by Kasey Krane
I also noticed how little she actually left the house. Even though it seemed as if her social calendar was filled with a lot of events, they were mostly all formal affairs that took place in the evening. Photo opportunities and a chance for her and her father to network.
What about her friends? Didn’t she ever just go hang out with a friend at a café? The more I observed Sabrina, the more I became aware of the loneliness in her life. I wished I could do something, but I didn’t know what.
I didn’t belong in her world and she didn’t belong in mine. I didn’t know how to help her.
When I got the call from Ghost, she was sitting by the pool again, flipping through a magazine. She had headphones on and from the faint sounds I could hear, it sounded like raging metal music. I did not expect her to be into that. She was full of surprises.
“We found him,” Ghost said when I answered the call. I knew he was talking about Eagle.
“Shit. What’s the plan?”
“We’re going to raid his place today. Drax wanted you to know, I didn’t.”
“I’m coming in.”
“You need to stay where you are and watch the mayor’s daughter.”
“She’s not a kid; she’ll be able to handle some time away from her house,” I replied and ended the call. I didn’t want to argue with Ghost on this. It had to be done. I had to be there when Eagle was finally captured.
I stared at Sabrina’s perfect glistening body as she lay in the sun with nothing but her bikini on. I hated to have to cut this view short.
“Where are we going?” she asked in an argumentative tone when I told her to go to her room and put on some clothes. She stood blocking the path into the house. Her hair was a little damp from being in the water, and her skin had a luscious tanned glow. I was standing so close to her now that I could see every freckle. I wanted my mouth on her body. My need to touch her was mounting.
Maybe if we got on my bike and she sat with me like before, with her arms wrapped around me, her body pressing into me, then I would have my fill of her for the day.
“Fifth Gear,” I replied offhandedly. I didn’t want her to know the real reason why I was taking her there.
Sabrina’s eyes seemed to light up a little.
“Oh! For food?”
“For some time. I need to sort something out. Go. Change!”
She bit down on her plump lower lip and then rushed into the house. She was like a kid who’d been told she was being taken to the toy store.
I waited outside her room; she wasn’t long. Within fifteen minutes, she was back out, in an outfit I hadn’t seen her in yet.
In fact, I had never seen her in jeans before. But here she was, wearing the most delicious-looking pair of jeans I had ever seen hugging a body. It was high-waisted and curved perfectly around her hips and butt. She was wearing a yellow, silky crop top that she had knotted high up on her torso. I could see the flatness of her belly, the milky creaminess of her skin.
I could see she was making an effort to better fit in at Fifth Gear. She was adorable.
Sabrina looked at me and without actually saying the words, I knew she was asking how she looked. All I could do was stare at her, check out every inch of her body in admiration. I wanted her to see it in my eyes—what I really thought about the way she looked. How beautiful she was.
I didn’t want to take my eyes off her.
“I’m ready,” she said and hurried down the hallway. I followed close behind till we were outside. Then I helped her up on my bike and she wrapped her arms around me and…heaven! This was exactly where we were meant to be. On my bike, there were no excuses. There was nowhere else to go. Nothing else to touch but each other.
I took a longer route to Fifth Gear because I wanted us to keep touching. When we finally got there and I helped her off my bike, I could see how excited she was.
I couldn’t believe it…was it possible that Sabrina actually wanted to be here?
Sophie was at the bar when we walked into Fifth Gear together. I saw the swift once-over she gave Sabrina. She was just as surprised to see her in jeans as I was, but she smiled and I saw a nervous smile break out on Sabrina’s face too.
“You’re back! Didn’t think we’d see you again!” Sophie declared. Mary-Beth, Mercy and Allegra were here too and I was glad that Sabrina would have some company. Usually, when the men went on a mission like this, the women tried to stay together at the clubhouse in case there were any retaliations or emergencies.
“Sabrina is going to chill here with you guys for a while,” I told them and she looked up at me.
“Are you going somewhere?” she asked. This was the first real question she had asked me in the last two days.
“You don’t have to worry. You will be fine here.”
“Y…yes, I know.”
“The girls will keep you company.”
“But where are you going?” She turned to me, and she looked worried.
“I have some stuff to do.”
“You’re supposed to be here…with me. Watching me,” she argued.
I didn’t think she cared. I thought she wanted her independence. When we’d first met, she couldn’t wait to get rid of me.
“Come on over, we don’t bite,” Mary-Beth said, trying to be as kind toward her as possible. The others were smiling but Sabrina had her eyes trained on me.
“Are you going to tell me what this is about?”
“Are you angry because I’m not giving you your daddy’s money’s worth?”
Sabrina’s nostrils flared. She crossed her arms over her breasts. Her perfect breasts. I wanted to push her back on the table and take her right then.
The time apart would be good for us.
“No. Fuck that! This is not about my daddy’s money.”
“Then what is it about?”
She clamped her mouth shut as if she had no more words to say. I waited, I gave her a few more minutes to explain.
Then I looked over at the girls and nodded.
“You’ll be fine here with them. Nothing’s going to touch you as long as you stay inside the clubhouse.”
