by Jayne Blue
Chapter 2
Gina
The earth shook beneath my feet as the Harley’s powerful engine roared out of sight. It took a few beats, but my heart finally settled back into my chest.
Zig. He said his name was Zig. I had a million retorts but I’d said none of them. The man was pure sex appeal wrapped in denim and a faded t-shirt stretched over taut muscles.
“Gina!”
My spine stiffened as I heard my name called across the quad. Gareth had waited until Zig was long gone before coming back out of the shadows. I wish I could say I was surprised. Zig was right about one thing. Gareth and his buddies were boys. Zig was a man. Still, no good could come from him being here. People would ask questions. Gareth was already about to.
“Who the hell was that psycho?” he asked. I stepped out of the street and back up to the sidewalk. I adjusted my backpack on my shoulder and painted a smile on my face. “You okay? You need me to walk with you back to the house?”
I resisted the urge to laugh right in Gareth’s face. He puffed out his chest and curled his fists at his side. It was a joke. One look from Zig and Gareth would have crumpled. He was out of his league.
“He was nobody,” I said. “Just asking for directions.”
Gareth gave me a doubtful glance, but didn’t press me any harder. Still, my heart jackhammered in my chest. I knew I was right about who had probably sent a member of the Dark Saints M.C. clear out here to Lake Meredith to check up on me. I had to work even harder to keep my expression neutral as Gareth stuck a hand out and rubbed my upper arm.
Gareth was an Omega Pi, a member of our brother fraternity. It was more than that though, he’d been sniffing around me for about a year. I thought I’d made it abundantly clear that I wasn’t interested in anything more than his friendship. Half the time, I didn’t even want that. There was a rumor going around that Gareth had bet some of his fraternity brothers he could hook up with the greatest number of Gamma Zeta Gamma girls.
“Well, he sure as shit looked lost. You let me know if you see him hanging around campus again. I’ll call D.P.S. on his ass.”
I covered my mouth with my hand and pretended to cough. It was better than laughing out loud. God, the idea that campus police would be any kind of match for a member of the Dark Saints Motorcycle Club showed how clueless Gareth really was.
“Will do,” I said. “I’m going to take off now. I’ll see you next Thursday. Thanks for checking up on me.”
I shot Gareth a wink and instantly regretted it. I didn’t want him thinking it was any sign of encouragement. But Gareth kept a hard gaze down the street. He was probably worried Zig was going to come roaring back toward us. A little jolt of excitement heated my blood at the thought of it. Giving Gareth one last wave goodbye, I crossed the street and headed for Peterson Hall, my dorm.
I got a pleasant smile from the student worker at the front desk, then headed up the solid oak, spiral staircase. My room was on the coveted third floor in the east corner. It was quieter up there and the rooms were doubles. Every other room in Peterson was a quad, four roommates sharing one bathroom. I got lucky. My parents pulled some strings and I got a room to myself.
After keying in, I plopped my backpack on the corner of my desk and pulled out my cell phone. Tapping the screen, I pulled up my mother’s number. She answered on the third ring.
“Hi, darling,” she said, breathless. She was probably on the treadmill or the rowing machine this time of day. My mother, Christine DiSalvo, would celebrate her sixtieth birthday later this year. She was fighting it with everything she had. Botox, personal trainers, New Age growth hormones, you name it.
“Hey, Mom. How’s Daddy today?”
I could practically sense my mother’s pulse jump through the phone. Daddy’s condition was a sore point. He’d had a massive stroke six months ago. The doctors said he’d never walk or talk again. Mom insisted he was still in there but I wasn’t so sure. He did seem calmer whenever my mother or I were around. I felt guilty I couldn’t be there more often. But Mom insisted Daddy wouldn’t want me to mess up my academic career for a temporary setback.
“He’s great,” she said, her voice taking on an unnatural lilt. It scared me. She was covering. She was always covering. “We’ve got a new physical therapist he really loves. Your father still likes to look at the pretty girls, what can I say?”
