by Jayne Blue
I ran out of pavement and the road became gravel. Afraid to gun it any faster, I clamped both hands on the wheel and tried to keep my focus straight ahead of me.
Shit. Shit. Shit.
If I slowed to a crawl, would he pass me? I lifted my foot off the gas again and got a frightening answer. I felt a jolt as the truck behind me tapped my bumper and flashed his headlights on and off. This asshole wasn’t interested in passing me. He seemed hell-bent on running me off the damn road!
I had maybe enough gas for three miles. Maybe. I forced myself to breathe through my racing pulse. Think. This was West Lincolnshire. There was a police station just off Carpenter Road. Had I passed it?
No. Thank God. No sooner had I thought it when a road sign flashed in my headlights. Carpenter Road was a half a mile ahead. I sped up as much as I dared. The truck behind me kept the pace.
My heart seemed to turn to stone and lodged in my throat as I made the turn. My tires hugged the curve. How far was the West District Station? I didn’t think it was more than a mile. God, if I was lucky I’d get there before I ran out of gas. I reached over to grab my phone. Maybe I was overreacting, but I meant to dial 911. I hit a pothole and my phone bounced right off the passenger seat and on to the floor out of my reach.
My fingers went numb where I gripped the wheel. My head started to swim. I took another deep breath to stave off the rising panic. God, why the fuck hadn’t I taken Brax up on his offer to see me home safe?
The truck behind me sped up again. He tapped my bumper hard enough I lurched forward and my seatbelt snapped tight. I laid on the horn. I could see lights up ahead of me on the right. I was pretty sure it was the District Station. I remembered there was a diner right next to it and I could see a neon coffee cup on the top of the building. The trouble was, this part of the road was framed by deep ditches on either side. If this asshole had a mind to, he could pitch me right into one of them.
The old truck sputtered in protest as I floored the gas as far as it would go. Something felt loose about the transmission and I prayed the clutch wouldn’t pop when I downshifted to make the turn. Well, if it did, hopefully I’d be close enough that anyone inside the police station could hear me screaming bloody murder. My pursuer stayed right with me. I kept honking my horn, hoping I was close enough to catch the attention of someone up ahead. My phone started ringing but it was still out of my reach.
The gas light flashed, but I was almost there. The illuminated Lincolnshire North District Police Station sign seemed like heaven. I let my foot off the gas and coasted down so I could make the turn without tipping the damn truck. I was still too afraid to go much slower.
With a screech and burning rubber, I slammed the wheel hard right, pressed the clutch in as hard as it would go and skidded into the station parking lot. The truck behind me swerved. For a half a second, I thought he’d end up toppling into a ditch. But he righted himself at the last second and sped right past, disappearing into the night.
I parked the car in the closest spot I could find to the front door and hugged the steering wheel. The trunk sputtered out a thunk, vibrated, then died. It wasn’t going to start up again without more gas. My heart pounded so hard it felt like it might burst right out of my ears. But I had made it. I was safe.
I leaned over and grabbed my phone then climbed down from the cab on wobbly legs. I walked to the front door of the station and hit the buzzer for entry.
Chapter Fifteen
A kind-faced female officer had me take a seat at her desk while she got me a glass of cold water in a paper cup. I explained what happened in as much detail as I could. She said her name was Michelle Lord. She was maybe fifty with homemade dyed brunette hair and eyebrows plucked a little too thin. But she was calm, confident, and seemed like she believed me.
“I drive the F-350 parked outside. He tapped the bumper a couple of times, I don’t know if there’s damage.”
“Did you get a look at the other vehicle?”
“A truck. Just as big as mine so maybe another F-350. Newer though. I think it was black or maybe a dark blue. It was hard to see with the headlights and in the dark. Ohio plates though. KF3, that’s all I could make out.”
“That’s really helpful, actually. And you’re sure you’re not hurt? We can take you to get checked out.”
“No. He mostly just scared me. I didn’t hit my head or anything when he rammed me.”
