by Cox, Paula
Twisting the bike away from the crew, she heard Sophia’s voice calling after her but tuned her out. If there was trouble, she needed to know. Michael needed to know.
“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” Sophia called.
Lily kept moving away from the others. Twisting around that same corner that she had just passed, she heard every motor starting to grind to a halt.
“Lily, hold up!”
Even the sound of Michael’s voice didn’t give her pause. Let him blast her afterwards, punish her as only he could. Despite the danger all around them, she made her mind look forward to that, and the thought that a part of him would be grateful for her investigating whether something happened to Ken and Sally.
At the sight of Ken’s bike resting against the side of the road, Lily hit brakes hard and skidded into a stop. Hopping off with more skill than she knew she possessed, Lily abandoned Michael’s spare bike and rushed towards the pair of them in the sand.
“Ken?” she cried. “Are you okay?”
He quickly twisted his face to hers, and Lily gasped at the sight of the dried blood caked about his cheek. At least the stream of crimson had stopped; that was something. His eyes focused as soon as he saw her.
And he shot to his feet with a cold glare.
“What the hell you think you’re doing?” Ken challenged.
Trying to meet Sally’s eyes as her head hung against her chest, Lily was startled by the feel of Ken’s fingers around her arms. His hold was firm but far from threatening, and Lily met his eyes as he spoke fast.
“Keep up with the others,” Ken said. “We’re right behind you.”
“Doesn’t look that way,” Lily said. “How is she? Is she okay?”
Lily looked past his arm and called out Sally’s name as Ken held her back and shook his head.
“She’s fine,” he swore. “I’m not going to let anything happen to her.”
Catching the crack in his voice, Lily pushed away from him and fell to Sally’s side.
“Are you alright?” Lily asked her friend. “Sally?”
The girl was like a zombie. Breathing and muttering something that almost resembled words as she held her body closer. Alright? Far from it.
“This… this is a mistake,” Lily started.
“Mistake?” Ken echoed. “Only mistake is you—”
“For Christ’s sake, Ken. Look at her! She needs help.”
“And I’m going to give it to her.”
He leaned down to push her off the ground, but Lily pressed her palm into the air and motioned him away as she took Sally’s hand in hers.
“All the way out here?” Lily asked. “Can’t you see how scared she is?”
“I told you that I’m going to—”
“It was self-defense, Ken. She did what she had to do. Any cop worth his shield will—”
As soon as the words started to trip out of her tongue, Lily clapped her hand to her mouth and shook her head furiously. But she was too slow. Sally appeared to register her utterance, and her eyes went wide as she grabbed Lily by her hair and tugged hard.
“I’m sorry!” she wailed. “I’m so sorry! Please don’t send me back. Please!”
Lily tried to ease Sally away from her, careful to cradle the girl’s back as she kept flailing against Lily, against the night, and against the memories of the monster that was her father.
“I didn’t mean it, Sally,” Lily said. “No one’s sending you—”
Before she could finish her statement, Sally curled her fingers tight and crashed her fist into Lily’s eyes. Blinking under the pain, Lily fell to the ground and felt Sally slipping away from her.
“Sally, don’t!” Ken screamed.
Peering through her fingers, Lily saw Sally charging back down to the road, back to the scene of her justifiable crime at a mad pace. Ken struggled to keep up, and Lily added her voice to the chorus calling Sally’s name.
“Sally, wait!” she cried. “I was wrong. I was—”
Her voice came to a halt at the sound of a motor completely revved up. Lifting her eyes, Lily saw Michael’s body come into view, his frame bathed in moonlight as he brought his bike to a stop just before her fallen form. Kicking away from his chopper, he regarded her carefully for all of a second. His lip slightly quivered, and he started to kneel at her side when he held back.
“Thought you weren’t turning back?” he asked.
“I’m… I’m not,” she started. “Just wanted to make sure that Sally was okay.”
Together, their eyes moved down the road, and Lily held her breath as Ken managed to wrestle Sally from fleeing farther away. His tackle was tender as he brought her body to the ground, but she still pounded his back and kicked at the air.
“Bang up job,” Michael said.
Lily started to hang her head in defeat when Ken caught Sally’s face in his hands and gave her no choice but to meet his gaze.
“Look at me,” he pleaded. “Sally, look at me.”
Ken endured a fresh series of blows, but he kept his hands on Sally’s chin until she seemed to tire herself out. As her chest heaved and her arms still shook, Sally’s fists came to rest at her sides, and she spoke softly.
“Don’t,” she whispered. “Don’t send me back. I’m… I’m so sorry.”
“So am I,” Ken confessed as he gathered her into his arms. Holding her close, he ran his hands down her back, and Lily was finally able to release a sigh. Was she okay? Hardly. Maybe she never could be. But at least she wasn’t running anymore. That was something.
