by K E Osborn
I jerk my head back. “Greed? Well, this sure sounds interesting.”
Oakley exhales, glancing around the pits. “I can’t discuss this shit here, and if I am honest, I don’t know you from a bottle of Jack.”
Zero rolls his shoulders. “In all fairness, Oakley, looks like you’re going to need some protection from Rage, and we just might be your only option right now.”
I nod in agreement. “Oakley, if Rage is coming after you, you can’t go it alone.”
She groans under her breath. “I just don’t understand. Why is he choosing now to come at me? Unless…” Her face pales, and she breathes heavier.
“Unless what?” I ask.
She licks her bottom lips, her mouth obviously going dry from the heavy tension, then she says, “Unless, he’s found what I’ve been hiding.”
NEON
Oakley crosses her arms tightly, forming a barrier to everyone as she gnaws down on her bottom lip. “This can’t be happening.”
I reach out, grabbing her shoulders and stare into her eyes. “Oakley, what are you hiding from Rage?”
She shakes her head. “Not here, remember? I have to go. I have to check!”
Slick exhales. “What about the meet?”
Oakley grimaces. “They’ll have to scratch me. I need to go tell Mike. I have to ride back to Dallas right now.”
“You’re not going alone!” I grunt.
Zero groans, pulling me aside. “Neon, you sure we wanna stick our asses on the line for this chick? This is the Heathens we’re talking about. You go with her into Dallas, and you’re on their turf.”
I dip my chin. “I know. But I can’t let her go unprotected, pres.”
His hand rubs the back of his neck to ease the tension growing in his muscles. “Fuck. I don’t like this, Neon.”
I grip his shoulder. “I’m not letting her go on her own.”
Zero grits his teeth. “Fine, then I’m not letting you go on your own. Take Texas and Phantom with you.”
A slow smile creeps up my face. “Got it… thanks, pres. I’ll keep you up to date.”
“You bet your ass you will.”
Spinning, I face Oakley, who’s shifting from foot to foot anxiously like she’s desperate to leave. “Okay, let me grab a couple of my guys, then we can head out.”
“More of you are coming with?” Her eyes widen in shock.
“Three in total.”
Her lips turn up slowly, delicately, causing her cheeks to pop in ever so slightly, the sight causing my cock to twitch behind my zipper. It knocks me off my damn feet for a moment until she speaks, “Good… thank you.”
I let out a long breath, gathering my shit together, then turn heading over to where Texas and Phantom are busy fucking around with the club girls. I slap Texas on the back. “Hey.”
He nods once, holding up a Dan Ferguson merchandise shirt to his huge chest. “Do you think red is my color?”
I snort out a laugh, grabbing the shirt which is at least three sizes too small for him, then shove it back on the pile. “We’re leaving. You, too, Phantom.”
Texas and Phantom both scowl. “But the racing hasn’t even started,” Phantom jabs.
“That’s just damn bad luck then, isn’t it? C’mon, we gotta go.”
“Well, fuck!” Phantom groans as Texas pulls him into a headlock, ruffling his hair.
Phantom shoves Texas in the ribs, making him let go. The thing about Phantom, he’s not long out of patching in, so he still gets harassed as if he’s still a prospect from time to time.
We walk back over to Oakley. She takes in the two men beside me but doesn’t say anything.
“Oakley, this is Texas and Phantom. They’ll be on protection with us.”
She exhales, rolling her shoulders. “Okay, I have to go tell Mike I’m not racing today.” She stamps her foot firmly on the ground. “Goddammit! My sponsors aren’t going to be happy.”
Zero slides in. “You call or text me the second you hear anything.”
“Sure thing, pres… I’ll keep you updated.” In a gesture of agreement, I grip Zero’s shoulder with a nod before turning to join Oakley.
My brothers and I then walk with Oakley toward her trailer.
“Where are we going?” Texas asks.
“Dallas,” Oakley replies.