I sank down on the edge of the bed and pinched the bridge of my nose. It was in me to argue with her. Daddy barely recognized either of us, I highly doubted he was up to flirting with a perfect stranger, no matter how pretty she was. I decided to let her have her delusion for now.
“That’s great. I’m sure he’s giving her a real run for her money. Tell him I said he better behave.”
My mother’s laughter came more naturally. “You can bet I already have. He’s made some real progress though. Wait until you see him. You won’t believe it.”
My mother said other things that meant nothing. She had a new tennis instructor. My brother Georgio had a new girlfriend and Mom wasn’t sure how she felt about her. She wanted to get my read when I came home. It was all a line of bullshit. I knew full well Mom was struggling to keep our family businesses afloat all by herself. Sure, my brothers helped her out, but none of them had the head for business my parents had. That’s why they sent me to Lake Meredith College. They hoped someday I’d be able to take over some of the management duties for DiSalvo Enterprises.
We ran restaurants for the most part. My great-great-grandfather had also developed a line of pasta sauces that were on the shelves of national grocery stores. A few of my father’s cousins also ran a wrecking crew under the family name. My four older brothers took jobs in various parts of the family business, but so far, my parents hadn’t wanted to completely step aside and let them take over.
I was the baby of the family. The later-in-life surprise my mother hadn’t planned for. My brothers, especially my oldest, Gino Jr., had teased me about being spoiled for as long as I could remember. I knew we’d been raised differently. My father was harder on the boys. He’d been younger with more energy when they were growing up. Still, I resented any suggestion from them that I didn’t know how to work just as hard.
My oldest brother was another family secret no one liked to talk about. He’d been in and out of trouble his whole life. In the last few years, Junior had developed a cocaine habit. A few months ago, he’d just dropped out of sight. I feared the worst, but again, my mother refused to talk about it.
“I’m glad,” I said as my mother droned on. She was hiding something and her breathless chatter made that painfully obvious. I’d picked an in-state, private college almost seven hundred miles away to separate myself from the family drama. But I had a distinct feeling that it had followed me out here anyway.
“Mom!” I practically shouted into the phone to get her to pause. “Look, I don’t have a lot of time. I’m due in biology class in about twenty minutes.”
“Watch your mouth, Gina,” she said. “If your father heard you talk that way to me …”
I pulled the phone away from my ear. I’d heard this lecture a thousand times. When she got to the last line of it, I pressed the phone back to my ear.
“Mama,” I said, softer this time. “Is there something going on I need to know about?”
“Why do you ask?”
“Because there was a member of the Dark Saints M.C. waiting for me outside Houston Hall about an hour ago. Please don’t tell me it was only a coincidence.”
My mother grew silent. I could almost imagine the expression on her face. There would be a deep crease above her eyes and her hands would fly to the string of pearls she always wore. She turned them between her thumb and forefinger when she was working out what to say. If she came back with a denial, I was pretty sure I’d hang up on her.
“Did he cause any trouble for you?”
So, not a denial. She had chosen avoidance.
“He drew attention,” I said. “Look, I k
now why Daddy hires those bikers sometimes. I’ve seen them riding along with Uncle Lou and one time with Gianni when they were out on a job in a bad part of town. Is there a problem, Mom?”
My mother sighed on the other end of the phone. “Not that I know of, baby. Like you said, they do security for Uncle Lou’s business sometimes. I’ll talk to him and see if he knows anything. But you don’t need to worry. Those boys are on our payroll, Gina. I’m sure it’s all just a misunderstanding. Next time I talk to your brother Georgio, or Lou, I’ll mention it.”
What the ever-loving hell was she talking about? What in God’s name would my Uncle Lou’s demolition business have going on clear up in Lake Meredith? Her evasion made me worry even more. I knew my father sometimes had to deal with rough types. The Dark Saints M.C. kept some of the even more dangerous elements out of Port Azrael, my hometown near Corpus Christi. There was no good reason for my father’s family or any of my brothers to send one here. But it was clear my mother had given me all of the non-answers she was going to in this conversation. Sighing, I put a smile on my face, hoping it would transmit to my tone.
