Dirty Ride

by Chantal Fernando

  “Stop overthinking,” he says, now watching me. “And don’t say anything; I don’t expect you to.”

  “Okay,” I reply, drawing the word out, feeling relieved that I don’t have to explain what I’m feeling. I still don’t understand it.

  He continues on as if he hadn’t just told me something that changed my world.

  TEN

  A COUPLE of weeks later, when my phone vibrates with a text, I smile, thinking it’s Ardan, but it’s not.

  Found you.

  It’s him. It’s Darren.

  Fuck.

  To think I was hoping he’d let it go, that he’d let me move on, was stupid. I should have known better. Nothing in life comes easy for me; I always have to fight for it, to push through, to survive, and this is no exception. I need to tell Ardan the whole story with Darren, because if something goes down, he needs to know the background. At the same time, I don’t want to pull him into my mess, and I don’t want him to think I’m asking him to use his contacts, even though I know he’d have some. This might drag him and the Wind Dragons down, and that’s the last thing I want. What if something happens and Ardan or his men end up in prison—or worse? How could I live with that?

  I’m still lost in my own world when Ardan comes over later that night, and right away he senses something is wrong.

  “What happened?” he asks, scanning my apartment as if to check for signs of disaster.

  “I got a message today,” I tell him, shifting on my feet. “I don’t know what to do. I always try to solve my problems by myself, but—”

  “But now you have me to solve your problems,” he says, cutting me off and lifting my chin in his hand. “It’s not an imposition. I’d be fuckin’ pissed if you had some shit going down that I didn’t know anything about.”

  “I know, I just didn’t want you to have to deal with it,” I admit, biting the inside of my lip.

  “Am I fucking you?” he asks, eyes narrowed and jaw tight.

  “What?”

  “Am I fucking you? Am I here at your place every other night?” he says, looking angrier than I’ve ever seen him.

  “Yes,” I admit hesitantly, making his grip on my chin tighten.

  “Are you mine?” he asks, leaning his face closer to mine, as if daring me to disagree.

  “Yes, I am,” I say with more conviction this time. “I’m yours.”

  “Yes, you are,” he says, his eyes softening. “You’re mine, and so are your problems. Whatever it is, I can handle it. Now tell me.”

  I show him the text.

  When he looks at me, waiting for an explanation, I say, “My ex. He’s the reason I moved away, because he won’t leave me alone. He tries to follow me wherever I go, makes threats, and does anything he can to make my life harder.”

  How much do I divulge here? If I tell him everything, could my baggage scare even Ardan away?

  “And now he’s found you here?” Ardan asks, a menacing look flashing on his face.

  “Yeah, I guess so,” I say in a small voice.

  “Darlin’, you have nothing to worry about,” he soothes, pulling me against his body and kissing the top of my head. “Give me his name, and I’ll take care of the rest.”

  “You shouldn’t have to do this for me,” I say against his chest. “I can’t ask you to.”

  “You’re not asking—I’m offering,” he says simply. “I’m not going to let this fucker mess with you. You’re not alone anymore, Valentina, and he can’t do this. You have me standing in front of you now, protecting you from anything that tries to hurt you. Think of me as your own human bulletproof vest.”

  I slap his arm. “That’s not even funny.”

  I hear the smile in his voice when he says, “C’mon, it’s kind of funny.”

  “What will you do?”

  “Don’t worry about that,” he says quickly. “Worry about how pissed I am that you didn’t tell me any of this sooner. What if he got to you when I could have protected you? Not a very smart move you made.”

  “I just didn’t want my problems to become yours,” I say softly, sighing heavily. “I knew you’d do this, and now I’m going to feel guilty if anything happens.”

  “I’ll handle it.”

  “Oh, and Ardan . . .” I say, grimacing at what I’m about to say.

  “Yes, darlin’?”

  “My ex . . .”

  “Yeah?” he says, sounding impatient. “Tell me.”

  “He’s a cop.”