“The fuck? We’re riding all the way out to Dallas today. What the hell for?”
I scowl. “We’re protection for Oakley while she goes back to check on some shit.”
“This got anything to do with the Heathens coming at us before?” Phantom asks.
“Yes. Now shut the fuck up. There are ears everywhere,” I grumble.
Oakley turns to me, mouthing, “Thank you.”
I’m not sure what it is about this chick that has me practically falling at her damn feet. It’s not like me. I’ve never been the type of guy to lose himself over a woman. I’m too worried about my work, or the club, or what the fuck my ridiculous sister is getting up to. I’ve never had time to focus on a woman, but Nicolette Oakley has swooped the fuck in and taken my attention. Don’t ask me how or why. There’s nothing crazily outstanding about her. Maybe it’s her fight. Maybe it’s also the fact she can handle a bike, and probably better than me, that does something to my libido. She’s simply different enough to catch my eye, and I like that about her.
When we reach Oakley’s trailer, her crew is working hard on her bike.
A man glances up, then smiles at her. “Oakley! Where the fuck have you been? They’ve been asking for your dial-ins for five minutes, and I wanted to check you we’re still good to go with—”
“Mike, stop!”
He furrows his brows, standing a little taller. “Nic, we gotta get on top of this shit, if we want to—”
“No, you don’t understand…” She takes a deep breath, closes her eyes, and breathes out again. “I’m not racing today.”
“Yeah, okay, good one…” Mike rolls his eyes. “Don’t forget to drink your Hydralyte before you go out, we don’t want you passing out in this heat.” Mike turns back to Oakley’s bike, tinkering with something on the engine.
Oakley scrunches up her face tightly. “Mike, I’m heading back to Dallas. Can you tell the officials I’m scratching today’s race?”
Mike’s head jerks up. I think it’s finally sinking in. “What?”
“I was trying to tell you—”
“Nic, don’t joke around on me. You’re so close to taking your position at the head of the leaderboard. What the hell could be so important you’re scratching the race for?”
Oakley huffs then storms toward the trailer. “It doesn’t matter. All that matters is I have to go. And I have to go now.”
“Jesus, Oakley, I don’t know what the hell has gotten into you. This isn’t you. You’re so driven, so damn focused. What about your father… what will he think of this?”
She steps inside the trailer, ducking around the corner. “He’s going to have to deal, just like you, Mike. Get the team to pack up. Head back to Dallas. We will pick this back up next round.”
Not long later, she steps back out, her racing suit now replaced with a tank top, pair of jeans, and racing boots.
“It’s not as fucking simple as that, Oakley, and you know it! What about your damn sponsors? What the hell do I say to them?”
I step forward. “There won’t be any sponsors if Oakley’s not around to race…” I turn to her in seriousness. “We need to go settle this.”
Mike hesitates. “You in some kind of trouble, Nic?” Mike asks, eyeing me up and down.
Oakley steps to my side. “Neon here is helping me, not causing the trouble, Mike. I’m good. I promise, but I do have to go deal with this, and now. Please, can you take care of shit on this end for me?”
Mike rubs the back of his neck like he’s not so convinced. “Okay, fine. I’ll come up with some reason for your absence. Just fix the issue, Oakley, the season isn’t over. But if you fuck this up, your drag raci
ng career just might be.”
She leans in embracing Mike tightly. “Can you tell my dad I’ve gone? I’ll talk to him when I know more.”
“He won’t be happy. This will make him look bad, too.”
“I don’t have a choice, Mike.”
He huffs. “Just…” His eyes meet mine. “Whatever you’re doing… be safe, okay, Oakley?”
“I’ll watch out for her, Mike. You have my word.”
He glares at me. “I don’t know you or what fucked-up shit you’ve gotten her involved in, but if she doesn’t come back in one piece, you’ll have me to deal with.”
Guy’s standing up to a biker with two brothers at his side. Man has balls. I’ll give him that.
