The Biker

by Tabitha Levin

  “I’m serious. Leave now.”

  “What?” I sat back up and stared at him, trying to figure out his sudden change in mood.

  He ran his hand through his still wet hair. “Look Cara, something’s come up. Something I need to deal with. You have to get out of here.”

  “Is this about before? Because I wasn’t prying.”

  “No. Fuck. Yes. Just … just go and forget you ever met me. Get in your expensive car and take yourself out of this hole of a town. You don’t belong here.”

  “So this is how it’s going to be, is it?” I stood up and crossed my arms over my chest. He’d been so nice this morning and now he was acting every bit the asshole that I thought he was yesterday. But there was no way I was leaving without an explanation. Maybe there wasn’t one. Maybe this was the real Colt Gaston after all and I’d let my guard down too quickly. Was I so desperate to experience something deep and new that I wasn’t thinking straight?

  And now he was trying to twist it and say I was the problem. That wasn’t fair.

  “How dare you imply I don’t belong here,” I said. “You don’t know anything about me. We’ve only just met.”

  “Jesus, Cara, exactly! We’ve just met. We don’t know anything about each other. We fucked, and it was good, great even, but you don’t understand what you’ve got yourself into.”

  “So tell me then, what exactly have I got myself into?” I wanted him to kiss me and tell me he was kidding, I wanted him to say it was all a joke.

  He exhaled sharply and turned his back. “Just fucking go.”

  “Asshole!” I held back the tears that threatened to burst free and stormed out of his bedroom and through the front door, slamming it as hard as I could.

  How dare he treat me this way. He was a fucking asshole and I’d let myself get played. I was an idiot thinking that I might be falling for him. I should have trusted my first impression in the bar, no; I mean my second impression since the first was lust driven. Oh god, I couldn’t think straight anymore.

  After I’d walked a few blocks and taken a few turns, I tried to figure out where I was and which direction I should be going in next. Each street looked the same and I couldn’t tell from here which way would take me back to town. I reached in my pocket. “Shit!” My phone and keys were still at Colt’s. I was in such a hurry to get out of there that I’d left my things. Dammit to hell. I’d have to go back. The last person I wanted to see again was Colt but I had to go back. Damn. Damn. Damn.

  Should I burst in and ignore him while I grabbed my things or give him a piece of my mind and tell him what a jerk he was? I mean, who did he think he was, anyway, treating me like that? Was that how he treated every woman he slept with? It wouldn’t surprise me at all. No wonder everyone told me to be careful. After I got my things I was going to forget I ever met him. That was for damn sure.

  I swiveled on the spot trying to get the courage to return to his house when I heard the roar of a motorcycle engine nearing. My heart began to pound against my chest as I anticipated Colt looking for me. Maybe he would say sorry, that he was wrong and I should forgive him, or maybe he just had my things.

  But it wasn’t Colt. It was another man from his motorcycle group. The man was in his forties and wore the same leather vest with the club name on the back that Colt had worn the first night I met him. He also wore dark sunglasses and I couldn’t see his eyes.

  His bike slowed and he pulled up on the curb next to me. “Need a ride?”

  “No, thank you. I can walk. Just heading up the road.”

  “Cara, isn’t it? Hop on. I’ll take you back to Colt’s.”

  “Did Colt call you to get me?”

  “He’s out of line sometimes. Hard to keep him in control. Don’t worry; we’ll have a stern word with him. He shouldn’t have kicked you out like that.”

  “No, he shouldn’t!” I said. “You need to teach him some manners.”

  The man chuckled and patted the leather seat behind him. “Don’t worry, I’m used to cleaning up Colt’s messes.”

  “So he does this often, does he? Sleeps with someone and then discards them.”

  “It’s what we like about him and why we keep him around. Never fails to pick up, that lad.”

  I thought it was odd that they liked that he was such a player and encouraged it even, but then what did I care anymore, it wasn’t as if I’d be going anywhere near him ever again. “Okay, a lift back would be good. Thank you.”

