by Jess Bryant
Reckless. There was that word again. Tyler frowned. Maybe it had been reckless for Ashtyn to get on the back of his motorcycle but she had been safe with him the whole time, even if she hadn’t known that. She’d spent her entire life being the opposite of reckless and she made one choice for herself and already they were trying to tag her with the reckless label.
No way, not on his watch. He felt oddly protective of her.
“Blake, she’s not missing.”
“Are you even listening to me?”
“Yes. Now it’s your turn, so shut up and listen to me.” he snapped, dragging a hand through his hair. “Ashtyn isn’t missing.”
“Yes, she is…”
“No, she’s not. She’s with me.” he all but yelled into the phone and then caught himself and sighed, only instead of Blake’s booming voice on the other end of the line cutting him off this time, all he heard was silence. It was quiet for so long that he finally cleared his throat, “Uh, hello?”
“Yeah I’m here.” The hard voice was almost deadly even now. “I’m just trying to figure out if I heard you correctly.”
“You did. She’s with me.”
“Explain.” Blake growled into the phone.
“Well, I was late for the wedding and I tried texting but you didn’t answer so I parked my bike in the back alley and figured I’d keep an eye on that door. She did run, like her friend said, but she didn’t go far. She asked me for a ride so I agreed to get here out of there. She’s with me and she’s safe, just like she’s been the whole time. I assure you she isn’t missing.”
Blake groaned, “She ran?”
“Yes.”
“But she’s with you?”
“Yes.”
“Okay.” Blake seemed relieved, “That’s good. That’s really good, Ty. If she’s with you, then you can bring her back.”
Tyler balked.
Take her back? He glanced over his shoulder at the giant neon red Target sign. She hadn’t come back out but he didn’t think she’d snuck away from him. She was in there shopping. She truly thought he was going to take her on her road trip to Vegas and she was excited about it. She’d marched into that store with her head held high even in her ruined wedding gown and flip-flops, because she was looking forward, not back. She’d told him she didn’t want to go home and he didn’t have it in him to force her.
“Ty?” Blake prompted when he didn’t answer fast enough.
He couldn’t do it. He cursed inwardly. It was stupid. It was crazy and impulsive and yeah, probably reckless. But he couldn’t take her back there when she’d finally found the courage to stand up for herself, even if that had meant running away.
“Tyler.”
“No.” He shook his head. “I’m sorry, man. Really I am, but I can’t do that.”
“Can’t do what, exactly?”
“I can’t bring her back.”
“What?” Blake’s voice rose, “Why not?”
“Because she doesn’t want to come back.”
“What the hell does that have to do with anything? I don’t care what she wants. Bring her back…” Blake yelped a curse and muttered, “Stop it, I’m on the phone. I’m getting her back. Stop it.”
“What?” Tyler put a finger in his free ear trying to make out what Blake was saying since it wasn’t directly into the phone. “What did you say? Are you talking to me?”
“No, I’m talking to the bride’s mother. She wants me to give her the phone.” Blake cursed again and then growled, “Dammit fine, she wants to talk to you. You deal with her.”
Tyler had no idea what was going on back at the church but it seemed like mass chaos. Tyler hadn’t given much thought to the mess he and Ashtyn were leaving behind them when he drove away but he realized now it must have been a disaster. He’d made the right call reaching out to Blake instead of Vaughn. His brother was no doubt up to his neck in bullshit dealing with the Senator and his team. Telling him that Tyler had helped the bride escape wouldn’t have won him any bonus points with his big brother right now.
“Hello? Hello?” A woman’s voice came on the line and Tyler cleared his throat.
“Hello?”
“Hello, this is Delisa Echols, I’m Ashtyn’s mother. Who am I speaking with, please?”
“Uh….” he hesitated. “This is Tyler St. James, ma’am.”
“Don’t ma’am me. Just tell me that my daughter is safe.” The other woman snapped.
“Yes, she’s perfectly safe.”
