5 Bikers for Valentines

by Rye Hart

  “Always,” Adam said as he leaned his forehead against mine. “We’re always safe.”

  Then they made their way out of Lindy’s front door and were gone in a flash.

  CHAPTER 16

  I kept tabs on all the underground media sources. It was taboo to run stories on the clubs that frequented Lucas Corner, but there were plenty of under-the-radar outlets that distributed media on them. I had been worried about the Grove brothers ever since they dashed out of Lindy’s apartment the way they did, and now I had proof of my worrying.

  Two hours before my shift, I came across an article about a shootout at the Road Warriors clubhouse. Three people were injured, but no names were being released. I immediately sent each of the men a message but had heard nothing back so far.

  “Emma! Emma! Did you hear?”

  Lindy came rushing into the bar as I was flipping down chairs and getting ready for the bar to open.

  “I did,” I said.

  “Have you heard from any of the guys?” she asked.

  “No. I even tried calling them to see if they were okay, but none of them are picking up. Have you seen Crow lately?”

  “No. He hasn’t been in at all in the past week and a half, maybe?”

  “That right there should’ve told us something was wrong,” I said.

  “Do you know who got hurt?” she asked.

  “No, nobody is saying anything. But you know how tight-lipped these guys all are. No one is going to spread anyone else’s business because they don’t want their own spread. It’s driving me fucking insane,” I admitted.

  The good thing about the underground media in Lucas Corner was that they always had information that was pertinent for us to know at the bar. Rumors and theories were circulating on some of the blogs that the shootout occurred between the Road Warriors and the Devil Hogs; the crew that wore red leather jackets and always stirred up trouble in this damn bar. Even though there was no confirmation on that, either, all the media circuits were circulating that same information.

  Which was as much confirmation as we sometimes got in this world.

  Lindy and I opened the bar that night and tried to keep ourselves occupied. I could see her eyes fluttering toward the door every now and again, and eventually, I wrapped my arms around her. I had been so preoccupied with the shit brewing between the guys and me that I hadn’t stopped to consider the shit brewing with Crow and her. Granted, the man hadn’t been in here in the past ten or so days, so I had no fucking clue who this guy was, but that didn’t matter. What mattered was how this was impacting Lindy, too.

  “You haven’t sworn off all bikers, have you?” I prodded her.

  She shook her head slowly, looking me in the eye. “No. I don’t know how or when it happened, but I really do like Crow,” she finally admitted.

  We knew how each other felt, and we needed to lean on each other because of that.

  The night came and went without any of the guys coming into the bar. None of them returned my calls, and no one replied to my text messages. By the time I got home, I was a bundle of frayed nerves. I sat down on the edge of my bed and tried to block out the sounds of my mother and her boy toy in the other room. I pulled out my phone and scrolled to Adam’s number, then I tried calling him again.

  And just like last time, there was no answer.

  I called Jacob and Nick, but neither of them answered either. I tried Tyler, who refused to answer as well, and then I called Tanner. Tanner, with the heart of gold and the sparkle behind his eyes. Tanner, with the innocent demeanor and the chiseled body of a god. Tanner, the brother who truly enjoyed taking care of people when he could.

  I knew he would pick up if I kept calling.

  “Emma. Hey there,” Tanner said.

  “It’s about fucking time,” I said. “What’s going on?”

  “Now isn’t a really good time to talk, beautiful. Can I call you back?” he asked.

  “I know about the shootout,” I said.

  There was silence on the other end of the line before I heard shuffling. There were voices I couldn’t make out or recognize and panic started to fill my chest.

  Maybe I needed to tone down my emotions a bit.

  “What do you know?” Tanner asked.

  “Only what the underground outlets are saying. Tanner, are you guys okay? I heard there were three injured.”

  “All of us are fine. You don’t have to worry yourself about that,” he said.

  “Thank fuck,” I said. “No one could confirm who was hurt.”

  I felt tears of relief cresting my eyes as I tried to control my breathing.

