Page 19 of Falcon

She loosened her grip and peeled herself from my back. I immediately missed her warmth against me. Still, I held my hand out so she could climb off the bike before I did. Her tiny hand fit perfectly into mine. Staring down at it, I noticed her nails. Natural were better in my opinion; fake nails didn’t scratch your back or dig in like the real kind did. But I found it odd that she didn’t have on fakes, as most dancers did.

Once she was off, I dismounted and put a hand on her shoulder. She flinched as I moved closer but didn’t back away. I knew I’d seen a fresh handprint on her before. “I need to talk to Hawk, but we won’t be here long. If you or your friend need to go to the ladies’ room, do it now. We won’t make many stops.”

I started to walk away but her stumbling words grabbed my attention. “W–wait, where are we going?”

Turning back, I leaned my head down a little. “We’re from Georgia. We need to get back there and away from here as fast as we can. If you have somewhere else to go, that’s fine, but I probably can’t take you.” Hawk was already going to be on my ass for what happened since I was the one who pushed to go, even though Petrov was going to check it out.

Her eyes sparkled in the fluorescent lights on the building as tears filled them. Her friend came over and threaded their arms together, holding her close. “I don’t have anywhere else, but maybe we should just get a hotel.”

The fear was evident on their faces. But if that place was mixed up in what Petrov assumed, they needed to get far away. I had to get her to safety. “Listen, just ride down to Georgia. We’ll figure that all out, but you two need to get out of here just as bad as we do.”

The women nodded, and I motioned to where I would be before turning and walking over to Hawk. He had pulled his helmet off and was waiting with his arms crossed. Eagle stood with him and Rooster was still on his bike.

I started, “Hawk, I’m sorry. I had no idea that shit was gonna hit the fan.”

Hawk stared at me. “I’ll handle Petrov. It’s not like you started it and there’s definitely something wrong there. But we have to get the fuck out of here now. I’ll deal with it later.”

Eagle cut in. “I’m not complaining, but how did we end up with not one, but two random fucking women?”

Shrugging I said, “I don’t know how we ended up with one. But this is my fault…” I saw the women heading inside and paused before facing Hawk again.

Hawk rubbed his hand down his face then swiped his fingers through his dark hair, standing it up. “I made the call to go. I’ll sort this shit out. It’s not like we don’t have a house full of women now. What’s two more? But first we need to fill up then hit the road.”

We all went inside, paid cash for the gas, then went back out and rolled our bikes to the pumps. I was digging my extra helmet out from my saddlebag when the woman came back out. She squeezed her friend’s hand and looked like she swiped a tear from her face before she let go, then walked over to me.

“Here. Wear this,” I said as I handed it to her.

She took it, inspecting it briefly. “Is this your girlfriend’s?”

A humorless laugh escaped me. “No. No girlfriend. We all just keep an extra.”

“In case you pick up random strippers?”

“It’s nice to see you got your attitude back.” I much preferred that over fear. “In case a rider goes down and gets a crack in theirs. In case someone’s shit gets stolen. A number of reasons. Mostly to be prepared for anything.” Raven was always good about shit like that. Even other clubs and weekend riders respected him for always looking out for others.

Her bright blue eyes would only meet mine for a second before she glanced down again. It was like how an animal that had been beaten would let their eyes dart around but hardly made eye contact. She was still looking down as she tried to tighten the strap.

“Here, let me,” I said gently as I moved my hand toward her face to help.

She jerked back, so I stopped my movement. She tilted her head back and moved her hands. Going in slowly, I tightened the strap then grabbed the helmet, making sure it was seated but not too tight. She looked up briefly, her lashes fluttering. The slight breeze in the air made her long dark hair sway under her jaw. A few strands landed on her chest that still shimmered from the sparkly shit dancers always had all over them. I wondered if it was all over my cut, but I didn’t mind. I’d love that shimmery shit to be all over me, but I had to squash those feelings for now. She was scared and on the run. She was putting what trust in me she could, but it would take time for her to really be comfortable with me. I couldn’t explain why, but I hoped she would eventually. For now, I just had to show her she was safe.

“Once we get going, just hold on tight and don’t let your feet off those bars right there,” I said pointing to the back foot pegs.

She bit her lip but stared up through the long lashes. “I’m sorry. This all happened fast and–”

“Let’s go, we’ve wasted enough time here,” Hawk called out before he revved his engine.

Speaking up so she could hear over the noise, I said, “I know. We’ll talk when we get home. Remember, hold on tight.”

I straddled my seat and put my hand out to help her climb on. After I fired it up, I reached back and pulled at her thighs. “Get close and hold on,” I yelled over my shoulder.

She scooted closer and the heat of her body was once again pressed to me. I could get used to that. But first, we had to get the fuck out of here.

Chapter 13

Daisy

If it hadn’t been for the loud engines and the cool air on my arms, I would have passed out on the bike. After the adrenaline wore off, I was exhausted. Even though it was hard to look him in the eye, being smashed up against his back was comforting.

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