“And she left this church of her own free will?”
“Yes ma’am.” He winced when he realized he’d called her ma’am again.
“Oh thank God.” she whispered softly, “May I speak with her?”
“I’m sorry, but no.” He cleared his throat and then thought about what it was he could, or rather should, tell this woman, “She’s uh… changing out of her dress.”
“Don’t lie to me, young man. Where is my daughter?”
“She’s in Target.” he blurted and when the woman started laughing, he sighed and figured he might as well explain that too. “She wanted to get away so we started driving and we ended up pulling over at this strip mall and then she mentioned something about a bucket list and wanting me to take her to Vegas and said she’d give me time to think about it and went to buy some clothes and get rid of her wedding dress.”
The woman stopped laughing, “She’s shopping? In Target? While wearing her wedding gown?”
“Yeah.”
“Wow.” The woman all but whispered. “Her father has always pushed her so hard. I worried about her so much, worried that someday he’d push her too far and she’d break, just like I did.”
“I don’t think she broke, ma’am.” Tyler offered, “She ran. She was scared of facing her father and she ran, but I don’t think she’s broken. If anything, I think she finally found the strength to stand up for herself before she did something that would have shattered her completely, and I think that’s something you should be proud of.”
Tyler couldn’t believe those words had just come out of his mouth. They were true. He believed them one hundred and ten percent, but he couldn’t believe he’d actually said it out loud and to Ashtyn’s mother. Hell, he couldn’t believe he was saying it about Ashtyn, a woman he barely knew and was fairly certain had lost her mind.
“Young man, what did you say your name was?” the woman asked quietly.
“Tyler St. James.” he answered quickly and then figured it couldn’t hurt to play the Vaughn card, “My oldest brother, Vaughn, owns and runs All Saints Security. He’s been working with the Senator for years and I work for him. I was on the security detail today.”
A small intake of breath, “So you were hired to protect my Ashtyn?”
He wasn’t sure that was entirely true but he shrugged, “Uh, yeah, yeah I guess so.”
“Then I’m going to ask you to continue doing your job, Mr. St. James.”
“What do you mean?” he asked, suddenly wary.
“Keep protecting her. Keep her safe. You mentioned she asked you to take her to Las Vegas? I want you to take her and help her do whatever it is that’s on her bucket list, whatever will make her happy. I want her to taste the freedom she’s spent her whole life yearning for but I want her to be safe while doing so. I want you to stay with her and protect her on her journey. Can you do that?”
“Uh…” Tyler’s mouth gaped open and he couldn’t figure out what to say.
No. No of course he couldn’t do that. He couldn’t just take off for Vegas with Senator Echols’ daughter on the back of his motorcycle. That would definitely be stupid and reckless and impulsive. He had a job. He had a life. He couldn’t up and go on a road trip.
“I’ll pay you for your trouble. I’ll transfer whatever money you may need into your account to covers costs and expenses and of course your time and energy.”
“Ma’am, the money… that’s really not what this is about…”
“Please.” she in
sisted. “I need to know she’s safe. She’s been kept in a bubble her entire life. She has no idea what the real world is like. Please don’t leave my daughter alone out there to face the harsh realities by herself. You work in security. I’ll pay you to protect her. She needs this, maybe more than even she realizes right now. She took the first step by leaving this church and if she decides to turn around and come back before you get out of town, that’s fine. I’ll still pay you. But she has to decide for herself. Please, will you help her?”
Tyler tipped his head back and stared up at the sky. It was already starting to turn dark, stars were beginning to peek through as the horizon turned a blood orange and the sun set. It had been a weird and crazy day and never in a million years had he thought it would end like this but…
Maybe it wasn’t irresponsible to stay with Ashtyn and help her get to Vegas. Maybe it was actually the most responsible thing he could do. He could make sure she was safe out there on the road. He could take care of her and when she decided to go home, which he honestly thought would happen after less than six hours on the back of a motorcycle, he could deliver her home to her parents, safe and sound.