  “You were worried it was one of us,” Tanner said.

  “Or multiple ones of you. I—”

  I bit my tongue to keep myself from digging a larger hole as Tanner stayed silent.

  “When you guys didn’t come into the bar tonight, I thought—”

  “You don’t have to worry about us,” Tanner said. “We’re just fine.”

  “Why does hearing you say that not comfort me at all?” I asked.

  “Probably because you know more about biker life than you care to admit,” he said.

  I let out a breath. “Yes, I do. I know that shit like this doesn’t just go away until it’s dealt with.”

  “Yep. I promise you though, Emma, none of us are hurt. But I can’t talk anymore. One of us will call you when we’ve got everything squared away, okay, beautiful?”

  “Okay,” I said.

  “Now, you get some rest. You sound tired. We’ll talk when we can.”

  Tanner hung up the phone before I could say another word. If I expected that phone call to abate my worries, it hadn’t done anything to help. There was something very, very wrong with what was going on. Shootouts weren’t a regular occurrence, even in the biker world. Shit really had to be bad, and someone really needed to be pissed off for an entire crew to roll up on someone and have at it. My stomach rolled with nerves as I buried myself underneath the covers and pulled them over my head. I blocked out the sounds of my mother getting hers as I closed my eyes, allowing silent tears to roll down my cheeks.

  I loved this life with everything I had, but sometimes, it fucking sucked.

  CHAPTER 17

  I woke up to the sound of a car horn blaring in my driveway. I heard my phone vibrating on my nightstand, adding to the noise that was already banging around in my head. My skull was pounding, and my eyes were puffy from crying myself to sleep. I prayed it was one of the brothers as I looked at the phone, but figured Lindy was a close second to who I needed to talk to.

  Maybe she had heard something else about the shootout.

  “Are you the one blaring your car horn in my driveway?” I asked.

  “Yes. Get the fuck up. Today’s the day,” she said.

  “Today’s what day?” I asked.

  “The owner of the warehouse is back in town. We need to get over to the realtor’s office. He’s signing shit today!”

  I shot out of bed like a bolt of lightning and started throwing clothes on.

  “Give me fifteen minutes to get out there,” I said.

  “Thirteen and I start blasting the horn again,” Lindy said.

  “And if it wakes my mother, you get to deal with her.”

  “Deal.”

  I splashed some water on my face and threw my hair into a bun. I brushed my teeth and pulled on the first pair of jeans I found on my floor. Holy fuck, it was happening. Today was the first day of the rest of my fucking life. I grabbed my sunglasses and leaped down the stairs, holding onto my cell phone as I searched for my purse.

  I grabbed everything I could and rushed out of the house toward Lindy’s car.

  “Eleven minutes. A new record,” she said, handing me my coffee.

  “Bless you. Now, let’s move. I’m ready to get out of this fucking house,” I said.

  “Let’s go.” Lindy put the pedal to the metal and buzzed us across town. We ran yellow lights and red arrows trying to get
there as fast as we could. We chugged down our coffee and tried to put on a bit of makeup to look decent as we pulled in to the realtor’s office. Then we took a moment to collect ourselves.

  We took a few deep breaths before we stepped out of the car. Even though we were frantic and ready to do this, we had to present a calm, united front. This deal wasn’t done yet, and we were two very young women. Anyone could try to step up and take advantage of us, so we needed to show that our heads were in the game.

  Even though we were screaming like two drunken frat girls on the inside.

  “There you two are! Mr. Castle, meet Emma and Lindy. These are the two women purchasing the building from you.”

  The realtor shook our hands before we shook the hands of a very nice-looking man. He had a head of white hair and a professional suit on. There were wrinkles and liver spots on his hands. He looked like what I pictured someone’s grandfather to look like after everyone was ready for church. We all sat down in front of the realtor, and she presented the official paperwork to Mr. Castle.

