The Biker's Baby

by N. Alleman

  Finally, I force myself to type a reply, my fingers shaking as I hit the screen of my phone.

  Okay, what did you have in mind?

  My phone beeps with a reply a moment later.

  My driver will pick you up at 9 pm. Don’t worry, it will be fun.

  I stare at his text. For some reason, it makes me uneasy. I’ve already moved my fingers to the screen, trying to think of a way to cancel, but I can’t come up with a good excuse.

  Guess I’ll have to go.

  With a sigh, I set my phone down and decide to focus on my precious daughter.

  Tabitha is just waking up from her nap. She rubs her eyes, and I can’t help but smile at the long, thick lashes she inherited from Jake.

  I feel a pang of sadness, like I do every time I think of him. It never gets easier.

  Instead of allowing myself to get upset, I focus on my daughter. I play with her and feed her. I spend the whole day with her.

  I can’t believe how fast she’s growing up. It seems only days ago that I gave birth to her, and she was my little bundle of joy.

  Once I put her down for the night, I join my sister in the kitchen. I plop down on one of the stools and exhale.

  “Rough day?” Karen asks me sympathetically. With a child of her own, she knows how tough it can get. At least she has Lucas to lean on.

  “Just the usual,” I admit.

  At first, I hesitate to tell her about Ryder. Finally, I decide to take the plunge. “I’m seeing Ryder again tomorrow.”

  “Oh.” Karen purses her lips and stirs her cup of tea rapidly. I never have understood why she isn’t a fan of his. All I know is she quit her job at Pussies Galore, and she doesn’t like talking about it.

  “Do you mind watching Tabitha?” I ask, and Karen shakes her head.

  An uncomfortable silence falls between us, and I busy myself with making my own cup of tea.

  “Are you sure this is what you want, Daisy?” Karen asks all of a sudden, and I turn to face her, giving her a confused look.

  “What do you mean?”

  “I mean, the Ryder thing.” She looks pale and nervous, like she doesn’t like talking about this. “I know he’s sweet on you, but I don’t trust him.”

  “He seems nice enough,” I try to defend the guy, but I’m not telling her the full truth. In reality, Ryder scares me sometimes. He’s so intense, and in a more sinister way than Jake was. “I’m sure he wouldn’t hurt me or anything. There’s nothing to worry about.”

  “If you say so,” she says with a doubtful look thrown in my direction. “But what about Jake?”

  Hearing his name out loud makes my heart skip a beat.

  Jake Malone has been a forbidden combination of words in this household, and it feels like my sister is breaking some unspoken rule.

  “Karen,” I beg her weakly. “Let’s not talk about him. It hurts.”

  She comes around the counter and puts her hands on my shoulders, giving me a sympathetic look. “Honey, I know. Love hurts.”

  “It isn’t love, though.” I shake my head angrily, holding back tears once more. “I mean, he left me. He left me and Tabitha to fend for ourselves. What kind of man does that?”

  She purses her lips. “Maybe we don’t know the whole story.” She tries to console me.

  I shake my head. “Please don’t speak of him again.”

  Reluctantly, Karen agrees. I know she’s only trying to help, but truth be told, merely thinking about Jake sets me off. I miss him so damn much, and sometimes I wonder if I’ll be this pitiful twenty or thirty years from now.

  We spend the rest of the evening curled up on the couch in front of the TV while Lucas works a late shift. Karen ends up falling asleep, and I cover her with a soft blanket before retreating upstairs, the mellow sound of a TV show singing her to sleep.

  I climb the stairs one at a time, weary to the bone. On rough days like these, I wish like hell I had him by my side.

  On good days, it’s easier to pretend. Easier to keep my head held high and try to convince myself that everything’s all right, even when I know it’s not.

  On bad days, an enormous hole in my heart where Jake used to be threatens to consume me. It’s a wound that will never heal.

  Honestly, I don’t want it to, because even though our love didn’t last, the memories of what we had and the child it produced are all that remain.

  The next evening, I’m nervous as I get ready.

