Born to Ride

by Kasey Millstead

  “Oh, I love this song. Let’s dance,” Julian shouted when Taylor’s Swift’s "Trouble" song came through the karaoke machine, and some young girl started singing it with a not-too-bad voice.

  We left Griz, Pick, and Blue at the bar, while Violet, Deanna, Julian and myself went off to shake our booties.

  Two songs later, I glanced around for our guards, only they were no longer brooding at the bar. I looked around, but couldn’t see them anywhere. Violet tugged on my arm, and while she jiggled what her mama gave her, she pointed through the crowd to a booth in the far corner where they were now seated—still brooding. Their arms were crossed over their chests and had eyes that said ‘don’t speak to me or I’ll bite your head off.’ It was only Griz’s eyes that lasered into us. Though, I think that had something to do with the way Deanna was grinding against some innocent young man...um, okay, maybe he wasn’t that innocent considering the way he grabbed her boobs. I giggled to myself when she elbowed him in the ribs and pushed him away. She turned her gaze to me, grinned, and shook her head.

  Deanna, Julian, and I made our way to the table, while Vi went to grab us some more drinks. I had asked for water because I didn’t think my stomach could handle another toxic mix. That was when Deanna called me a pussy and said to Vi that if she got me a water, they’d be having words. Violet then proceeded to laugh in Deanna’s face, and answered with ‘Whatever.’ I knew what I’d be getting— water.

  I collapsed next to Pick. Griz and Blue stood so that Julian and Deanna could sit, and then Vi when she got back. It was like they were protecting the President’s daughter. Blue and Griz with their backs to us both stood straight and still, glaring out at the partygoers.

  Wow, they must take their jobs seriously.

  “You know, I kind of feel like Whitney Houston in Bodyguard right now,” Julian said

  I held up my fist to be pumped and yelled, “That’s what I was just thinking.” Sort of. Only I didn’t know why I was yelling; it wasn’t so hard to hear in our corner.

  “Yo, Vi. Oh my God, I love you,” I yelled—yes again—when she deposited a bottle of water in front of me with a smirk directed at Deanna.

  “Do you reckon Talon could be quiet during sex?” I asked.

  Okay. Maybe I could have been a tad intoxicated still, because yelling was all I could do right then.

  “Jesus,” Blue hissed.

  “Talon owes us,” Griz barked.

  Julian ended up spitting his drink all over the table. Violet groaned and banged her head against the table. Pick asked for me to move so he could escape, and Deanna sat with her finger tapping her chin, pondering my question.

  “Given his hotliness and badassness, I highly doubt it,” Deanna said. “Why the wondering?”

  I sighed loudly. “I wanna have sex; I miss the pounding, the closeness, and the connection,” I whined. “Hey!” I shouted. “No comment from the spunky men,” I yelled when Griz and Blue went to complain.

  “Uh, Wildcat. Please, please move,” Pick begged.

  While continuing my rant, I moved and sat back down after Pick had escaped. “Six years people. Six long years. Holy hemorrhoid, do you think my well’s dried up?”

  “Fuck me,” Griz snapped.

  “You don’t want me to,” Deanna supplied. I thought it had been quiet, but Griz turned a surprised stare upon her, which quickly morphed into a glare. Then he went back to looking at the crowd.

  “You can’t tell me—” Vi began.

  “What?” Julian asked.

  “Nope, I can’t say it. That’s my brother for gonad’s-sake.” She shuddered.

  “Oh, oh! I think I know where you’re going,” Julian said clapping. “And, cock ring, you can’t deny the male fuckableness your bro is. Anyway, what she was getting at...you can’t tell us that you and Spidey haven’t done squat in the bedroom department.”

  I think I just blushed. Or the room had turned up twenty degree.

  “What the fuck, bitch? You have done something with the boss man and you ain’t told me? Where’s the friendship? I told you all about my last one not that long ago.”

  Griz flinched; Deanna smirked, but then quickly sent me her deadly glare. Thankfully, I was immune.

  “Shit,” Blue said. “I am not stayin’ here to hear this crap. We can watch’em from the bar.” Blue stalked off, with Pick and a grumbling Griz not far behind.

