Page 22 of Riding With the Grizzly

The last of his orgasm drains from him and then Jude collapses on top of me. He's sweaty and panting for air as he rests his forehead between my shoulder blades. His hot breath tickles my skin, the weight of his body on top of mine making me feel safer than I ever have.

We’ve barely recovered when Jude’s alarm goes off.

“Noooo,” he groans as he reaches over me to shut the alarm off. Jude nuzzles into the side of my neck, tickling my mark and kissing every place he can reach. “I want to stay here with you,” he says with a pout. “But my club is having a stupid mandatory church meeting.”

“Aren’t you the president?” I ask. He nods in confirmation. “So doesn’t that mean you were the one to call church in the first place?”

“Listen here, my sassy little mate,” he says playfully as he nips at my cheeks and nose before kissing the sting away. “I have to go to church but I’ll be back as soon as possible. Sleep in and I’ll be back in a bit to serve you breakfast in bed.”

“As tempting as that is, I’ve taken a few days off of job hunting, so I should really get back to filling out resumes and writing cover letters.”

Jude rolls off of me and helps me out of bed. It takes a while to get dressed since my mate keeps pulling me in for more kisses until I finally have all of my clothes on, thus eliminating the distraction. He gets me all set up on the couch with my laptop and a cup of coffee, promising to be back soon.

About fifteen minutes later, I’m scrolling through different job-hunting sites and bookmarking the ones that look promisingso I can apply later. My phone rings, breaking my concentration. When I see Astrid’s name pop up on the screen, I know I need to answer. We usually text or send voice messages, but an actual phone call? That’s reserved for emergencies only.

“Hey, what’s–”

“They declared war,” she says, cutting me off.

“What? Who? What?” I ask again. I already know, but I need her to say it to make it real.

“The Midnight Rebels. Your father. He’s out for blood.”

“No,” I whisper, though I know it’s true. Of course, they were never going to let me ride off into the night with a member of the Devil’s Pack. Especially the president.

“I’m scared, Nara. Please be safe. Is Jude with you?”

“Um, yeah,” I lie. My friend calls me out on it.

“Nara,” she says exasperatedly. “Just… stay there, okay? Stay hidden. Stay safe.”

“Thanks for calling me and letting me know,” I say instead of making her a promise that I plan on breaking as soon as we hang up.

“Keep me updated on everything. I’m here for you. Please be careful.”

We say our goodbyes and I toss my phone in my purse, grabbing it before racing outside. This is all my fault. I brought the wrath of my father’s MC right to Jude’s door, and I need to warn him. I pull out my phone again, thinking I can call him before running all the way out there, but then I realize I don’t have his number.Fuck.

I consider getting an Uber, but I don’t exactly know the address of the Devil’s Pack compound. It’s not like I can tell the driver to drop me off at the MC residence that controls the northern part of town. Still, I think I have enough information to find the converted warehouse Jude was telling me about a few days ago.

Not wasting any time, I take off toward the quarry farther up north in town, knowing there are some warehouses in that direction. My legs ache, my sides are killing me, and my lungs are pissed at me for suddenly deciding to train for a marathon.

I’m a sweaty, shaking, hyperventilating mess after less than ten minutes, but I somehow find the strength to keep going. One foot in front of the other. Keep running. I have to tell Jude what’s coming for him. I have to warn him.

I’m yanked to the side so suddenly I think I might have fallen in a ditch or something. When my brother’s dark and demented laugh fills my ears, I know it’s a thousand times worse than falling into a ditch.

“Gotcha,” he sneers, hauling me toward a black car I didn’t notice earlier.

His tight grip will surely leave a mark when he lets me go. My brother shoves me in the backseat, pushing me so hard I hit my head on the far side window. He starts up the car, and the enclosed space is instantly filled with guitar riffs and angry screaming. I curl up into a ball, wondering what my family is going to do to me. To Jude. To the club.

Fifteen minutes later, I’m being hauled into the Midnight Rebels’ clubhouse and marched to the back room. My stomach sinks even further, and I worry I might actually throw up from anxiety. I know what happens in this room. People go in, but they don’t come out.

My brother tosses me down into a metal chair, yanking my arms behind me and securing zip ties around my wrists. He also secures my legs to the chair so I’m truly stuck in place.

I look at him, searching for any kindness, any sense of protective instinct when it comes to tying up his little sister. There’s nothing. His eyes are dead.

I’m too busy studying my brother to notice my dad is here as well. He makes his presence known by slapping my cheek so hard I fear he may have knocked a tooth loose.

“It’s my fault,” I say, bracing myself for another strike. “Please don’t do anything to Jude or his MC. This is all my fault.”

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