DIESEL (Forsaken Riders MC Romance Book 13)

by Samantha Leal

  It was a strange mix of feelings, but Jessa was happy that they had met. She felt bad about leaving them out under the stars the night before, but she could understand the sentiment. For some time it was just her and her son. There was safety in numbers those days and she knew that it must be hard for someone of Carin’s age. Her grandson was in that stage of not knowing what quite to do yet, but so close to being a man that he thought he already was. Jessa had thought of how her own son would grow up and she hoped that he would be more like Milo. Still, she could tell that Jason was trying as well, though he had taken the more confrontational approach.

  Jessa smiled and nodded when Carin took a deep inhale of her coffee. “Oh I do. I went a couple of years without coffee. It was just impossible to get a hold of, but there is some trading across the border.”

  “Well I can’t even imagine. I guess that those old lines don’t really matter anymore.”

  “Have you been out of this area? Where are you from?”

  Carin sighed. “We have been here for many years. We used to live in Texas, but we had some problems and we had to leave.”

  “What kind of problems?”

  Jessa saw the way that Carin looked at Jason and then back at her. “Sorry, I don’t know why I am being so nosy. It’s just that you’re the first female I have seen in a while. Well, the first one that I could talk to anyway.”

  Carin waved her hand. “No, it is okay, really. I understand. Jason wants to know what else is going on around here. He wants to leave for somewhere better.”

  “I can’t blame him. There are some strange tribes around here that I would not want to run into again.”

  Carin nodded in agreement. She had almost run into the same group of cannibals that Michael had, and she shuddered at the memory. “Yes, but I worry that there is worse out there.”

  Jessa understood the fear of putting her grandson in the middle of some terrible situations, but Jessa still thought that it could get better. She had more faith that there was better out there. There had to be better, she just knew it.

  “We are going to the coast. I have heard there are some settlements there. There is trading coming from across the ocean and there are more people there.”

  Carin had heard many schemes. There had been more than one group that had come through looking for the promised land. She wasn’t sure if it was even real or not, but she knew that people needed hope. If there was no hope, people just gave up and Carin wasn’t ready to do that either. But there was a fear deep down in her heart that was impossible to deny.

  “That’s what Jason wants to do. I have seen many people take the journey somewhere else.”

  “What happened to them?”

  Carin shrugged. “I’m not sure. I never saw them again. I guess they are either doing well or they never made it. Most days I like to think that they are going well.”

  “Everything is a gamble anymore. I was with a settlement southwest of here that wasn’t so bad.”

  “But you are here now, so it couldn’t have been that good.”

  Jessa nodded and pushed her long, auburn hair back from her face. “No, it wasn’t that good. But there always seems to be those men that make a good thing bad.”

  Carin didn’t need any more information. Being a woman was even harder nowadays than when she was younger. There was respect for women when she was Jessa’s age, but now there was none. Being a woman was a liability and she couldn’t imagine having a child to boot. Jason was twelve when his parents were killed and she remembered how hard and daunting it had been in the beginning. Now that he was older, it was almost harder, but the older woman couldn’t imagine if he had been a young child.

  “Yes, I know exactly what you mean. We have met a few on the way. That is part of the reason I just decided to stay put. There is less chance of running into someone like that here. Jason tries to be the man, but he is not quite there yet.”

  Jessa felt for her and could imagine what it had been like for them. There were many people that made hiding a way of life. Milo came to mind and she was starting to have the same sentiment as she did for him.

  “You should come with us. Everyone is stronger in numbers and we would love to have you.”

  “But you don’t even know us.” Carin was shocked with the offer. It was not given lightly and it wasn’t taken lightly either. What she had always wanted was just a little safety and she knew that Jessa was right.

  “It doesn’t matter. We haven’t tried to kill each other yet, so that is a good sign.”

  Carin simply nodded. It was strange what was seen as a good day. They had seen so many come and pass, and if she had been able to meet them and they had been as agreeable and kind as this group were, she was sure that they would have been safer traveling together than they were staying in the same place. There was certainly strength in numbers, and the thought that she might not have to worry so much about Jason was groundbreaking. She had never thought about being part of a group like that before.

  “Don’t you have to talk to your people?”

  Jessa just shrugged. “They don’t mind. We picked up Michael and Milo on the way. It’s kind of snowballing. And the more the merrier as far as I am concerned. When it was just me and my son on the road…well let’s just say I know how it feels. I felt far more vulnerable than I do now. I hate to think that having men around helps, that we can do it as women and all of that, but it just isn’t the case. We are stronger in numbers and I would be happy to bring you along.”

  Carin bit her bottom lip. “I will have to talk to Jason about it. I know that he is still young, but he likes to think of himself as a man. It’s a big decision he would like to be included in.”

  “Well we were planning on leaving today, but we can wait around a day if you want to get your things together. You guys think it through. I think it could be better for all of us. And,” Jessa said with her eyes glittering. There is a little more coffee.”