  Karen has promised to stay home and watch Todd and Tabitha, and I’m wracking my brain, trying to choose something to wear.

  Karen helps me, and finally we settle on a floral dress with a sweetheart neckline. It’s flattering. Ryder hasn’t given me a hint as to where we’re going, so I’m dressing in between dressy and casual and hoping I don’t mess it up.

  Five minutes before nine o’clock, I pace the sidewalk outside our place.

  It feels weird to go out later in the evening, and I even got a little emotional as I said goodnight to Tabitha. I promised her I’d be back before morning, and I’m fully intending on keeping that promise.

  I’ve decided that tonight I will explain to Ryder that we can only be friends. I thought I was ready to move on, that I could take advantage of his resources for my daughter, but I realize that I can’t. There’s something off about the man, and I’m never quite relaxed around him.

  There’s a bad vibe about him that I can’t get past.

  A black car pulls up to the curb. A tall, broad-shouldered guy emerges from the driver’s side and silently opens the door for me. I cringe before climbing in, feeling more like a willing victim than Cinderella on her big night out.

  The ride is quiet, and I watch where we’re going through the tinted glass windows. I’m confused when I see we’re leaving the city and going to an area I’m not familiar with. Finally, the car comes to a stop in front of a dingy looking building, and I shiver.

  I smooth down my dress and the driver opens my door for me. Now, there are two other men with him, just as tall and towering over me. I wonder what’s going on.

  “Are you sure we’re in the right place?” I ask worriedly, but they ignore me and exchange blank stares. “I thought Ryder would be waiting for me.”

  “Don’t worry, Miss,” one of the muscular guys tells me, firmly grabbing my arm. “Ryder will be here soon.”

  “Stop. You’re hurting me,” I whine, but the guy doesn’t care. My heart pounds loudly as he drags me toward the building. It is only when we near the dilapidated warehouse that I can discern the voices inside.

  They’re screaming, laughing raucously, and making a lot of noise. They’re all male voices, drunk and making lewd remarks. Suddenly, I feel incredibly vulnerable in my stupid floral dress, like I’m someone’s meal being served to them on a silver platter. My feelings of dread only get worse once the three men drag me inside the building, and I’m faced with the scene before me.

  It is an old, abandoned warehouse filled with men, all of whom are now staring intently at me. I see a few women too, tired and with caked-on makeup, a sharp contrast to me in their skimpy outfits and sky-high heels.

  “What’s going on?” I ask again in a shaky voice, and once more, I’m ignored. Instead, one of the guys drags me while the other two form a shield around me, stopping me from running off. “Please, I’m scared.”

  “Baby doll, want a piece of me?”

  “Here, kitten, come play with Daddy…”

  “Now that’s a piece of ass. Wouldn’t mind punishing that one.”

  Their horrible voices fill the air. If a moment ago I was wishing for freedom, I’m now grateful for the three thugs surrounding me, it feels like they’re shielding me from a much worse fate.

  Finally, we come to a stop at a section in the front. There’s a small table, and the guys push me onto a plushy chair while they claim the rest of the seats around me. The looks on their faces tell me I have no chance of escaping.

  There’s a cage right in front of me, and I
recognize it as one of those used in fighting rings. I swallow the lump in my throat. Ryder really is a strange man. Why on earth would he bring me to one of these fights? And where is he?

  As if on cue, he emerges from the shadows. He’s grinning ear to ear, his arms extended as if he wants to hug me.

  “Daisy, my dear!” he exclaims as he approaches, going in for an embrace. I dodge his arms, which only makes him laugh harder.

  “Why the hell would you bring me here?” I demand to know. “I don’t like this, Ryder. We need to talk.”

  “Shut your mouth, bitch.” He looks different now, his face twisted in an ugly grimace.

  Then it changes again, becoming softer and smiling once more.

  Fuck, this guy is really scary.

  “Now, Daisy, I brought you here for the show of a lifetime. Do you want to place a bet on the fight happening tonight?”

  “No.” I shake my head, but his eyes tell me I don’t have a choice. “Fine. Who’s fighting? And when can I leave? Will you call your thugs off?”