Surely even Vaughn would have to agree that taking care of the girl was the most important thing he could do now, right?
“Okay.” He found himself saying. “Okay, I’ll stay with her. I’ll take her to Vegas if that’s where she wants to go and if she changes her mind, I’ll bring her home instead. I’ll keep her safe, Ms. Echols.”
“Thank you.” Relief washed over the phone line, “Oh, thank you. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.”
“Just… one more thing?” The woman cleared her throat “Don’t tell her you’re working for me. She’ll hate that. She needs to feel like she’s free of her father’s interference in her life and knowing I’m paying you won’t help that.”
“I understand.” He blew out a rough breath and turned his attention back towards the shopping center when he felt the hair on the back of his neck stand up. Sure enough, there she was walking out of the sliding glass doors. He struggled to swallow and cleared his throat, “I uh… I should go now, ma’am.”
“Of course. Thank you, Mr. St. James. Take care of her.”
Tyler hung up and dropped the phone back into the pocket of his jacket without ever taking his eyes off the gorgeous woman strolling across the parking lot towards him. The slightly bedraggled but always elegant Senator’s daughter that had walked away from him earlier was nowhere to be seen. In her place was a dangerously sexy woman that had him completely rethinking putting her on the back of his motorcycle for the next four days.
She’d changed out of the massive dress and into a pair of black jeans that clung to her long, lithe legs. She’d paired it with a simple white t-shirt and a black leather jacket that was too damn sexy to be all that warm. Short ankle boots covered her feet and completed the look she’d clearly been going for. She looked like she was ready for a walk on the wild side and lord help him, but his cock rose to attention wanting to give her a ride of his own. Her hair was pulled back into a tight ponytail now and showed off every one of her sharp, delicate features when she grinned at him and then dropped a backpack at his feet.
“How do I look?” She bit her lip and coyly looked up at him from beneath her eyelashes.
Delectable was the first word that came to mind but he shook that off. She was a job. Nothing more. Nothing less. She’d just run out on her own wedding and she was clearly having some sort of nervous breakdown. He was not going to let his wayward cock anywhere near her. He cleared his throat and picked up the backpack she’d dropped, giving himself time to breathe before answering.
“You look… different.” He finally settled on the only word that wouldn’t sound like a come-on in his suddenly hormone addled brain, “You ready to head back home, princess?”
“Ready to head to Vegas, you mean? Because yes. I’d like to get this road trip back on the road.” She smiled sweetly.
“Vegas huh?
“Yep.” She gave him what must have been her sweetest smile and he fought the urge to grin right back at her.
He shouldn’t think of her as amusing or entertaining. He shouldn’t like her. He was doing a job, even if she didn’t know that. It would be far easier to do it, and to convince her she wanted to go home instead of traipsing halfway across the country if he resisted the urge to befriend the girl. It shouldn’t be that hard. Not really. Every time she opened her mouth, she irritated him with her high-handedness. She was a princess through and through, and when he showed her the harshness of the real world and refused to kiss her ass like all the other men in her life, she’d be begging him to take her home to Daddy.
He cleared his throat, “Let me ask you a question, princess.”
She pursed her lips and raised a sharp eyebrow. He wanted to smile again when she tapped her foot impatiently at him. He bit off the urge.
“How much did this new costume cost you?” He motioned up and down her body as dismissively as he could.
“Um…”
He snorted when she didn’t answer the question, “You spent all that cash, didn’t you?”
“Well, I had to.” She stomped her foot this time, “I had to get everything! All the way down to underwear and a bra because my wedding lingerie wasn’t going to cut it for a road trip. I got extras too, plus a couple changes of clothes and socks and shoes. That stuff isn’t as cheap in there as people say it is.”
Tyler scrubbed a hand over his jaw, “So you’re broke?”
“I mean, yeah, I guess.” She shrugged.
