I remained lying on Dash’s chest for a long time. Neither of us moved and I was beginning to lose track of time. He still had his arms wrapped around me. Our bodies were hot and covered in sweat, but neither of us seemed to care.
There were some things bubbling on the tip of my tongue. I wanted to tell him I was feeling things…things I shouldn’t have been feeling for a man I had just met. But was it wrong to feel that way? It was his fault! He was the one who’d initiated these feelings in me.
Then I felt guilty for blaming him.
Why would he feel the same way? He had no reason to. He was hot and brave and led a lifestyle that didn’t include commitment. And I was a big commitment. I had a daughter.
No matter how much he adored Amanda, I couldn’t expect him to accept that sort of baggage. That is if he wanted me in the first place. If he wanted me more than for just now. Till all this was over.
As these thoughts whirled around in my head, I tried not to panic and pull away, and just enjoy the moments of peace I had with him now.
Peace…despite all that was happening around us. The kind of danger we were in. How afraid I felt for Amanda’s safety—when I was alone with Dash, peace was all I felt.
When I first saw him cuffed up in that cellar, I knew he was handsome and witty and a man who made panties wet. I didn’t expect him to be thoughtful and protective and kind too. Men like him and Caesar, men who lived this lifestyle—weren’t supposed to be this way, were they?
This was happening too fast. I was falling for him too quickly.
I couldn’t help but panic now.
I moved, trying to pull myself away from him. Eventually Dash released me and I slid off him, sitting up in bed. Suddenly very embarrassed by my nakedness.
I was looking away from him but I could sense his eyes on me.
“Harley?” he said my name softly.
“Yes.”
“I want you to know I’ve never felt this way before. About any other woman,” he said.
When I heard those words the first thing I felt was shock. My mouth nearly fell open as I turned to look at him slowly. Did Dash have some kind of superpower? Was he able to read my mind?
I gulped as I stared at him. What else was he going to say? What did he want me to say? If I didn’t control myself I would end up telling him everything, but I didn’t want to scare him away.
“Oh,” was all I could manage in that moment and surprisingly, that made him smile.
Dash sat up in bed and turned to me fully.
“I mean it, Harley. You are some kind of special,” he added.
I blinked, twice, three times—still in disbelief.
“Okay…”
He smiled.
“You look like you don’t believe me,” he said and I shook my head.
“I do believe you. I know you think I deserve better than the life I’ve led. I know you adore Amanda. You wouldn’t be doing these things for us otherwise,” I said.
Dash moved closer to me and I had to crane my neck to look up at his face. At his handsome, brave face.
“You know where I got my nickname from?”
“Dash?” I asked and he grinned. I had no idea what he was talking about.
“Because I have a bit of a reputation,” he explained and I crossed my brows.
“To run from the first sign of a woman wanting more,” he said.
“I don’t want more. I don’t expect more!” I was quick to say and he nodded.
“That is not what I’m saying. I’m just saying that is where I got my nickname from. Because I never really stuck around for very long,” he added. I stared down at my hands. I wasn’t sure what he was trying to tell me. Was he warning me that I shouldn’t expect a future with him? That he was going to dash the first sign I gave him of wanting more.
“But Harley…” he began and looked at me intently. My mouth felt dry, I had no idea what he was going to say next and it made my heart beat faster.
“I want to stick around for you,” he said.
It felt like my throat was closing up. Could this really be happening? Was I hearing this correctly? Did Dash just say he wanted to stick around with me?”
“I’m sorry, I don’t exactly always know the right thing to say. What I’m trying to say, Harley, is that I care about you. I care for Amanda too. A lot.”
I nodded, feeling myself shake a little as I stared at him.
“Yes, I know that.”
“I care about you in a way that is more than just about this, just about the sex. I want to keep you safe, I want to make you happy,” he added and I threw myself at him again.
It felt too good to be true. I couldn’t believe he was actually saying those words, the things that I was thinking. That I didn’t think I would ever be able to say.
He hugged me tightly and stroked my back.
“When this is all over, we should talk about what we’re going to do about it,” he said. I pulled away from him gently and looked into his eyes. I trusted him. I believed him. He was never going to lie to me.
“I would like that, because I care about you too. More than I’ve cared about any other man,” I said.
Dash smiled and I smiled too and then he pulled me into his arms again. I never wanted to let go.
25
Dash
Dash
Harley and I were just walking out of the bedroom when Oz and Kaya returned with Amanda.
“Mommy I got butterscotch!” she squealed with joy, rushing straight for her mother. Harley lifted her daughter up in her arms and swung her around. I watched them hug and it made me feel strange. Something like warmth. Something I hadn’t experienced a lot in my life.
Maybe it had something to do with the way I grew up. I’d never experienced affection in my childhood and it was nice seeing the bond that Harley and Amanda shared.
I was determined to make sure Amanda never lost that. I wanted her to have a happy and safe childhood. This kid was great. She deserved it. Just like Harley deserved to be happy too.
