“You should go home,” Jeff said. “I’ll cover for you.”
“You’ll cook and wait on tables?” I asked.
“Yes.”
“Your shirt is filthy.”
“You look ready to pop.”
“I’m not leaving,” I said. “But thanks for the concern.”
I went out to the mostly quiet dining room and finished my shift. Those two hours were like two very long days. But I managed. I drove to my apartment and sat there in the driveway staring at the steps. It was an old house converted into two apartments. I had the upstairs one and that climb was terrible. Step, after damn step, it was like walking a marathon.
I touched my belly. “Come on, little one, we’re almost done for the night.”
I got out of the car and made the climb. I had a bag of food with me, a burger and fries that Jeff insisted I take with me to eat.
The first thing I did inside was drink water. I was out of breath. I felt fat. I felt gross. I shut my eyes as I stood at the sink, wishing someone was there to wrap their arms around me and tell me I wasn’t fat and gross.
I would take anything… the physical stuff had been erased from the second the pregnancy test showed positive in that bathroom at the gas station. I didn’t want anyone inside me unless it was… him.
I knew Damon fucked other women. I was just one of many under his wing, so to say. I thought he loved me and I thought for a few seconds I loved him. I didn’t blame him for not wanting to touch me. The baby inside me wasn’t his. Yeah, he had every right to be mad at me but I never committed myself to him. I never promised a thing. The second he called me the wrong name in bed and the second he swung a backhand at me, that was when I knew I was in big trouble.
Turning, I grabbed the bag of food and shuffled from the creaky kitchen to the living room. I sat down and turned on the TV.
The cable was out.
“Of course,” I said.
I grabbed my phone and put on some music.
I opened the styrofoam container and took out the burger.
There was a sticky note from Jeff inside of it.
You need anything, you call me.
He’d written down his number.
I smiled.
Jeff was a weird guy but in his own way. Who was I to judge him? It wasn’t like I was living a sin free life of perfection.
I bit into the burger and groaned, loving the taste.
I made it three more bites before I felt a sharp pain in my lower back. It was strong enough that I had to hold my breath, even though my mouth was full of food.
It took me a few seconds to chase away the pain.
I managed to finish the burger, but the second I started to stand up, the pain came rushing right back.
“Oh, shit,” I whispered.
I walked to the kitchen and grabbed for the sink.
The pain subsided.
“Okay,” I said. “It’s all okay, Priya.”
I turned and it felt like someone kicked out my right knee. My hands slipped from the counter and next thing I knew I was on the floor. I looked around, wondering if someone was there attacking me.
Damon?
No.
It wasn’t Damon.
It was my own body.
I crawled across the kitchen floor into the living room. By the time I got on the couch, the pain was gone yet again.
I took a really deep breath.
“It’s nothing,” I said.
That nothing turned into something a few minutes later.
The pain came back. It stole my breath.
I grabbed for my phone.
What choice did I have?
I needed to get to a hospital.
I wanted to call Knight but I didn’t know where he was.
I forced him away before I knew I was pregnant. And even when I saw him after, I hurried to escape, wanting to protect him.
There was only one person I could call.
I called Jeff… I was going to have a baby.
8
(priya)
*THEN*
I hated the parties and never understood them. But I went to every single one of them. I didn't know the guys who ran the parties other than their names and reputations. It was just me and my mother, holed up in an apartment above a pizza place on the edge of Bishop. It was crazy embarrassing for me, but the good news was that we had access through a back set of stairs so it was rare for someone to see me entering or existing. Even though everyone knew I was the girl that lived above the pizza place.
And that was for real.
I wasn’t sure who actually knew my name.
Girl that lives above the pizza place!
That’s what they’d call out.
One time I got upset about it and a guy named Knox punched another guy right in the mouth. He winked at me. Then he threw his arm around another girl - Ana - and walked away.
It was nice to be outside.
The guys would build a big fire, bring beer and booze, and everyone would sip, drink, get drunk, and then the party would break up for everyone to have their hook ups. I had my chance, trust me, I did, but it never meant anything to me. Making out with some stranger, tasting cigarettes and vodka, his hands fumbling to touch my boobs, yeah, that was so much fun.
Not.
I had a hoodie on and walked along the grass.
There was a decent size group there that night. The normal guys. The normal girls.
A girl named Angie breezed by me. “Hey, pizza place.”
“Bitch,” I muttered.
She spun around, threw me two middle fingers, raised an eyebrow, and spun back around.
I threw the middle finger to her back.
Yeah, that’ll show her.
I got as close as I could manage to everyone.
Someone handed me a can of beer and popped the top with one hand.
“That was with one hand,” he said. “You should see what I can do with two.”
“Thanks for the beer,” I said.
I walked away and the guy yelled out, “I’ll be waiting for you.”
“In your dreams!” I called back.
I walked to the fence and stood there.