  Carin smiled back. She was already thinking about what it would be like to have someone to talk to again. It was a lonely world; most people were gone, and the ones who were left were generally the worst sorts. She had forgotten that people could be like Jessa. “But like I said, wouldn’t you have to talk to your people about it?”

  Jessa shrugged. “My son is always up for more people to talk to. He will talk your ear off if you let him, or if you know anything about machines. I think the rest are feeling the same way. There is strength in numbers and we have a long trek ahead of us. I have already decided that if there isn’t a settlement there, I will just start one. Someone has to, and six is better than four to start. Everyone has strengths and knowledge that together can become something wonderful.”

  Carin liked the idea of it, but she wondered if Jessa wanted a pipe dream. Maybe it was one, but if there was no hope, what was the point?

  “Let us stay the day and I will talk to Jason. I like the idea of it. We can’t stay here forever. There are not a lot of resources here and we are having to go further and further out just to get enough to eat.”

  Jessa agreed and her mind went to all of the stocks that they had. That had taken them some time and energy to get. She wanted people like that. People who could see beyond the next day or week and into the long term. It was all about the long term. Another strong back and some old knowledge were always needed in this new world.

  ***

  “Are you really sure you want to invite them along?”

  Jessa turned towards Michael as she got out of the bathtub. It had taken her over an hour to heat enough water to actual submerse in, but it was worth it. When she finally got out, her body was soft and relaxed. Michael’s blue eyes darkened suggestively, and she giggled, squirming under his intense gaze.

  “Will you hand me a towel?”

  He shook his head no, not wanting her to cover up her body just yet. It had been only a few hours since he had her last and he was already aching for more. She gazed at the tenting in the crotch of his pant
s and she sighed to herself.

  “Please?”

  “I love when you beg.”

  “We have people around and this is their house.”

  “See, this is why I think we have enough. At least with Milo we can still sneak around.”

  She giggled and started to reach for the towel herself. He stopped her with a hand on her wrist, her body open and dripping wet for him. “Are you really going to stop me from getting dressed?”

  “Are you really going to stop me?”

  Michael moved to kiss her and she relented as her lips opened to his insistence. Soon he had her moaning, forgetting everything but the heat between them. All she could think about was him and his touch, his hands on her. Michael turned her around until her back was to him. His hands were moving in between their bodies, and before she could stop him, she was bent over and filled with his need. He covered her mouth as he slammed into her over and over again. The vanity shook and the slapping of their bodies echoed in the small, tiled room.

  Jessa had her eyes closed and found herself gasping for breath when he finally pulled free from her body. Her face was flushed and she couldn’t help but smile to herself. He felt too good, and there was nothing else she could do but succumb to his urges. There was no saying no to Michael. There never was a time that she had been able to tell him no before. He was impossible to resist, and the longer she was with him, the harder it became.

  He finally handed her a towel after she climbed out of the tub. She had to rinse some of the sweat and his seed off of her. That time he didn’t try to stop her, kissing her instead as he watched her cover her curves with water.

  “You know that I love you right?” Michael’s soft voice purred.

  She laughed quietly as she dried off. “Yeah I think you have mentioned it before.”

  “I don’t ever want to leave you, Jessa.”

  Jessa thought it was an odd thing to say.

  “Then don’t.”

  She couldn’t even imagine her life without him and she didn’t want to.

  4

  Carin and Jason took the evening to get their things together and packed up enough that they could just haul their belongings on their backs. Jessa, Michael, and Milo helped carry some of the food stock. It would help them all if they didn’t have to stop for a while, especially if they were in an area where nothing could be foraged.

  Most days, Jessa was able to find something, but more often than not, an area could be picked clean and having a backup was crucial. Besides that, winter was coming soon. It wouldn’t be as cold in the south, but it still got a few cold fronts, making it difficult to thrive on the road. She wasn’t sure what to expect and was grateful for the preserved food that took some of the uncertainty away.

  Milo and Shane seemed happy enough to have more people added to the group. They were now six and though there was more safety in numbers, there were other things to consider. Although they were safer, in a tight spot it might be more difficult to hide six people. But Jessa was convinced that the days of hiding were over. Michael worried about keeping such a large group safe, having a young man and an older woman to think about now, but he would do anything Jessa wanted. He was content to be with her.

  As they traveled, Mike and Jason talked for a time. Michael found himself very curious about how the pair had ended up all the way in Florida from Texas. He was able to piece together that Jason and his deceased father had a tendency to say and do things that were not very well-received by others. But it was Jason’s story of losing his family that made Michael listen. He had heard of such men before, riding motorcycles and burning everything in their wake before they moved on to the next town to create more chaos.