Oz caught my eye and nodded his head lightly and I knew what that was supposed to mean. We were ready to go.
Most of the other guys had said their goodbyes to their women and left already. And now it was time for Oz and me to join the crew.
While Amanda was in Harley’s arms I smiled at her. Harley could sense from the look in my eyes that it was time and her smile turned into a slow painful frown. Neither of us knew what the outcome of tonight was going to be. But I wasn’t coming back empty handed.
“Hey, you!” I said to Amanda, who leapt out of her mother’s arms and into mine. She threw her arms around me in that way which made me want to protect her even more.
“I had the yummiest ice cream ever!” she exclaimed and I beamed at her.
“I’m sure it was,” I said. “And now I’m going to have to leave.”
Amanda frowned too, even though she didn’t understand the weight of that statement.
“But when will you be back?” she asked pouting her lips.
“Very soon. Super soon. You won’t even notice I’m gone. And when I come back, we can have a few more adventures before it’s time for school again,” I said and Amanda continued pouting her lips.
“Pinky promise?” she asked and I laughed. She held out her little finger and I hooked it with mine. I couldn’t remember ever making a pinky promise, but now it felt like the most sacred promise I had ever undertaken.
I put Amanda down and stepped up closer to Harley.
“I know you’ll look after yourself,” I said and reached for her cheek. She covered my hand with hers and nodded her head gently.
“I’m going to try,” she said and I leaned forward to kiss her. She tried to hold on to me for a little longer but I had to pull away.
“I’ll see you soon,” I told her and she nodded and held back, grabbing Amanda’s hand for support.
Oz was kissing Kaya too and then when we were done with our goodbyes, it was time fo
r us to leave.
“We better go make these women proud!” Oz exclaimed as we stepped out of the building.
Back at T-Bone, things were more charged up than I’d seen before. Everyone was on edge. Especially Lewis who was pacing up and down the bar with his hands behind his back.
“That can never happen again. They shot our clubhouse. Tried to kidnap one of our women from right under our bloody noses!” he growled and kicked a bar stool.
“Which means that now their clubhouse is fair game,” Girth spoke up.
“Their clubhouse has always been fucking fair game!” Lewis shouted some more. “We just didn’t know where the fucking hell it was!”
“But now we do. Harley told me,” I interjected and they turned to look at me.
Lewis walked up to me, his eyes narrowed and focused on my face.
“Good. So, what are we going to do about it?” he asked in a slow slithering voice.
“We gather all our forces and wage a shootout,” Rodeo suggested and Abe was shaking his head.
“Twenty of our best men are guarding the safe house. We need to keep the women protected. Which means our numbers have gone down significantly,” he explained.
“So, what do we fucking do?” Rodeo snapped. Girth grunted in response, clicking open his zippo to light the cigarette dangling from his mouth. That was when the idea struck me.
“Fire,” I said aloud.
“What?” Lewis snapped and I stood up from the chair I was sitting on.
“We blow up their clubhouse. Tonight,” I said.
Oz stood up from his chair too.
“Blow up their clubhouse?”
“They attacked our clubhouse. They attacked our women. They’ve been beating up a woman and threatening a child. They nearly killed some of us and are trying to take over our business. They imprisoned and tortured me. They have caused more bloodshed in this city in the past six months than any other MC in the past fucking ten years. Haven’t they?” I growled.
The others mumbled.
“So, we blow them up. They won’t be expecting it. They’re expecting a shootout. We don’t need many men for that. And that way, we get as many of them as we can, more than we can get in a shootout,” I continued.
Lewis was nodding his head now, which meant he liked the idea. This could work. This could really work. I could feel it in my bones now. I was ready for it.
Oz came up to me and thumped my back.
“Dash is right. It’s time we fucking ended this. Enough is enough. We’ve given them enough chances to straighten themselves up,” he said.
“Blow them up,” Lewis commanded and a cheer rang out in the bar.
“Blow them up!” we shouted together and knocked our bottles of beer together.
This was it. I wasn’t leaving any loose ends hanging around after tonight.
It was time that Harley got a good night’s sleep.
26
Harley
Harley
The best way to keep myself distracted while Dash was gone, was by keeping Amanda entertained.
We sat together in the bedroom where we made up games and entertained each other. I knew she was thinking this was all very strange and nothing like the routine she was accustomed to. However, Amanda was a very good kid and didn’t complain.
She trusted me and it seemed like she trusted Dash too, and knew that the decisions we made for her were for the best.
But at one point she looked up at me with a frown and I stopped.
“What is it honey?” I asked her and Amanda sighed exaggeratedly.
“Mommy, remember when you told me that my daddy is not a nice man?”
I shifted uncomfortably, not looking forward to this line of questioning again. I was hoping she wouldn’t ask me about him again, not so soon. The last thing I wanted to do was explain to her what was going on and how her father was involved in it. Neither did I want to lie to her. Amanda deserved to know the truth.
“Yes, I did say that,” I told her and reached over to tuck some hair behind her ear.
