Page 36 of German

The minute I rounded the corner of the coffee shop, I spotted my convertible.German was sitting on the hood, looking inside the front window to see if he could spot me.

“German!”I screamed, instantly drawing the man’s attention.

The lithe biker was running toward me before I could take my next breath.It was a good thing too, because a hand snatched the back of my dress and pulled me to the ground with such force I ate pavement.

However, when my kidnapper looked up and saw German barreling down on him, he let go of me and ran back to his buddy driving the black van.

German lifted me off the ground and into his arms.“We need to get in the car, you can tell me everything on the drive home,” he commanded.

As soon as we were in the convertible, German drove it toward the other side of the parking lot, but the van was already gone.

“What happened, Maddy?”he demanded, reversing the sports car back the way we’d come.

Catching my breath, I tried to calm my hammering heart.“On the way to the bathroom, I noticed some guy watching me.I thought he was just creepy, but it turns out he was there to kidnap me.When I came out of the bathroom, he…” my voice broke and I no longer felt strong like I had at the moment, “he put a knife to my throat and told me I had to get into his van or he’d kill me!”

German’s hand dropped down to my knee and squeezed.“How did you get away?”he asked then, gentling his words so I wouldn’t break down entirely.

“I pretended to trip on my flip-flops and put some distance between us.As soon as I was free from the knife, I ran as fast as I could toward you.”

German swore and clenched the steering wheel so tightly I feared it might snap off.“I knew we shouldn’t have left the house today.This was a mistake.”

The idea of being a prisoner in my own home for the rest of my life broke me.The tears began to fall and I couldn’t stop them.

Glancing over at me, German unclenched his hands and apologized.“I’m sorry, Maddy.This was my fault.I should never have let you go inside by yourself.”

Wiping away the tears, I shook my head.“It’s not your fault, German.No one could have foreseen this.It’s ludicrous!”

Letting out a deep breath, German kept his eyes on the road when he said, “We can’t drive this car anymore.It’s too recognizable.”

I hated to agree, but he was right.As much as I loved this car, it didn’t make sense to take the risk.“Daddy lets me use whatever car I like.There are a dozen to choose from in the garage at Coldwell.Pick whatever one you want.”

“We can’t use any car registered to your family, Maddy.The kidnapper might already have an inventory list of what they are.I’m going to call my Brother Hammer and get a vehicle that isn’t on anyone’s radar.”

That made sense.“Okay,” I said, leaning back against the soft leather of my seat.Like before with Nathan, now that I was safe, I felt like my battery had been completely drained and I could barely keep my eyes open.

Noticing my fatigue, German said, “Lean back, Baby Girl.Close your eyes.I’m taking you home now.It’s all going to be okay.”

Those were the magic words I needed to hear.Closing my eyes, it didn’t take long before I slipped into a dreamless sleep.

* * *

German

I’d failed her.The reality was blindingly painful.Maddy had nearly been kidnapped.If she hadn’t acted so swiftly or decisively, she’d be in the hands of her attackers now.I felt so much shame and guilt over that, I could barely contain myself.But I had to.I couldn’t afford to act out or lose it now.I might have failed Maddy once today, but I wasn’t about to do it again by acting like a fucking child.

After we’d returned home, Maddy had gone to take a nap and I’d called my Club.What we’d decided was a little unorthodox, but it was a done deal.I couldn’t leave my girl behind.

Fuck.I was doing it again.Calling Maddy “my girl”.But, like it or not, I couldn’t get the refrain out of my head.Because that’s what she was.Mine.Even if I couldn’t touch her.I wasn’t about to leave her behind with one of my Brothers to watch over, though they were every bit as capable of protecting her as I was.More so, if today was any indication.

When I’d spoken to Reaper, he’d said he was just about to call me.That he needed me on another job and would send Hammer in my stead to watch over Maddy while I was gone for a few days.Every muscle in my body had rebelled at the thought of leaving Maddy behind.When Reaper sensed my hesitation, he’d made an unorthodox suggestion.Take the girl with me.Allow her to have a little fun.Let her play dress up for a few days as a Club girl and I could keep watching her while carrying out business.

I’d immediately rejected the idea, but my Prez had pulled rank.“Look,” he’d said in that no-nonsense way he has about him, “the way I see it, you have two options before you.One, leave the girl with Hammer.Or two, take her with you.It’s up to you.”

When he put it like that, there wasn’t really a choice to make at all.I wasn’t going to leave Maddy behind.She was coming with me.

Now all I had to do was tell her.She’d need to ride with me to Arizona to meet up with the Raiders, a Club we were in the process of vetting for future business dealings.Since I was Road Master and I’d already partially brokered the deal, there was no one other than me who could do it.

Watching Maddy sleep, my fucking heart ached.She was so beautiful.So innocent.So cultured, she’d never be able to pull off the deception.Christ!The minute she opened up that pretty, bowed-shaped mouth of hers, the men would know she wasn’t some uneducated hang around.The woman had an Ivy League education and the wide-eyed innocence of a pampered princess.It was crazy to even attempt this.

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