She felt alone in the world, and it was starting to weigh heavy on her. Elle was the only person she really had that she could rely on and trust, but they couldn’t be together all of the time, and Holly knew that she had to make herself stronger on her own.
She got out of bed and walked slowly into the kitchen. Her house was similar to Elle’s but maybe slightly smaller. It was all on one level and had two bedrooms instead of three, but the girls often marveled at how strange it was that the layouts were almost identical.
When the kettle boiled, she poured herself a huge cup of tea and made her way through to the adjoining room. She slipped down onto the couch and yawned. Even though she had slept until almost noon, she was still exhausted.
She reached down and pulled out her photo album from the bottom shelf of her coffee table. She had made a habit to look at a few photographs of her family every day because she missed them so much. She still couldn’t believe it had been two whole years that they had been gone.
As she flipped open the first page, she saw the familiar picture of her mother and father with their arms around each other, smiling down at the camera while they stood in their garden at the old house. When they died, Holly decided to put it up for sale so she could move somewhere smaller and start again, but it hadn’t been easy to leave all of their memories behind.
Her father had dropped dead one day without any warning. Her mother had found him crumpled up in the shower, and the paramedics said he was dead before he hit the floor. A massive heart attack had rocketed through him and taken him at fifty-five. Holly honestly didn’t think that life could deal her and her mother any more blows, but less than six months later her mother had passed away from what the doctors believed could have been a broken heart.
She had heard of stories like that happening but had never really believed them. But after seeing it firsthand, she knew it to be true. Her mother had loved her father so much that she couldn’t exist in the world without him.
After the passing of her mother and once the house had sold, Holly knew it was time to move on with her life. She had invested much of the money from the house, used some as a down payment on a new house and started working at the diner. The world could have been her oyster, but she couldn’t face the thought of leaving her hometown and her family behind. It was the only place she really knew, and it was the only place she really wanted to be.
Making the decision not to leave came with its bad points. She never had the chance to meet anyone new, she hadn’t had a romantic relationship pretty much since high school and she was in no way likely to meet anyone at this rate. People simply didn’t just move to Red Creek; it was more the kind of town they either passed through or had been in forever.
She closed the album and slipped it back onto the coffee table. After seeing the love her parents had shared, Holly knew that it would take a very special person to steal her heart. She wanted the kind of love you only heard about in stories. She wanted not only to be swept off her feet but to also have something completely different and unconventional. Her dad had been so dedicated and protective over her mom that she had only ever considered someone who fit the same kind of mold. She needed someone who would do anything to protect her, someone who would fight for her fiercely and someone who other men feared because of his dedication. Once she was settled down, she wanted it to be forever. She wanted children and an exceptional love that would break all kinds of boundaries and challenge her in ways she never dreamed possible.
“I’ve waited so long,” she had said to Elle one day, “that I may as well wait as long as it takes… I’m not settling.”
Elle had smiled at her and nodded her head in agreement. “You know what you want,” she’d purred, “and you’ll get it, I’m sure.”
The words echoed around her mind as she showered and got dressed. She still had no idea what she was going to do with her day, but she knew that she had to get out of the house and not just sit with her thoughts.
After she had dried her hair and put on a slick of lipstick, she grabbed her purse and headed for the door. Outside, the sun beat down on her as she climbed into her hot car and opened up the windows.
“Let’s see what’s happening in the creek today,” she said to herself with amusement.
She was fully expecting there to be nothing of note, just a normal, dull day in a small town. How wrong she was…
3.
Main Street was buzzing with activity with it being a Saturday afternoon, and as she parked her car outside the grocery store and made her way along the sidewalk to pay the meter, she got a strange sense that something exciting was happening.
She turned and watched groups of old women gossiping on the street corners and some of the shop keepers out on the sides of the road looking up and down and chatting with people as they passed.
It was as if they were waiting for someone…or something. They were all looking worried and concerned.
“Is something wrong?” Holly asked a teenage boy on a skateboard as he rolled by.
He shrugged his shoulders and didn’t answer.
Holly shook it off. Maybe she was just being paranoid. Being unoccupied really didn’t agree with her. She needed to keep herself busy and clearly needed a hobby. She looked down the street and saw the hanging gym sign swaying back and forth in the light breeze.
Maybe I should get involved with some classes, she thought. Yoga or Pilates… Or I could get a personal trainer…
She laughed at herself before she had even really finished thinking about it. Holly knew the last thing she would be doing was bending into all sorts of random positions in a room full of old ladies. She would rather just run with her loneliness and be done with it.
She went into the grocery store and picked up a basket. She hadn’t made a list or really thought about what she needed, but as she started browsing, she decided that it was the perfect day to make herself a big fruit salad and lie outside in her garden on her sun chair while eating it and listening to music.
She picked up strawberries, mangoes, apples, oranges, blueberries and grapes. Her mouth was watering as she thought about chilling them all and mixing them up in a big bowl. As she approached the register to pay, she could hear the hushed whispers of different huddles of people all around her. They were all discussing something frantically and shaking their heads. Some of the older ladies had drawn faces and looked pale. One woman said how she thought it would best to leave town right then and there before the inevitable happened.
“Excuse me,” Holly said as she leaned over and tried to get involved in their conversation, “but is something going on?”
They turned and looked at her blankly before looking again at each other.
“Well, if you haven’t heard, dear, it won’t be long until you find out,” one of the little old ladies said as she picked up her groceries and made for the exit. “This town is doomed,” she added before she turned and disappeared onto the street.
“I… what?” Holly looked at the other women.
None of them seemed to want to have the conversation, and all dropped their heads before they continued on with their own business.
Holly was completely in the dark and had no idea what was happening around her. The town was far too hyped up and alert for it to be nothing, and the old lady in the store saying “This town is doomed” made her skin crawl…
What on earth could be happening?
After she bagged up the fruit and wandered back out onto the sidewalk, she stood for a moment and looked around. The same buzz was still alive, and she was determined that she wasn’t leaving until she found out what the hell was going on.
She threw the bag of fruit into her car via the open window and crossed the street to the other side. The usual collection of men sat outside the barber shop, and as she approached them, some of the older guys got to their feet to greet her.
“Holly, how are you doing?” a man named Mitch asked her. He had been one of her father’s closest
friends.
“I’m good, thank you,” she said as she wrapped her arms around him for a reassuring hug. “But what is going on down here today?”
“What, you mean you haven’t heard?” Mitch asked with raised eyebrows. “I thought you gals in the diner would be the first to hear, what with all the people you got passing through…”
“I haven’t been in this morning,” she said. “I woke up late and came straight down here… I don’t even know where my cell phone is, so God knows if Elle has tried to get me… What’s happening?” She looked up at Mitch with wide eyes as her heart began to race. She could tell from his expression that it was something bad.
“Looks like the old ways are coming back,” he said finally. “You were only young when they were driven out of Red Creek, but folks always thought they’d come back…”
Holly shook her head with bewilderment and looked around at the serious faces all around her. They were all in various states of fear, disappointment and sadness. The old men of Red Creek, whose families had been there for generations and been some of the founding members were all in front of her now and looked as if they were on the verge of a breakdown.
“The outlaws…” Mitch said ominously. “They’re back.”
As Holly looked up into his eyes, she heard the thunder of wild engines in the distance. They were loud, heavy and growled through the peaceful streets like a hot knife cutting through butter. Her skin prickled as she turned and watched the scene in front of her unfolding… Under the light of the sun, the glint of silver shone so brightly she had to lift her hand to cover her eyes.
There could have been hundreds of them. She never would have been able to count… But right there in front of her, wild men, with long hair, stubbly faces and long beards, covered in leather and tattoos, came roaring into the streets on the backs of some of the loudest and most powerful motorcycles she had ever seen.
Her mouth gaped open as she watched them circling around the streets and revving their engines. These men were dangerous, and they meant business. And by the looks of things, they had just claimed her town.
4.
As Holly pulled into the parking lot at the diner, a plume of sandy dust sprayed out behind her car’s wheels. Her heart was pounding in her chest, and the only person she wanted to see was Elle. She jumped out of the driver’s side and ran up the steps to the front door and pushed it open. The little bell tinged above her head, and a few of the truckers on their stood turned slightly to clock who was coming in. She walked in swiftly and made her way straight to the kitchen. One of the other girls, Abbey, was front of house and taking orders. She waved to her as she passed.
In the kitchen, Elle was stacking up plates at the side of the sink for the pot washers.
“Hey, doll,” she smiled with her big lipstick smile as Holly burst in.
“I need to talk to you!” Holly hissed as she grabbed Elle by the elbow and pulled her out of the kitchen and into the service hall. It was dark in there and cold. Probably the coldest place in Red Creek as it was flanked either side by huge walk-in freezers.
“What’s the matter?” Elle looked stunned.
“Have you seen what’s going on out there today?” Holly asked as her voice shook. “It’s crazy.”
“No,” Elle said nonchalantly, and then, “Do you mean with the bikers?”
Holly looked at her with her mouth agape.
“Yes, of course I mean with the bikers!”
“That’s not something to worry about,” Elle said with a laugh. “This is exactly what we’ve been waiting for our whole lives!”
“What do you mean?” Holly asked, completely confused, not for the first time that day.
“Holly, come on. Both of us are single twenty-five year olds, looking for Mr. Right… Don’t you think there’s a good chance that this new bunch of wild men may bring something good our way?”
Holly stopped and thought about it for a moment. It hadn’t even crossed her mind that a biker might like her.
“I guess I hadn’t really thought about it… I’m more worried about what they’re going to do to this town.”
“They’re going to keep us safe, that’s what,” Elle guffawed. “The old people, they don’t understand that times have changed and crime is everywhere. These guys may be badass and dangerous, but I’d rather have them here than not if another rival gang comes looking for a small town to take over.”
Holly listened to her and could kind of see her point, but it was all so new to her, she didn’t really understand.
“Listen,” Elle said as she rubbed her arm reassuringly. “These outlaws were run out of town years ago, for what reason I don’t know, but I know that not everyone thinks them coming back is such a bad thing, and I’m one of them. I think it’s exciting and just what this place needs. The majority of people who live here are all over fifty, and it’s basically God’s waiting room.” She laughed at her own joke. “I mean come on, did you not get a good look at any of them? I bet some of them were hot, right?”
Holly thought back to what she had seen in the street. The screech of tires, the rumbling of engines and all that leather, muscles and ink.
“I didn’t really get a good look, but yeah, I mean, I guess so.”
“Exactly,” Elle said with a huge grin on her face. “Some strong, hot men who could look after and protect us? There doesn’t seem to be anything wrong with that to me.”
Holly knew her friend was right, but she was still worried about what kind of trouble they might bring to the town. She knew what men like that were all about… and most of it was illegal.
“And,” Elle said as she wrapped her arm around Holly’s waist and led her to the farthest end of the service hall, “I know where they’re all going to be tonight.” She wiggled her eyebrows and grinned from ear to ear.
“Oh no,” Holly said. “That is just going looking for trouble!”
“Don’t be such a bore,” Elle teased. “I’m not taking no for an answer, anyway.”
“I thought you were working?” Holly tried to shake free.
“I’m getting off at six, and I’ll be over to pick you up at eight. Now get yourself home and get ready!” she laughed.
Holly looked at her friend. Her enthusiasm and excitement was infectious and even though Holly had a bad feeling about it, her curiosity was also building.
“Okay,” she finally said, defeated. “I’ll come… But where are we even going?”
“They’re having a party down by the lake,” Elle smiled.
“Seriously?” Holly laughed. “That doesn’t sound very outlaw-ish.”
“Oh it will be,” Elle nodded. “Trust me, it’s going to be wild.”
Holly drove home, her head swimming full of possibilities. When she had woken up that morning, she had just been expecting another dull day in Red Creek, with her trying to pass the time in the quickest way possible. Now she was on her way home to get ready for a wild party with a bunch of bikers. She couldn’t help but smile at her predicament.
Holly was a good girl, but on this occasion her curiosity was definitely getting the better of her. For the first time in her life, she thought, Why the hell not?
Back at home, she ate her fruit as she had planned and flung open her closet doors. She’d decided that if she was going to party with men like that, then she was going to dress the part. She hadn’t been out to a club or a bar in such a long time. She didn’t even know what people wore anymore, but she still had a tight little black dress and some killer heels that she could slip into and still look like she had when she had bought them at nineteen.
She looked in the mirror and smiled. Elle was right—this little bit of excitement was exactly what they both needed.
5.
By the time it reached 8:00, Holly was all dressed and ready to go. She sat on her porch drinking a glass of wine for the first time in forever, and she clicked her heels together. She had chosen the little black dress and her sky-high heels. She wrapped a
cropped leather jacket around her shoulders and plumped up her lips again with red lipstick. When Elle’s car came honking down the street, Holly smiled and stood up, lifting the bottle of wine with her.
“Started already!” Elle exclaimed as Holly bounced into the car beside her. “I like it!”
The girls drove through town, seeing the bikers’ presence at every turn. Harley Davidsons were lined up along pretty much the entire length of Main Street and the men were out in force. Some of them were older with long, graying beards and some were young, muscly, covered in tattoos and very, very attractive.
Elle clapped her hands together in delight as she watched them all walking around their quiet town. She turned to Holly and grinned.
“I am far too excited,” she beamed. “I can’t wait to meet them.”
They drove out of the other side of town and took a left down the long lake-side road. It went on for about two miles, but the lake was somewhere in the middle. Bikes growled past them, and Elle honked at them and waved. The riders looked in at them and winked. Some of them even cat-called, and Holly had never seen Elle so worked up and carefree. It was great to see, but her nerves were mounting… They really didn’t know what they were getting themselves into.
When Elle pulled off the road and into the tree-covered parking lot, Holly got out of the car and looked up at the sky. The trees were thick and like a canopy above them, but she could just make out the light from the moon. Other cars were arriving at the same time.
“Everyone wants to be here tonight,” Elle said. “It’s all people have been talking about in the diner all day.”
“I bet the old boys aren’t,” Holly said, feeling slightly guilty.
Elle stopped and took hold of her by the shoulders. “We don’t have to go if you don’t want to,” she said. “I don’t want to force you into anything you don’t want to do.”
Shifter Romance: BODHI (LOST CREEK SHIFTERS NOVELLAS Book 4) Page 81