  I got onto the back of the bike and wrapped my arms around the man whose name I still didn’t know. It didn’t matter; he was far more polite and hospitable than Colt ever was. He turned the bike around and headed back toward Colt’s house.

  But he didn’t stop. I tapped on his shoulder and yelled for him to slow down, but he ignored me. The wind rushed past my face and I began to get nervous. When we got closer to town I wondered if he was confused, and was taking me back to the guesthouse instead of Colt’s, but he didn’t stop at the guesthouse, or Ned’s bar, or anywhere in town.

  He kept driving until he got to a small dirt road. The bike was going too fast to jump from, I had to stay put and see if I could get away once he stopped.

  “Club house is up ahead,” he yelled back to me.

  I cursed my stupidity. I was so upset with Colt that I got onto the back of this guys bike and let him take me here. Another example of not thinking straight. Damn Colt again. This was all his fault.

  I needed to get away from this guy before he took me into the club.

  As he slowed the bike readying it to stop I jumped off and stumbled, then stood up with a running leap back up the dirt road. The man laughed and rode his bike in front of me. “And where do you think you’re going, Cara Westwood?” He spat my name out like it was dirt in his mouth. “Didn’t think such a pretty thing would be worth so much fucking money. Colt sure did good this time. He’s caught us the jackpot prize.”

  “Colt knew who I was?”

  “We all knew who you were, as soon as you started singing. Cara Jones, what a joke! You can’t hide your identify that easily, Westwood. Do you think we’re all fucking stupid?” He grabbed my hand and dragged me toward the club. Another biker opened the door and smiled a grin. He was missing two teeth on the left that made him look lopsided. If I thought I’d get away with it, I would’ve knocked out two more on the other side, just so he matched.

  And if I ever saw Colt Gaston again, I’d do the same to him. No, wait. I’d do worse.

  Chapter 14

  I knew that if I resisted it would be worse for me, so I let them lead me through the smoky clubroom to a doorway at the back of the building. If they knew who I was, then they wanted money and this was a regular kidnapping attempt. I doubted they’d hurt me. My father had a fury they didn’t want raining down on them, if they were smart. Trouble is, I wasn’t sure how smart they actually were.

  The way the other men acted toward the man who’d ridden me here suggested that he was the leader of this group. As long as I didn’t piss him off too much, then the others wouldn’t dare touch me without his permission.

  I was shoved through the door into a small room. Without saying anything further the door was shut behind me and I heard the locks click into place.

  The room had one window with thick bars on it. A single bed against the far wall, and a toilet and sink in opposite corner. It looked every bit the prison cell it was set up to be.

  I sat down on the bed, wondering how long I would be here. Once they made the ransom request things would move pretty quickly. I’d been briefed before on the likely scenario, as my father wanted me to have the advantage of knowing what to expect if anything like this happened. My first kidnapping. Not among the first’s I wanted to experience this vacation.

  If they asked for something outrageous, then I’d know how stupid they were. I hoped they were stupid. Not that it mattered. My father was too well connected for them to get anything. As soon as they made their request the entire state polic
e force would be searching for me if they weren’t already. It was only a matter of time before I was free again.

  But how long I had to wait was the last thing on my mind right now, when all I could think about was how stupid I’d been to trust Colt so quickly. My instincts about him were off, I was usually better at judging people. How could I have got him so wrong? Was I that blinded by his charm and his looks?

  No. I knew I wasn’t. There were things that he said to me that were the truth and he meant them. I had no doubts that he felt something for me by the way he spoke to me, looked at me, touched me. That was real, and while I was naive to have believed everything he said, there was a real connection between us when we were together. We were so different, yet I understood him better than I understood myself. But I also needed to know why he betrayed me like this.

  I walked over to the window and opened it. Even though the bars prevented me from escaping, they couldn’t shut out the sun and air. There were no neighbors nearby so there was no point in yelling, but I wouldn’t have anyway. They only thing left to do, was wait.

  I didn’t have to wait long.

