hear the sound of his teeth as his mouth snapped together and his head swung backwards. Just as Jacob was about to pursue, the other man from the ground tackled his back. I knew I should listen, I knew I should go find Ms. Richards and hide, but I couldn’t take my eyes off of Jacob. I couldn’t leave him alone.

  Jacob swung the man on his back around and slammed him into the register counter. Watching him was like watching the Hulk, the only thing missing was the fact that he hadn’t turned green. It was mesmerizing watching him move. He seemed to know their plan of attack before they’d even made it. He dodged most of their punches and managed to land almost all of his. The men were panting, bloody, and bruised but they kept diving in for more. Jacob wiped his mouth and continued his attack.

  I turned to grab some more cans to throw, but just as my hand clasped around some cream of mushroom, the third El Diablo Rojas member grasped my wrist. His fingers dug into my skin painfully as he jerked my arm behind my back. A pained yelp escaped my lips as he torqued my arm upwards forcing me to bend forwards toward the ground. I tilted my head to look up just in time to see Jacob stop and stare. He stood completely motionless. The look on his face was a mixture of fear and anger. I knew he was trying to work out what to do next but he took a millisecond too long and as I watched, the man with the brass knuckled hit him hard between the shoulder blades. Jacob cried out and lurched forward.

  He had been winning. He had been kicking their asses, and now, because of me he was going to lose. The two men tackled him and pushed him to the ground. He sank to his knees and then was forced down onto his stomach. I squirmed the best that I could and tried to escape. I wanted to run to him so that I could help him, but the man just pulled my arm harder and clasped his other hand over my mouth.

  He leaned forward and gripped my jaw. He turned my face so that I was forced to look at him. When he began to speak his breath made me want to vomit, it was rancid and appalling as he moved his mouth closer and closer to my cheek. “If you don’t stop making noise I’m going to tell my boys to kill him. We’ve sent you plenty of notices about your little store, and now we’re done playing games.”

  My eyes went wide in fear. They couldn’t kill him; I would never forgive myself. When he asked if I understood all I could do was nod my head in agreement. If they needed to take me so that Jacob could live, then I would go. I couldn’t bear the thought of being the one responsible for the pain he was currently suffering, and if they killed him I feared that I would never be the same person again. That isn’t something I could ever get over.

  I glanced down at Jacob and shook my head again when the man nodded his chin down. “Ok then,” he said with a wave to the other men.

  “What do you want us to do Rodrigo?” the one with the knuckles asked as he lifted Jacobs head up from the floor by pulling back on fistful of his hair. Jacob groaned as the other man held him down with a heavy boot on his back.

  “We’re gonna kill him, right?” the other one chimed in with a sadistic smile on his face.

  “Nah. No, we’re not gonna kill him. Just fuck him up real good, send a message to the Mischief Makers. They should have known better than to fuck with the truce. Angel, show him what the Diablos are made of.”

  Angel…the one with the brass knuckles. If I hadn’t been utterly terrified, I might have found some irony in the name. Angels, the bringers of light, peace, and beauty, and this man, this beast that was going to destroy the most beautiful man I’d ever known. It was disgusting that he shared the name. I know I had been told not to say a word but I couldn’t stop myself. As Angel and the other man began to kick and punch Jacob I couldn’t help but plead for them to stop.

  “Please, stop! He’s not even in the club,” I said grasping for anything that might matter, anything that would make them stop. “Take me! Do what you want to me, just please stop hurting him,” I begged as my tears began to run down my cheeks.

  They turned him onto his back and continued striking at him. His face was bloody and one of his eyes had swollen shut but he kept his single good eye focused on me. I grew silent as I held his gaze. In that moment it was as if a million years passed. In that one glance it was as if everything I had ever wanted to say to him passed from me to him. Suddenly I realized, all the years, all that time I’d been silently wanting him, he’d been wanting me too. He winced and bit his lip as he took another blow to his kidney. I felt as if my heart were ripping apart as I watched them hurting him.