  Darren has been a police officer since he was twenty-one, just like his now-retired father. It’s the reason he gets away with so much, and I couldn’t exactly report things to his cop buddies, who would have his back, not mine. His position provides him with connections all over the country, and access to information. He waited this long to make his move, which makes me feel like he’s playing with me. I just want to be left alone, but that doesn’t look like it’s in the cards for me.

  After I told Ardan about Darren, he left and told me he would be back soon, reminding me to lock up the apartment. When he returns about an hour later, he comes with a packed bag, leaving it by the entrance.

  “Until this is sorted, I’m moving in,” he announces, crossing his arms over his chest, legs shoulder-width apart, as if waiting for me to object.

  “Okay,” is all I say, raising my eyebrow and smiling.

  “Okay?”

  “Yeah, okay.”

  He chuckles and closes the space between us, muttering something about being the luckiest brother in the club. I grab on to the bottom of his leather cut and pull him even closer.

  “So you’re going to move in and protect me, hmmm?”

  He licks his bottom lip. “I’m going to do a lot more than that, darlin’. I’m going to talk to the club tomorrow and come up with a plan. Either way, you’re safe. You don’t need to worry about your ex—dirty cop or not, we have our ways of handling things.”

  I purse my lips. “I know I’m not meant to ask questions about the club, but how are you going to handle this? I don’t want you or any of the Wind Dragons to end up in jail because I have terrible taste in men.”

  “Hey,” he mock growls. “Not all the men you choose are bad.”

  “I didn’t choose you—you chose me,” I point out, trying to dig myself out of the hole I put myself in.

  He smirks at that and starts to drag me to the room. “Fuck yeah I did. Don’t think you’re going to distract me from your little comment, though.” He pauses. “Although I wouldn’t exactly say I’m good.”

  “You’re good to me,” I say, placing my palm on his chest. “I go by how people treat me, and you’ve treated me like a princess.” I pause. “Except in the bedroom, but then, who wants that?”

  “Compared to my competition, I’m fuckin’ Prince Charming,” he jokes, then lowers his gaze to my mouth. “Speaking of the bedroom. We should head there. Now.”

  “You think so?” I ask coyly, batting my eyelashes at him. “I think if you want me in the bedroom,” I say, taking two steps back, “you’re going to have to catch me first.”

  I bolt into the kitchen, and all I can hear is his amused chuckle filling my apartment. I hide in the pantry, but then realize how much of a stupid move that is: it’s not like we’re playing hide-and-seek here. I hear him enter the kitchen and I try to make my breathing as soft as possible, hoping he’ll think I ran through the kitchen and down the hallway into the bedroom. However, when I hear him hum the tune to a Justin Bieber song under his breath, I can’t help it—I lose it laughing. I push open the door and stare at him, holding my stomach as I continue to laugh.

  “What’s so funny?” he asks, looking confused.

  “What song were you just humming?” I ask, on the verge of more laughter.

  “I don’t know, something I heard on the radio tod
ay. Why?” he asks, standing there, looking badass in his all-black getup, cut, biker boots, scarred neck, and . . . singing Justin Bieber.

  Just the thought sends me into another fit of laughter.

  Biker badass likes Justin Bieber.

  I run to my bedroom, and he stalks behind me.

  I can’t wait to tell that story to his brothers, whenever I finally do get to meet them. He picks me up and throws me onto the bed, then lands on top of me. “What’s so fuckin’ hilarious, Valentina? Let me in on the joke.”

  “Nothing,” I say, trying to keep a straight face. “It’s a good song, is all. Very good taste you have. I’m just surprised you know it.”

  “You’re weird,” he mutters before slamming his lips down on mine and kissing me senseless.

  I forget about Bieber.

  Hell, I forget about everything.

  Except him.

  ELEVEN

  I’VE just finished with a client the next day when Ardan comes flying into the salon. He looks straight at Jess and says, “Valentina needs to leave early.”

  Jess simply nods, looking a little worried. “No problem, Irish.”

