by Brook Wilder
“Joel, what happened?” Honey had asked. At first Joel had tried to answer but it was hard to understand through the cloth he held to his mouth to stop the bleeding. It was Carla who finally spoke up.
“Damaris went after Elle. Then all the sudden Sparkplug was there. He challenged Damaris and…won.”
“Wow.” Honey said, letting the information sink in. He didn’t ask what had happened to Damaris. He didn’t care. There was only one person that he cared about and he kept looking at behind them hoping she’d come running out. And every moment that she didn’t his fear ratcheted even higher, “Carla, where’s Elle?”
“What? She is…she was right behind me!” Carla said, panic in her voice as she spun around, looking for her absent friend, “I swear, she was right here!”
“It’s okay. Just…just try and remember what else happened. Who else was–.”
“Viper!” Carla said, turning back to him her eyes wide and Joel forced words through his swollen lips.
“She was standing on the other side of the clearing,” It was hard to understand the words but after a moment Honey made them out, “Then the smoke started. I think…I think Viper started the fire as a distraction to get away?”
“Did he…does he have Elle?” Honey asked, and his voice was hard enough to break rocks as he spoke. Carla closed her eyes at the possibility but Joel just met his gaze head on.
“We’ll find her.” He’d said.
We’ll find her. We’ll find her. What good would that do anyone if all they found was her lifeless body. It felt like he’d been searching for hours instead of just the ten or fifteen minutes that it had been. Even still, it felt like an eternity. Honey thought of all the things he wanted to say to her. All the stories about himself, his past. All the thousands of things he had yet to learn about her. He needed her to still be alive. She had to be.
“Elle!” He shouted again, desperation edging his words no matter how hard he tried to keep his emotions separate. He just couldn’t. Not while the woman he loved was out there somewhere. He looked through the smoke, wrinkling his nose against the acrid smell of burning weed and knew that he couldn’t stay out there in it much longer. Well, not and be functioning enough to lead a rescue mission.
“Elle, baby, where the fuck are you?” Honey said the words, the last of his hope draining away with them as he stared helplessly into the roiling smoke, feeling the heat of the flames on his face.
Then, a cry split the air just to his right and he moved without thought, running on instincts, his heart leading the way.
***
“Elle!” It was Honey’s voice and for a moment Elle was sure she was dreaming. It was a wonderful dream. A beautiful dream. “Elle, baby, where the fuck are you?” No. No, definitely not a dream. It was real! It was really him and he was there. But when she finally forced her eyes open it was Viper hovering in the air above her. He must have heard Honey’s call for her too because he covered her mouth with his foul smelling hand so she couldn’t call back.
They were both so low, hidden behind the plants Honey could walk right by them and never even know they were there. With a sudden rush of panic Elle threw her whole body against Viper and in his surprise, he was dislodged just enough for her to get her mouth free and cry out. It was a wordless sound, drawn with need as it flew from her lips and she prayed that it would reach her mark.
But then Viper was back, his hands not going to cover her mouth but grasping around her neck. Fear bit into her, real and sending ice cold fingers shivering through her at the look in his eyes as he stared down at her. It was pure murder. Elle fought against him, clawing at his hands as they squeezed even tighter around her throat, cutting off her air way. But she didn’t stop. She didn’t give up. She would fight this bastard until the end.
Elle reached up, reaching for his face, anything to get him to let her go, to stop choking the life from her lungs but suddenly…there was nothing there. No Viper. No hands squeezing painfully around her neck. Just a spot of blue sky where the dense smoke broke for a moment.
She took a deep, grateful breath and almost immediately regretted it as it filled her lungs with more smoke. Elle hacked and coughed. It was agony on her already pained throat but she never once took her eyes off him. Honey. He was there. Really there, and right in front of her. Not a dream at all.
As he wrestled with Viper she reached out, tried to stand, tried to do anything she could to help him but every movement sent a stab of agony streaking through her exhausted, abused body.
There was moment, when they stumbled, throwing fists at each other and landed so close to where the fire raged that she couldn’t see him anymore. Fear, worse than anything she had felt running from Viper, flooded her system and she called out for him. His name came out more of a croak than a cry but it didn’t matter. Neither did the tearing pain that accompanied her attempts. She didn’t stop. She couldn’t stop.
And then, all of a sudden, Honey was running towards her again. And this time she was positive it was a dream because she’d never seen anything that looked so good in her entire life. He crouched down by her side, holding her close as he rained kissed across her cheeks, her forehead, her lips. Any part of her he could reach.
“I’ve got you,” His voice slid over her like his namesake, like the sweetest of honeys, soothing her, comforting her, “I’ve got you baby.”
“D–don’t let go.” She had to force the words out through her bruised throat and her voice was hoarse and rough, barely even sounding like it belonged to her.