“I’m not scared!” she snapped and I turned to walk away.
I didn’t know what was going to happen tonight. Every time we came anywhere close to Eagle, some of us ended up narrowly escaping death. I didn’t know what he had planned for us tonight and if I would ever see Sabrina again.
I was headed to Drax’s office and stopped to look over my shoulder at her. She’d already been absorbed into the group. The others were asking her questions, trying to be as friendly with her as possible, but Sabrina was looking straight at me.
I didn’t know what she was thinking but I could sense she didn’t want me to go. Maybe this was what she needed to face. The reality of my life.
The others were already in Drax’s office when I went in. They were making a plan of attack. Some of the senior members of the Granite Apostles were there too. Duke and Drax were talking.
Ghost gave me a nod when I walked in.
“So, he’s been hiding out there the whole fuckin’ time?” Drax growled. It seemed as if Duke had just given him some bad news about Eagle.
I looked to my side where Bolt was standing.
“Eagle has been in the woods, close to Ghost’s cabin; that is obviously how you bumped into him.”
I knew it. I knew I should have searched those woods again!
“And this is the reason why he is able to stay under the radar.”
Ghost shook his head.
“He’s been right there under my nose! In my woods!” Ghost was angry. He had his fists clenched tightly. Drax let out a sigh.
“We need to bring him in. Forget about everything else that has happened so far. We need to make sure this plan is airtight. No second chances after this.”
Bolt jumped in with a plan. Ghost should have been working on this plan, but he seemed preoccupied now. He was standing in the corner of the room, grumbling under his breat
h. I tried not to relive that night. The night when I got stabbed. I still didn’t have any memories of how it happened, but I could feel the dark woods closing in on me. The pain of the knife going through my stomach.
I pressed a hand over the bandage to where the wound was. Just as a reminder that it was still there.
“Everybody got the plan?” Bolt declared. I was only half-listening but I had a pretty good idea of what was required of me.
We left the building through the back door and got on our bikes in unison. Some of the Granite Apostles were coming with us, and then there were Ghost, Bolt, Flash and Drax. We were going to ride out as far into the woods as we could go without being detected, and the rest of the way we would have to go on foot. We didn’t want Eagle bolting on us again.
We rode in silence together. I thought about Sabrina sitting behind me. Her arms around my body. I hadn’t said goodbye to her, and yet I knew there was a possibility I could die tonight. I was prepared for that, but I wasn’t sure if I was prepared to never see Sabrina again.
It was still broad daylight, and this was exactly the plan. If Eagle was expecting an attack from us, he would expect us to strike at night.
We parked our bikes at the edge of the woods and started walking. We kept our heads down and tried to be as quiet as possible. Eagle was a bastard but he knew all the tips and tricks of surveillance and hiding out. That’s what made him good at it. But this time, we were going to get him.
I could see Eagle through the window of his cabin. He was sitting on a couch in the middle of the room. It seemed to be a small, empty room with not too much furniture around. He was on his phone. A burner phone.
Flash was carrying a pair of binoculars and he gave them to me. I was staring at Eagle just sitting there, completely unaware that he was being watched right now.
“We’re going in,” Drax said in a low hiss. We were already in formation to attack the cabin from all sides. I just couldn’t believe it was actually happening. Finally. Eagle was going to be brought in.
We drew our weapons and attacked the structure. I could feel the searing pain on my side where the wound was making its presence felt. But I didn’t care. I was going to work through that pain and come out on the other side with Eagle’s head in my hand.
We barged into the cabin as a team. There was a lot of shouting and firing of weapons. We wanted to shock Eagle out of his skin, make sure he had no time to react or run.
He was still on the couch with his phone fallen to the floor. We did it. He was too shocked to even move.
I lunged at him before anyone else had a chance. I dragged him off the couch and to the floor, pressing my boot to his face. I caught his arms and twisted them behind his back. He wasn’t going anywhere this time.
He didn’t even have a weapon on him. It was almost too easy.
Flash and Bolt came up. The others were checking the rooms and the rest of the premises.
“That’s it. He’s alone here,” Drax declared.
Flash pulled me off Eagle while Bolt grabbed him and tied his hands on his back. Two guys from the Granite Apostles took hold of him. Ghost said he was going to run back and drive one of the cars over here so we could put Eagle in the back seat and take him back to the clubhouse.
“How is Mary-Beth?” Eagle asked with a smirk, looking directly at Drax.
Drax was on the other side of the room. I saw the anger bubble in him. He was going to boil over. The way he took those long steps toward Eagle, with his fists clenched, I was sure he would end up killing the guy.
We needed him alive.
So I turned and punched Eagle in the jaw instead. It knocked him back but the others held him up. The punch was hard enough to knock the breath out of him and made him cough hard. But it wasn’t going to kill him.
Drax stopped in his tracks. It was a reminder for him to keep his cool. Eagle was just trying to work him up.
We would have to take him back to the clubhouse, but I already knew he was going to be a pain in the ass.
