***
Raptor
“Excuse me, Jason?”
He turned around and looked at me.
“I’m sorry, do I know you?” he asked.
“No, but I think you know her,” said Tank, nodding to Krystal.
Jason’s face turned pale. “Ah, hey Krystal. What’s going on?”
Krystal smiled coldly. “Heard you abandoned my friend last night. After you tried raping her, you fucking asshole.”
The girl standing next to Jason, took a step back. “What? Jason, what is she talking about?”
“Nothing, Michelle. Get in the car. I’ll handle this.”
“But-”
“Get in the car,” he said firmly. “Please.”
Sighing, she opened the door and slid into the front seat.
Jason turned back to us. “What’s this all about?”
“You slipped something into Adriana’s drink last night,” I said. “What was it?”
His face darkened. “That’s bullshit. I didn’t do any such thing. Is that what she told you?”
In three strides I had him by the throat. “Look, you ass-fuck,” I spat. “That shit could have killed her. What the fuck was it?”
He tried clawing at my fingers. “I didn’t,” he croaked. “Let me go.”
I reached into my jacket and pulled out my revolver. I held it to his head and cocked it. “Tell me or I’ll blow your head off, mother fucker.”
“Oh my God, no!” hollered Adriana, who was running toward us. “Don’t!”
I lowered the gun and shoved it into his nut-sack. “Don’t worry, Jason. I’m not going to kill you. Just remove the source of your problem.”
“Please,” he begged, holding up his hands. “It wasn’t me. Seriously. It was Lucas. He did it. For Gary. It was his birthday.”
I glared at him. “Explain.”
“Lucas just wanted him to get lucky. The shit was just supposed to make her horny. That’s all I know.”
“Gary wasn’t interested in having sex with any of us,” said Krystal, looking horrified. “Don’t put the blame on him.”
“I’m not. I mean, you’re right. He didn’t even know about it.”
“But you did,” I said sharply. “And you tried raping her.”
“No,” he lied. “I swear…”
“Say goodbye to your little friends,” I said, mimicking Al Pacino.
He began to cry. “No! Please! I’ll do anything.”
I heard the sound of sirens in the distance.
“Time to leave,” said Tank.
Swearing, I slammed my fist into Jason’s face and heard the distinct sound of his nose breaking.
He sank to his knees holding his nose. “I think you broke it. Oh my God!”
I grinned. “Good. It looks like it’s your lucky day, fuck-face, because that’s all I have time for. Now, I know you’ve heard of the Gold Vipers and now we’ve heard of you.”
Jason’s eyes moved to my jacket and the realization of who I was associated with, made him look like he was going to shit his pants.
I grabbed him by the collar and looked down into his face. “I ever hear of you or your friends drugging these or any other girls, you’re dead. You feel me?”
He nodded quickly.
“I mean it. You’ll be ten feet under and I’ll bury you myself if I have to. I have plenty of shovels.”
“I won’t. I swear,” he cried.
Although I still wanted to beat the fuck out of Jason, I released him.
“Let’s bolt. The cops are getting close,” said Tank.
I turned toward Adriana, but she wouldn’t even look at me. Sighing, I grabbed her by the elbow and began ushering her to the car she’d gotten out of. “Meet me at my house,” I said, when we stopped.
“No,” she said, pulling her arm away. She continued to avoid my eyes. “I can’t.”
“I’m coming with you, Adriana,” said Krystal, approaching the car.
“Okay,” she answered.
“We need to talk,” I said, feeling the tension between us. I couldn’t understand why she was pissed. The guy got off with a broken nose. Shit could have been a lot worse.
She didn’t say anything, but I could tell the wheels in her head were turning rapidly.
“Raptor,” said Tank. “I’ll meet you back by the bikes.”
“I’m right behind you, Brother.”
Tank held up his hand. “Call me, Krystal.”
She nodded. “Yeah. I will.”
“So, you have a gun,” blurted out Adriana, looking angry.
“Yeah, so?”
“Yeah, so?” she said, laughing coldly. “I guess that my mother was right. You’re not just trouble, you are fucking dangerous.”
I tried to remain calm, but it wasn’t easy. My adrenaline was still on overdrive. “Not to you.”
“Famous last words.”
“Bullshit. I would never hurt you,” I said, staring at her in frustration.
“You’ve got that right. Goodbye, Trevor,” said Adriana, getting into her car.
I wanted to stop her, but I could see the cherries from the cops heading down the street. Swearing, I took off running.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Adriana
“Wasn’t that insane?” said Krystal, digging around in her purse.
“Very.”
“God, I need a cigarette.”
“I thought you were quitting.”
“I was, but after that scene, can you blame me?”
I smiled grimly. “No. I guess not.”
“Do you have some cash on you?” she asked, pulling out her wallet. “All I have is a five dollar bill and I’ve already maxed my credit card.”
“Another reason why you should quit smoking.”
“Don’t be a drag,” she said, laughing.
I rolled my eyes.
“Seriously, can you borrow me a couple of bucks for a pack of smokes?”