“Come on,” Ken said as he brought Sally to her feet and lightly kissed her tangled hair. “We need to keep moving.”
As they drew closer, Sally shuddered when she saw Lily on the ground.
“Sally, I—”
“Why are you here?” Sally asked, the clouds starting to leave her eyes.
“I… well…”
Before she could finish her thought, Sally looked to Michael and seemed to tap into some unknown strength as her lips parted.
“And you… you should keep her close,” Sally said, her voice flat but sure. “You wouldn’t want to lose her. Would you?”
Michael said nothing. Made no move. Ken brought Sally back to his bike and kissed her gently as he climbed up behind her. “Don’t want to lose you either,” he whispered. “Let’s get going.”
The two men exchanged a curt nod before Ken got on his bike and sped off with Sally planted firmly in his arms. As the dust of their path hit Lily’s eyes, she felt Michael step closer, his hands clenched to his sides as he spoke slowly.
“What Ken said. Keep up this time.”
Rising to her feet, Lily felt as if she could strike him, but she held back. He had his point, and they had already wasted too much time. She had wasted too much time.
“You know I can.”
Their eyes locked, and Lily felt his hand coming close to her face. Ready to settle into his touch, he suddenly pulled back and mounted his bike again.
“Then show me.”
Ready to ride beside him again, she was prepared to head to the front of the pack whenever Michael deemed it the right move.
But this time, he simply kept up with her pace as the club finally left the road and headed deeper into the desert.
CHAPTER TWENTY FIVE “Far from home. But I guess it’ll do.”
Sophia took charge as she ordered the crew about and instructed the men where to unpack and lay down what had to be temporary stakes. There was no way that they could stay here, just out of plain sight, for any length of time. But it would do for the night.
“Give a girl a hand, would you?”
Falling into the sound of Sophia’s voice, Lily helped her set up shop. They laid all manner of food and smokes and weapons on the sand. Sophia pointed in the various directions that she wanted the stash hidden, and she snapped her fingers as Brendan started to hoist a fresh tent.
“Are you slow, boy?” Sophia asked as she slapped the back o
f his head.
“What the fuck?” Brendan challenged. “It’s cold out here. We just supposed to sleep out in the—?”
“Look around you, shit for brains.”
Following the path of Sophia’s eyes, Lily took note of the mountains hovering over them. And the promise of many caves concealed within. Catching Sophia’s drift, Lily lightly took Sophia by the arm and pressed her lips to her ear.
“You should keep the guns close,” Lily suggested.
“That’s a thought,” Sophia said. “But not too close that someone can sneak up and take them out from under us.”
Realizing that she was right, that Sophia still knew better, Lily stayed silent as Sophia sent Brendan off to stock their makeshift arsenal. Sophia decreed that the bikes should hide and Ken quickly agreed. Michael did nothing but shoot her a quick glace before he took off into the distance. Asking him where he was going, Sophia shook her head and cautioned her to stay silent.
Give him his space. He’ll be back.
Lily hoped for that much. This time she had stayed at his side and kept close. And she half—no—she fully expected him to hold her, to kiss her once they came to a stop together. At the very least, he could have smiled. But he just took off. Looking for his return every couple of seconds, Lily told herself that she could stand strong without him. Maybe she would just stick around to get a rise out of him. She wanted it the other way of around, but as soon as she saw Sally rocking back and forth under a ratty blanket, Lily sighed and approached her tentatively.
“Sally?” Lily started. “Are you—?”
“Careful,” Ken said as he stepped close to them, his hand on Sally’s shoulder as he kept his eyes on Lily. “I won’t have you upset her again.”
“I—”
“Because I can take care of her just fine,” Ken continued. “You got that?”
The ice in his eyes told Lily that she would be a fool to cross him in this moment, and she lowered her head with a slight nod. “I do,” Lily said. “Guess I shouldn’t have talked out of turn.”
“There it is,” Sophia said as she passed by with Brendan at her heels. “How about you just hunker down and wait for your boy.”
Lily felt every sound in the air leave the scene as she scanned her new surroundings. What had looked like an impromptu tailgate became a warm series of tombstones as the bikes and the artillery and the men themselves took cover under the mass of cold mouths of rock. Ken waited until the bulk of the job was done, surveying the scene carefully. Lily took note of the struggle working its way around his soul. This was still his brother’s group, his family. Of course he had to wait until the last possible moment to hide with the others. But his gaze kept shifting towards Sally as the girl seemed to calm even as her teeth still chattered.
“Ken?”
Sophia cut in on the scene of his hesitation and Sally’s despair and took his hand.