  My heart pounded as the door opened and the leader of the club carried in a tray of food, laying it down on the end of the bed. “Thought you’d be hungry.” I glanced down at the offering. There was a banana, a ham and cheese sandwich, and a can of Pepsi. Not the most gourmet lunch I’d ever had, but not bad considering I was a prisoner.

  “Thank you.” I turned my back to him and continued to look out of the window. “So how much are you asking my father for?” I needed to keep him talking so he’d tell me his plans. The more I knew about how this would play out, the better for me. If he were as arrogant as I thought he was, he would boast about it easily enough.

  “Enough to keep the club healthy for many, many years. Reckon two mill should do it. Pocket change for your daddy, I’d think.”

  I tilted my head to one side. “So you haven’t made the request yet?”

  “One of the boys is heading out of town to do that. Can’t have them tracing us back to Parton’s Creek, can we?”

  I turned around to face him. “He already knows I’m here. I talked to him yesterday.”

  He grinned like he was so clever. “But you left town, remember? You checked out of the guesthouse and drove right out of town. I have witnesses.”

  Witnesses that he paid to lie for him. “My car is still at the guesthouse, they’ll find it and know I haven’t left.”

  “You’re car isn’t there, love. I don’t leave threads dangling.”

  A pang crushed my stomach as I remembered I’d placed my guitar in the boot. They would have destroyed the car and made sure it was never found. I’d never get it back now. I didn’t care about the BMW but I loved that guitar. Damn them.

  I couldn’t let him have the satisfaction at seeing me upset, so I kept my face as calm as I could. “You won’t get the money you know. My father doesn’t respond kindly to extortion. He crushes his adversaries. He’ll crush you.”

  The man laughed. “I doubt that very much. I have far scarier enemies than some cocked up rich guy with a smoking hot daughter.”

  I decided to push for more specific information. “So, what is your name, anyway? If you going to keep me here, then at least let me know who you are. What I should call you.”

  “You can call me Dusty. Leader of the Black Snakes Motorcycle Club.”

  I hid my smile as I sat down on the bed, picking up the can of Pepsi and opening it, taking a measured sip. I knew exactly what I needed to know to give the police everything in their power to take down this man and his stupid club of crooks now. “Well Dusty, thank you again for the food. It was very nice of you.”

  “Eat up. You’ll need your strength tonight when the rest of the men get in. You’re way too pretty to be left on your own, and you could be in for a long hard night.” He made sure to emphasize the word hard so I’d know what he meant, then laughed, and I felt the blood drain from my face. “And get some rest. Wouldn’t want you falling asleep on the job as our only entertainment.”

  I had to get out of here. They were crazy if they thought they could touch me and get away with it. My father would kill them. But my father wasn’t here right now and I’d underestimated what they’d do. I needed to get myself out of this situation before anything bad happened. Fast.

  When Dusty left the room, I re-tested the bars on the window. They were fully secure. I tapped on the walls. Solid brick. Dammit. The floor was wood but unless I had a chainsaw in my back pocket, I wasn’t getting out of this room anytime fast. That left the door. I could rush it at the same time someone opened it and hope to god that I could somehow get past them and out the front of the club without anyone catching me or chasing me down on their bikes. I almost laughed at the sheer futility of my plan. It was hopeless.

  Half an hour later and I’d gone over numerous scenarios in my head, but not one of them was feasible. Yelling outside bought my attention and I pressed my ear against the door trying to hear something I could use to my advantage. The voices were muffled, but they were getting closer. Someone was coming this way.

  I stepped back as the door was unlocked and thrust open.

  “Warm her up for us, lover boy,” said Dusty, as he pushed Colt into the room and slammed the door behind us.

  Colt had a bloody lip, a slash on his arm that had crusted over with dried blood, and a deep purple bruise on the side of his cheek.

  “Hey,” he said, casually.

  With my heart thumping against my chest, I walked over to him and slapped his face as hard as I could.