  As soon as Jason started to tell him about the gang that had destroyed their lives, he couldn’t help but think about the gang he had been looking for. Michael wasn’t sure if there was a connection, but he felt like there was. The whole situation had felt somehow orchestrated – fated in a way, and he began to wonder to himself if there might be a reason why he had run into Jason and Carin. But fate seemed silly; it was more of Jessa’s territory. He must have been around her for a little too long if he was allowing himself to think too much into fate and destiny. But regardless, if he believed that he had met her for a reason, was it that much more far-fetched to think that he had met the young man and his grandmother for a reason as well?

  “What more can you tell me about them Jason? Do you remember what kind of emblem they had on their jackets?”

  When the kid nodded, he sighed to himself. Jason offered to draw it for him and Michael searched around, trying not to let the frantic adrenaline take over as he looked for something for Jason to draw with. His blood was ice; he just seemed to know that the emblem would be the same as the gang he had been searching for since the fateful day when he lost his family. What he didn’t know was what that would mean for him.

  They had holed up for the night in a modest sized house. Jessa and Carin were outside, watching as Milo and Shane played with his small collection of cars. As he sat at the small dining room table with Jason, waiting for the young man to finish up, he could feel his heart rate rising. After what seemed like an eternity, Jason handed him the picture that he had sketched out. Michael’s throat constricted. He suddenly couldn’t breathe. Jason noticed that Mike’s face had gone pale, and asked him if he was okay.

  “Are you sure this is what it looked like?”

  Jason looked down at the paper and nodded. He was positive. The emblem had been burned into his memory during the worst day of life, much as it had been for Michael. There were some things that his mind wouldn’t let him forget, no matter how hard he tried. In fact, he had been tortured by the memories for years. And why would he want to let go of his need to avenge his family? It had all been so senseless.

  “When was the last time you saw them? I mean, where was this at?”

  Jason told him where he used to live. Michael had been worried they would have to travel all the way to Texas, but surprisingly it wasn’t too far away from where they were. Maybe a hundred miles back the way they had just come. Michael realized that the attack on Jason’s family must not have been too long ago. It made him wonder if he actually had a chance to catch up with the gang. There was a small chance that they were still around, terrorizing that town. After he had pumped the young man clean of all that he could tell him, Michael was left with wondering what he should he do. Could he really just let it all go?

  ***

  Everyone was sleeping in the house, except for Michael, who couldn’t let his mind settle down long enough to close his eyes. There was no way that he could get to sleep. They were supposed to leave in the morning, but all he could think about was what Jason had told him. If there was a chance that he was that close to the men who destroyed his family, he had to go after them. There was no other option. He knew that Jessa wouldn’t want him to go. He was also painfully aware that she wouldn’t want to come. And for good reason. She needed to protect her own living son, not avenge the ghost of his.

  Michael looked over at her sleeping form and was torn, not knowing what to do. He didn’t want to leave her again, especially after what happened last time, but he knew it was more dangerous to let a group of bloodthirsty men like that roam the fragile new world. As with Billy, there had been a decision made that they couldn’t let guys like them go on. Michael hated to think of how many people could have been saved such misery if someone had taken care of the gang before; if he had taken care of them when they had killed his family.

  He felt guilty that he hadn’t been able to stop them, but now that there was a chance to do what he regretted not doing before, didn’t he owe it to himself and to all the other people out there like him to take care of it? Jason’s family deserved justice too. How could he walk away from an opportunity like this? As if on cue though, Jessa turned back towards him, snuggling in against his body as she murmured in her sleep.

  What if he never saw her again? It w
as always a possibility when you left someone. They might not be there when he got back. A lot could happen while he went away to seek his revenge. That was, of course, assuming that nothing would happen to him. It was the optimistic hope that he would take them all on and finally be the one that stopped them.

  Funnily enough, Michael as worried about that as much as he worried about something happening to Jessa and Shane while he was gone. He knew that Milo would stay and help watch out for them, but he would never forgive himself if something happened to them if he wasn’t there to defend them.

  Michael had no idea what to do. There was nothing he could do that night. Tomorrow he would have an answer; he was sure of it. Was it truly a sign that they had run into Jason and Carin on the road? Eventually, his mind couldn’t handle the pressure anymore and he blacked out, his body pulling him into sleep out of pure exhaustion.

  ***

  “Wake up, silly.”

  Michael growled at Jessa as she squeezed his shoulder. She kissed him, knowing that he was grumpy in the morning. She also knew that he wouldn’t be able to hold onto the grumpiness for too long if she started him off with a little morning seduction. She turned out to be right, and before long he was pulling her onto his hardness and she squealed, trying to get away. Her method was not a hundred percent and there were still times that it got out of hand.

  “I am awake.”

  Pushing herself off of him, Jessa’s body screamed with his roughness the last couple of times that he had taken her. Something was on his mind and he wasn’t ready to tell her about it, though Jessa didn’t mind the way that he was getting rid of his excess energy.