by K.N. Lee
Table of Contents
Title page
Copyright
Chapter 1 - Trinity
Chapter 2 - Tyler
Chapter 3 - Trinity
Chapter 4 - Tyler
Chapter 5 - Trinity
Chapter 6 - Tyler
Chapter 7 - Trinity
Chapter 8 - Tyler
Rough Rider 3
Fast Life Series
L.N. PEARL & S.K. LEE
Copyright © 2016 by L.N. Pearl. All rights reserved worldwide.
No part of this publication may be replicated, redistributed, or given away in any form without the prior written consent of the author/publisher or the terms relayed to you herein.
All characters appearing in this work are fictitious. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.
Chapter 1 - Trinity
It felt like I’d stepped into an alternate universe, where everybody knew what was going on except me.
As far as I was concerned, they might as well have been speaking another language. They were both large and powerful, and they both looked like they wanted to kill each other.
I looked from Dad to Tyler, and back to Dad again. They had a history. That much was clear.
And Dad hated him. That was clear, too. From the sneer on Tyler’s face, I had the feeling it was mutual.
I held up my hands, stepping between them if only to get their attention.
“Would somebody please tell me what’s happening? How do you know each other?”
Dad laughed harshly. It was the most emotion I’d seen from him in months.
“Everybody down at the precinct knows your friend. Every one of them can tell a story. Isn’t that right, Tyler?”
I glanced at Tyler, who shrugged. Who was this person? This was a side of him I’d never seen before. I knew he was a “bad boy” but standing there, in the kitchen, he acted like one.
His posture changed. He looked at my father with cold, sneering hatred. I didn’t know this person…and I wasn’t sure I wanted to.
Dad continued, “There’s a laundry list of what your friend has done. Charges on top of charges. He’s been in the station more than the chief.”
I looked at Tyler, and he rolled his eyes again.
“All the actual charges were cleared. My record is clear…you always forget about that. The other stuff you’ve tried to pin on me, you can’t get to stick. Why don’t you tell her that part? The way you’re obsessed with me because you haven’t been able to file charges on me yet?”
Dad snickered. “That doesn’t matter. You’re part of a motorcycle crew, right?”
“Motorbikes. You never could get that part right, either.”
I wished he would keep quiet, or at least lay off the smart remarks. He was pushing too hard. I knew how easy it was to push my dad too far.
One of them had to be the bigger person. I wanted it to be Tyler, so he could show Dad the person I knew he was inside.
Dad snorted, “I don’t care if it’s bicycles. It’s illegal, what you do. You’re not supposed to be racing the damned things on public streets, where other people could be hurt. The only reason I can’t pin it on you is because I haven’t gotten proof that you’re one of the riders.”
I couldn’t disagree with Dad on that. I’d had the same reaction at first. It was one thing for the riders to get hurt—it was their choice to ride like that.
Innocent people didn’t deserve the danger. I wasn’t sure how to feel right now.
Dad turned to me. “He’s on a black list at the station. Him and his crew. Any reason to bring him in, at any time, that’s all it takes. We want that crew off the street.” He turned to Tyler, “And it looks to me like you’re in my home without my permission.”
My eyes widened. Now I knew what he was saying. “No! Dad, no way.”
My heart raced like a speeding train. I couldn’t let my night with Tyler be the reason he was arrested. I couldn’t live with myself—not to mention the fact that it would be my father who arrested him, making it even worse. It was like a nightmare.
“Trinity, you need to stay out of this.”
He held up a hand, his face stony. He tried to pull me aside, but I wouldn’t budge.
“Dad, please. You can’t do this. You can’t arrest him!”
I looked at Tyler, desperate, but he couldn’t help me. He couldn’t even help himself. I scrambled to defend him.
“Trinity, I asked you to stay out of this,” Dad said, looking at me.
There was a mixture of sadness and disappointment on his face. I could tell what he thought of me. It was the ultimate insult to his pride that his daughter of all people was mixed up with Tyler.
He was ashamed that he had no idea there was something going on between us. He wondered why somebody like me would be with somebody like Tyler.
Hadn’t I asked myself the same thing about my sister and her involvement with the club?
“I can’t, Dad. I’m sorry. He knew the risks, but he came to see me anyway. It’s my fault. If it weren't for me, he wouldn’t have come at all. Don’t arrest him just because I wanted to see him.”
“Why would you want to see him?”
His voice got louder, and I saw from the corner of my eye the way Tyler made a move. Like he wanted to defend me. I shot him a look to stop him. That was the last thing we needed.
“Like I said. He’s my friend.”
“Then you and I need to have a talk about your friends. Obviously, you’re no good at picking them for yourself. I want you to go to your room while I handle this.”
I bristled under his domineering tone. He was just putting on a show for Tyler’s sake. He never spoke to me that way, hadn’t since I was prepubescent.
“Dad…I’m not a little girl anymore. You can’t send me to my room.”