  “And let the crowd have its way with you?” Ryder laughs out loud. “No, I don’t think so. I have plans for you later, can’t have you getting too roughed up. That’s for me to do.”

  His snake-like eyes sparkle, and my blood runs cold.

  What was I thinking, trusting a guy like him?

  “As for who is fighting?” he asks. “I am.”

  He looks as if he expects me to congratulate him or something, but I stare at him blankly, which seems to annoy him.

  “You’ll bet on me,” he orders me. “Five hundred bucks on me. My cash. You get to keep it later.”

  He grins, and a woman appears from behind him. She’s stunning in a dark and brooding kind of way. She takes the money and makes some notes, but something seems suspicious about the whole thing.

  “Fine. And I get to leave after the fight?” I ask.

  “If you really want to, baby,” Ryder tells me, before climbing into the cage and blowing me a kiss. “But I don’t think you’ll want to.”

  I stare at him, unable to comprehend what’s going on. So he wanted to brag and brought me to a dangerous place like this just so I could watch him fight? That doesn’t make me admire him. If anything, it makes me think he’s a bit sad, really.

  A guy starts screaming into the microphone. I tune him out and pray for this stupid charade to be over as soon as possible.

  I don’t want to be here.

  I just want to crawl in bed next to Tabitha and dream of her daddy.

  My mind is somewhere else when I catch a glimpse of Ryder’s opponent being brought into the cage. Even from far away, I can tell he’s ripped as hell and taller than Ryder. And then, I start recognizing small features on his body.

  The tattoos.

  The scars.

  The mop of floppy hair.

  Finally, the eyes. Those dark, sultry eyes.

  I’m on my feet. I’m standing against the cage, gripping the bars between my fingers with my mouth parted. The three thugs surround me and attempt to pull me back, but Ryder notices my predicament and shoos them away.

  “Let her stare, boys,” he says wickedly. “Let her stare at her past and her future while they battle for her.”

  My Jake is standing in the corner. My handsome, perfect, dark and scary stranger.

  My lover.

  The father of my child.

  The reason for my joy, and the reason I am broken.

  His eyes connect with mine, and his mouth opens.

  I’m crying. Big, fat tears run down my face.

  He recognizes me, I can tell. I see my pain reflected in his eyes.

  He looks different. Broader, tougher.

  Is it really him? It has to be, please, oh god, it has to be him.

  What the fuck is this? How is this happening?

  Why am I here?

  “Daisy,” Jake breathes, in the same second as the referee shoots a pistol in the air, and the crowd goes wild. I watch the love of my life being taken down by Ryder, too distracted with me to fight back.

  34

  Jake

  Seeing her makes my heart stop. She’s more beautiful than ever, and she sticks out like a sore thumb in this horrible place.

  I don’t anticipate Ryder’s first blow, and it almost doesn’t hurt. I’m too caught up in Daisy’s features to notice him hitting me.

  Next thing I know, I’m spitting blood from a split lip.

  And then I get angry.

  Ryder dragged Daisy, my woman, here, to torture her even more.

  He doesn’t only want revenge. He wants to completely and utterly destroy me and everything I love.

  But I’m not going to let him.

  I will fight for what’s mine, I will get the girl and ruin this bastard. I won’t let him get away with what he’s doing. He has fucked up too many lives, ruined too many families. I’ll make sure he’s punished for all his wrongdoings.

  With a growl I get up, surprising the crowd.

  I let Ryder come at me. My body is as solid as a rock. The adrenaline fills me up until his blows don’t even hurt anymore. It’s like I’m soaking up his energy, just waiting for my time to strike.

  No time to look at Daisy now.

  No distractions. It’s payback time.

  I let him pound me one more time before growling right into his ear, grabbing him by the shoulders, and pushing him against the bars of the cage. “You sick fuck!” I shout at the top of my lungs. “You sick, sick bastard!”

  And I start to hit him. Punch after punch, I release all the hate and anger I’ve had for him. All the pain over what he’s made me lose flows through my fists, and for the first time in a long time, I feel alive.