10
Sabrina
At first, when Spike introduced me to these women, I didn’t know what to make of them. Allegra and Mary-Beth seemed so sure of themselves. They were strong, independent women and strong-willed too. Mercy was more gentle, she was also the MC’s in-house medic. Sophie was busy serving drinks and food to the people who now filled up the bar.
“It’s a dive bar, hon,” Mary-Beth explained when she caught me looking around me with some curiosity.
“A dive bar?” I had never heard that particular phrase before.
Mary-Beth and Mercy exchanged looks while Allegra smiled indulgently at me.
“So, tell us what it’s like to be the mayor’s kid,” she asked, passing me a beer. Sophie had left a six-pack on the counter for us. They were all drinking, but I wasn’t sure if I wanted to.
“It’s nothing special,” I replied.
“Nothing special!” Mary-Beth exclaimed and the three of them smiled. “Sophie told us all about her first encounter with you. You must have been in complete shock when you first walked in here.”
The atmosphere soon became light and conversational, and I felt as if I could talk to these women. I felt as if they weren’t going to make any bitter judgements about me. Most of the other girls I usually made friends with in my circle were always in competition with each other. That was the reason why I stayed away from all of them and preferred spending time by myself.
“I was in complete shock, and Spike hadn’t prepared me for the kind of experience I was about to have.”
“But you’re back here now,” Mercy said with a smile.
“I don’t know what it is about this place. I guess it just kinda grows on you,” I replied and they all nodded.
“Yeah, I didn’t think this life was for me either,” Allegra said as she sipped her beer. “I wanted Flash. I wanted him from the moment we laid eyes on each other, but I wasn’t sure I was prepared for all the other things that came along with it.”
While Allegra spoke, I couldn’t help but blush deeply. She was speaking as if she could read my thoughts. As if she knew how much I wanted Spike. I had to look away.
“What comes along with it?” I asked, reaching for a can of beer, and noisily popping it open.
“I’m sure you’ll find out soon enough,” Mercy said with a chuckle.
“Or maybe she won’t have to, since this is just a temporary arrangement. Right? Spike is just guarding her for a short while, till more permanent arrangements can be made, or the problem goes away,” Mary-Beth was speaking now. It was obvious that she was the President’s woman. She had some authority over these women too. They smiled at me and nodded.
“I still want to find out what your life is like,” I said, trying to hide how curious I was. I really wanted to know what it would be like to be Spike’s woman.
Each one of them told me their stories, about how they met and fell in love with the men in this MC. Each of their histories was dangerous and full of ‘taking chances’. From their stories, I got the sense that none of them ever woke up and took the day for granted. Anything could happen. Their men were always putting themselves in danger, especially when they were at war with another MC.
“At war?” I blurted, feeling the need to cover my mouth. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. I couldn’t believe how cocooned and sheltered my life had been so far. The real world was here. These people had real problems and yet they were loyal and dedicated to the men who gave them these lives.
“It can get pretty gruesome. When something big is about to happen, we all gather here, stick together, ready to face whatever we have to,” Allegra replied.
I wanted to ask the million-dollar question; how did they live their lives knowing that the men they were in love with could be seriously injured? Or worse.
I didn’t have to ask; Mary-Beth could read it in my eyes.
“Being with Drax, having him in my life, makes all of it worth it. Life with him migh
t be on the edge of a cliff, but I have never found any other man who is as good as him. As brave or strong, or who loves me better.” Mary-Beth was blushing as she spoke about him. I could see the proof in her eyes. She meant every word of it.
There was something scary about what she was saying.
I wasn’t sure if I wanted to be tangled up in those feelings for someone I could lose any minute.
I grabbed my can of beer and sucked every last drop of it. I could feel it settling in the bottom of my stomach and I closed my eyes. For a moment, I imagined waking up to Spike beside me in my bed.
When I opened my eyes, the others were watching me.
“Are you okay, hon?” Mercy asked, reaching for my shoulder, and giving it a gentle squeeze.
“Yes, I think so. I don’t know. I’ve just met Spike…” I didn’t know what made me say that. Mercy nodded. Allegra was smiling.
“Maybe it’s best if you don’t think about it. Let life take its course. If there is one thing I’ve learnt in my time spent with this MC, loving my man, it’s that nothing is in your hands. You feel what you feel.”
I was blushing, just like Mary-Beth had been. Was it that obvious? Had they already figured out how I felt about Spike?
I opened my mouth to say something, to contradict what Allegra was insinuating, but I heard the roaring sound of bikes outside. We all turned to look at the windows that were thrown open to the parking lot.
I wanted to ask what was going on but they were all running to the window to look outside. The men were back.
I didn’t get a chance to ask questions, or even properly react to what was happening. Before I even gathered myself to go to the window and look, the doors of the bar were thrown open and two big burly men stomped in.
They were dragging another man between them. It looked as if he was out cold, his head bobbing and swaying to the side while the other two pulled him down the length of the bar floor. Behind them, there were more men and everyone in the bar cheered. Some beer bottles were thrown to the floor. They made crashing sounds. Someone turned the music even louder and there was a big round of applause.
