Page 10 of Hollywood

“No,” Luisa answered primly. “We’re just not interested.”

“Too bad,” the one behind me said and grabbed a handful of my hair. “Because we are so fucking interested and you’re comin’ with us.” He yanked me back until I lost my footing, dragging me by my hair.

Luisa’s eyes widened in shock, and she lunged forward to help me when the other guy hooked an arm around her waist. “Winter!”

Over Luisa’s cries came the loud roar of motorcycles that gave my heart a leap even though it was foolish. No one knew about our lunch plans and even if they did, it wasn’t as if my father had sent the cavalry to save me from some unknown assholes who thought they could take what they wanted whenever they saw it. “It’s okay, Lu. Run,” I mouthed to her.

She shook her head and started kicking, landing one foot on her captor’s shin and then his balls.

“Bitch!” He released her and she jumped towards me, wrapping her arms around my ankles.

“I got you, Winter.”

None of this felt real, some assholes trying to kidnap us in the middle of the day? Even for Steel City this was a bold type of crime. “Save yourself,” I tried to mouth to her, but Luisa’s face was buried between my calves, hanging on for dear life. “Please,” I cried. My eyes closed and tears slid down my cheeks as they dragged us closer and closer to the music.

This was not how I pictured my last day on earth would be, but at least I had a belly full of good food and a few hours of fun with my best friend.

The sound of the motorcycles drowned out my pitiful thoughts until I heard a familiar voice. “Winter!”

I froze.Hollywood?Now I knew I was hallucinating because there was no fucking way.

But then the man’s grip on my hair loosened and I fell to the ground with a thud. Another man grabbed the guy behind Luisa, hit him with three successively brutal punches and then grabbed Luisa. “No!”

“It’s okay,” Hollywood’s voice sounded in my ear a second before I was lifted off the ground, sure I was dreaming. “I’ve got you Winter.”

“What? How? Why?” My mind raced with so many questions, but I couldn’t seem to form any but the basics.

“Later,” he assured me and settled a heavy helmet over my head. “Just stay close and hang on to me, yeah?”

Without missing a beat I nodded, still foggy brained and unsure what was actually happening. “Luisa?”

“My boy Rebel has her on the back of his bike. You’ll be back with her soon enough, I promise.”

That was good enough for me and I did as he instructed, pressing my chest against his back while I circled my arms around his waist, feeling the movement of his abs with every breath he took. An eternity, or maybe fifteen minutes later, we arrived at a crop of buildings inside a fenced area. There were no names or awnings or anything to indicate where I was.

My concern returned ten-fold. “Where are we? Why am I wherever this is?”

Hollywood looked at me with that killer smile as he helped me get the helmet off my head and led me inside.

To my death or my salvation, I wasn’t sure yet.

Chapter Seven

Hollywood

“This is my clubhouse. More accurately it is the Steel Demons MC clubhouse.” I kept a hand at the small of Winter’s back because I sensed she was skittish, as anyone would’ve been after those assholes tried to grab her and her friend right off the fucking street. “And the why is because some guys just tried to kidnap you and your friend.”

Her eyes went wide as they met my gaze. “That’s not an answer, Hollywood.”

“It is an answer, you just don’t like it, sweetheart.” I slid my hand slowly up her back and flung it around her shoulders. “Was that an ex of yours or some shit?”

“Hardly,” she snarled and stuck her elbow into my mid-section. “Another round of men who can’t accept rejection, that’s all.” She shoved at my chest again, her blue eyes clouded with suspicion. “Seriously, how did you find me or was this all just a happy coincidence?”

“If I said it was a coincidence?”

Her gaze narrowed. “I’d call bullshit.”

“That’s because you’re not just beautiful, you’re also smart as hell.” I led her through the bar area of the clubhouse and into one of the bedrooms.

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