“In my house, I’ll do what I want! And you’ll do what I say!”
His eyes were so intense, and I could clearly see the pain in them, but I didn’t care. I was in pain, too.
“Fine. Then you can arrest me, too.” I stepped in front of Tyler.
He shook his head. “You? Stop being so dramatic.”
“I was at the last race with him. I was there, doing something illegal. Or supporting it.”
There was practically steam coming from his ears and his cheeks turned deep red. “What? My daughter, in a place like that? Why would you go there?”
“Why do you think?”
“You know it’s forbidden! You know I don’t want you with those people since your sister—”
He stopped, just like that, shutting down.
For some reason, that made me more furious.
“Angela! Her name was Angela! And yes, she’s dead! And you can’t find the person who killed her because you’re so weak and miserable! All you do is wallow in your misery instead of doing something about what happened!”
The room went quiet. I couldn’t believe I said it—I didn’t even know I thought it. Once it was out there, I couldn’t take it back…and I didn’t want to.
It was all true. I was disgusted with him. Every day he spent wallowing in grief, I’d lost a little more respect for him.
He couldn’t even bother to find the energy to be a father to his remaining daughter. He’d rather spend his time bullying people like Tyler, when he should have been getting justice for Angela.
I took a deep breath.
“You want to know why I was there to begin with? Why I would take the risk of being with people like them? I went to the race so I could get closer to the club. So I could find out who knew Angela and how much they know about her death. I’m out there,
taking risks…I might have been arrested, myself. I’m doing what I need to do to find out who killed my sister. Why won’t you? Why don’t you go out there and find out who killed Angela before you think about arresting Tyler?”
I hoped Tyler wouldn’t be too hurt by what I said when I admitted the reason why I was with him.
But Dad needed to know. Somebody had to shake him out of whatever pit he had fallen into when Angela died.
He swallowed hard, and the color left his face. He reminded me of a deflating balloon. His mouth opened and closed a few times, but nothing came out. Then, he took a deep breath and looked at Tyler.
“I want you to leave. You get one pass. If I see you again, you won’t get away.”
He walked out of the room. I heard his heavy tread as he walked up the stairs.
I closed my eyes and sighed. All the breath left me, and all the courage, too. I couldn’t believe I stood up to my father like that.
But I would have done anything for Tyler. He deserved for somebody to stand up for him.
But he did have to go. I didn’t want us to press our luck.
“Come on,” I whispered, taking him by the hand. “I think it’s best that you go. Who knows what he’ll do if he comes back down and sees you still here?”
I led him to the door, feeling like my feet weighed a ton. I dragged them, half-heartedly.
We stood together on the front porch. It was gut-wrenching, saying goodbye. After the amazing night we had, too.
Now it was all ruined.
“I’m sorry,” I whispered, tears choking me.
“Why are you sorry?”
“Are you kidding? Because my stupid dad made an ass out of himself in there.”
I tucked my hair behind my ears, wrapping my arms around myself. It was a little chilly, and I was only wearing a thin t-shirt and shorts.
I would have frozen to death out there, though, if it meant spending more time with Tyler.
“I’m the one who should be apologizing to you,” he said.
“For what?”
I couldn’t imagine. He’d given me so much. Something to be excited about, something to make me feel alive for the first time in what seemed like forever. And what he did to my body…
“Your dad’s right about me,” he said, his jaw tight.
“No, he isn’t.” I stepped toward him, wanting to offer some comfort.
He stepped back.
“Sure he is. You don’t know how much I hate admitting he’s right about anything, but he is. I’m not somebody you should be with. I’m all wrong for you.”
My eyes filled with tears and it felt like my entire world was crumbling in front of me. No sister, no father practically, and now no Tyler. I couldn’t keep losing things.
“I don’t believe you,” I managed to choke. “Shouldn’t I get to decide who’s right for me? Why is everybody always trying to tell me what to do?”
“Sometimes, other people know better than you do. And what I know tells me I’m not the kind of man you should be with. You should be with a college guy, somebody like you who is smart, has money, and doesn’t hang around with criminals. My life is dangerous and I don’t want you to be a part of it.”
His tone of voice told me he meant business. My heart was breaking.
Why couldn’t he see the way he was hurting me?
Chapter 2 - Tyler
I hated seeing her cry, but it had to happen.
It wasn’t that I didn’t like her. The problem was that I did like her, a lot. She was the best person I knew. Smart, with a good future. She had her whole life ahead of her, and she could do anything she wanted with it.
I couldn’t be part of that.
It killed me because I loved being with her so much. We got along great, and I wanted her. I wanted her so much it tore at my brain.
I couldn’t get her out of my thoughts, no matter how hard I tried—and now that we’d slept together, it would be even worse.
But it wasn’t right to pull her down to my level just because I liked being with her. It would have been the worst thing I could do to her.
Then she started to cry and I didn’t know what to do. I was hurting her, and I hated myself.