  Rodrigo began to pull me away. With my one free arm I reached out towards Jacob. “Stop, stop! I can’t leave him. Look what you’re doing to him. Please stop…” I begged as I sobbed.

  “Shh…it’s ok,” he said through his cracked and bleeding lips. “I’ll be ok.” He reached his bloodied and swollen hand out to me, and just before I was pulled back, his fingertips brushed mine leaving a slight red stain. I wanted to hold him. I wanted to rock him in my arms and tell him that everything was going to be ok. I wanted to clean his wounds and help him to heal but I could do none of that. I had no idea where Rodrigo was going to take me but the only life I feared for was Jacobs. “Don’t struggle,” he said, “You are meant to be mine, and I will stop at nothing until I find you again. I’ll find you.”

  “That’s enough talking,” Angel remarked just before slamming his fist into Jacobs temple. I watched as his body went limp and all signs of life left him. I knew he wasn’t dead but he’d been knocked out cold.

  Rodrigo pulled me away with almost no effort. I would have kicked and screamed but as Jacob went silent so did my sense of self preservation. Rodrigo lifted my listless body as if I were as light as a child. It angered me but all of my energy had been spent. I wanted to fight, I wanted to hurt him but I was helpless and lost. The sight of Jacob crumbled on the ground had left me heartbroken. I didn’t struggle as the Diablo dragged me through the shattered front doors and out to the motorcycles.

  “It seems we have a little bit of a dilemma,” he said with a nod towards the bikes. “You and I know that I cannot trust you to behave. If you were a good girl I’d let you ride bitch but since you can’t be trusted I’m having to consider some alternative methods.”

  “Do anything you want, just please tell the other men not to hurt him anymore.” I mistakenly thought these words would persuade him.

  “I can already do with you as I want. I don’t need your permission,” he said as he thrust me forward over the seat of the bike. He held me steady with a single arm as he rummaged in one of the side packs. Before I knew it his hand was clasped tightly over my face, a wet white rag held over my nose and mouth. I struggled and tried to breath but each inhale came with an intoxicating feeling. Within seconds the world was swimming and I could feel my body betraying me to whatever poison he’d made me inhale. I closed my eyes and the world went dark. My last thoughts were of Jacob lying on the floor as the two mean beat him for trying to help me.

  Chapter 5 – Jacob

  I awoke groggy and confused. The whole world felt as if it were swirling around me and for several minutes I couldn’t grasp the difference between what was up and what was down. I could hear myself groaning but the p
ain from the beating had not yet registered. When everything finally came into focus and slowed to a standstill I could see the old and wrinkled face of Ms. Richards hovering above me. She stooped before me clutching her skirt in one hand as she used the other to press on my shoulder.

  “Uhh…” I moaned unable to form a coherent word.

  Ms. Richards entire body shook with worry as she continued to jab at my shoulder. “They’ve… they…they’ve taken her,” she finally managed to get out. “You must help her,” she fretted as she poked harder.

  “Ugh…,” was all I could manage as I tried to roll myself over. The second I moved the world began to tilt again. My head was pounding and I was beginning to feel the pain of at least one broken rib. I could only manage to open one eye. I lifted my hand to my face and felt the damage. My left eye seemed swollen and bruised but was otherwise ok. It would heal easily enough. I gingerly prodded the rest of my body to assess the damage as Ms. Richards continued to babble. I knew she could see the state that I was in but she was immensely worried about Lauren. A worry that I couldn’t hold against her since it was one I shared.

  I laid on my back on the floor, my muscles growing stiff and my skin becoming sticky from the drying of my blood. “Do you think you might be able to help me up?” I asked the old woman as I attempted to hoist myself up into a sitting position. She nodded her head and placed her hands to my back. She was little help but I couldn’t fault her for having tried her best. I leaned forward and gripped my head in my hands. My hair was a matted mess and my head was booming. I turned to look at Ms. Richards. “Do you think you could go into the store and find me some aspirin and a bottle of water?” She nodded yes and shakily stood up. I worried that she would fall back down at the rate that she was wobbling but she managed to hold herself steady and headed back into one of the far aisles.