“Thanks,” I said. “I’m sure it’s nothing. But like I said, I need to get going. Give Daddy a kiss for me. I’ll call you in few days.”
“Oh, I sure will, baby. It’ll make him so happy to know that you called. When you have more time, I’ll put the phone up to his ear. He smiles so big when he hears your voice.”
I knew that was another lie as well, but I didn’t have the energy to call her on it. We said our goodbyes and I clicked off the call. I’d lied to her about biology class. That wasn’t for another three hours. It would give me plenty of time to get in a run and a shower. That’s exactly what I needed to get visions of Zig’s tanned muscles and piercing eyes out of my brain.
I took the hiking trails that curved around the edge of campus and veered off to the lake’s edge. A nature preserve, there was no swimming or fishing on this part of the lake. But the tall cedars formed a natural canopy and kept the sun from beating down too hard on my back. The trail led to a viewing platform high atop the cliff-face on the lake’s northeastern point. Red clay caked my shoes and I stopped at the wooden benches, looking down to the calm waters. Further west, they’d begin to churn on their way to the dam.
Hardly anyone ever came up here anymore. They preferred the more traveled running trails that snaked through L.M.C.’s campus. They were easier, more level. The steep grade of the cliff trail did in most casual runners. It got my heart pumping and sweat pouring between my shoulder blades. I pulled my earbuds from my ears. If I hadn’t, I might not have heard the steady rumble of the bike’s engine coming up the road running parallel to the trail.
My pulse jumped but this time it wasn’t from exercise. I glanced over my shoulder. I could have easily kept on running. I hadn’t reached the highest point of the trail yet. If I kept going, it would take me far away from the road where no cars or motorcycles could have followed. But something drew me back down toward the sound of the engine.
I burst through the small line of trees and stepped out into the road. Cupping my hand over my eyes to shield them from the sun, I waited. Sure enough, thirty seconds went by and the Harley’s engine drew closer. My breath came up short as he rounded the curve and came into view.
Zig.
This time, he was wearing his leather cut. Silver glinted off his shades as he slowed the bike to an idle beside me. My heart was in my throat as I dropped my hand and walked toward him.
Zig peeled off his helmet and slid his shades to the tip of his nose. His pale blue eyes stood in stark contrast to the darkness of the rest of his features. He had broad, high cheekbones and full, sensual lips. My breath hitched as I imagined what it might feel like to have the rough stubble of his anvil-sharp jaw graze against the column of my throat.
He cut the engine and hooked his helmet over his handlebars. Zig dismounted, throwing his tree-trunk-width thigh over the side of the bike, and came toward me.
I felt naked, somehow. Wearing spandex biker shorts and a thin tank top, I felt exposed. The cord of my earbuds hung between my breasts as they rose and fell with unsteady breaths.
God, he was big. All smolder and swagger as he crossed the distance between us. There could be no doubt now that he was here for me. I figured he’d be just as evasive as my mother was as to why.
“It’s not safe out here for somebody like you, all alone,” he said. His gruff voice sent gooseflesh skittering down my spine.
Someone like me. What did he mean by that? I kept his gaze, mesmerized by his cool eyes. He wore black leather riding gloves over broad, strong hands. He looked like the kind of guy who could pick me up and throw me over his shoulder with no effort at all. I don’t know why I thought of that just then. The thing was, I knew I’d like it if he threw me over his shoulder, caveman style. It would be reckless, dangerous. The thought of it stirred that little streak of rebellion running through my veins.
Daddy’s little girl. He and my mother had mapped my life out for me from the day I was born. The best schools. The best clothes. They’d even picked my circle of friends when I was younger. Mom wanted me hanging around with the girls at the riding stables just outside of town. She had no idea how much scorn they’d thrown at me. With my Sicilian genes, I didn’t look like them. They were blonde, blue-eyed, rail thin. But I was Gino DiSalvo’s daughter and those little girls had parents who understood what that meant. Before long, I was the leader of them all.
“I come out here all the time,” I said. “No one else does.”