“Okay. That’s good. Now do you think you could walk me through what happened before you got in your car to drive home? Was there anyone you might have met or talked to that seemed out of the ordinary?”
“No. I mean, I’m in a band. I sing. There was a big crowd tonight.”
“At The Wolf Den. That’s what your shirt says. Is that where you work?”
“Yes.”
Michelle bit her bottom lip and nodded. She was working something out behind her eyes. She gave me another kind smile. “Ms. Rhodes, would you mind hanging out here for a few minutes? There’s someone here I’d like to run this by.”
“Sure.”
She patted my knee as she got up and slid a cup of water across the table to me. I smiled and took it, frustrated that my hands were still shaking as I lifted the brim to my lips.
She kept me waiting at her desk for a few minutes. I got a few kind smiles from other officers milling around the station and a few leers from a group of drunks lined up near the door.
Michelle Lord didn’t come back. Instead, a tall, muscular officer with cropped black hair and dark eyes towered over me. The silver name plate above his left breast said Reddick. God, he looked so familiar.
Reddick. The Great Wolves M.C. President was Colt Reddick. He didn’t spend much time in the club, but everyone knew he was the big boss. They had to be brothers. If this guy grew his hair, sported a little stubble and some leather, they’d be a perfect match.
Officer Reddick extended his hand. “Mallory? Mallory Rhodes? I’m Jason Reddick. Officer Lord said you work at The Wolf Den. Do you know my brother?”
I rose slowly and took Reddick’s hand. He held mine for a moment. Without the kind smile, he would have appeared purely dark and dangerous. “I know of him. I mostly deal with the club manager. Kellan Carter.” The instant I said his name, my heart started to pound again. This was unfamiliar territory. It felt strange talking to a cop about club business. Although, I barely knew more about it than the basics.
“Have a seat,” he said. “We’re going to get you on your way in just a few minutes. I’d just like to ask you a couple of questions about what happened tonight if you don’t mind.”
“Sure. Though I don’t think I have anything else to add to what I told the other officer.”
He sat down in Officer Lord’s desk chair but pulled it so he was sitting directly opposite from me, our knees nearly touching.
“Is this the first time anyone’s tried to bother you after you finished a shift at the Den?”
“What? Yes. Except I don’t work shifts there. I’m not an employee. I’m part of the house band.”
“Got it. That was really quick thinking pulling in here.”
“Lucky break.”
“Very lucky. Have you heard anything about any of the other girls from the Den being approached like you were?”
“Officer Reddick, I wasn’t really approached. Just followed. And no.” Something was definitely up. I felt pulled in two directions. Giving this guy any more information about what happened at the club made me uncomfortable. Sure, he was connected to the club president, but it didn’t take a genius to know that the M.C. and law enforcement weren’t historically allies.
Reddick narrowed his eyes at me but kept a sly smile on his face. He seemed to understand I knew more than I was saying, but didn’t press. And what did I really know? Just that a few of the girls stopped coming back. I didn’t know why and no one from the club was talking.
He pulled his business card out of his breast pocket and gave it to me. “If you think of anythin
g else, why don’t you give me a call? And you can call me Jase. Everyone else does.”
Jase. He and his brother were like two halves of a coin. I’d only met Colt the once. But he was dark menace and sex appeal. This guy had that going on too, but instead of a patch, he wore a badge. I’m sure that had to make for some pretty interesting Christmas dinners around the Reddick household.
“Thanks,” I said.
“Is there someone you can call? I can arrange for a patrol car to follow you home.”
My hands shook as I slid his business card into my back pocket. Jase noticed.
“On second thought,” he said. “I don’t think it’s a good idea for you to get behind the wheel again tonight.”
“I’m okay, really,” I protested. I tried to stand but my damn knees knocked together.
“Let me either get someone to take you home or you tell me who I can call for you.”
Jase Reddick rose to his full height and his voice took on the authoritative tone I knew he must use to get people to confess to him. The guy was probably something fierce behind closed doors.