I like him instantly.
“I hear you.”
“Call me, Oakley. As soon as you’re finished with whatever the fuck it is you’re doing.”
“I will, Mike. Thank you, for always having my back.” She leans in to hug him again, then turns to grab my arm, and we walk off toward the exit of the raceway.
Oakley’s tense as she clings to me.
Walking away right now can’t be easy. People will ask questions of that she can be sure. Questions she can’t answer right now and probably will never be able to answer truthfully. But we need to get this mess dealt with so Oakley can get her life back on track.
Literally.
As we make our way to where the bikes are parked, her eyes widen, taking in the sight of the club’s rides. It’s nice to see someone appreciate Harleys like I do. I walk us toward mine with Phantom and Texas following.
Oakley slides her hand over the sleek black tank. “This one yours?”
I hand her my helmet. “She’s my baby.” I slide my leg over.
“You know how to handle a beast like this?” she teases me.
I raise my brow. “You want to drive? I know you like it quick and dirty.”
She smirks as I recite the words she used when we first met. “And have you ride bitch behind me? Nah, wouldn’t want to dent your precious male ego.”
Texas and Phantom both chuckle as they slide onto their rides.
Oakley moves in behind me while I smirk without answering. She’s going to be a wildcat. I see it coming a mile away.
Her arms wrap around me, her touch sending that ice feeling through my veins again as her body aligns with mine. It’s like she’s been there all along. It’s like every other time I’ve ridden my bike, something or someone was missing. I’ve never felt anything like it before. It shocks me for a second before the roar of Texas’ bike jerks me back to reality.
Shaking my head a little, I relax in Oakley’s embrace, start my engine, then the four of us take off toward Dallas. The wind whips at our faces, the freedom of the road and the feeling of Oakley at my back while she holds on like she’s loving being here, is fucking exhilarating.
Texas and Phantom ride at my flanks—there’s nothing like riding in formation.
Nothing like it in the world.
Halfway to Dallas, we stop for gas and some grub at a Buc-ee’s. Then we head out to a rest area and park off Interstate 45. We’re sitting around a small table eating fried chicken strips, drinking Coke, and generally relaxing before we have to head off again. The main thing is we’re trying not to draw attention to ourselves, and it’s not easy.
What I need to know is what we are doing? Why am I suddenly falling over myself to the point of getting my brothers involved in an unknown? All for someone I’ve met what? Twice? So, I turn to Oakley as she shovels a piece of chicken in her mouth. “Now we’re out of earshot, you have to let us in, Oakley. What are we walking into?”
She exhales, placing her chicken down and wipes her hands with a napkin. “I have evidence hidden… of Rage and the guys detailing club business. It incriminates them explicitly. I was holding it over them as leverage.”
“Leverage for what?” I scowl.
Oakley slumps her shoulders, I see deflation in her eyes. “The Heathen’s counterfeit money… a lot of money. It’s their main business.”
“Okay?”
“My dad was losing his sponsors left, right, and center at the track after an incident trackside with another racer. They had a damn punch up like a couple of kids. That’s when the sponsors saw Dad as a liability. They were all pulling the pin, one by one.”
“So, what does that have to do with the Heathens?”
“Dad needed the sponsorship money to keep racing. An Oakley not on the circuit is just unheard of. So, I had to do something to help.”
It all clicks into place. “You stole money from the club?”
“Counterfeit money. Then I spent weeks laundering it. Then once I had accomplished what I needed, I gave the cash to my dad.”
“He didn’t ask where the money came from?”
“He most definitely did. I told him my sponsor gave it to me, said it was a waste not to have the Oakley legacy names out there. He was suspicious, of course, but he didn’t push it because his desire to be on the track meant more than anything else.”
“So, your dad raced for an entire season on dirty money?”
“Yes.” Her eyes take on a droopy appearance of shame.
I tense, hesitating about asking my next question. “Did you?”
