Page 14 of The Biker's Savage Desire

He leads the girl toward the back door, boots thudding against the cabin floor. She doesn’t resist, just follows, the blanket still clutched in one hand like it might shield her from whatever comes next.

I dress fast, my heart thudding harder than it should at Red’s response. He didn’t even blink before reacting. Something is wrong. Something isreallywrong.

Shit! What did I get myself into?

On the other side of the back door is a garage I didn’t know existed with an old Chevy pickup parked inside. It’s not as old as Sheila, but it’s old enough to be her cousin.

“What’s happening?” I whisper to him the second he has the girl in the back seat of the truck.

He nods once. “I think she’s lookin’ for Duke. I heard about a reporter that had gone missing a while back. She was posting online about some story she was following. Pretty sure this is the girl. I need to take her back to the clubhouse.”

My stomach knots. “Why?”

“If she’s been following Duke, she knows things she shouldn’t,” Red mutters, his jaw tight. “Where have you been stayin’ in town?”

“At the inn on Main, but I don’t want to go back there. I want to stay with you.” The words slide out of my mouth beforeI’ve fully fleshed them out. I know part of me wants to stay by his side because I’m not ready for this to be over yet. The other part wants to stay close to Maci. I don’t know who she is or what she’s done but it can’t be that bad. She’s like five foot four inches, and she’s wearing a hot pink backpack with cartoon patches. I’m pretty sure girls like that aren’t starting MC wars, and I feel some kind of responsibility toward her. Maybe it’s that we’re the same age, or that she looks about as lost as I feel.

“You can’t, princess. I’ll drop you off at the inn and I’ll call you later. I promise.” He opens the truck door and helps me inside, my fingers brushing his before he closes the door and rounds to the driver’s side.

What the hell is happening?

An hour ago, we’d been lost in another dimension. A space in time where real life didn’t exist. Where phones didn’t ring and people didn’t knock on doors. Where violence disappears, and ghosts of past regrets vanish to make way for love. Now, the veil has lifted, and reality is here, loud, uninvited, and apparently hell-bent on vengeance.

Chapter Six

Red

“Please, I don’t know anything about anything,” Maci pleads in the back seat of the truck. “You don’t have to do whatever it is you’re doing.”

“I’m taking you back home,” I groan. “That’s all.”

“I heard you tell that girl that you’re taking me to the clubhouse. Look, I don’t know anything. Yes, I’m a reporter. Yes, I went out in search of Duke, but I didn’t find anything. I swear.” Her voice shakes and I know a rebuttal from the kindhearted, though far too trusting princess, is coming next.

“Red, drop her off with me. We’ll stay at the inn, talk, have lunch, and by the time you get back from the clubhouse, I’m sure you’ll have the answers you need.”

“Can’t do that, princess. I made a promise to the MC. Breaking something like that gets you kicked out with your teeth in hand.” I groan under my breath remembering that I need to stay soft enough to protect Mae’s heart. “I won’t forget she’s human. Okay?”

“Wow!” Mae’s eyes widen as we weave the tree-lined, single lane road onto Main Street. It’s not a huge town center, but it does the job. “You can’t be serious.Human?Of course she’s human. You go talk to your buddies, figure out what you need to, but I’m keeping the girl with me.”

There’s a beat where I don’t say anything. I just stare out at the rain-glossed main drag like it’s got all the answers, but Mae’s voice is laced with something heavier than a stubborn attitude. Something I’d be a fool to ignore. She’s not fighting me to win. She’s fighting because sheknowsI need to be reminded of who I am beneath the patch, of the guy I’ve been at the cabin, and the guy I want to be for her.

I sigh the kind of sigh that settles in your chest like you’re about to make a decision you’ll pay for in ten different ways.

“Fine,” I mutter. “She stays with you.”

Mae blinks, like she didn’t actually expect me to fold that easily. Hell,Ididn’t expect me to fold that easily, but what the hell would she think of me if the guys fucked this girl up? I can’t risk losing Mae over whatever bullshit this is.

The sun shines heavy and hot, an attempt to dry the puddles left from yesterday’s rainstorm. I pull up in front of the inn, the air thick with humidity, and walk the girls upstairs, making sure they’re both tucked into the room before I leave.

“I’ll check in at the clubhouse.” I brush the pad of my thumb against Mae’s cheek. “Don’t leave the room, and don’t talk to anyone. I’ll call when I know what’s what.”

Maci busies herself with searching the room for snacks but turns back and swallows like she’s trying to keep her gratitude buried behind her teeth.Smart girl. Don’t thank me yet.

Mae leans into my chest, her arms wrapped around me as though she doesn’t want to let go. “How long will you be gone?”

“Couple of hours, tops. Call me if anything weird happens. I put my number in your phone.”

She nods and stares at me for a long moment before the door closes, the lock latches, and I wonder if I’ve lost my damn mind.

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