Page 76 of The Good Girl

“We can stay,” I offer, not wanting him to worry about me.

“No, go get ice cream. Things will get tense here. I want you out of the line of fire.”

“Okay, just be careful.”

I climb off the bike and walk over to Crane but stop. “Wait,” I say, turning back to Havoc. “Am I allowed to ride on the back of his bike? I remember how mad Amity got when G had Monica on the back of his.”

In a couple strides, Havoc’s standing in front of me. He takes my hands in his as he looks down at me. “I need you out of here, Cupcake. Your safety trumps everything else.”

“Okay,” I tell him softly. He lets go of my hands, and I turn, taking Crane’s hand and climbing on behind him.

I don’t wrap my arms around him like I do Havoc. I grab the sides of his jacket and hold on tight as he starts up his bike and pulls out of the parking lot, away from the clubhouse. I send up a silent prayer that everything goes smoothly because I can’t lose him—not now that I’m falling for him.

I remind myself that Havoc’s more than capable of handling himself, and he has men with him who’d give their lives to protect him—not that I want it to come to that, of course.

As we ride into town, I take everything in. I can see why people like it here, even if I do prefer our town more.

It’s pretty, though. I’ll give it that.

But I immediately notice the reaction of the people we pass. The guys were right—there’s no missing the look of fear on their faces. I watch as people scurry off the streets into stores they hadn’t planned on visiting and as mothers grab their children and hurry away. The ones who don’t run just stand and stare. But there are no friendly waves or nods of the head.

My stomach twists. Are we even safe here? They’re scared—and they have every right to be. But sometimes, fear makes people act without thinking. It turns into anger, and then, beforethey know it, the victims become the very people they hate. It’s a vicious cycle that I want no part in.

I’m considering whether or not to yank on Crane’s jacket to tell him to keep going when he pulls into the parking lot of an old-fashioned ice cream shop. I’ve never seen anything like it, except for in the movies—and that one time when I was little and my parents took Citi and me to Disney World. I smile at the memory of us waiting in line with my dad and how he laughed when we ordered ice cream from Goofy, who used the whole can of whipped cream on Citi’s sundae. That had been a great day and one of the last few memories I have of us happy before everything fell apart.

With a wistful sigh, I shake off the memories and wait for us to stop. Crane holds out his hand for me, which I take gratefully as I climb off. I pull off my helmet, and he takes it from me before climbing off himself.

He looks around, then nods toward the empty picnic tables at the side of the building. “We should probably sit out here. Not sure we’ll get much of a warm welcome inside.”

“Yeah, you’re probably right,” I say, glancing at the shop before turning back to him. “I think I should go in by myself.”

“No. If anything happens to you, Havoc will kill me.”

“They’re not scared of me, Crane. They’re scared of you. Well, notyou, but bikers in general. And maybe not all bikers, but Raven Souls for sure.” He stares at me as I ramble. “Anyway, you’ll be able to see me the whole time through the glass. Plus, I’m armed. Havoc made me wear my gun today.” I touch the gun at the small of my back.

“You know how to shoot it?”

I nod.

“You know, shooting a gun and shooting someone are two completely different things, right?”

“Yes, I know, Crane. But I’m not planning on shooting anyone today. I’m just going in to get us ice cream.”

He looks at me, not saying anything, and I sigh. “If I have to draw my gun, you’ll already be moving toward me. Like I said, you’ll be able to watch my every move.”

“Are you always this stubborn?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I flutter my lashes at him.

He sighs, pulling out his wallet.

“I have money.”

“Woman.”

“Man,” I throw back, hands on my hips, making his lips twitch.

“I see Havoc still has some sass to work out of you.”

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