“No, just Dad, but it was because of me. He doesn’t know to this day. The evidence I have on the Heathens dealing in counterfeit, if they now have it in their possession, means they will come after me for stealing their money and blackmailing them with the video for the last four years. Basically, if they’ve found the video, I’m screwed.”
“What I don’t understand is… why they didn’t just kill you to begin with?”
“I told them I had a failsafe. If I died or went missing, the tape would be leaked to the press and the police.”
She’s smart.
“That’s what I would have said and done, too.”
She widens her eyes. “Oh, it was all front. I had no clue how to do it. But they had no idea if I was bluffing or not, so they couldn’t take the risk.”
Clever.
I check my watch—we’ve been in one place too long. We need to get back on the road.
“You guys about done?”
Phantom and Texas both dip their chins.
Oakley takes one last bite of chicken, then wipes her hands on the napkin. “I’m good,” she murmurs with a mouth full of food.
“We need to hit the road. We need to check wherever you have this footage hidden.”
Standing, we head for our rides.
I have to get to the bottom of this.
If I’m going to protect Oakley, then I need to know everything. All the details. I don’t know just how deep she got herself in with the Heathens, but if I am not careful, I might just get sucked into this hell pit right along with her.
OAKLEY
My hair flies back with the wind as my arms wrap around Neon tightly. It’s strange being a passenger and not in control. It’s hard in a way to give that up, that intense domination of the road, to let someone else take charge of a bike I am usually driving. I’m the one who does everything, once that light turns green, everything is on me. So this, sitting back just enjoying the ride, is an all-new experience for me, and I kind of like it. Normally, I would always deal with this kind of shit on my own. Taking help from him when I could clearly deal with this on my own sits kind of awkward with me, but there’s something about Neon, and I just knew I needed to let him help me. Maybe this is too big for me this time. I tried to take on the Heathens by myself before, and now it’s backfiring on me. So, accepting a little help, albeit from a guy I’ve only met a couple of times, can’t be a bad thing. Right? Plus, I get the feeling Neon is all man from the way he dominates his ride, so I know I’m in safe hands.
We finally arrive at the storage facility. It’s been four years since I have been here, and it seems like a lifetime ago.
I direct Neon to my container as anxiety creeps up on approach. Th
e door is closed, like it hasn’t been touched, making me feel slightly relieved.
“Maybe they haven’t found it?” I say to no one in particular.
Sliding off the bike, I quickly step to the door, unlocking it with the special two-factor authentication lock I made sure was installed when I left. Sliding the door open…
… shock…
… replaced with anxiety…
… substitute that for astonishment…
… all flood me.
My body goes cold, causing goosebumps to form on my skin. It feels like an arctic winter in here, and with it all my senses seem to have heightened. Even though my senses know what the outcome will be, my mind won’t accept what my eyes are telling me.
What the fuck!
How the fuck!
The door was locked. I saw to it myself.
The area is completely sealed with high-grade electronics and locks.
Stepping inside the container, it’s completely trashed. Boxes and their contents are sprawled everywhere. The back wall has a giant target drawn on it in blood-red paint. There’s a picture of my face with a bright red X through it. The paint has dripped down the image menacingly and looks like blood droplets. All this does is increase my anxiety levels. I bite both my lips together to try and relieve the anguish as I rush over to the rug on the floor, yanking it up dramatically. The concrete lid I had installed is smashed open, and there’s nothing inside except a piece of paper.
How the hell did they get past the sensors?
As soon as this area was compromised, I should have been informed. I saw to it myself. I had the company I hired assure me this area was impenetrable.
My heart hammers inside my chest as my breathing becomes frantic. Heat replaces the arctic storm that washed over me, and the drastic change is making me dizzy.
“Fuck!” I bend over to pick up the note while Neon glares at Texas and Phantom to keep guard.
Neon steps to my side as my eyes bulge out of their sockets while I read the note.
You thought you could hide this from us forever?