“Was he one of the bad men who were doing all that shooting and stuff today?” she asked. Amanda’s eyes grew wide as she stared up at me. I gulped and tried to make the right decision quickly.
“Yes, honey, he was one of them, but he is not going to hurt you,” I said.
Amanda’s cheeks got red and then she pouted her lips.
“I don’t want a daddy like him. He’s not nice,” she added and I pulled her into my arms.
“No, of course not. And I’m not going to let him do anything to you, honey,” I said and kissed her cheeks. Amanda nodded her head and then when I was least expecting it, she was smiling up at me.
“Can we get a new daddy for me? A nice daddy?” she asked.
Her words surprised me and I wasn’t sure how to respond to that. I didn’t think she understood what that statement meant.
“What do you mean, baby?” I asked and she shrugged her shoulders.
“I want Dash to be my daddy. I like him,” she said, smiling still.
Her words nearly made me choke. It was like everyone was reading my mind today!
“What makes you say that?” I asked and she leaned her head on my shoulder.
“Because he looks after me and you, and isn’t that what a nice daddy is supposed to do?” she asked.
My daughter was wiser than her age. Celine was right. She was the smartest person I knew.
“Yes, you are absolutely right, baby. That is exactly what daddies are supposed to do,” I told her and rocked her gently in my arms. I pressed my eyes close and hoped against hope that Dash returned to us safely. And that neither Amanda nor I would ever have to see Caesar again. My daughter deserved better than that.
27
Dash
Dash
We got confirmation that the Hell’s Drifters were back at the clubhouse. None of our informants had seen or heard of them being anywhere else in the city which meant that’s where they were right now. No doubt planning their next attack on us.
This was going to be the perfect time for us to make our move.
We got on our bikes; Abe, Rodeo, Girth, Oz and I and we rode out in the direction of the clubhouse—according to what Harley had given me.
We couldn’t take any more guys with us because we didn’t want to raise an alarm. The fewer of us who went there, the quicker and cleaner this job could be.
Of course, it could also mean that we’d end up being outnumbered by leaps and bounds if there was to be a shootout. At this point, this was the best plan we could come up with and we hoped it would work.
Harley’s directions were perfect and we landed up some distance away from the clubhouse where we parked our bikes. We didn’t want to alert them of our presence, so we walked the rest of the distance, trying to be as quiet in the dark as possible.
When the clubhouse eventually came into view, I felt a rush of anger in my veins. I was suddenly reminded of the days I’d spent in this place, locked up in that cold disgusting cellar with the handcuffs chafing into my skin.
My instinctual reaction was to rub my wrists where the wounds were still healing. I gritted my teeth and stared. I wasn’t going to even blink once that place was engulfed in flames. I wouldn’t feel anything.
“Give us your orders, Dash,” Oz said beside me. I looked at him with my brows crossed. These guys were all patched in members of the MC and I was still a prospect.
“It’s your plan. You deserve to execute it,” Abe said from the other side with a smirk.
This felt good. Even better now. Knowing that they trusted me. That they wanted me to lead the attack. It meant I was finally and fully a part of the MC.
“I see their bikes parked up there. Let’s get the gasoline,” I said.
Girth and Rodeo, the two biggest guys, were carrying the cans of gasoline we’d brought along with us.
They put the cans down and stared at our weapon. This was nothing like a shootout, the ki
nd of attack we were accustomed to waging. But if this worked; it would obliterate the Hell’s Drifters and the Dark Legion in one shot.
After all this time of trying to live with them, trying to share space in the city—we wouldn’t have to do it anymore.
And it would mean that Harley and Amanda would be safe. I wasn’t going to wait and talk myself out of it.
We inched closer to the clubhouse and could hear music inside. With the number of bikes parked outside, it was obvious that most of their members were in there. This was going to be the perfect night to strike.
I was carrying one can of gasoline while Girth had the second one and we took up our positions at two ends of the queue of bikes.
Oz held up his hand and started counting down from five. On one, we started pouring. One by one we sloshed gasoline over each bike, making sure that the fire would catch on. We met in the middle and started pouring it in a trail from the bikes up the driveway and all the way up to the front swinging doors of the clubhouse.
We covered the front of the building with more of it, sloshing it around everywhere. Then we wrapped it around the sides making sure the whole building was surrounded by gas.
Being this close to this building again and being able to hear their voices and shouts inside made me angry. I stood there for a moment, glaring through the window at them. It was too dark outside to notice me clearly, but hell, if any of them actually looked in my direction—they might have seen me.
Girth caught my arm, trying to pull me away. It was time. But I’d caught sight of Caesar inside. He was guzzling beer down his fucking throat. I was itching with the need to just storm inside and strangle him.
“Dash!” It was Oz now and he was pulling me away. Maybe the guys thought I would actually end up doing something as stupid as that. I reluctantly followed them.
We walked back down the driveway and took up our positions behind the bike.
Marked Skulls MC Series: Books 1-5 Page 70