Page 52 of One Night with the Biker

I didn’t have many friends outside the club, and I’d always considered Nova my best friend, even when my parents werealive. Looking back, I didn’t know if our forced proximity bred familiarity and, in turn, what I believed was a loyal confidante. As kids, we had no choice but to be in each other’s company because of our parents. My dad was the VP for as long as I remembered. To me, my father’s death destabilized the club. Roman never confirmed that the one time I brought it up, but I wasn’t an idiot. Before Daddy’s death, the officers weren’t voted out the way they were nowadays. He worked so closely with Boom Boom, it seemed logical that Nova and I gravitated to each other.

Understanding she currently acted out of a place of trauma and putting myself in danger on her behalf warred within me. I worried what she’d say about why I hadn’t come inside and spent time with her. Everyone knew Roman was on a run with the officers. Because he was gone, they’d removed the guards from our house, in spite of his protests. He wanted them there to protect me.

But I couldn’t handle Nova’s bullshit after the stunt she pulled. After the damage our friendship already endured, she’d used me to see Louisiana on his home turf, then barged into Reese’s room and finished showing her ass.

Tightening my arms around Reese’s trim waist, I leaned into the turn he made. Being on the back of his bike felt so different than all the times I’d rode on the back of Roman’s. He’d taught me how to enjoy rides—he’d taught metoride, shoot, and throw knives. Having a bike of my own wasn’t a goal, though. I preferred fast cars, loud music, and football.

I’d learned how to shoot because Roman insisted. He’d also insisted I learned how to get away from attackers. But I’d never had to shoot to kill and hoped I never would. Would I hesitate to shoot if it meant saving my life? No. It was survival of the fittest and I considered myself quite fit.

Would taking someone’s life haunt me? I think it would depend on the circumstances.

I always preferred peaceful resolutions to any type of violence. Nor could I imagine sitting up all night with my gun in hand, stressing about one of Roman’s brothers breaking in to seek justice for whatever story Nova spun. My guess was she’d blame her injuries on me. Probably as retribution for that scene with Boom Boom. She certainly couldn’t admit that she’d gotten her ass kicked by the wife of the man she was sneaking around with.

Luckily, I was on the phone with my brother who was in a private room with his club members when Boom Boom’s phone rang and he said it was Nova, then excused himself.

Roman looked happy and healthy, and that was all I could ask for. Seeing he wasn’t in danger, I decided to listen to my survival instincts. I hadn’t expected to find Reese still outside.

The man was positively insane. He had no self-preservation.

Apparently, neither did I, since I allowed him to talk me into leaving with him. The day wore me out, leaving my defenses down. I was tired and hungry, and only wanted a hot shower and food. Unfortunately, my nausea was building. Morning sickness was a misnomer. It happened any time of the day. Small meals helped, though it didn’t completely alleviate my vomiting. At some point over the course of a day, I’d throw up. Early this morning, nausea awakened me, so I thought I was home free.

Not.

I packed crackers and7Upin my overnight bag. As soon as we got to wherever Reese was bringing me, I’d dig them out and pray my stomach settled. I refused to vomit in front of him.

We rode so long I began to worry he was taking me somewhere to harm me. It seemed the joke was on me after all because I’d once again trusted him. As we headed southwest on Monarch Highway, my anxiety grew. He exited at Idaho Road,hooked a right, then a left at Jackson and cut off onto a dark road, kicking up dust and gravel.

I swallowed, but my mouth was dry and my pulse thumped through my body. Making me disappear would solve my unwanted pregnancy. If he claimed the baby, his girlfriend might not be happy. If he didn’t want the baby, it could one day pop up, asking why Reese chose abandonment.

He slowed his speed. My hand went to my .357, a gift for my eighteenth birthday. I had a permit to carry, but had I honestly graduated to a license to kill? I could always claim self-defense. However, I’d be marked for death by the Royal Bastards.

There was also the baby to consider. After weeks of debating on keeping it or aborting it, I felt insane for wanting to protect it so fiercely. For a little while, Reese gave me hope. I still didn’t know how I’d tell Roman and I still feared his reaction, but I thought…never mind. I was the idiot. Reese had already proven who he was. I’d just used the pregnancy as an excuse to see him again.

This wasmybaby. Fuck him.

My fingers closed around the grip. My life was as valuable to me as the baby’s. I wouldn’t fight to live for one more than the other. Without me living, there was no child.

Reese glided to a stop beside a van, the tires of his motorcycle crunching over the gravel as he eased it into place. The engine rumbled a final note before falling silent, leaving only the crackling of the cold night air to fill the stillness. He dropped his feet to the ground with a soft thud, his boots meeting the earth with a muted finality, his movement smooth as he dismounted. The air around him seemed to hold its breath as he stood there, for just a moment, staring back the way we’d come.

A faint light broke through the blanket of darkness, flickering just ahead like a beacon. It was enough to highlight the outline of the small structure—its wooden exterior almostblending with the night, as if it had grown out of the forest itself. The light was sparse, uneven, as though the cabin itself were reluctant to reveal too much. From this angle, it seemed distant, untouchable, like it was waiting for something or someone to approach.

The cold of the night cut through the stillness, its chill seeping underneath my clothes and into my bones. The stars above, scattered like silver dust across the velvet sky, seemed closer here—every twinkle of light vivid against the backdrop of darkness. The crescent moon, hanging low and luminous, cast a silvery glow over the landscape, a fragile illumination that barely touched the edges of the trees surrounding them. There was something surreal about it—the way the night felt both alive and still at the same time, as though the land itself held its breath, waiting.

The trees, tall and thick, stood sentinel-like around the cabin, their branches creaking softly in the wind. The forest was alive with its own sounds—an owl hooting faintly in the distance, the rustle of leaves carried on the breeze, the subtle scurry of night creatures hidden just beyond the reach of the light. For a moment, there was a fleeting sense of peace—of quiet isolation that should’ve felt serene. But it didn’t. Instead, there was something unsettling about the silence.

The stillness felt too thick, like the air itself held a secret. The quiet wasn’t comforting. It was… expectant. And somehow, that tension in the air made the forest seem not just peaceful, but somehow watchful. As if the trees themselves were leaning in, listening. Waiting. It was the kind of stillness that made the hairs on the back of my neck rise, the kind of silence that felt too heavy for comfort.

The peacefulness that should’ve settled over the area, that gentle calm of being surrounded by nature, seemed like aveneer. Beneath it, there was something else—something almost forgotten, lurking in the quiet.

It was the perfect place for me to disappear, and the problem of my pregnancy would be resolved.

Reese killed the engine. “We’re here, babe.”

“Hmmm.” Sweat bubbled on my skin and my hands trembled. “Where is here?”

Before he answered, the door swung open, and I jumped.

“About fucking time, Reese,” Louisiana grouched. Before I decided if his presence was good or bad, he said, “Ainsley, maybe you can talk to Jinx.”

---