“So how exactly are you planning to get to Vegas? Am I supposed to be paying for this joyride?”
“No, of course not. Just…” She huffed out another breath, “We can go to the bank and I can get money.”
“So you have your bank card with you?” He pressed even though he had a feeling he already knew the answer.
“Well…. no, but they’ll give me a new one.” She grinned as if she was proud to have come up with a solution but he was already shaking his head and she frowned at him. “What?”
“Do you have your ID stashed in your bra too then? Or do you think the bank will just recognize you from all the missing person alerts your father is going to send out?”
Her pretty face scrunched up and he found himself fighting another grin. He’d expected her to be some sort of ice queen. That was how politicians were, cold and aloof. But she was the complete opposite of what he’d expected.
“So you have no ID and no money but you want me to take you to Vegas? I’m assuming since you mentioned a bucket list you’re going to want to hit some bars when we get there? Do some gambling maybe? You’re going to need ID for that, princess.”
She rolled her eyes, “I hate to break it to you but girls that look like me don’t need ID to get a drink.”
He chuckled, “I suppose you don’t think you need money either with that philosophy.”
She shrugged.
“I hate to break it to you but bikes that look like this need gasoline to run and that does take money.”
Ashtyn frowned again and her brows drew together. She was thinking. He could practically see the wheels spinning. It didn’t even take her a whole minute to come up with a solution and her face lit up with another one of those wide, proud smiles.
“We need to find a pawn shop.”
His eyes widened, “We are not pawning my bike.”
“No!” She laughed, “Oh my God, no. Not your bike. We need that to get to Vegas.”
“So?”
She held her left hand up and it took everything in him not to gasp like a fucking little girl. She was talking about her engagement ring, the giant rock sitting on her hand must be worth a small fortune. It wouldn’t just pay for a trip to Vegas if they pawned it. It would pay for a trip to Venice, and not the one in Texas.
He frowned, “Aren’t you supposed to give the ring back when you don’t actually go through wit
h the wedding?”
Ashtyn looked thoughtful, “Really?”
Tyler shrugged, “No idea. Never been engaged before personally.”
“Lucky you.” she sighed, “I’ll pay Aaron back later, right now this ring is no good to me unless I can turn it into green.”
Tyler rubbed the back of his neck. This was a stupid conversation to even be having. He couldn’t let her pawn her engagement ring. Not when she was undoubtedly going to change her mind about all of this. Not when he’d already talked to her mother and knew he had money to cover whatever she wanted. Instead of continuing with this stupidity he decided to get them out of this dark parking lot.
“We can talk about the money tomorrow. For now, let’s just go to my place and get some sleep.”
“Sleep?” Ashtyn’s eyes widened, “But I thought…”
“It’s dark. You don’t have a helmet. And we have to swing by my place anyways so I figure we get some sleep and if you still want to ride cross country on the back of a motorcycle with a virtual stranger tomorrow, I’ll take you.”
Ashtyn stared at him for a long moment and he didn’t dare avert his gaze. She was sizing him up and trying to decide if he was tricking her. He was, in a way. He thought if he kept her close to home and let her get some rest and emotional distance from what she’d done today, that she’d change her mind and want to go home. She seemed to know exactly what he was planning though because she straightened herself up to her full height, chin up and arms crossed defiantly.
“Fine. We can leave in the morning, I could use a shower anyway.” She paused and narrowed her gaze, “You do have a shower at your place, right?”
He groaned, “God, you’re such a brat.”
She grinned, “I was joking.”
“Uh huh.” he sighed and tossed the backpack she’d bought back to her, “Get on the bike before I decide to leave you here, Ashtyn.”
He wasn’t going to leave her. They both knew it. She thought it was because he was a nice guy or because she was so much fun or whatever, but the truth was, he was here because of the money. He was being paid. It was that, and only that, that kept him here. He wondered if he’d actually believe his own bullshit by tomorrow morning.