I didn’t want to go home in a cop car. God knows what kind of scene that would make if my father were awake and came outside. He was kind of well-known to the local boys and had been hauled home in the backseat of more than a few black and whites. No. I’d had enough drama for one night.
“I’ll call Kellan,” Jase said and my heart flipped.
Jase didn’t wait for me to protest. His eyes narrowed when he saw my face at the mention of Kellan. I must have turned a shade of pink. A slow smile lifted at the corners of his mouth and he turned away from me as he got out his phone. I didn’t hear what he said, but his conversation was short, clipped, and consisted of about four words. Then Jase clicked his phone off and turned back to me.
“He’s on his way.”
Chapter Sixteen
Kellan
My heart turned to stone with the four words Jase spoke into my ear. “Your girl’s in trouble.”
Sonny had a row of beer mugs lined up ready to clean. They didn’t survive my need to smash some shit.
“Jesus Christ, Kellan.” Jeannette came around the bar with a towel in her hand. She tried to take my right hand and press it to the fresh cut I’d opened up. I didn’t feel a fucking thing.
“Leave it,” I said. “I’ve got to go.”
“Kel!” Brax shouted some other things to me but I didn’t stick around to hear them.
My girl. Trouble. It didn’t matter that I wasn’t open about how I felt about her. It didn’t matter that she wanted to hide it. Mallory was mine. Everyone in the club knew it. Jase was connected to the club enough to know it. And now whoever was trying to hurt this club knew it.
Nothing else mattered but how fast I could get to Mallory and making someone pay for trying to mess with her.
I don’t remember the short ride to the police station. I don’t even remember parking my bike. I just remember the eternity it seemed to take from the time I dismounted to when I stormed through the doors and saw her face.
She looked small, pale. Her hands were still shaking and she folded them behind her, trying to hide them from me. In that short space of time, I knew I wasn’t going to ever let her hide anything from me again. Heidi’s black eye flashed in my mind as I searched Mallory’s face. She looked scared, shaken, but there didn’t seem to be a scratch on her. At least none that I could see.
I balled my fists at my sides to suppress the urge to smash something else. I never wanted to see that fucking look of terror in her eyes ever again. It was just a flicker. Something else flashed across her face when she looked up at me. She might try to act tough, but I knew she was glad I came. Her eyes said something else too; she doubted that I would. My guts tore knowing this girl wasn’t used to people coming for her. She took care of herself.
“Can I talk to you for a second?” Jase said. “Alone?”
I had to concentrate on breathing or else I would have jerked my arm away from him and said some things I didn’t mean. In that instant, Jase stood between me and Mallory. I wanted to flatten him.
Mallory rose, her eyes darting from me to Jase then back again. “I’m okay. You didn’t have to fly over here.”
Like hell.
“Yeah,” I said to Jase. He had a hand on my arm. He set his jaw into a hard line when he realized how keyed up I was.
“Just for a second,” he said to Mallory, then he led me into another office and shut the door.
“Is she okay?” I said, struggling to keep the anger from showing.
“You saw her. She’s a little shook up. Whoever followed her dented the shit out of her back bumper. She’s lucky he didn’t run her off the fucking road. I’m pretty sure that was the plan. She’s smart. Her gauge is on E. She ran her truck right into the lot on fumes. Asshole lit out quick after that.”
“Jesus.” If I let my mind wander too far into what might have happened if she hadn’t been near the station, I would have smashed something a lot bigger than a couple of beer mugs.
“You finally going to let me in on what the hell’s going on, Kellan? My brother won’t tell me anything.”
“Well, that sounds like it’s between you and him then.”
“Cut the shit. This is a small town, Kel. You’ve got a bunch of girls scared to go back to work for you. Now, I know you’re not the one they’re scared of. Though maybe they should be. One of our patrolmen took a report from a Lisa Clark the other night. She got roughed up in the parking lot of her apartment on her way back from a shift at the Den. Now your talent’s getting damn near rammed off the road.”