Zig raised a dark brow. That luscious mouth of his curved into a smirk. Oh yeah. He was nothing like the white-bread frat boys my parents expected me to end up with. Zig was dirty, rough, and dangerous.
“All the more reason for you to avoid it,” he said.
I grew bolder, feeling my father’s stubborn blood flowing through my veins. I took a step toward him and flashed a smirk of my own. “Something tells me you’re the most dangerous thing out here. You planning on getting me into trouble?”
Zig’s eyes flashed with dark knowledge. He ran a gloved hand through his hair and looked out over the cliff. A tremor ran through me. Shit. He was right. It probably wasn’t the smartest thing I’d ever done, running along this part of the trail all by myself. But this was Lake Meredith. Nothing ever happened here.
“Why don’t you let me give you a ride back down the hill?” he said.
“I don’t even know you. So far, you’ve been acting like a stalker.”
“How do you know I’m not?” he said, but he waggled his eyebrow with mischief.
“Come on. Cut the bullshit. You’re a Saint. I know your club works for my father. Somebody sent you out here to check up on me. Who was it? My mother played dumb.”
This made Zig’s brow arch even further skyward. He whistled and shook his head. “I’ve met your mother. The last thing I’d call her is dumb.”
“Then you must be one of my brother’s idea. What’s going on?”
Zig leaned against his bike, crossing one booted foot over the other. “You doing something you shouldn’t be other than taking hikes alone?”
“And I’m still not clear on how that’s any of your business.”
“Let’s just say I’m an insurance policy. Somebody wants to make sure you aren’t mixed up in anything you shouldn’t be. I don’t much care who or why.”
“Right,” I said, my sense of indignation growing. Zig’s presence had my brother Georgio’s fingerprints all over it. Since my oldest brother, Gino Jr., had gone AWOL a few months ago this might not be unprecedented. For the oldest son, Gino had always been the family fuck-up. Georgio was more controlling. We got along the worst of my entire family.
“Well,” I said. “You can tell my brother I don’t need a fucking babysitter. So, just climb back on that hog of yours and ride straight back to Port Az where you belong. You’re out of your league here, Zig.”
His eyes narrowed but he
didn’t drop his casual posture. If anything, he seemed amused by my outburst which only inflamed me further. Damn, Georgio. I should have guessed right away.
“That’s a hell of a smart mouth you’ve got on you,” he said.
“You’re right,” I said. “And I meant everything I said.”
I pulled my phone out of my pocket and dialed Georgio’s number. He answered right away, his tone clipped and irritated. “What is it, princess?” he said. God, I hated that he called me that.
“So, this thug standing in front of me,” I said, leveling my harshest stare at Zig. He just shot me an infuriating, sexy-as-sin smile. It sent heat coursing through me. “I assume he’s one of yours.”
Georgio sighed into the phone. “Gina, I don’t have time for your bratty bullshit today.”
“Call him off,” I shouted. “I mean it.”
“Get over yourself,” Georgio said. “I’m dealing with grown-up problems, little girl. You just scuttle off to your sorority house. Whether you like it or not, I’m running things down here. I don’t have time for whatever this is.”
He hung up on me. My vision wavered with a kind of blood rage. I wanted to call him back but knew he wouldn’t answer. But Georgio confirmed everything I’d already suspected. He’d sent Zig out here to babysit me for some reason but didn’t even have the decency to tell me why.
I slid the phone into my armband and took a bold step forward. Fine. If Georgio or anyone else thought they could control me, they had another think coming. His dismissive words kindled a rebellious fire inside of me.
“Fine,” I said. I went to Zig and ran a finger along his corded, tatted-up bicep. One touch sent heat raging through me like wildfire. “How about I take you up on that ride after all?”
Chapter 3
Zig
Gina DiSalvo would fucking wreck me if I wasn’t careful. She stood there with that sassy, smart mouth, curvy hips, and lips that begged to be kissed. She tried to play tough, but I knew better. This girl was as innocent as they came, even though her family name was anything but.