“Yeah, fine.”
“Thanks.”
“Where’s your car?”
“At their club house.”
“Where is that?”
“A couple of blocks away from Griffin’s.”
“You want me to drop you off there, right?”
“If you could?”
“Why not? I’ve got nothing else going on.”
She sucked in her breath. “Is that the necklace from your dad?” she asked, leaning toward me.
I touched it and smiled. “Yeah.”
“I can’t believe you’re wearing it. It’s beautiful.”
“Thanks. I have to admit, I was nervous wearing the thing.”
“I would be, too. If someone found out it was real, they’d try and steal it.”
“Speaking of which…” I told her about Breaker, from when I first ran into him, at the gas station, to where he chased me after work.
She stared at me in horror. “Oh my God, are you serious?!”
“Yeah. It was scary. I headed toward the police station and he must have knew what I was doing, because that’s when he left me.”
“That prick. You should call Raptor and let him know.”
I shook my head. “Oh, no. I don’t want anything to do with him.”
“You know, he has the hots for you.”
“I don’t care. Raptor is fucking crazy,” I said firmly. “You saw him back there. He could have shot Jason.”
“Why do you care? The guy is a douchebag.”
I looked at her in surprise. “Don’t tell me that you’re condoning murder, now?”
“No, of course not. But, Raptor was just trying to scare him. Now he’ll think twice about drugging girls for sex.”
“After that, you’d think so.”
We pulled into a nearby gas station. She ran inside and bought a pack of smokes. When she got back into the car, she asked me if she could light one up.
I grunted. “Seriously? I just bought it. It still smells new.”
“What if
I open the window?”
I frowned. “You know that doesn’t really help.”
“Fine,” she pouted, shoving the cigarettes into her purse.
I let out an exasperated sigh. “Do you want me to pull over somewhere, so that you can have one?”
“No. I’ll just wait until we get to my car,” she said, looking out her side window. She was silent for several minutes and I knew something was definitely wrong.
“You mad?” I asked.
“No,” she replied, looking back at me. “I’m just thinking about Tank. I’m afraid of what he’s going to do when I break it off with him.”
“So, you’re really going to do it?”
She nodded.
“Good. They’re both bad news. I’m sure Tank carries a gun, too.”
“He does.”
“Great. Well, if I were you, I would definitely do it over the phone.”
She smirked. “I was planning on it.”
“So, where is this place?” I asked, as we neared Griffin’s.
She directed me past the strip joint to a warehouse district, about two miles away. We pulled up to a set of gates.
“Great, how do we get in there?”
“Very easily. It’s not locked,” she said, opening the car door. “I’ll be right back.”
“Okay.”
Krystal got out and ran up to the gate. She unlatched it and pulled it open. I drove through it and waited for her to get back in.
“My car is just over there,” she said, pointing to a row of vehicles that were parked near the side of an old warehouse.
“So, this is where these guys usually hang out, huh?” I said, driving slowly. “The building looks abandoned, except for the cars.”
“Most of those belong to the club whores,” she said, wrinkling her nose. “The guys keep their bikes inside of the building. There’s a garage door in back.”
“Why are the windows all boarded up?” I asked, stopping behind her car.
“Because of the shit that goes on inside,” she said, picking up her purse. “It’s like a playground for men, in there. They’ve got this wrap-around bar with hundreds of bottles of booze. Hundreds. A couple of wide screen TVs, some video and pinball machines.” She smirked. “Hell, they even have a stripper pole.”
“Why does that not surprise me?”
“I know, right? Get this, some of the girls walk around naked, like it’s no big deal.”
“Classy.”
“Exactly. Anyway, I’d better go,” she leaned over and gave me a hug. “I’m just going to go home and crash, I think. I’m still a little hung over from last night. I tried the old ‘Hair-of-the-dog’ thing, but it’s not working.”
“Okay. Call me, tomorrow.”
“I will.”
Krystal got out and walked over to her car. As I watched her get inside, my cell phone went off.
Trevor.
I ignored his call but then he began texting me. Sighing, I picked up my phone and called him.
“Where are you?” he asked.
“I just dropped Krystal off to her car and now I’m on my way home,” I replied, backing out of the parking lot.
“Wait there for me. I want to talk to you. I’m only a couple minutes away.”
“We have nothing to talk about.”
“Yes. We do.”
“Look, I’m grateful for what you did, picking me up in the middle of the night and letting me stay at your house, but it can’t go any further than that.”
“That’s not what I got from that kiss, earlier.”
That was before I saw you almost kill someone.
“Things have changed,” I said, driving away from the clubhouse. Knowing that he was almost going back there, I wanted to put as much distance between him and my car as I could.
“What do you mean?”
“I think you know exactly what I mean. That thing with Jason…”
“He needed to be taught a lesson.”
“You broke his nose.”
“Yes I did”
“And you threatened him with a gun.”
“Of course I did. He needed to know we meant business.”
I sighed.
“Did you expect me to ask him nicely?”