“Hush. It’s okay, Elle. Don’t talk. I’ve got you know.” Honey repeated again as he slid one arm under the bend in her knees and the other under her shoulders before lifting her effortlessly in his arms.
“Please…Please, H–Honey. P–Promise me that you won’t let me go.” It was hard to speak, but for some reason it seemed like the most important thing in the world to her, to hear him say those words back to her. He stared down as he carried her through the burning fields, his eyes drinking in hers as they trace across her soot stained face.
“I promise, Elle. I will never, ever let you go.” He told her, and she could read the sincerity in his eyes. He meant ever single word.
“I…I love you.” She said, barely a whisper and he hushed her with the sweetest kiss.
“I love you too, Elle. I love you too.”
As the last word hit her ear her eyelids were already sliding shut as unconsciousness claimed her but she knew she was safe, because she knew, in her heart, that Honey would never let her go.
Chapter 33
“Come on Elle. Stop stalling. You look great.”
“Are you sure?” Elle said, staring at herself in the mirror as Hot Wheels’ voice reached her through the bathroom door. She examined herself, no longer afraid of what she might see looking back at her. No longer afraid that the reflection would show a coward, someone alone and unloved.
Instead, as she stood there, examining her blond hair that Hot Wheels had done up in some artfully messy updo and the makeup that made her eyes look enormous and luminous, she realized that there was something there that none of Hot Wheels’ makeovers could ever achieve. It was that spark that burned from somewhere deep down inside her and lit her dark gaze. A flame that she had been afraid had burned out long ago, but somehow, someway, it had been brought back from the brink of extinction.
Not somehow. Someone. Honey. He had walked into her life, and completely changed her. Well, you had something to do with that to. Her inner voice said. And she nodded. It was true. But it was Honey who had given her that first little shove outside of herself, outside of what she was comfortable with. And she couldn’t ever imagine going back to the person she once was.
Oh, she was still working on overcoming her anxiety. She still had problems with large crowds of people. Which was part of the reason she was hiding inside in the office’s bathroom instead of joining the party that was going on just outside. Carla and Joel had set up a tent on the open lawn by the
farm and had invited the Dirty Cruisers and the Nomads to come.
It was a good day for new beginnings. Elle smiled softly at the thought. Viper was long gone, and over the past several weeks there had been a lot of rifts inside the Cruisers that had begun to heal, some that had been severed completely.
Joel had resigned as President. He said it wouldn’t be fair to the newer members but he overheard him talking to Carla about adding a nursery to their house and had a feeling that there were other reasons behind the sudden shift.
Instead, he had nominated Hot Wheels to take over as leader, and she’d been unanimously voted in. Every had since learned of how hard she’d worked to keep the peace between all the different rival gangs. And she was even willing to consider Joel’s offer to hire the Cruiser’s as a sort of security to work the farm. Everyone seemed on board, especially now that the farm was starting to turn a profit. And it was considerable, even with the damage the fire had caused.
For the first time in her life, it finally felt like things were all starting to fall into place, like things were finally how they were supposed to be.
“Come on, Elle!” Hot Wheels’ impatient voice called again as she pounded on the door. “Let me see my handy work!”
Elle finally gave in with a sigh that she didn’t really mean and slowly opened the bathroom door and walked out into the office.
“Well?” She asked, more confident but still hesitant as she looked at the other woman who had become one of her closest friends, along with Carla, over the past weeks. Hot Wheels whistled under her breath.
“Damn, sugar. I’m telling you, you should dress like this more often,” Hot Wheels laughed then, winking at her and tilting the bottle of beer she held in one hand in Elle’s direction, “Go get em’, tiger.”
Elle couldn’t help but laugh right along with her, “I already have.” Her laughter faded only to be replaced by a happy smile, “Hey, don’t you have a motorcycle gang to lead or something?”
Hot Wheels rolled her eyes good naturedly, “How many times do I have to explain this, sug, it’s not a gang. It’s a crew.”
“Uh huh.” Elle said, still grinning.
“You’re hopeless,” Hot Wheel said, returning her grin, “But you are right.” She turned, heading towards the front door of the office and as they neared Elle could hear the sounds of voices talking and laughter coming from outside. “Wait, before I forget.”
Elle watched curiously as Hot Wheels ducked behind Carla’s desk and pulled out a box, then set it on top. “I got this for you.” The woman turned, her green eyes warm with friendship on hers before giving her a quick hug, “Welcome to the family, sugar. You’ve earned it.”
With that Hot Wheels turned and left, leaving Elle to look in confusion from the box, to the door and then back to the box again. With a shrug she walked closer, just working on tugging off the lid before she heard the door open again. A second later arms wrapped around her from behind and a warm breath blew across her cheek as Honey rested his chin on her shoulder, looking down at what she had.