  The realtor went through and explained everything before Mr. Castle signed. I was clutching my hands at my sides, trying not to lose my cool. The realtor slid the paperwork over to Lindy and me and explained a few things, like our rights and the amount of money agreed upon for the property. We signed and initialed where we needed to, and then the realtor walked everything over to her fax machine.

  “I’m sending all of this to your respective banks,” the realtor said. “Once this paperwork is processed, a check will be cut for Mr. Castle, and the two of you will see the loan amount pop up as an account on your end. If the three of you want to sit here, we can wait for your banks to fax me over proof of the transfer of ownership as well as the payment confirmation.”

  “Sounds good to me,” I said.

  “All I have is time,” Mr. Castle said.

  Everything took about an hour to accomplish, but when Lindy and I left, we had everything we needed to prove that the warehouse was now ours. We got out to Lindy’s car, and I threw my arms around her, and we jumped up and down as tears brewed behind my eyes. We had done it. We finally had our building to create our own business, and I had a place I could move into and call my own. I was finally done with my mother. I was finally going to have a place to call home.

  Lindy and I swayed with our arms around one another in the middle of the fucking parking lot.

  “I can’t believe we did it,” I said breathlessly.

  “I say we go over to the building and take a look at it,” Lindy said.

  “Actually, I want to go home and start packing,” I said.

  “You want to pack now?” she asked, giggling.

  “Yes. I want to load my car down with my shit so that I don’t ever have to go back to that house. That’s what I want. To pack. And then we can go take a look at the place,” I said.

  “Fine by me. Want me to help?”

  “This is actually something I’d rather do on my own if you don’t mind.”

  “But if your mother finds you packing, it might kick shit up,” she said.

  “Then I’ll call you. But for some reason, I feel like this is something I need to do on my own.”

  “I can’t say I understand it, but I’ve got your back. I’ll go and get some lunch at that place up the road and if your mother starts anything, call me. I’ll only be a couple of minutes away.”

  “I love you, Lindy.”

  “Love you, too, Emma.”

  She dropped me off at my house, but there were five bikes in the driveway impeding her ability to park. My jaw dropped as I saw the brothers standing on my mother’s porch, their bodies seemingly intact. I turned my gaze toward Lindy, and she grinned at me, unlocking the door so I could get out.

  “All the fucking details,” she said.

  “Shut up,” I said, giggling.

  I got out of the car and she quickly pulled away. I dashed up to the porch but stopped just shy of the brothers. My eyes scanned all of them, looking for blood or bruises or any other visible signs of injury. But they all seemed to be just fine.

  “We knocked, but no one answered,” Adam said.

  “Good. That means my mother’s probably not here,” I said. “What are you guys doing here?”

  “Last night you couldn’t get in touch with us quick enough, and now you’re wondering why we’re here?” Tanner asked.

  “Sorry. I mean, would you guys like to come in?” I asked.

  “We’d love to,” Adam said.

  I unlocked the house and ushered them into the foyer. I shut the door behind us and led them into the kitchen. We all sat down at the table as their eyes darted between one another, and I got the feeling there was something they wanted to tell me.

  “Is everything okay?” I asked.

  “We have something for you,” Nick said. “Jacob? You got it?”

  I watched as Jacob pulled out another folded up piece of paper, but this time I recognized what it was.

  “Oh, no, no. We aren’t doing this again,” I said.

  “You don’t even know what it is,” Tyler said.

  “It’s a fucking check,” I said flatly.

  But all Jacob did was slide it over toward my fingertips.

  “Before you open it, just hear me out,” Jacob said.

  “You aren’t going to let this go, are you?” I asked.

  “We want to help you make your dreams come true,” Tanner said. “The look in your eyes when you were talking about your clothing store… it was mesmerizing.”

  “Mesmerizing? Really?” Tyler asked.

  “What do you want me to say? ‘Oh, you looked so awesome talking about some clothes, hot stuff.’”

  I giggled at his impression of his twin.

  “This is serious,” Tanner said.

