Pursuit: A Bad Boy Romance

by Cristal Pierre

  “What makes you think that he would just leave behind incriminating evidence in his home?” I asked with my hand on my hip. I didn’t like the idea of breaking in. Not only was that breaking the law, but it went against everything I stood for as a lawyer. “Besides, we’d need a warrant to search his house.”

  “Sure, if you’re a law-abiding citizen.” He winked at me. “But you don’t have to come with me. I can drop you off at the warehouse and you can spend the night with Olivia.”

  “What? So you can go alone? Are you nuts?” I stepped forward. “We shouldn’t be breaking into his house in the first place. It’s wrong.”

  “And do you think it’s right that he murdered someone?” He grabbed me by the arm and looked into my eyes. “I just want to get to the bottom of this and you know, as well as I do, that the legal system isn’t going to help me.” He had a point. People would just dismiss him as another biker – as I did in the beginning. My hands tightened into fists, frustrated that I had allowed my biased point of view to get in the way of protecting this man.

  “I’ll go,” I said firmly. I knew it was crazy and that I’d probably regret it, but I just couldn’t let Kyle fend for himself. Maybe I was starting to warm up to him, but whatever the reason, I knew I couldn’t let him do this alone.

  “I knew you’d come through.” He pulled me close, his lips colliding with mine. His kiss was sweet and full of passion, making me lightheaded. I melted into him, my arms wrapping around him as he pulled me even closer. The feeling of his body pressed against mine drove me wild. As he pulled away, all I could do was bite the inside of my lip, getting lost in the depth of his dark eyes. “We should get going. There’s no telling when Daniel might come back.”

  I nodded, following him out of the barn. Outside, he helped me with my helmet, being just as caring as ever. It was always strange to see someone like Kyle act the way he did. With his leather jacket, large boots, and overall rugged appearance, I expected him to be rough and mean, but I shouldn’t judge a book by its cover.

  “How does that feel?” He asked with a gentle smile.

  “Good.” I smiled back. “And do you mind riding a little slower this time?”

  “Sure.” He chuckled, getting on the bike and waiting for me to hop on. Naturally, I wrapped my arms around his waist, resting my cheek against his back. The engine roared to life before it sputtered. “I’ll have to ask Olivia to replace those exhaust pipes…” Kyle said to himself before he started down the road at a leisurely pace. His battered bike sounded like a giant tumbling through the forest, but that didn’t stop him.

  I tried to ignore the vibrations that ran through my body. My pussy, still sensitive from our amazing time together, was getting excited once again. I bit my lip, replaying the scene in my head. I couldn’t wrap my head around it. Kyle had made me feel so good and yet, there was always this inkling of doubt floating around in my mind, telling me to remain cautious. Another part of me, however, no longer believed that Kyle was the murderer – he just couldn’t be.

  “Is his house far?”

  “No, actually we’re rather close.”

  “How do you know he won’t come back?”

  “I don’t.” The realization of yet another dangerous situation sent adrenaline pumping through my veins. The feeling was both terrifying and empowering. I had never felt this way before. Then again, I had never been much of a daredevil. Until I met Kyle, I had done my best to avoid putting my life at risk.

  Kyle turned into a main road, passing abandoned-looking buildings. Most of the windows were boarded up. Doors were torn off their hinges. Lawns were practically nonexistent. Upturned bicycles decorated the sidewalk. “Where are we?”

  “They call this the Devil’s Highway. Most of these buildings are used to cook and sell meth. Some of them are just a good place to fuck a prostitute. No one comes here unless they’re looking for trouble.”

  “And Daniel lives here?”

  “You sound surprised.” Kyle stopped his bike in front of a three-story apartment building. The blue paint was peeling off and the red door looked horribly out of place. “When I told you Daniel was scum, I wasn’t kidding.”

  I hesitated as my stomach twisted into a knot. “Are you sure this is a good idea?”

  “Of course it’s not a good idea. More people get shot on this block in a week than they do in the city during the whole year. This is dangerous, but it’s too late to go back now. Just stick close and I won’t let anything happen to you.” He helped me off the bike, holding my hand tightly. “I promise.” He gently kissed the top of my head.

  I nodded, trusting him. It wasn’t like I had any other option at this point. “Let’s just get this over with.” Still holding his hand, we approached the red door. Kyle tried the knob, but of course, it was locked. “What are we supposed to do now?”

  “There are windows, aren’t there? Help me find a rock.”

  “You’re going to break a window?”

  “Do you have a better idea?” He asked, jumping down from the porch and searching around in the lawn. I sighed, looking around as well.

  “I didn’t find a rock, but will this work?” I held up a rusty crowbar.

  “Perfect.” He took it from my hand and walked up to a window. “Stay back. I don’t want you to get hurt.” I shuffled backward, shielding my eyes as he swung at the glass. It shattered instantly. In the distance, a cat meowed before darting into the street. I felt my skin crawl and I looked around, feeling like there was someone watching us, but I couldn’t see anything.

  “C’mon.” Kyle had cleared away the glass, making it relatively safe. He hoisted me into his arms and through the window with ease. Inside the apartment, I nearly gagged. The stench was repulsive.

  “God, what is that?” I had my shirt over my nose, trying to soften the smell, but it was penetrating.

  “Looks like Daniel didn’t bother to take out his trash before going into hiding.” Kyle pointed his thumb at an open pizza box. There were a few slices left, most of them moldy by this point. I nearly screamed when I saw a large, grimy-looking rat scuttle out of a fast food bag.

  “This is gross…” I whispered.

  “Well, let’s hurry up and find something then.” He walked down the hall toward the bedrooms, peeking inside of each one. He still had the crowbar in his hand, as if ready to use it as a weapon at any moment.

  “You don’t think there’s anyone here, do you?” I asked, my voice shaking. The hairs on the back of my neck were on edge like there was someone standing right behind me.

  “I don’t think so. But we can’t be sure, either. Just stay close.” I nodded as we made our way through the apartment. The bathroom was the worst of all. Its smell was so nauseating that I almost threw up. Kyle had to pull me away and tell me to breathe.

  “Hasn’t this man heard of the concept of cleaning?” I gasped, trying to take in deep breaths, even though the stench was making me reluctant. At this point, I needed fresh air, but there was still one more room we hadn’t searched.

  “Most guys are like that.” Kyle gently rubbed my back. “We’re almost done. Just this last room on the left.”

  I nodded, straightening myself out. I held onto Kyle’s jacket for comfort, following him into what looked like the master bedroom. There were clothes scattered all over the place. More boxes with half-eaten takeout meals lined the nightstand. A cat sat on the bed, her golden eyes glowing in the room’s gloom.

  Kyle ignored the feline as he started to look around, carefully searching for anything that might be used as evidence. Trying to help, I searched the closet first. I jumped back as I opened the door and a horde of rats came running out. The cat pounced at the chance of a good meal and chased after them. My heart was beating so fast that my head was spinning. I couldn’t take this much longer.

  “Look what I found.” Kyle's voice rung through the room. I looked up at him. He was standing by a hamper filled with dirty clothes. In his hand, he had a beige shirt. “
See that?” He pointed to some dark, crimson-colored stains near the shirt’s breast pocket. “That has to be blood.”

  As he turned the shirt around, he found a hole ripped through the back.

  “That could just be a coincidence,” I said, trying to keep a level head. I knew I couldn’t just jump to conclusions, no matter how obvious the shirt looked.

  “Are you even listening to yourself right now?” Kyle stepped closer, practically shoving the shirt in my face. “Blood, and a bullet hole in the back. What other explanation could you give me that would justify this being here?”

  “I don’t know… Daniel is violent, right? Who says that shirt can’t be his?”

  “You think that Danny got shot in the back in the same way Ross did?” Kyle asked me, raising an eyebrow. “Or are you just being so stubborn that you’re refusing to see what’s right in front of you? Ross was a big man, much larger than Danny.” He threw the bloodied shirt on the bed and then grabbed another from the hamper, comparing the sizes. “See, this couldn’t have belonged to him.”

  “He could’ve bought a bigger shirt.” I pointed out.

  “Stop playing devil’s advocate and just believe me for once.”

  “I can’t just jump to conclusions,” I told him. “I would need to send it to the lab, run a DNA test and find out who’s blood that is. But that wouldn’t do us much good since you’ve already contaminated it by touching it with your hand.”

  “Fuck…” Kyle dropped the shirt, realizing his mistake. “Well, if Danny was stupid enough to leave this behind, I’m sure there’s more to be found. Keep looking.”

  I sighed but eventually looked under the bed. It was full of dust and other debris, but something caught my eye. Pulling my shirt down so it covered my hand, I grabbed it. It felt cold even through the fabric. I gasped when I finally saw what it was.

  “Kyle!” He came rushing over to me.

  “Is that a gun?” He gasped as if also in shock.

  “It must be the murder weapon…” I carefully picked it up, hoping I wouldn’t accidently trigger it. “I don’t remember what kind of gun was used…”

  “That’s it. That’s the .22 caliber they were looking for…” Kyle grinned wildly. “I told you I was innocent!”

  Chapter 15

  Kyle

  Linda managed to find a plastic bag amongst all the chaos. She held it open as I carefully placed the gun inside. I was excited that I had finally managed to prove my innocence. “So, what do we do now?” I asked her, holding the gun. It felt strange knowing that this weapon had killed Ross in cold blood.

  “We should get back to the warehouse.” She said. It was only then that I noticed just how tired she looked. There were bags under her eyes.

  “You’re tired, aren’t you?”

  “No.” She shook her head but as soon as she stopped, she yawned. I chuckled, pulling her close.

  “Thank you for coming here with me. I hope you believe me now.”

  “I do.” She nodded and it sent a shiver through my spine. After all this time, she was finally accepting my side of the story. “Now, all I have to do is prove that you’re innocent. But that means you’ll have to bring me back at some point.”

  I frowned, not wanting her to leave. “How do I know you won’t just abandon me?”

  She stood up and looked into my eyes for a moment before she got on her tippy-toes and kissed me. The kiss was full of passion and desire, her hands on my cheeks, keeping me trapped against her. Not that I minded. Her lips were one of the sweetest things I had ever tasted. I wrapped my arms around her waist, our passion increasing with every second.

  Finally, she pulled away. “Now, let’s get out of here before I get sick.” I nodded, taking her hand and guiding her out of the apartment. Outside, the temperature had plummeted. Down the road, a few of the apartments were illuminated with light. I pulled Linda even closer, hoping no one would spot us. A girl like her just wasn’t safe in such a neighborhood. Quickly, I helped her with her helmet and then we were off.

  The gun in my pocket felt like it weighed a ton. I couldn’t believe that I had actually found something that could prove my innocence. I smiled, tightening my grip on the handlebars as we picked up speed. Linda held onto me tightly, forcing me to slow down. I didn’t want her to get motion sick.

  After a while, we arrived back at the warehouse. Inside, the usual crowd lingered around the poker table, making bets. At the bar, Olivia was sitting by herself, sipping on her drink. Looking up, she made eye contact with me and nodded. She got up and approached us. “Where have you two been all day?”

  “It’s a long story,” I answered, looking toward the door to my loft. All I wanted to do at this point was fall into bed with Linda.

  “Oh?” She raised an eyebrow at me, a smirk playing on her lips. “Did something happen between you two lovebirds?” Beside me, Linda started to fidget. When I looked down, her cheeks were already a soft shade of pink. “I’ll take that as a yes.”

  I rolled my eyes. “Quit teasing her.”

  Olivia laughed. “I’m not teasing.”

  “Whatever. If you see Jones, tell him I got around to visiting Danny.”

  “Oh?” Olivia’s face perked up at the name of her old boyfriend. “How did you manage that?”

  “Well, we didn’t see him face to face.” Olivia furrowed her brows together in confusion. “We just paid a little visit to his apartment.”

  “What for?”

  “We needed some dirt on him.”

  “And did you find anything?”

  I pulled the gun out of my pocket, showing it to her. I placed it in her hand and she held it, examining it through the bag. The gun looked polished, suggesting that Danny had taken his time to wipe away any prints, but I was sure that the murder weapon would be my saving grace.

  “Wow… you think this is the gun that killed Ross?”

  “There’s no doubt in my mind.”

  Olivia nodded, handing it back. “Well, I hope you manage to clear your name.” She patted my shoulder before walking away. Besides me, Linda was struggling to stay awake. Her eyelids were heavy and occasionally, she would jerk her head, trying to keep her eyes open. I smiled before I picked her up bridal style and carried her into my home. I turned on the heat before I climbed the stairs to the bedroom, gently laying her down.

  She curled up almost instantly, looking all cute and innocent. I smiled at her before I took off her shoes, throwing them to the ground. Pulling up the blankets, she covered herself until only a halo of her blonde hair could be seen. “Are you that tired?” I asked as I kicked off my boots and started to undress. When I was in just my boxers, I jumped into the bed, joining her. “It wasn’t so hard, was it?” She looked at me, not saying a word. “Aw, c’mon don’t glare at me like that.”

  “We nearly died, twice.”

  “Well that’s a bit dramatic, isn’t it?”

  “Whatever. What we did was still very dangerous. Those guys at the bar could’ve seriously hurt you.”

  “But they didn’t.”

  “They came pretty close.” She countered. “I don’t know if I can keep this up for much longer.”

  “Well, I don’t think you’ll have to. You can finally get me out of your hair.”

  “What do you mean?” She propped herself up slightly, her blue eyes wide. For a split second, I thought I saw something resembling concern in her eyes as if she never wanted to leave.

  “Well, once we prove that I’m innocent, there’ll be no point in you sticking around.”

  “What, are you getting rid of me already?” She asked, sounding offended.

  “If it was up to me, I’d have you stick around forever, but I know you want to go back to your normal life. You’ve been pushing me away from the very start. I’m no idiot. I can tell when I’m not wanted.”

  “It’s not like that…” She said, her voice a whisper.

  “What is it then?”

  She bit her lip, hesitating. She lo
oked like she was on the verge of saying something, but remained silent. For a moment, I thought she would admit that she had feelings for me – that she liked me as much as I liked her – but it seemed like I was mistaken. This woman would never settle to be with a man like me. Thinking that maybe – just maybe – I had a chance with her was nothing more than wishful thinking.

  “Look, let’s just get some sleep and we can talk about this in the morning.” She suggested, avoiding the conversation.

  “Fine.” I laid my head down on the pillow and tried to sleep, but it was impossible with this beautiful woman beside me. I wanted to move closer and wrap my arms around her, but I wasn’t going to constantly force myself on her. If she really wanted me, she would make the first move.