“Got a place ready for the two of you,” Sophia said. “Let’s say you get her out of the night air?”
Ken stayed tense until Sophia patted his cheek and smiled softly.
“It’s all handled,” Sophia said. “And believe me. Your brother would be mighty proud.”
Blushing under the moonlight, Ken bowed his head as he took her hand. “Of you,” he said. “Not of me.”
“Tell your girl that.”
Lily saw Sophia’s thumb jerk in Sally’s direction, and her heart lifted when the girl finally managed a smile. Sure it was weak, but her lips still curled towards her eyes as she extended her hand.
“Are we safe now?” Sally asked in a small voice.
Sophia nudged Ken forward, and he brought Sally to her feet and cupped her chin in his hands.
“You’re safe with me,” he assured her. “Nothing can change that.”
He kissed her softly and curled her body under his arm.
“Let’s say we try to get some shuteye.”
Watching him leave with Sally under his arm, Lily bit down on her lip. How could Sally even manage to think straight after everything that she had endured? Ken lifted her into his arms and carried her deeper into the darkness when Lily bristled at the feel of Sophia’s hand on her shoulder.
“You okay?” Sophia asked.
There was no way that she could say yes and be completely truthful. Hiding out like this only put the point on how they were still being pursued by too many strands of the past. But Lily forced a smile and nodded her head.
“Sure,” Lily started. “And he… do you really think that he’s coming back?”
“See for yourself.”
The sound of an engine hit the air, and Lily narrowed her eyes. As soon as the moonlight hit his face, she took Sophia at her word. Michael sped closer, and Lily started to move to him when Sophia suddenly held her back.
“What are you—?”
“Just be straight with him,” Sophia advised. “He cleans up nice when he gets the truth.”
Kicking his bike aside, Michael held his ground, his feet pressed to the sand. Watching with an anxious heart, Lily took Sophia’s hand even as she felt Michael’s eyes burrowing into her soul. He started to lift his hands. But then he pressed them into his pockets. Was he suddenly being coy? Did he want to apologize for doubting her strength when it came to following the club into parts unknown? Lily stated to stand up taller when Michael simply plucked a smoke from his pack and struck a match on the heel of his boot. Sucking the cigarette, a wave of smoke curled around her face. Lily fought the urge to blink the haze away, and she thought she saw him smile as she kept her eyes fixed in his direction.
“Don’t stay out of in the cold too long,” Sophia said as she tousled Lily’s hair. “Make nice and get some rest. We all got some long days ahead of us.” Arching her eyebrow before she turned on her heel, Sophia went into hiding as Michael stepped closer.
“Club getting settled?” Michael asked as he took another drag and kept his eyes on hers. Lily inhaled the smoke, almost savoring the scent as he stood before her. Meeting his eyes, she started to nod but suddenly stopped the bob of her head as she folded her arms across her chest.
“More than I can say for you?” she said.
“Needed to clear my head,” Michael said as he sucked on his cigarette, his eyes trailing up and down her body.
“And did you?” Lily asked.
Tossing his cigarette to the sand and snuffing it out with the toe of his boot, Michael pressed his hands to his hips and stared at her hard.
“I think so,” he said. “Came back to you. Didn’t I?”
She moved closer to kiss him and felt his arm swirl around her waist when she pressed her palms to his chest and tilted her head to the side.
“And you were so sure that I’d be here?” she asked. “Like I’d just be waiting for you?”
Michael started to challenge her when his face went dark, even under the light of the moon. Lily’s first instinct was to just hold him and tell him that there was nowhere else that she would rather be. But her body stayed stiff as Michael curled his fingers under her chin.
“I knew you would,” he said. “But I’m still kind of surprised.”
Falling closer to him, Lily felt his warm breath racing down her neck. His arm unfolded around her back. Inhaling the sand and the sweat that covered his tight flesh, her lips nearly hit his skin when she pushed away from him.
“You have a fine way of showing it,” Lily challenged. “What is this? Not even a nice to see you .”
Michael sneered, but Lily held her ground as he started to shift away from her. Because he would come back to her. Wouldn’t he?
“Then that’s on you,” Michael said. “Can’t exactly get into your head.”
A load of horseshit if she had ever smelled it. Into her head? He was under her skin, pushing up against her soul. And he had to know that. But Lily played coy as he turned back to her eyes.
“But I can do other things to you,” he purred.
Keeping her body under his hands, Lily leaned
back with a light moan as his fingers reached under her blouse and his lips hit the back of her neck. She felt his cock already poking through his jeans as he turned his hips around her ass. Ready to give into him right then and there, Lily recovered to the point where she was able to just find his hand. As their fingers mingled around one another, she captured all of his touch in hers with a soft sigh.