The fence was a really big deal in town. On the other side of the fence - and the tracks - was a rival town. The rival was supposed to be for stupid football but they took it deeper than that. They hated each other and I could never figure out why. A lot of the kids in the other town were richer. Maybe it was a jealousy thing.
I didn’t play into it. I didn’t care about football. Both teams weren’t good. I just think boys were being boys, looking for a fight. All that fresh testosterone and they didn’t know what to do with it.
I thought about climbing over the fence, just for the hell of it. I could break barriers. Maybe I could stop being pizza place and be the girl who jumped the fence into enemy territory.
Grinning, I knew that would never happen.
I brought the can of beer to my lips and sipped it.
It was gross. Warm. Bitter. Stupid cheap beer.
I took another sip.
It was still bad.
“Hey, psst.”
I jumped and looked to my left.
I saw someone walking on the other side of the fence.
My heart started to race.
My mind instantly thought - the enemy.
But I didn’t move. I stood there as a figure walked toward me.
Against the moonlight, I saw his face take form.
He was tall. Like, really tall. He had messy hair, a little scruff on his face, but even through that, I could see that his jawline was chiseled. He put his hands right to the fence. Big hands. Wearing a flannel shirt that hugged his teenage body in all the right places.
“Yeah?” I asked, trying to play off the coolness of being from Bishop.
“How’s your party?” he asked.
“Wonderful.”
“How’s the beer?”
“Terrib
le.”
“Can I have a sip?”
“You’re not old enough.”
“Neither are you.”
“But this is my beer,” I said.
He boldly reached back and pulled out a flask. “Whatever. I’ve got my own drink.”
“Lucky you,” I said.
“Want a sip?” he asked.
“No.”
“Those guys are all assholes,” he said.
“You’re just jealous.”
“Yeah. We don’t have fire or cheap beer over here.”
I smiled. “Funny.”
“I like your smile. It’s pretty.”
I looked into his eyes. “Seriously? Is that your line?”
“No line. What do you think I’m doing? Trying to pick you up? Please. You’re one of them. I’m just telling you that your smile is pretty. I’ve seen you before. Your name is Priya.”
I nodded. “You know my name and you’ve seen me before. I’ve never seen you. That sort of makes you a stalker.”
“Maybe. You better be careful. I might just climb over this big, scary fence.”
“I heard a rumor it’s electric,” I teased.
He quickly let go of the fence. He looked at his hands. “Nothing got me yet.” He put his hands to the fence and started to shake like he was being electrocuted.
I put my hand to his. “Stop. That’s dumb.”
He quickly put his hand on mine, sandwiching it between his warms hands.
“Tell me something about yourself, Priya. You don’t fit in around here.”
“You’re the stalker,” I said. “You should know everything.”
“See, I’m a terrible stalker. I just look at you and wonder how someone so pretty could be involved with these mutts.”
“Well, it’s where I live,” I said. “So, stalker, tell me something about yourself.”
“My name is Knight.”
“Like the sky?”
He looked up and then looked at me. “No. Like the guy in white armor here to save you.”
“For the record, your shirt is black,” I said. “Knight.”
He laughed. “See, I knew I liked you for some reason. You’re quick and pretty. My kind of combination. Why don’t you hop that fence and come hang out with me?”
“Is that another pickup line?”
“No,” Knight said. “Just an offer. I know you don’t want to be here. So don’t be here.”
“Give me a good reason to come with you then,” I flirted.
Priya, what are you doing?
Knight pulled back and then jumped over the fence without touching it. It was an impressive move. Now he stood just inches from me. Towering over me. I stepped back, holding my can of gross beer.
I was enamored by him.
He was sexy. Like seriously sexy.
“Whoa,” I whispered.
“I crossed the line for you, Priya. Least you could do is let me kiss you.”
“Now that’s a bold move,” I said.
“Nah. Not really. A bold move is jumping the fence. Those guys will probably jump me and try to hurt me.”
“You’d fight back.”
“Not until I get a kiss from you.”
“Knight…”
“Priya…”
I licked my lips. I wasn’t the kind of girl that just kissed random guys. Those kinds of girls were around the fire, hurrying to get drunk so they could make decisions they’d regret but blame on the alcohol.
Knight touched my face, tracing the back of his fingers to my cheek. He leaned down like he was going to kiss me. His lips got a centimeter away from mine.
“You didn’t pull away,” he whispered. “That means you want me to kiss you.”
“Then why don’t you?” I asked.
“Because I’m not done stalking you yet.”
Knight grinned and then jumped the fence again.
I was left jaw dropped.
Who the hell was this guy?
“Have a good night,” he said.
I couldn’t speak.
I watched the night swallow him up as he walked to the tracks.
That was the first night I met Knight.
But it certainly wasn’t our last night together.
9
(knight)
*NOW*
I didn’t have a leather cut but I had a black t-shirt. That was as good as it got for me. I sold that car for forty-five large after a last second bid came in and drove up the price. I had another project in the garage, something Al found online. Yeah, the old man finally learned how to use the laptop I got him six months ago. He loved to look for old cars and watch porn.