“What is that?” He asked, mildly curious but distracted as he laid a trail of kissed down her neck. It was working on distracting her as well. He had that effect on her.
“I don’t know. Hot Wheel’s said she got it for me.”
“Well open it,” He said, laughter in his voice, “I can’t stand the anticipation.” Elle snorted out a laugh at his over dramatic delivery as he shuddered behind her but he felt so good she didn’t want him to leave.
“I’ll open it up if you promise to stay right where you are.” She whispered breathily as she looked at him over her shoulder. He took advantage of the position to drop a short, but hot, kiss on her waiting lips before nodding.
“Always.” He said, and she could feel the movement of his jaw against her as he spoke, “Now, open it. I want to see.”
“Okay, okay.” Elle said on another laugh before reaching out with both hands and tugging off the lid. It took a little bit of maneuvering but she finally got it free, then dug through the layers of tissue paper that sat on top. She froze as her fingers hit the cool feel of smooth leather and she stood like that for a long moment.
“Well, are you going to take it out, or what?” Honey breathed in her ear, distracting her even more as he nibbled on it.
“Not if you keep doing that.” She whispered, the words rushing out as lust crashed through her. It always did with him. All he had to do was touch her, a single kiss, hell, a single look from those hot, melting dark chocolate eyes of his and he had visions of teasing him to the nearest bed rising like steam in her mind.
“You keep distracting me.” The words were feather soft against her neck and she couldn’t hold in the burst of breathy laugher.
“Me, distracting you?” Elle shook her head, at least she tried to but stopped as Honey began to kiss her neck again. She didn’t want to miss even one, “I think you have it the other way around.”
“Ah, I see. I’m distracting you.”
“Uh huh. Big time.”
“Well, we could always ditch the party and go home and keep…distracting each other.” His kisses trailed up to her cheek and then back down to her shoulder, making sure to hit every sensitive spot in between.
“I would but…”
“Wait, let me guess…you promised Joel and Carla that you would stay at the party.”
“At least until dessert.” Her friend’s words had been very specific.
“Dessert, huh?” Honey said, and she could feel the grin spread across his face, “they didn’t happen to say what kind of dessert did they?”
“Honey!” Elle laughed, partly scandalized but mostly so turned on that all she could think about was getting him naked.
“Fine.” He growled, pulling away just enough to give them both a little breathing room. “Well, are you at least going to open that thing?”
“You know it is my gift, right?” Elle teased him over her shoulder but he just shrugged.
“I love a good surprise.” There was a warm light in his eye that looked more like anticipation than surprise but she turned and dug through the tissue paper until she uncovered what had been folded lovingly at the bottom of the box.
Elle gasped in shock as she drew it out, just as lovingly, sliding the soft dark leather between her fingers almost reverently.
“Is this…?” Elle trailed off, the question ending on another gasp as she held it up in front of her. She was so distracted that she didn’t even notice Hot Wheels, Carla and Joel, Tucker and Sparkplug all filing inside so she gasped again as she turned around.
“Is it really…?” She still couldn’t get out the whole question but Honey stepped forward, a proud grin on his face, answering for her anyways.
“It’s yours. Now you don’t have to borrow Hot Wheel’s anymore.”
Elle looked down at the jacket one more time, before looking around the room. Their faces were blurred by the sheen of tears in her eyes and she blinked them away because she wanted to be able to see them all, to remember this moment for the rest of her life.
“I don’t know what to say.” She finally chocked out and then there was a flurry of movement as everyone stepped forward, each taking turns giving her a hug before stepping back until only Honey was left. She smiled up at him.
“You know, I’m about the least likely member of a motorcycle…crew ever.” She slid a look at Hot Wheels before continuing, “Who ever heard of a piano teacher biker?”
“Honorary member.” Hot Wheels said with cough and a soft smile, “We do have our reputation to maintain after all.”
Another round of laughter went around the room before Honey stepped forward, wrapping his arms around her and she knew, to the bottom of her heart, that there was nowhere she would rather be in the entire world.
“Congratulations baby,” Honey whispered softly against her temple before he laid the gentlest of kisses across her lips, “You finally found your family. Now you’ll always know where y
ou belong.”
“I know where I belong.” Elle said, staring up at him with all the love in her heart laid bare for him to see, “Right here, in your arms.”
THE END
Read on for more books from Brook Wilder!
OTHER BOOKS BY BROOK WILDER
They went after my family, and she helped.
I’m going to make them all pay, starting with her.
And once I have her in my hands…
I’m going to use her, ruin her, and make her do whatever I tell her to do.
We lived in a world that had no rules but agreed that family was always off-limits.
Until my enemies broke that agreement and came after me and mine.
I just never thought someone like her could be involved.
She seemed so innocent and wholesome.
