Page 8 of Lulu

“He offered, but I’m too chicken shit. I’ve been taking self-defense classes instead.”

Yeah, that would come in handy against a gun. I rolled my eyes. I was willing to bet that after this he wouldn’t give her a choice.

As we raced down the road, I kept shifting my eyes to my rearview mirror to keep track of how close the men were getting to us. They were gaining on us fast, and when I saw the blonde hang his head out the window with his gun and take aim, I screamed for Millie to get down. The next thing I knew, my back window was shot out. We both screamed and I ducked. I lost control of my car and swerved on the gravelly shoulder.

“Fuck!” I screamed, fighting with the wheel to gain control, but my car continued to slip on the gravel, sliding sideways into the slight ravine. “Call Loco and tell him to hurry his ass up!”

While Millie did that, I reached for the glove box where I kept my gun. One of the Desert Rebels had taught me how to shoot years before, and Killer, the president of the club at that time, had given me my own gun to keep with me.

“They’re close!” she said breathlessly.

We came to a jarring halt in the ravine. “Shit!” I swore.

Millie clung to the seat and stared out the broken back window with wide eyes. “Oh, God, Lulu!”

I glanced back in time to see the van pull over and then both men exited the vehicle. We were sitting ducks inside the car. “Get out!” I opened my door and ran around the car to where Millie was. We cowered against the side. My heart was beating so fast that I thought I might pass out, and the hand with the gun in it was shaking so badly that it was a miracle I didn’t fire it by accident.

“We just want the redhead!”

“Go to hell!” I yelled back.

“You can’t beat us, you stupid bitch!”

That pissed me off. “Want to bet?” I peeked over the hood to see them walking slowly toward us, and fired a warning shot. That got their attention. Both men swore and scrambled back to their van, and then the next thing I knew they were firing back at us.

“Shit, Lulu!”

“It will be okay, honey. Listen.”

The unmistakable sound of motorcycles could be heard coming our way. We looked at each other and smiled. The next thing we heard was the sound of the van squealing away. I released a heavy sigh of relief and sank down onto the ground, leaning my back against my car.

Millie followed suit. “Jesus,” she sighed, putting her hand over her heart. I imagined that it was pounding as hard as mine was. “I didn’t know you were such a badass.”

“When I need to be, but don’t let that get out. It’s my secret weapon.” I was still shaking.

I thought about all the other close calls I’d had during my years in the clubhouse. The shootouts, the bombing of the clubhouse and then the construction office, and fires. I thought about how my life had been before I’d become a club whore. It hadn’t been much better. Two years as a prostitute at Crystals Palace, the brothel owned by the MC, a memory I refused to revisit because I didn’t want to remember. I’d already lived a fucking lifetime and I was only thirty-years-old.

“You think they were after me because of something to do with the club?”

I nodded. “Most likely.”

“Great. This probably means lockdown for me.”

I snorted. “Whatever they decide, it will be for your protection.” It crossed my mind that they may want me to go on lockdown, too, but I’d worry about that if it happened.

“I know.”

I closed my eyes and breathed deeply, content to listen to the approaching bikes as I came down from the adrenaline rush. I wondered who would be with Loco, because it was clear that there was more than one bike coming. I tried to determine how many in my head. Soon they were stopping on the side of the road.

“Millie!” I heard Loco shout in a tone I’d never heard him use before, one that was filled with fear.

“I’m here!” She got to her feet, and then the two rushed toward each other.

“Where the fuck is Lulu?”

I frowned as I recognized the gruff voice. What the hell was Brody doing here? I got to my feet, and suddenly we were facing each other with the hood of my car between us. “Worried about me, handsome?” I sassed.

His sharp eyes ran over every inch of me before focusing on the gun in my hand.

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