  Chapter 15

  “Fuck! What did you do that for?” Colt stood up, his tall frame towering over me. He leaned to the side as if trying to protect himself from more injury. But I was no match for him and we both knew it.

  “Fuck you, Colt! Why did you do this to me? You’re a bigger asshole than I thought. Do you know what they are going to do to me? I’m their entertainment. Their goddamn entertainment for fucks sake.” I screamed at him, the words tumbling out of my mouth that I barely took a breath.

  He grabbed my arms and leaned his face closer. “Just chill. Nothing’s going to happen. Dusty’s all talk. He wanted to scare you. They aren’t going to touch you, not while I’m here anyway.”

  “Oh, that’s right, touching me was your job. Seduce the rich girl so they could kidnap me and extort money from my father. Great plan.” I wanted to hit him. I wanted to hurt him for the way he’d used me.

  “Hey, wait a second.”

  “And to think I was actually starting to like you.” The confession jolted us both, and he let go of my arms.

  A sly grin formed on his lips, pulling the cut apart. “You like me, huh?”

  “No. Not now. Not after what you’ve done.” I shook my head vehemently, but we both knew it was too late to take back the words.

  “Yeah, I get how you’d see it that way. Doesn’t look good for me.” He waved his hand around the small room to emphasize his point.

  “Jesus Christ, Colt, how can you treat people this way?”

  He looked at me and sat down on the edge of the bed, wincing as he moved back until he was comfortable. “Cara, calm down.”

  “Are you an idiot? I can’t calm down, I’m being held prisoner by a bunch of biker thugs. Your friends.” I jabbed my finger in his direction accusingly.

  His chin stiffened. “They aren’t my friends.”

  “Call them whatever you want, I don’t want to play semantics.” I crossed my arms over my chest.

  “You think my friends would do this?” He lifted up his shirt to reveal more bruises. It looked like broken ribs. He probably deserved it.

  “Is this another trick to get my sympathy? Or did you mess up some part of their stupid plan? Maybe you forgot to find out my bank account details and this is the way to get it out of me.”

  He looked away and then back at me, pausing to contemplate his words. “Cara, I know you think th
e worst of me right now, and I don’t blame you. But I need you to believe me, I didn’t want it to come to this.”

  I scoffed. “Right, so you came onto me because you thought I was nice. Don’t lie to me.”

  “I’ve never lied to you.”

  “You knew who I was.”

  “So?”

  “You only talked to me that night because they told you to. You were supposed to get me onside so they had a chance to grab me and bring me here. You apologized to me and it was all a lie. A fucking big lie.”

  “Cara, I apologized to you because I was an asshole.”

  “You got that right.” I walked back over to the window and looked out. I didn’t want to see his face anymore.

  “So I knew who you were from the beginning, what does that matter? That doesn’t change how I feel about you.”

  I rolled my eyes. “Great, so now you’re going to tell me that none of this was a scam, just a big misunderstanding. You’re not innocent here, Colt. I am. Don’t try and play me again.”

  He groaned but I refused to look around to see what he was doing. “When you started singing, Dusty told us all who you were, but I was never ordered to talk to you. That was all on me because I felt like a jerk and wanted to make it right.”

  “Dusty told me that you can’t keep your dick in your pants, you seduce women so you can rip them off.”

  “I wouldn’t believe anything that he tells you.”

  I could feel him behind me and I turned around. “You’re denying you sleep with every woman you meet? Dusty wasn’t the only one in this town that warned me away from you. I should have listened to them.”

  He ran his hand through his hair. “Haven’t you ever done things in your past that you are ashamed of? I’ve paid for my mistakes many times over, but with you, it was different. I wasn’t with you because anyone told me to, I was with you because I wanted to be. You’re so fucking gorgeous I can’t think straight. The way you sing is so fucking beautiful it makes me want to listen to you forever. It’s you I like, Cara. Not some label you’ve placed on yourself. I don’t give a fuck who your father is, or how much money you have. I’d want to be with you even if you were penniless on the street.”