But I’d be hurting her a lot worse in the long run if we stayed together. I had to do the right thing, even though I didn’t want to.
Still, it would make me look like a dick if I had sex with her and ditched her. That would hurt her, too. It was an impossible situation.
I couldn’t stand seeing her cry anymore, so I pulled her to me and hugged her. Her body felt so good.
Even though she was crying and I was only trying to comfort her, I remembered the way it felt inside her. I wanted to go back upstairs and make love to her all night.
I wanted to protect her. She was so small and soft. So easy to break. The world would break her, and I couldn’t let it. I couldn’t let her being with me break her, either.
“Please,” she cried. “Please, don’t leave me.”
“Trinity…”
“Please. I lost so much already. I can’t lose you, too. Don’t ever leave me. I have nothing else.”
My heart swelled, knowing that she wanted me. I felt humbled and proud at the same time. I couldn’t answer her, though. I knew it wasn’t right, even if it was what we both wanted.
Then something else came to mind.
I remembered what she said in the kitchen, about going to the race to find out who killed Angela. So that was why she was at the party, where we first met.
Now it all made sense. I knew there had to be a reason for a girl like her to be in my world.
I had to help her. It was the least I could do, especially if we weren’t going to be together.
I would hurt her by leaving, but I could take some of her other pain away by helping her find out who killed her sister.
Only, I didn’t know for sure who it was. I didn’t want to accuse Drake, though he was the frontrunner on the suspect list.
I stroked her hair. “I’m sorry,” I murmured, “I’m so sorry to make you cry.”
I pulled back to look at her face. It was still beautiful, even though her eyes were swollen and red.
I had an idea, “Listen. Meet me tomorrow. I have something to tell you.”
Her eyes searched my face. “Why not tell me now?”
I shook my head. It would be too much for her to handle tonight, after everything with her dad.
“No. Tomorrow. It can wait. You need to rest, now. It’s late, and chilly. You’ll catch a cold.”
I smiled at her, pushing her hair back from her face and wiping the tears from her eyes. Then I bent down and kissed her, gently.
The fire was there, but it was a gentle fire. I wanted her so much, my whole body ached.
Then, I left. No sense in making more trouble for her.
***
When I got home, the living room looked like a tornado had been through it.
The last thing I felt like doing was cleaning up after the night I’d had. I wanted to collapse into bed and not get up for three days.
Unfortunately, that’s just not possible when you’re raising a kid.
There was a note waiting for me. Gigi was at Sabina’s. “Fuck,” I muttered, crumpling the paper in my fist.
She was the last person I was in the mood to see. The closer I got to Trinity, the harder it was to pretend Sabina’s come-ons didn’t irritate the fuck out of me.
She would act like we were one big happy family, and I would have to smile and go along.
I had to go get Gigi though, I had no choice. I knocked at the door, and Sabina let me in.
I walked quietly to the couch, where Gigi was asleep. Her blonde curls stuck up in all directions. Her mouth was open just a little and she looked so sweet and peaceful.
Again, like always, I wished she never had to grow up and find out what life was really like.
There were people out there who didn’t care how hard a person tried. They only
cared about the past, and they held it over a person’s head until it broke their spirit.
The way the lieutenant always tried to do to me.
I picked her up and carried her next door, tucking her in. When I went back to the living room to close the door, I saw Sabina waiting for me on the couch.
She had followed me. My heart sank. What would she try tonight?
“What’s up?”
“I hate bothering you with something like this, but…it’s time to pay for school. For Gigi, I mean.”
I held back my sigh. Who else could she mean? And could I maybe get news like this at a better time? The last thing I needed to worry about was tuition I couldn’t meet.
“Yeah. I know. I have to talk to the school about it.”
She frowned. “You don’t have the money?”
“What do you think?”
I smoothed my hair with my hands, trying to think. Sabina’s eyes on me weren’t making it easy.
“I lost the race. I didn’t get the money that was supposed to go to the school. They’ll have to let me slide until the next race. I can’t let Gigi get kicked out because of me.”
I punched my palm, pacing. How could I have screwed up like that?
My sister depended on me, and I was letting her down. She had nobody but me. How was I supposed to balance my life and hers?
She was my first responsibility, but then there was Trinity, too. I needed to take care of both of them.
“You look like you’re wound up tight enough to burst,” Sabina murmured. “What’s going on?”
“Is the tuition not a big enough problem?”
“No, I know you’ll find a way to get through that. Something else is bothering you. What is it?”
“I don’t wanna talk about it.”
That was the last thing I needed, to have her getting jealous on me when I had more than enough on my mind.
“It’s a girl, isn’t it?”
She still sat on the couch, watching me pace the living room.
Her voice sounded so sad, and I hated that she felt so tied to me. I didn’t want her to. It wasn’t my fault that I didn’t want her that way.
“I said I don’t wanna talk about it. Please.”
“I know about Trinity.”