For me, I was hanging with the Reap, earning trust.
They invited me to the table and stand there as they talked about the town. There was still pressure to push into town from big corporations and whatnot, wanting to wipe it out and rebuild it with condos, shopping malls, and all the fake shit that made people feel good about themselves.
The thing I realized about the Reap was that they actually gave a shit about Bishop. When it came to my town I didn’t give a fuck if it burned. There was never a real connection there. My old man drank himself to death when his liver waved the white flag. That was the last connection I had to the town.
But in Bishop, these guys fought to keep it their own.
That included other motorcycle clubs, gangs, crews, families, whatever it took.
Now I was riding with them.
Just a few of us though.
Knox and Slam up front.
Matteo and Ari behind them.
Me riding as the runt of the club. Although my motorcycle was bigger and faster. I had the fucking thing customized so that it sounded like a goddamn thunderstorm from miles away. I could hit the throttle and burn these guys into nothing.
I asked Matteo to do me a favor and put a feel out to any of the local hospitals. I knew how far along Priya was and I needed to know the truth. What we had done…shit, it wasn’t wrong to me. I knew I loved her. I knew she loved me. But she was afraid. That fucking goon Damon had his fangs deep in her.
I would save her. No matter what.
The guys pulled into the parking lot of a bar.
The second we walked into the bar I could feel the tension. There was a group of guys shooting some pool. They paused their game to look at us. Then they went back to work. There was another group at the end of the bar, looking at us worse than the first group.
“What is this?” I asked Matteo.
“Call it something like initiation,” he said.
Knox walked to a pool table and started to rack up the balls. “Me against Slam. Matteo, get us a round. Knight, you get ready to talk.”
“Talk?” I asked.
Knox set up the balls and pointed to Slam, giving him the chance to break.
Knox faced me. “You want in with the Reap. I know where you came from. I know we have our history. I have a fucking scar on my head from you.”
“You can hit me in the head with a rock if you’d like,” I said.
“I just might crack this pool stick across your face,” Knox said. “Maybe. Hit me with the truth. Matteo said you might be in a spot of trouble with a woman?”
I saw Matteo walking back, holding four beer bottles.
“Cocksucker,” I growled at him.
“My loyalty is with the cut,” he said. “Fuck yourself if you don’t like that, Knight.”
“Look,” I said. “There was a situation. This woman…”
“She was fucking around with Damon, right? His mother is Annie. She sits on the board of an alleged non-profit that wants to take over all the parks in Bishop.”
“There’s parks in Bishop?” I asked.
Slam swung the pool stick and smashed the balls. Two stripes went into different pockets.
“Look at that,” Slam said. “Fucking beast mode.”
“Just keep shooting,” Knox said, never taking his eyes off me.
“
So we have mutual interests here,” I said. “Great.”
“You knocked up one of Damon’s women,” Knox said.
I felt the anger and jealousy hit me when Knox said Damon’s women. I knew that fucking asshole fucked multiple women. That was part of the reason I wanted to protect Priya. But I had done a whole lot more than protect her…
“I’m not sure of the situation,” I said. “Last time I saw her… whatever. I want to track her down. See if she needs anything.”
“And you want the Reap behind you,” Knox said.
“Why not go it alone?” Slam asked. He swung his stick and missed his shot. “Fuck.”
Knox turned and lined up a shot, sinking a solid.
“I told you, I’m bored. I cashed in everything I had to buy that old shit garage. Fixing up the cars is one thing. Banking cash is another. But there’s something missing.”
“The woman you love,” Matteo said.
“A woman that lives a dangerous life,” Slam said.
Knox missed a solid and stood back up. “But we could work something out. We need the extra man in a leather cut right now anyway. Things are getting tense around Bishop. I’m pretty sure we can bury the past right where it belongs… in the fucking past.”
“So I’m in?” I asked.
“Fuck no,” Knox said. “What’s your plan when you find this pregnant chick?”
“Take care of her,” I said. “Keep her safe.”
“And when Damon comes hunting?” Knox asked.
“You know his mother is on her deathbed, right? She dies and he gets everything.”
“Then why would we help you?” Slam asked. “If Damon is going to come after you…”
“I’ll do it on my own then,” I said. “I was just offering some help to the MC. Figure we both have interest in stopping Damon.”
Knox put his pool stick down. He grabbed my shoulder. “There’s two crews here that want to fuck the Reap up. Behind me is a small gang run by a guy named Smash. You don’t want to know how he got that name. He’s keeping his cool because he owes me big time. The other crew is a bunch of greasy fucks that push coke north. They fuck around in and around Bishop. They gave the parks a bad name. We’ve been tangling here and there. The guy drinking the fruity bitch drink is named Frankie. He’s from the other side of the tracks, like you. Two years younger. A real prick. Cocky. Not afraid to pull a gun and shoot.”
Wild Knight: a bad boy romance novel Page 3