  He grabs me by my upper arm and leads me outside to his bike. “Get on, darlin’. I’m taking you to the clubhouse.”

  “What?” I ask, shaking my head in confusion. “What the hell is going on?”

  “Nothing yet,” he says vaguely, infuriating me. “Get on, I’ll explain when we get there.”

  I take the helmet he offers me, putting it on and climbing onto the bike behind him. He’s taking me to the clubhouse? I finally get to meet everyone? But why? Has he found Darren? So many questions, and the fact that I don’t know what’s going on makes me feel anxious. It takes about twenty minutes to get there. After I get off the bike and take the helmet off, I take in the huge compound in front of me.

  This is where he lives?

  With a hand on my lower back he ushers me forward. I stop at the door, so he takes my hand and pulls me inside behind him. We walk through until we come to a living area with a huge TV and comfortable-looking couches. When Ardan finds it empty, he keeps walking until we come to a kitchen. Three men are sitting there, one of whom I recognize as Arrow. Another guy has shoulder-length blond hair tied up in a bun and looks like Adonis, while the third has short blond hair and beautiful green eyes. Him I recognize.

  They all look up as I enter.

  “Valentina, these are my brothers, Rake, Tracker, and you’ve already met Arrow,” Ardan says, nodding at each man as he says their names.

  “Umm, hi,” I say, waving awkwardly.

  Tracker smiles and even winks at me, while Arrow remains his usual brooding self. Rake lifts his chin at me and offers me a small grin.

  “Nice to meet you,” Tracker says, gesturing to the chair opposite him. “Have a seat, sweetheart.”

  I glance at Ardan, who nods at me, before I take the offered seat. Ardan sits next to me, instantly making me feel at ease.

  “We did some research,” he says, sliding a folder across the table to me.

  I open it and glance over Darren’s information.

  “Your ex is as dirty as they come,” Rake says, absently playing with his lip ring. “Drug dealing, making deals with criminals—you name it, he’s done it.”

  “He’s applied for a transfer to come over here,” Ardan says, making my stomach drop. I clench my fists so hard the knuckles turn bone-white. He wants to move here? Is he fucking insane? What else is here for him? He has his parents; his baby brother, Cody; and all his friends there—does he hate me so much he’d leave them all behind just to fuck with me?

  “That was our reaction,” he mutters next to me. “We’ve had a meeting about it. We’re going to wait for his next move, but we’ve got some ideas on how to handle it. Until then, one of the men will always be with you—usually me, but in case I have to be somewhere, one of my brothers will be there.”

  “Okay,” I reply, not knowing what else to say. I don’t mind having someone watch me; in fact, it makes me feel much safer. And if Ardan’s the one there most of the time, even better.

  “I need you to make this easy on me by telling me whenever you go somewhere or if you see anything suspicious,” he continues. “Don’t be like some of our other women who’ve tried to handle shit on their own, or left by themselves because they thought they were fuckin’ badass.”

  “Fine,” I say, leaning back in the chair and looking all of them in the eye. “I won’t attempt any badassery.”

  “I think you’ve done the right thing, keeping her away from the women,” Tracker says, chuckling, his blue eyes filling with amusement. “Especially Faye. Don’t let her near Faye.”

  “Or Anna,” Rake adds, earning himself a scowl from Arrow. He just shrugs. “Hey, she’s my sister, but she’s also a menace.”

  “As if you can talk,” Tracker says to Rake. “Anna wasn’t the only one playing beer pong with the Wild Men MC.”

  Confused, I look to Ardan, who just shrugs and says, “Can you guys argue about whose woman has the biggest balls later? I’m going to give Valentina a tour.”

  “One that ends in your bedroom?” Tracker says, smirking, then looks back to me. “Good luck, Valentina. You’re going to need it.”

  “I think I’ll like it here,” I say, making him laugh. Ardan stands and I follow, leaving the kitchen. This time when we walk through the living area, a beautiful woman is sitting there reading a book.