I looked through the office window. Mallory had her back to us. A female officer stood next to her rubbing her upper arm. Mallory said something and waved the woman off. God, she was like me. She’d rather cut that arm off than let anyone help her. Tonight though, I didn’t plan on giving her a choice.
“Kellan,” Jase barked. “Sooner or later you and my brother are going to have to clue me in on what’s going down in my own city.”
“When there’s something for you to know, you’ll know it.” My voice came out a hell of a lot harder than I meant. I didn’t have a beef with Jase. Not really. He’d proven himself an ally to the club more times than I wanted to remember. Tonight was shaping up to be another one. But for now, whoever was trying to put the squeeze on the Great Wolves was our problem. If we couldn’t find a way to handle it without the cops, then we’d never be able to hold the chapter together.
For now though, my main priority was Mallory. I needed to get her out of here and someplace safe. Then I needed to figure out how not to explode. The first two things would hopefully help with the last.
“Fine,” Jase said. He knew me well enough, I think, to understand this conversation wasn’t going any deeper. “Get the girl home. Watch your back. But we’re not done talking.”
“Right,” I said. I didn’t wait for him to say anything else. I left the office and went back to Mallory’s side.
“Come on,” I said, putting a gentle hand on her arm. “Let’s get you home.”
She tucked a hair behind her ear and followed me back out to the parking lot. I had a thousand things to say to her but we couldn’t very well carry on a conversation from the back of my bike. I tossed her a helmet. I could see gooseflesh covering her skin. I peeled off my leather jacket and put it around her. Letting out a resigned sigh, she slid her arms into the sleeves. Her hands disappeared inside it, but at least she’d stay warm.
Mallory still looked scared for a second, then her pale blue eyes fixed on mine.
“We need to talk,” she said. “Really talk. You need to let me in on what’s going on.”
She was right. I just wish I had more I could tell her. The truth was, I wasn’t fucking sure who was trying to mess with my girls or my club. I had a couple of solid guesses, but this was bigger than a two-minute conversation with Mallory.
“I know. For now though, can I ask you
to just trust me?” I knew it was a big ask for a woman like her. Mallory was used to taking care of herself. Relying on nobody. She had to have learned it was easier to avoid being hurt that way. I got it.
“Where’s your brother tonight?”
Her mouth dropped open and she narrowed her eyes. She got a little crease right between her brows whenever she got angry. God help me, it only made me want to kiss her hard and pull her close.
“He had a baseball tournament this morning. He’s best friends with the coach’s son. He crashes there on the weekends during the season.”
I nodded. “Good. I’m pretty sure nobody followed me out here. And I’m also pretty sure whoever followed you earlier is long gone. But I don’t want to take any chances. You’re coming home with me.”
The crease between her eyes deepened.
“Get on,” I ordered. She could be mad at me all she wanted, but I was going to make her do it from the safety of my house. She let out a little grunt, but she climbed on the back of my Harley. Then she squealed when I peeled out faster than she was expecting.
I didn’t take her back to the Den. I took her home. She might have thought I planned the whole thing. Maneuvered her to a place where she’d have to depend completely on me. Yeah. That would have been a way to play it. I can’t deny I wanted this girl all to myself. But that night, it wasn’t about that. Or at least, it didn’t start out that way. I only wanted to keep her safe and warm and help her chase away the fear that clouded her eyes in those first few minutes after I showed up.
I pulled into my driveway and cut the engine. She hesitated for a minute, perched on the back of my bike. I did a quick check around the house and gave her a nod. She dismounted, wrapping the oversized sleeves of my leather jacket around her, and walked up to the front porch beside me. I let her in. She stood against the wall by the front door as I walked into the living room. She looked small and still a little scared. My jacket hung off her shoulders, reaching down to the top of her thighs. She wore high-heeled leather boots and a tight leather skirt slit up the side. She’d owned the stage in it.
