Page 26 of Biker Daddy

“Can’t you make a simple decision?” Markus tossed the ball at her but she wasn’t expecting it, so it fell to the ground at her feet after hitting her rounded belly.

“Geez, you can’t even catch a ball?”

“Leave her alone,” a voice said, making her look up, It was one of the leaders who seemed wiser and more mature than the rest. His eyes, a stunning blue, seemed to carry indifference most of the time, but she saw something else deeper in them.

The other leaders didn’t seem to like him very much, but they were respectful. Maybe it was because he didn’t goof around like them and they feared him a little. With the kids, he was patient and kind, albeit tough when he needed to be, and they loved him, but he wasn’t chummy with the other leaders. He looked threatening now and she could easily picture him flicking any one of them to the ground like a crumb off his Black Sabbath t-shirt.

“Aren’t you going swimming?” the leader questioned with crossed arms when Markus didn’t move.

“Uh, yeah, you coming, Drew?”

“In a bit. Got something to do first.”

Markus nodded and waved the other guys to follow, but Addi continued to watch Drew. She’d heard the others whispering. They’d said he had to meet with his parole officer and that’s why he went to Uncle Ray’s office every Friday morning, but she didn’t know for sure. She just watched his long legs stride away, intrigued by both his secrets and the sadness hidden in his eyes.

“Hey, are we cliff jumping?” Kevin, one of the leaders said, and Addi turned back to watch the group of guys as Kevin sidled up next to Markus, grabbing his ball from midair.

“Hell yeah, we are.” Markus looked over his shoulder at Addi. “You coming, Addi? If you’re too scared you can just watch. I’m sure Carter could use a cheerleader.” He laughed and Carter ran up and put him in a headlock.

When he let Markus go, Carter smiled at her.“You in? Tonight, we’re going hang at the beach and drink the beer Alex stole.”

None of that appealed. Except she saw her uncle’s disappointed face in her mind. He wanted her to fit in, to have some fun.

“She can’t do it. She’s afraid,” Kevin said and threw the baseball at Carter. He jumped up to catch it.

“I’m not afraid.” Addi’s voice came out in an angry growl.

“Yeah, you are. You’re afraid of everything.” Kevin’s eyes were pinned intensely on her. “I bet you can’t do it.”

“I’m in on that bet,” Markus piped in.

Addi chewed her lip. Would Drew be at the beach later? She looked back toward him. His back was just disappearing into the office. She could dog paddle enough to get to shore, couldn’t she?

“I’ll do it and you’ll lose your bet,” Addi said, determined.

“But you never go into the water,” Carter said tossing the baseball up in the air. “We thought you couldn’t swim.”

“Stop worrying, Carter, your girlfriend will be fine. She doesn’t need to swim far. She just needs to jump. Jeff can wait at the bottom and help her.”

Carter’s cheeks turned pink.“She’s not my girlfriend, dick.”

“I can swim,” Addi said, feeling her own cheeks heat with embarrassment. Was slapping at the water like a dog considered swimming? She could keep herself above water for a while anyway. “What’s the bet?”

“You jump and we’ll never bug you again—even if you don’t want to do shit with us—”

Carter pushed forward and cut Markus off. His eyes were heated, eager, and he licked his lips before they turned up in a leer. “You back out though, and we all get to see your tits.”

Addi felt sick. Snakes furled in her belly and she fought to keep her pancake breakfast down. Markus started nudging his buddies.

“She won’t do it.” The group’s laughter made the snakes churn faster.

“Let’s go.”

The guys’ laughter became giddier the closer they got to the cliffs. Addi’s anger kept her feet moving on the trail and her mind was too focused on winning the bet to think of the creatures lurking in the forest.

She followed them to a spot a few feet from the cliff, and Markus grabbed her.

They quieted as Markus walked her to the edge of the cliff. It was a far drop and she could see the water was choppy around the rocks. She swallowed. What if she hit one? Addi licked her lips, feeling her body sway. It was windy at the top of the rocky outcropping.

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