Page 11 of Her Mysterious Biker
“Fuck.” I push Tank away with a shove. “It wasn’t Red and Sable, was it?” Those two have caused nothing but trouble since our last Prez let them in as club girls.
“Now that you mention it, I think it was those two with Stevie.” Tank’s Adam’s apple bobs up and down as he swallows nervously. “I only took my eyes off Stevie for a few minutes. I thought she’d be safe here.”
There’s no point in taking my anger out on Tank. I know he’s loyal to the club and would never do anything on purpose to put Stevie in danger.
“It’s my fault,” I say. “I thought she would be safe here, too.”
“Hey, Torch.” Red, the bar manager, shouts from behind the counter. “My bartender said he saw your woman leaving with Ruby and Sable out the front door about ten minutes ago. I know Ruby’s my flesh and blood, but that girl’s not right in the head. Not to mention, my brother spoiled her growing up—never could say no to her.”
“Thanks, Red.” I turn back to Tank. “Go find Rock and a few of the others, and have them meet me outside.”
I race out of the bar without waiting for Tank to reply, only to hear yelling from the side of the building. I turn the corner just in time to see two goons I recognize as members of the Sons of Decimation standing over Ruby and Sable, shouting.
“You dumb bitches. Now what am I supposed to tell Mugshot?” one of the guys yells, confirming that Mugshot, the President of the Sons of Decimation, is behind wanting to silence Stevie.
“You son of a bitch!” I step out of the darkness and slam my fist into the first guy’s face, then into the other one’s face, knocking them both to the ground before they can react. “Where’s Stevie?”
“Wouldn’t you like to know?" the guy I now recognize as Stitch says, spitting out a mouthful of blood. “Like I’m ever going to tell you.”
“You’re going to tell me, or you’re a dead man.” I lunge at him, ready to smash his face into the ground for messing with my woman, but two pairs of hands grab my arms and hold me back.
“We’ll take care of them. You need to go find Stevie," Rock, the owner of one of the sets of hands, says.
“But what about us? That bitch stabbed me.” Ruby’s whiny voice echoes in the night.
“Red will take care of the two of you. Whatever she decides to do with you, we’ll back her decision.” Diesel says before dropping my arm.
“She might take it easier on you if you tell us where Stevie is.” Rock releases his hold on my arm and crouches down beside Ruby. “She got you good.” He whistles. “But you’ll survive.” He places his hand on the handle of the knife still lodged in Ruby’s thigh. “You know I would never hurt a lady, but if you don’t start talking, I might have to give this a little twist.”
Prez is bluffing—he’d never hurt a woman, no matter how much she might deserve it, but his bluff works as Ruby starts talking. “Over there.” She points to a clump of trees a few yards away. “She ran that way.”
I don’t wait to hear anything else before I start running in the direction Ruby pointed. I search for what feels like an eternity, haunted by thoughts of Stevie lying in a ditch somewhere, until I spot an old barn just a few feet away.
Rushing to the rickety old structure, I push open the door and step inside. The full moon outside shines through the cracks in the roof, leading me to a curled-up Stevie asleep on a pile of hay wrapped in an old blanket.
“Stevie!” I fall to my knees beside her and shake her shoulders, praying that she’s okay.
Her eyes flutter open, “Orion?”
“Yes, beautiful. I’m here.” I brush the hay out of her hair as she sits up.
“Are you sure I’m not dreaming?”
“No, Stevie, you’re not dreaming. You’re safe. I’m here now. No one is ever going to hurt you again.” I don’t add that, unfortunately, Stitch and Bruise will be released back to their club, but not before they’re taught a lesson about messing with a Savage King’s woman. Both will live up to their names after my brothers are done with them.
She gives me that soft smile I’ve come to crave and says, “Take me home.”
I gently pick her up and carry her bridal style all the way back to my truck, gently placing her in the passenger seat and closing the door. I walk around to the driver's side, open the door, slide in, and pull Stevie back into my arms, cradling her head against my chest.
“I’m so sorry, Stevie. I will never let anyone hurt you again. I promise.” I kiss the top of her head. “I love you so much, beautiful.”
Stevie’s head snaps up at my words. “You love me?” she asks, her voice uncertain.
“It doesn’t matter if you love me back or not--I’ll make sure no one ever hurts you again. Even after you find a man, I’ll watch over you.”
She shakes her head, “No.” My heart sinks at her rejection. “I’ve already found a man, and I love him with all my heart.”
I blink at her in disbelief. Does she really love me back? “You love me?” I can’t help but echo the words she said to me.