“No, but I didn’t expect that!”
“Look, Kitten, he deserved a lot more than what I dished out, believe me.”
“He wasn’t even the one who slipped me the drug.”
“No, but he knew about it and tried to use it to his advantage, didn’t he?”
“Yes, but-”
“And then he threw you out of his car, in the middle of nowhere, without giving a shit. You’re probably lucky to be alive. Are you really going to stick up for that asshole?”
He had a point.
“No. I’m not. I just don’t like the way you handled the situation.”
“I did what I had to do, to ‘handle it’. And because I scared the fuck out of him, College Boy will think twice before trying something like that again. I guarantee it.”
“I’d say.”
“Now, if that’s all you’re pissed at, then I need to see you, Kitten. Tonight. Are we good?”
“I… um…I guess so. I’m kind of tired. Maybe we could have lunch or something, tomorrow?”
“Lunch?”
“Yeah.”
He chuckled. “Hell, we can do that, too. I’ll see you soon.”
“But-”
“Meet me at my place.” He hung up.
I stared at the phone and realized this was the second time, in twenty-four hours, that he’d cut me off when I’d tried to say ‘No’. He obviously didn’t do well with that word.
Sighing, I put my phone down and headed toward my own house. If he wasn’t going to listen to my protests, he’d sure as hell hear my actions loud and clear.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Adriana
When I arrived home, I sent Trevor a text, telling him that I wasn’t coming over. In the message I also explained that I wasn’t interested in seeing him again, because his world frightened the hell out of me. I also told him that if he called, I wouldn’t answer. I pretty much demanded that he give me space and respect my wishes.
I hesitated before I pushed “Send”. I hesitated, because deep down, part of me wanted to see that sexy smile again. Even more than that, I wanted him to kiss me. I wanted his tongue, his mouth, and what was hiding under those blue jeans. I wanted it badly. What I didn’t want was the drama and all of the other stuff that came with it. Something told me that if I did find myself in his bed, I’d make up excuses for that part of his life. It would suddenly be, acceptable. Well, that was now unacceptable.
Letting out a ragged breath, I pushed “Send” and then waited several minutes for his reaction.
Fortunately, he didn’t call me back.
Nor did he send me a text.
Setting my phone down, I went into my bedroom, removed my panty hose, and then threw them into the dirty clothes. Afterward, I went into the kitchen and began making myself a ham and cheese sandwich. As I was searching for the mayonnaise, I heard it. The rumble of a motorcycle rolling down the street.
Groaning, I closed the refrigerator and went to the front door, knowing that none of the other neighbors owned a Harley Davidson, or any other motorcycle, for that matter. When I opened it, I found myself looking up at Trevor’s cocky grin.
“Surprise.”
I scowled. “Didn’t you get my text?”
“Of course.”
“I told you not to come over here.”
“Number one, you should know that I’m not keen on following orders, unless they’re from Slammer. Number two, you told me not to call you. You never said anything about stopping by.”
I sighed. “Technicalities.”
“Can I come in?”
“No,” I said, crossing my arms under my chest. “In fact, you really need to leave. My mother is going to be home soon.”
“So, what you
’re really trying to say is that she doesn’t like me?”
“Ha, ha. Funny.”
“Actually, it’s not, really.” He looked down at my outfit and he whistled. “I didn’t get a chance to tell you this, but you look sexier than hell, Kitten.”
“Thanks.”
He bit his lower lip and sighed. “A dress like that can make a man lose control. It can also put ideas in his head. Wicked ones.”
I was blushing when our eyes met again.
“Come on.” He leaned against the door frame and whispered, “Take a ride with me.”
“I can’t.”
“You can. You’re just scared.”
“It would never work between us.”
“I’m not asking for anything to work. I’m just asking you to take a ride.”
I glanced at his Harley. It sounded like fun, but I knew it was a bad idea. Between the man and the machine, I’d never want to get off. Or maybe I would and that was the real problem. “What do you want from me, Trevor?”
A slow, sexy smile crossed his lips. “Oh, Darling, do you really have to ask?”
Why the fuck did he have to be so damn sexy?
“If I get on your bike, I’m pretty sure that I’ll make some bad decisions, before the night is over.”
He grinned wickedly. “I won’t tell if you won’t.”
Heat pooled between my legs. The look in his eyes was making it so hard. “I’m not getting on your bike, so don’t ask me again.”
He sighed. “Fine. I won’t ask you again if you agree to something.”
“What’s that?”
“Give me a kiss goodbye. You owe me, anyway.”
I laughed. “Oh, is that right?”
He looked serious. “Yeah. It’s colder than shit out here and now I have to drive back.”
“Why is that my problem?”
“Because you wouldn’t let me call you. Had I been able to do so, I wouldn’t be standing out here or about to drive back without your warm body wrapped around me on my bike.”
‘So, you think that I owe you a kiss?” I replied, smirking.
“Probably two, but I’ll settle for one.”
I smirked. “Fine. One kiss and then you’re leaving.”
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