  “Faye,” Ardan says, making the woman lift up her head. Her hazel eyes are gorgeous, but I instantly notice that they have a sharpness to them that tells me she isn’t someone to mess with. By the way she carries herself, and the gentle tone in which Ardan said her name, I can also tell she’s someone important. “Where’s Sin?”

  “He’s at Clover’s school. He should be here soon, though,” she says, putting down her book and staring at me. “Oh my god. Is this the woman you’ve been neglecting us for?”

  Ardan sighs and looks down at me. “Valentina, this is Faye. Our club president’s wife, and all-around troublemaker.”

  “Nice to meet you, Faye,” I say, smiling at the beauty.

  She stands up and walks over to me, pulling me into a hug. “Irish, she’s stunning. Look at all this hair,” she says, touching it. “You look like the heroine from Brave! Jess was right!”

  “Should’ve known Jess couldn’t keep her mouth shut,” Ardan mutters, then slowly pulls me away from Faye. “All right, all right. Where’s everyone else?”

  “No one else is here right now, but we have a dinner here tomorrow night, remember? So why don’t you bring Tina? Everyone’s been dying to meet your mystery woman, Irish.”

  She looks to me. “Are you free tomorrow night?”

  I nod.

  “Perfect.” She beams, then grins at Ardan. “Totally punching above your weight with her.”

  Ardan throws his head back and laughs at that. “Don’t I know it.”

  As he shows me around the rest of the clubhouse, I realize that I missed something. Jess knows Ardan, and she knows Faye. How did I not know this?

  “How does Jess know everyone here?” I ask him when we’re in his room at the compound.

  “Trace, Jess’s old man, is a member of the club,” he says, taking his boots off.

  I pause, something hitting me. “Is that how I got the job at the salon? Because it’s a hell of a coincidence otherwise.”

  At my tone of voice, Ardan stills, then turns to me. “Jess needed someone. She was looking through the applications when she was here, and when I heard her mention your name, I told her to give you the job.”

  “Just like that?” I ask, feeling angrier and angrier with each word that comes out of his mouth. “What if I was shit at my job?”

  “You aren’t,” he says, reaching his hand out for me
. “You’re fuckin’ talented.”

  “You didn’t know that, though. So basically I got the job only because of you, not because of me or what I can do. I don’t know, it just feels like I didn’t earn it now.”

  Is it an overreaction that I feel like I need to quit?

  “Jess is always raving about how lucky she is to have you,” he says, taking my hand and bringing me closer to him. “You kept the job, and that was all you. I just told her to give you a chance. She had about twenty people apply, Valentina. You wanted the job, and I wanted you to have what you want. I’m sorry if it comes off as—”

  “Controlling,” I insert.

  “Controlling,” he continues, now scowling at me. “But it was within my power to give you that, so I did. And I’d do it again. So if you want to be angry, then be angry, because I don’t regret it.”

  I throw my hands in the air. “You’re unbelievable. So basically this whole time I’ve been working for the club, is that what you’re trying to say?”

  He nods slowly. “The club owns the salon, yeah. But we don’t have anything to do with it; we just funded it for Jess, really.”

  I’m pretty sure my eye is starting to twitch. “Why didn’t you just tell me that from the start? I don’t like all these hidden secrets and shit!”

  “Because I knew you would act like this,” he admits, lying back on the bed and staring at the ceiling. “You’re proud, I know it. But fuck, Valentina, I did you a favor, it’s not the end of the world.”

  I puff out an angry breath and climb into his bed. He’s right, in a way, but so am I. Here I thought I’d done everything by myself, but really he’s been taking care of everything from the beginning. I know that if that’s the only thing I have to complain about in this relationship, I’m pretty lucky, but still, the fact I didn’t even know Jess was a part of his MC makes me feel stupid and out of the loop.

  “There better not be any more secrets,” I say to him. “I’m serious, Ardan. I know you can’t tell me everything you do with the club, but when it concerns me, I want total honesty.”