  “Maybe I should join them,” Vi added. “I really don’t feel like hearing about what my brother gets up to in bed. It’d probably cause me to chuck.”

  “Block ya ears then,” Deanna said.

  I had to laugh when Violet did, in fact, block her ears.

  “Quickly spill, muff lover,” Julian cried, leaning forward over the table.

  “There isn’t really much to say. As you can tell, we didn’t do the deed...”

  “But? Come on, woman, don’t leave me hanging,” Deanna said.

  I blushed again. “I’m still kind of sensitive about it. Icameinliketwoseconds.”

  “Say what now?” Julian asked. “Sorry, dick sucker, I don’t speak drunk-virgin-hymen-grown-over-girl.”

  Groaning, I hid my eyes with my hand. “He went...you know...down yonda, and I was...um, done really quickly.”

  “Did he care?” Deanna asked.

  “No. Well, I don’t think so, especially not when I reciprocated.”

  “Whoop, fuckin’, whoop, girl. I’m so proud of you.” Deanna beamed.

  Deanna cheering me on made me smile. I should be proud; I was lucky I lasted that long after SIX YEARS, and the fact that Talon didn’t seem to have minded at all.

  I got in closer and whispered, “He is huge.”

  “I hate you.” Julian glared.

  “You—”

  “Hey there, sweetheart,” a guy in his late forties said, as he stood at our table with two others. They all wore jeans and tees, with leather biker vests over the top. It was hazy, but I read the words ‘Vicious Club’ on the top patch.

  The older one sat down beside me. “How’s your night been, beautiful?”

  I studied him for a second, and it was his eyes that told me he was harmless; the crinkle around them and his mouth told me he was caring, and the thick salt and pepper hair told me that my fingers wouldn’t mind running through it to see if it was as soft as it looked. His friends, though, were another story; they looked mean and scary. This was why I leaned into him and whispered, “You seem like a nice guy, and I honestly mean it when I say that one day we could be friends, but—I’m sorry to say that your friends don’t seem all that nice.”

  I sat back and watched him throw his head back and laugh a deep belly laugh.

  “Oh, you are precious.” he smiled.

  “Which is why she’s Hawks property,” Griz growled beside us, where he stood next to Mean One and Mean Two.

  Property, smoperty. I wasn’t sure I liked that word yet.

  Mr. Nice looked up at Griz and asked, “Whose?”

  “Talon’s.”

  But I like that word.

  “Wildcat, go and dance,” Blue ordered.

  Now he just popped out of nowhere. I rolled my eyes and scooted around the other side, where Julian, Deanna, and Vi were already waiting for me.

  Leaning over the table, I uttered, “It was nice meeting you...”

  “Rocko,” he supplied.

  I smiled. “Rocko, and remember what I said.” I got closer still. “I think you may need new friends.”

  “Thanks, sweetheart.” He chuckled and then winked. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

  Griz sat down as soon as I was out of the way. I moved off to the dance floor with my peeps to jiggle my flabby bits once again.

  I was determined to have a great night, even though something told me to keep an eye on Rocko’s friends. We danced; we drank, and we sang our night into happiness. Rocko and his mates left, but I still couldn’t fight the feeling of unease. Then I thought it could just be that I had to pee. Violet had gone to grab a dr
ink, and while Deanna and Julian were being entertained by the Tina Turner wannabe, I went off in search of the toilet.

  Chapter Sixteen

  I woke up in the back of a strange car. My eyes were a little blurry, but once they cleared, I saw a gun pointed at my face. The guy pointing it was the one I'd seen walk into the girls bathroom behind me at the bar, and he was also the one who had tasered me in the back after saying his boss wanted a word with me. It was just before I had the chance to scream.

  “I don't know your boss,” I croaked and sat up slowly.

  My mouth was dry, and the great buzz I had going on disappeared, leaving me with a very bad headache.

  Though, that could also be from being freaking tasered.

  “Yeah, well, he knows you, and when he wants something, he gets it.” The guys smiled, showing crooked teeth. If it wasn't for those, he would have been an okay-looking man. He had a buzz cut, leaving dark-coloured fluff, and his eyes were brown. He had a piercing in his lip, nose, and eyebrow, and seemed tall, slim, and young. It was dark in and out of the car.

