Page 5 of Grizzly's Pride
Gunner raised an eyebrow when he spotted Piper. “You’re taking the woman with you?” Gunner asked.
“My name’s Piper,” she said, lifting her chin. Grizzly grabbed his helmet and a spare from the hidden compartment under his Harley’s seat. He tossed the spare to Piper. She fumbled with it for a few seconds, then put it on.
“I am. She might give us some useful answers,” Grizzly told Gunner.
“And after that? Will she be quiet about what she saw?” Gunner asked.
“Let me worry about that,” Grizzly said. He mounted his bike, surprised Piper got behind him with ease. She even knew how to position herself and where to place her feet, although she did hesitate for a moment before wrapping her arms around him.
Grizzly wondered if she hated his guts. That was a given, wasn’t it? He shot her old man dead, after all, and put her in this awkward situation. What she thought of him shouldn’t matter, but somehow, it did.
He didn’t understand what this woman was doing to him. Right now, he didn’t care. For the longest time, after his wife and son died, Grizzly had forgotten how to live. Sure, he breathed, fucked, and killed, but he never truly felt alive until now. Until Piper.
“You seem to know your way around a motorcycle,” he remarked.
“I once dated a guy who owned a motorcycle. Well, it was more of a mini bike than this monstrosity,” Piper said with a nervous laugh. If she was able to laugh, to keep her shit together despite everything that happened, then Grizzly admired her even more.
“What happened to that guy?” he asked out of curiosity.
“We broke up after two dates. I don’t exactly have time for romantic relationships,” she said, sounding a little bitter.
“Save your cute little conversation for later. We gotta bolt,” Gunner told Grizzly.
Gunner started his engine. Grizzly did the same. They passed the dirty-white van of the cleanup crew on the way back. They were an outside company the MC had been using for years. King had an arrangement with him. As long as they received a generous paycheck every month, they were happy to do the dirty work, no questions asked.
They rode in silence for a while. Grizzly stopped at a gas station when she insisted she needed to use the bathroom. He told Gunner to keep a lookout in case she ran.
“Why keep her in the first place?” