Somehow, though, when his hands cupped her ass and spread her legs, it was more than a search. His cupping of her sex while staring her in the eye had nothing to do with safety measures on his part. She didn’t speak. Part of her wanted to spit in his face. The other wanted to push him down on the floor and fuck the sexual tension out of them both.
On bended knee, he used both of his hands to glide down her leg and check inside her boots. Then he went back up across her center and down the other leg. She could have kneed him in the jaw. So why didn’t she?
“Needed an excuse to cop a feel?” she sneered as he got to his feet.
When he stood again, he was oh so close that she could smell the mint on his breath. “Don’t flatter yourself, darling. There isn’t anything you have I haven’t seen before. I just don’t want a knife or bullet in my back.”
“Then I suggest you walk away. Because first chance I get, I’ll do what I have to do to protect myself.”
He glanced from her eyes to her mouth and back. What the hell was that all about?
“I don’t expect less from you, Pipe.”
The easy way he backed up annoyed her to no end.
“I don’t get it. What does Tricks mean to you that you’re doing this?” she asked.
His eyes dipped down and eased up her body as if he were assessing her. She’d folded her arms across her chest and poised on the ball of one other foot as if she were about to spring.
“It isn’t her. The boss wants you there. You’re there. You should know that.”
“So why does he want me to see her?” she tossed back.
His posture on the surface appeared relaxed, but in the little time she’d known this man, he proved ready for anything.
“I didn’t think you cared about your mother.”
“I don’t,” she retorted. “What I care is that I’m being forced to go see her against my will. And I want to know why.”
His eyes went cold as he stared at her for a long moment before answering. “She’s dying.”
The foot that had been ready to spring flatted on the floor. She was surprised by her reaction, but she quickly reasoned it as a reminder of her mom’s, the woman who had raised her, sudden departure from the earth.
“What’s wrong with her?” Some of the attitude had fled her voice. She was almost afraid to hear the reason. If nothing else, because the woman shared half her DNA, she might be susceptible to whatever ailment the woman had.
“Lung cancer.” His deadpan answer was said with more than finality.
Her brain went back to last night when he told her to give up the cancer sticks. Well, fuck.
She didn’t say anything more. There was an inequality between them. He knew far too much, and she knew nothing. She didn’t even know his name. However, she wouldn’t ask him. It would give him unnecessary power because there was no way he would tell her. It would be too much of a temptation for him to hold it over her head. That was what she would do if she held all the cards.
“Let’s get this show on the road. The sooner I see the woman, the sooner I can come back home.”
He held out a hand, indicating the door. She walked over to the counter and put the tampon box back in her bag. She couldn’t leave that. In the bottom of it was her rolled up emergency stash. That cash was all she had to get away in a situation like the one she was in.
Patience was the key, and at the first opening, she would make her escape. It might come down to fucking or fighting for them because their fight would most definitely lead to fucking.
8
The ride down the elevator and out the back door was silent. Piper didn’t ask any questions, lost in her mind. She wanted to hate the woman who had given her up. But she couldn’t wish death on someone who had given her life. She’d already lost the woman she called Mom to a similar fate.
Clearing her head, she took notice of her surroundings. The alley was mostly quiet with muffled noises from the main streets coming from the far ends. The service road with narrow passages wasn’t often used as a cut way for taxis. So they were pretty much alone. She stood with the back door closed behind her, searching for his vehicle. Finally, her eyes landed on where he stood.
“No way.” Her head went side to side like a pendulum in case he wasn’t trying to hear her words. “No way in hell I’m riding on that death trap.”
She stared at the Harley with contempt. She knew he had it, but didn’t think they would be driving across country on it. She also momentarily wondered how long he’d left it there in the alley, considering crime in the city. But she quickly dismissed that thought.
“Surely you have a truck or something stashed somewhere for the drive to California.”
He laughed. “No, darling. It’s me, you, and my Hog.”
Vigorously, she shook her head. “I’m not doing it. I’ll take a bus or airplane, but I’m not riding on that thing.”
He moved over to where she stood perched on the top step leading from the back door. And still he was a half a head taller than her eye level. Damn, he was big. It wasn’t that she hadn’t noticed that before. But glaring up at him, she was reminded of his giant status.
“Here is the thing.” He paused as if making sure he had her attention. “There is no way I’m putting you on a plane, train or bus. You’d never end up where you were supposed to be. You and I both know you’ll run the first chance you get.”
He was right. She was already on alert for the first opportunity to part company with him.
“Now, you’re going to get on the bike or I’ll put you there.” His words were like the edge of a shovel chiseling down at ice packed snow she’d experienced when she lived in Boston, hard and determined.
Fury welled deep inside her. She hated to be told what to do. And he continued to try and rule over her. Unfortunately, he turned out to be better at being a predator than she was at surviving being prey.
She glanced at the bike and all the ugly things it symbolized in her life. She had all but sworn on her mother’s grave she wouldn’t be caught dead on one again. Good thing she hadn’t, because this was looking more like her destiny.
“Whatever,” she said and marched down the steps and passed him.
She had no other options. She was wanted in California, and he wasn’t going to stop until he got her there. And honestly, this was the most viable option for her leaving. After the terrorist attacks years ago, New York was one place where security remained tight. There would be inaccessible cameras, requirements for identification, etc., that could be used to track her when others were alerted to her departure of the state. She had no choice but to comply with his demand because even renting a car would be problematic.
He handed her a helmet that didn’t appear to be protection at all for her head. It resembled a half black bowl turned over with straps.
“Give me your bag,” he demanded with an open palm.
She hated giving it up and stuck a hand in the front pocket where she’d stashed her ID and tip money from the previous night. She made a show of shoving them into the front of her shirt and into the sports bra while he watched. He seemed utterly fascinated, and she almost considered it a win. However, his constant stare could mean anything, especially paired with his mostly continuous flat facial expression.
It didn’t matter because she hadn’t put them there for his appreciation. With nothing between them and the open road while riding his Hog, they were safest there outside of her backpack. And she needed at least some cash and ID on her at all times.
Before giving him her pack, she pulled out two other things, her smokes and a lighter. When she handed her bag to him, she thought briefly about her hidden gun. That was something she would need to retrieve soon. He took her pack and stepped over to the bike. While waiting, she tapped out a cigarette. She needed one badly. The blue Bic faithfully lit, and she inhaled. Her eyes rolled closed as she enjoyed her first lungful.
Suddenly, the cigarette was gone. Her eyes popped wide to
see him once again in her face. Dude had no respect for boundaries, she thought, and almost said it out loud.
“Not on my watch,” he growled.
He dropped it and ground his black boot in the pavement, obliterating her tiny slice of heaven. Then he did the unthinkable. He snatched the small cellophane package from where she’d temporarily stashed it in her back pocket. With one squeeze, she knew all the rest were reduced to what amounted to ash, as good as they would do her now.
“Asshole! Do you know how much that pack of cigarettes cost me?”
His eyes were diamond hard on hers when he took something from his pocket without a glance. A folded bill rose between two of his fingers. Before she could determine the value, boldly he slid it down the V of her shirt and into her bra. He tucked it next to the tips she’d stashed. Then, too slowly, he removed his hand. And she hated herself for missing the loss of his touch when it was gone.
Shamelessly, he walked over to his bike as if his hand hadn’t just grazed the top of her breasts with his fingertips. She ground her teeth and was thankful she wasn’t yet addicted to smoking. It was her clutch when she was stressed, but not something she had to do. She wasn’t one for lighting up every five minutes or even taking smoke breaks at work with the other waitresses.
When her mental tirade ended, she watched him remove a black and yellow jacket from one of the small saddlebags. Her thoughts shifted gears, giving herself a mental high five that she’d packed light as she watched him replace the vacated spot with her backpack.
“You can use this,” he said, holding out the jacket he’d removed.
She hadn’t noticed before it was a woman’s jacket. But dangled toward her, it was easy to tell.
“No, thanks, I have my own.” She held up her jacket. Hadn’t he noticed her carrying it? Apparently, not. She wanted to add that even if she hadn’t thought to bring her own, she wouldn’t have worn something that clearly belonged to a female close to him.
Or so she thought until he carelessly tossed it next to a dumpster like trash. He discarded it with less than a second’s thought or any consideration. She guessed the girl it belonged to wasn’t anyone he particularly cared about. Or maybe he did what he had to do and could afford to buy the woman a replacement.
Far too soon, he was next to her with a couple of items in his hand. First, he gave her what looked like a Bluetooth headset that attached to the ear.
“We’ll be on the road for a while. It’s been altered so that we can communicate. You’ll be able to tell me if you need to take a break.”
Begrudgingly, she hooked it around her ear while she filed away the fact that he’d said it had been altered. That was interesting. Had he done it himself?
After completing that task, she took the pair of sunglasses he held out for her. Riding on the open road meant plenty of road dust and other things got kicked up from the ground and bombarded into riders like tiny missiles. She put them on, not even bothering to ask who they belonged to. She didn’t want to know and had no other choice without glasses of her own.
When his hands were empty, he finally gave her some room. She took the opportunity to shrug into her jacket.
His eyes were liquid heat. Not wanting to appear at all affected by his stare, she placed her hands on her hips. He moved in again and put his hands on either side of her face. She sucked in a breath before she could stop herself. She hated she was so easily affected by their closeness. Instead of leaning down to kiss her, he tucked stray hairs from her face. Then, he checked the earpiece to make sure it was secure before he snapped the helmet into place. Finally, he adjusted the chinstrap tighter.
There was something very sexual about his touch. It was too gentle for a man like him with a propensity for violence. She licked her dry lips while her eyes remained glued to his. His hand came back to her chin where his thumb wiped a line just under her lips.
“Stop drooling. I’ve already told you this isn’t going to happen between us.”
His comment jerked her back to reality. Annoyed at his cockiness, she pushed him back. He was immovable as a rock, but she did manage to make him voluntarily take one step back.
“Jackass,” she yelled. “If you were the last lumberjack on earth and hell froze over, I wouldn’t beg you to cut down a tree for me so I wouldn’t freeze to death.”
He let out a short bellowing laugh that ended almost as quickly as it began. “Good,” he said darkly, reapplying his mask of scorn. “Then I won’t have to deal with your constant sexual harassment.”
The guy was a fucking head case. She mumbled all kinds of four-letter words but didn’t let them loose. Her curses would only feed his ridicule.
Then, for the first time since she’d met him, he turned and gave her a full view of his back. His stupid comments became meaningless. Sometimes seeing was believing. And there on the back of his leather vest was the patch that confirmed her suspicions. A hooded face almost skeletal in appearance with noticeable horns on either side of his head stared back at her. In its hand, it held a sawed-off shotgun. Above the picture was the name Devil’s Edge. All the patches were mostly gray with hints of red to most likely up the fear factor.
And the Devil’s Edge MC was something to fear. They were the biggest motorcycle club in the United States with a cutthroat reputation.
The bike started on a growl, quickly turning into the rumble that made her skin crawl. She forced herself forward when he glanced back over his shoulder at her. She wouldn’t fear him or his bike. He could ride it to hell for all she cared once she was free of him.
Just before she got on the bike, she finally caught sight of what was tattooed on his fingers. Even upside down, The, on one hand, and End on the other were clear as day.
9
Locking her hands around the lumberjack’s waist had been a measure of control. His abdomen was solid without any belly fat. If he had been any other guy, she would have liked to explore his taut muscles to see if they were smooth even in the dips and ridges. But he wasn’t any other guy. He was the total jerkoff she was stuck with for the moment.
She forced herself to ignore her libido as music flooded her ears. He hadn’t mentioned that trick with the headset, but she was grateful for it. It meant she wouldn’t be in her head for hours. And thank fuck for that, because it was a dark place she didn’t want to be in.
With spinning wheels and a churning in her gut, their journey began. The ride out of the city turned out to be slow with traffic that defied logic. Afraid of heights as she was, she was still grateful he’d taken the bridge and not the tunnel. She couldn’t imagine sucking in the exhaust fumes from cars crawling at a snail’s pace in a concrete tube under the river. At least during her death defying experience on the bridge, she’d only breathed low levels of smog.
Once they were clear of the city, it was a matter of the open road, a stop for food and a stop for gas in between. And even after hours of riding, she still felt weary of his mode of transportation. She had to get off the bike for longer than a ten-minute stop. And the man had yet to leave her sight. At every stop so far, the damn restrooms had been outside where he would wait for her as if she were a child who needed looking after.
Dusk neared when she opened her mouth to voice her need to get off his death trap. However, instead of speaking, she sucked in a breath as the bike swerved. She clung onto his waist and braced herself for the fall they were about to take, when he regained control. A steady stream of curse words filled her ear through the gadget clipped there.
Before she could relax, the bike picked up speed. She lifted her chin to see over his shoulder and only saw taillights of cars and trucks ahead. She had no idea what had caused their almost accident.
When he reined in their speed somewhat, exhaustion hit her like a two-by-four. She let her head fall to the side against his back with no concept of time other than the ride seemed never ending. She could have said something, but his body felt like a coiled spring under her embrace. More than likely his te
nsion came from their near death encounter. Fatigued as she was, she didn’t feel up to verbally sparring with him.
As they continued on, she fought to keep her eyes from drifting closed. And she assumed she’d done a good job until his hand clamped down on hers, jolting her awake. “Pipe, wake up. Hold on, darling, we’re stopping ahead.”
She had to be dreaming because he sounded almost civil. That alone had her trying her best to stay awake for that reality.
Shortly, the bike veered to the right, down an exit. The fact she’d be off the Harley soon allowed her to think about his propensity for truth. One thing good about him so far was that he proved himself not to be a liar.
Darkness was almost fully upon them, which left the rest stop in shadows. There were only two tiny buildings connected by a passageway that were dwarfed by a vast and mostly empty parking lot. Her heart sank, realizing it wasn’t a full-service place with the additional benefits of food and a gas station. There were only restrooms. And she understood why there was only one other vehicle parked there. If she’d been a lone driver, she wouldn’t have stopped there even if it were daytime. The place had all the hallmarks of a backdrop to a horror movie.
“Go stretch your legs and take a piss if you have to. This is the last stop I’m making before we get to where we’re going,” he said while tucking his sunglass in his jacket pocket.
Briefly she wondered where they were headed—hopefully, a hotel—while she watched him walk away as if he had a mission. The ass hadn’t bothered to wait for her. She guessed at all the other stops he hadn’t been able to relieve himself because he’d been too busy clocking her. With nowhere for her to run, he was finally giving her space. Great.
Stiffly, she strode forward, tilting her head side to side, trying to work out some of the kinks from sitting in one position for so long. He’d made it halfway to the structures, when she picked up the pace to catch up with him.
Ride or Die (Devil's Edge MC #1) Page 4