  His companion who was driving was totally different. He had long, dirty-blond hair; his build was larger, and he seemed shorter than Mr. Talker.

  I wondered if by now my friends knew I'd been kidnapped. I hoped they weren't panicking too much. My next thought was why wasn't I panicking? I felt a bit stressed, only relieved at the same time, because at least no one would get hurt when I was delivered to David. He'd already done many bad things to me; it couldn't get worse. Right?

  I gulped.

  The car suddenly stopped. It was then I realized I should have been taking in my surroundings to know where I was in case of an escape. We'd pulled up outside of a huge house, one that I didn't recognize being anything David would buy. It was old, yet beautiful. David loved new and exquisite things. My door was opened, and Mr. Silent jutted his chin out and up.

  I stumbled out, and Mr. Silent grabbed my arm, dragging me roughly forward and through the front door, down a hallway that took my breath away, and into a room that was a library. Books lined two walls from top to bottom. A large desk was in front of a huge bay window, where a man was standing in front of it looking out. He turned with an intense gaze.

  Oh. My. God. Where do they make these people? He was yet another good-looking older man, probably in his early forties, with salt and pepper hair, grey eyes, and was wearing a suit. Though it was a firm fit, so I could tell he worked out a lot.

  “Um, you're not David,” I said puzzled. What was I doing here, and who was this guy?

  “I hope my men weren't too forceful in getting you here.”

  “Do you call being tasered too forceful?” I asked with fake bravado, hands on my hips, and glaring at him. On the inside I was chanting I'm gonna die; I'm gonna die and I never got to have sex with Talon.

  His fierce gaze turned to Mr. Silent and Talker. “I told you to ask her politely. Did you even do that? Doesn't matter; get out of my sight,” he snapped. “Please, Zara, have a seat, and I'm sorry for the way they treated you. It was not something I wanted.”

  Skepticism ran through my mind; still, I took a seat opposite him as he sat behind a large wooden mahogany desk that held papers scattered everywhere. “You have a nice home,” I said. Why am I being polite to the guy? I cleared my throat. “Um, I mean, what am I doing here?”

  “Thank you to the first.” He smiled. “And to the second, I have some questions, to which I am sure you will have the answers for.”

  “Sorry, but I doubt that. I don't know you.” I looked down to my lap and adjusted my skirt.

  “Pam, please come in,” he called.

  I turned in time to see the door open, and my jaw dropped. In walked the Pamela Anderson-wannabe from swimming this morning.

  “You have got to be shitting me,” I uttered. My eyes watched her as she walked over to...heck; I didn't even know the guy’s name, and stood beside him smiling smugly.

  “I can see that you recognize my girlfriend, Pam Knowles.”

  I snorted. I couldn't help it, and said, “Seriously, buddy, you need to find a new girlfriend.”

  He glared at me. “So what happened this morning was true? You verbally insulted and harmed Pam in front of my child.”

  I gasped.

  “You see, Zara, I do not take kindly to this type of behavior in front of my child, and I do not appreciate having my girlfriend mentally and physically hurt.”

  I slapped my hands on the desk and stood yelling, “Say what now? Look, buddy, I don't know who you are, and you seem like a nice sort-of-guy, but I can tell you now, I never did anything to your Pamela Anderson-wannabe.”

  “She's lying,” Pam spat.

  “Oh my frigging God. Are you really trying this on?” I glared and turned to her fella, offered an eye roll and added, “Buddy—”

  “Travis Stewart,” he supplied.

  I sighed deeply. “Travis, I didn't even see a child with her. I only approached her because she was, and I'm sorry to tell you this, hitting on my man in front of his child. My man’s son found me sitting down and he looked worried by it, so I got up to get rid of her. I may have called her a dog in heat, but other than that, I never did or said anything that was not appropriate.” I raised my hands in the air and let them fall. “This is why I was tasered and brought here? Jesus, how bad is my luck right now? You know what? I really don't need this. I have enough going on.” I flopped back in the chair.

  “I'm sorry, Zara—”

  “What are you apologizing to her for?” Pam snapped.

  Travis glared up at her. “Clearly, she is having a hard time in life at the present time.” He stood to gaze down at her; she took a step back. “Tell me, Pam, is it true what you have told me, or is what Zara was saying true?”

  “Travy, it wasn't like that; she's lying.”

  We all turned to the door when we heard a commotion outside of it. The door flew open, and in it stood Violet holding out her gun, pointing it inside the room.

  “Travis?” She looked as though she knew him. She relaxed her form and stepped further in.

  I looked from Vi to Travis, and then back. Wait a cotton pickin' minute. “That's your Travis?” I gasped. I turned back to Travis and appraised him in a new light.

  “Violet. What are you doing here?” He was clearly shocked.

  Vi shook her head and placed her gun away. Hang on, should she really be carrying a gun? Because when I left, she was well on her way to being drunk. And where in the heck was Talon?

  “I came for Zara.” She walked over to stand beside me.

  “Where are my men?”

  Vi shrugged. “Unconscious. Travis, what's going on here? Why kidnap Zara?”

  “Pam here told me Zara abused her in front of my child. I couldn't stand for that; I needed to have a word with her.”

  Vi scoffed. “Zara wouldn't hurt a fly.” She jerked her head sideways to Pam. “She's lying.”

  “I am not,” Pam screeched.

  “Oh, just give up,” I said to her, then to Travis, “Ask my man; he'll tell you.”

  “Travis,” Vi said, catching his attention. “You really should have went about this in a different way.”

  “Why?”

  “She's Hawks property.”

  “Fuck,” he hissed. “Whose?”

  “Talon Marcus.”

  “Christ.” He turned to Pam; just from his look, I would have been scared as well. She was taking step after step away from him. “Get the fuck out of my house. You lied, and now I have this shit to fix; you're fuckin' lucky I don't kill you. You stupid bitch, in front of my baby; you whored yourself in front of her?” He ran a hand through his hair. “Leave. Now.”

  She ran from the room.

  “Christ. Fuck!” Travis said as he paced the room, only to stop behind the desk again. “I am truly sorry for this, Zara.” He looked to Violet. “When will I be hearing from Talon?”

  “Not sure. He doesn't know yet.”

  Scoffin
g I asked, “How'd you pull that off?”

  “I told the guys I'd be able to get you back before he found out. It was just lucky I saw those idiots leaving with you over one’s shoulder. I followed and rang Griz on the way. He freaked; I told him I'd have you back soon, so we better get going.”

  “Wow, you’re like a super-agent.” I grinned.

  “Yes.” I watched Travis smiled appreciatively, his gaze wandering up and down Vi's body. He turned back to me. “Please let me know if there is anything I can do for you. Again, I am sorry for the way my men treated you, and for this...terrible misunderstanding. I'm sure I'll be hearing from Talon soon.”

  “Don’t worry too much; it wasn't so bad, and I'll let Talon know that. I'm just thankful you know what a...nasty person your girlfriend is now. No one needs that around their child.”

  “That's true. You sound like you speak from experience.”

  I smiled. “I have a six-year-old daughter. It was just lucky enough I got away from my nasty before it could touch her.”

  “Zara, we better go,” Vi said.

  “Maybe one day, when we have more time, you could explain further on that topic?”

  I cocked my head to the side. “You know what, maybe one day I will. And I'm sure Violet would love to come along as well.”

  He smirked, knowing full well that I knew about their past. “That would be wonderful. Coffee with two beautiful women.”

  “Alrighty, I'll be in touch; it was nice to meet you, Travis, and I'm glad it was you who kidnapped me.” I smiled brightly and walked to the door with Violet following as she laughed.

  Travis cleared his throat and said, “I had heard Talon had claimed an old lady. Now I can see why he has done it so quickly. I look forward to seeing you both soon. Please remember that if there is anything you need, call upon me.”

  “You may regret that,” I said.

  He chuckled.

  We got outside to a vehicle that wasn't familiar to me. I looked at Violet, who was staring back smiling. “Whose is this?” It certainly was a beauty.

  We both got in before she answered, “Not sure. I had to find something quick to follow. But at least I'll be dropping it back, and hopefully, whoever this baby belongs to, they will be none the wiser.” We both giggled.