  “He’s right, Tyler,” Adam said. “Shut up.”

  “I think I speak for all of us when I say we haven’t ever met a woman in this,” Tanner hesitated, “lifestyle, I guess you could call it, that has passion like that. Most of them just drink, smoke, fuck, and hang on guys like their lives depend on it. That’s all they do. But not you.”

  “We know you don’t want to bartend for the rest of your life,” Jacob said. “And you can’t keep living with your mother. This clothing store of yours gives you what you want and what we want for you: a healthier, happier life.”

  “One you can be proud of, baby girl,” Adam said.

  “So, just take the money, okay?” Tyler asked. “Take it and make your dreams happen. Because we want to see it happen for you.”

  “All of us,” Tanner said.

  I swallowed down my tears as I slowly opened the check. My heart plummeted to my toes when I saw “one hundred thousand dollars” spelled out in a surprisingly beautiful cursive handwriting. I closed the check and gripped it in my hands, bringing my fist to my mouth to stifle my sob.

  “Holy shit. I can’t take this from you guys,” I said breathlessly.

  “You can, and you will,” Adam said. “All of it.”

  “I can’t take this. I’ve already taken thirty thousand.”

  “You haven’t taken anything. We’ve gifted it to you. And if you don’t like the idea of a gift, then think of it as an investment,” Jacob said.

  “An investment implies you’re taking some sort of stock in my company,” I said.

  The guys stared at me as their eyes slowly scanned my body.

  “We take stock in you,” Tyler said. “Does that count?”

  “We wouldn’t just offer this to anyone,” Adam said. “It’s not like we go around doling out thousands of dollars to pretty girls who screw us.”

  “Fuck, Adam. Seriously?” Jacob asked. “You make it sound like we’re fucking a bunch of chicks?”

  “Which we’re not,” Adam clarified quickly.

  “So, then why are you giving it to me?” I asked.

  “Because we want to help make things good for you,” Tanner said. “Because you deserve it.
Because—”

  The air in the room shifted instantaneously as Tanner panned his head around to look at his brothers. The tension was palpable between all of us. I could see their eyes sparkling with so many words unsaid. So many things they wanted to admit but were trained never to do. In the biker world, no one got vulnerable. No one gave a shit unless they had to. No one went out on a limb for anyone except those in their crew.

  But all of them had branched out.

  Toward me.

  “Thank you,” I said, nodding. “This means more to me than you’ll ever know. Thank you so much.”

  “You’re welcome,” Tanner said.

  My eyes rose to his before I stood from the chair. I went over to my wallet and stuck the check in a hidden compartment. I needed to make a trip to the bank tomorrow to cash it in. That would pay off almost the entire fucking loan Lindy and I took out on the damn place. We would only go into this with ten thousand dollars of debt to our names. Money we could quickly pay off after the first year of our clothing business.

  Hell, if we stayed at the bar for another month or two and worked that shit on the side, we could pay it off that way as well.

  I turned around and saw the brothers standing from the table. Adam’s eyes were locked on me as he made the first move. He strode toward me, his ocean blue eyes darkening with lust as he backed me into a wall.

  “So fucking beautiful,” he murmured to himself.

  Then, his hand reached up to cup my cheek before his lips descended on mine.

  CHAPTER 18

  I grabbed Adam’s jacket and pulled him tightly to my body. The brothers stood around me and stripped me down, tugging at my jeans and slipping my shoes off my feet. Adam’s heated tongue danced around my mouth, pulling moans from me as they undressed me. Soon, I was standing naked in front of all of them, their eyes devouring my curves as my glistening pussy beckoned to them.

  “Lay down on the kitchen table,” Jacob ordered.

  “And spread those legs wide for us,” Adam said.

  I quickly raced to the kitchen table and jumped on top of it. The brothers chuckled to themselves at my eagerness as I opened my legs wide for them. They each started peeling their clothes off as they stalked toward me, their tongues licking their lips as they studied my throbbing folds.