  Ryder dodges some shots, he takes more.

  He’s a quick bastard, fast on his feet and determined to beat me. His will almost makes up for his lack of speed and finesse.

  We dance around each other, trading blows. We’re both bloody, my lip is split, bleeding down my naked torso. And I open a gash on his forehead.

  I hope the blood running down his face obscures his vision.

  Watching him dance around me, I know I could take him down, but I want to make this slow, excruciatingly slow, and painful for the bastard.

  I make sure my punches are well-aimed to cause pain, but I don’t try to incapacitate him. Not yet.

  I want him on his feet, hating me. I want to see the look in his eyes when I do finally beat him.

  He screams and kicks at me. I throw him off like he’s nothing but an annoying insect. It shouldn’t be this easy.

  A man like Ryder doesn’t like being humiliated, and I know he’ll want revenge for this.

  There’s a short break, and Rosa comes over to me, pouring water down my face and washing the blood from my body. But I only have eyes for one person.

  Daisy, my Daisy, right there in the front row, her face white as a sheet as she returns my gaze. And it feels like not a single second has passed when I have to get back to fighting.

  Back to slowly killing the man who tried to ruin my life.

  I tease him some more. Well-delivered blows make him slower on his feet, his mind sluggish. It’s like playing cat and mouse. Anyone who would’ve been fair would’ve finished off Ryder a long time ago, but I have to see him suffer.

  I’ve dealt too many blows to count now, and the prick is barely able to stand up. The crowd is booing him, which must make him furious, but he still keeps coming for me. I dodge every hit, every kick, humiliating him in front of his own people.

  And finally, I can tell he can’t go on anymore. He’s bleeding, hurt pretty badly.

  I decide to deliver the final blow. The one to settle this argument once and for all. I know Ryder isn’t going to stick to his end of the deal. But I don’t fucking care. I’m fighting for what’s mine, and there will be no stopping me.

  I wait for him to come to me, almost delirious in his need to subdue me. “I win, Ryder,” I tell him with gritted tee
th.

  “No,” he snarls back. “You’ll never fucking win…”

  He’s not through talking, but I don’t let him finish. Instead, I punch him in the stomach, and he doubles over. The judge is next to us in moments, but it’s obvious Ryder isn’t getting up again. He’s done, unconscious.

  The crowd erupts in cheers for me, but I’m deaf and blind to it all. All I see is one woman, one dream, and one desire in front of me. My sweet Daisy.

  I drop to my knees in front of her, the bars of the cage still separating us. I should be pissed at her, angry that she dated Ryder, angry that she had a child with someone else. Yet I can’t force myself to hate her.

  She’s the woman of my dreams.

  My everything.

  I stare into her eyes, and I feel tears mixing with beads of sweat. She looks up at me, her eyes big and hopeful. There’s only us. No rowdy crowd, no Ryder, no one else. Just me and Daisy, finally.

  I snap out of it when Rosa pours a bottle of water over me and kicks me in the ribs. “You prick, you almost killed him!” she accuses me hysterically, and I stumble to my feet, feeling weak and tired. I grab her and hold her down as she claws at me with her long fingernails.

  “Jake!” she screams at the top of her lungs, before a thug grabs her and pulls her down. I growl in anger when I feel something click against the back of my head.

  “Turn the fuck around,” a broken, pissed off voice tells me. “Turn and face me, you bastard.”

  It doesn’t take long to recognize the cold object pointed at my head. It’s Ryder, and he has a gun. This is his revenge.

  It doesn’t matter that I won the fight.

  It never did.

  He was going to kill me either way.

  I turn around slowly, hands in the air.

  Daisy is behind me, wailing.

  I face Ryder.

  “Now you die.” He laughs like a maniac.

  “Daisy, look away,” I manage to say as calmly as possible, and she cries my name louder than ever.

  This is how it ends.

  This is how I die.

  At least I got to see her one more time. My dirty girl is no more. She’s a woman now. A beautiful, stunning, hell of a woman.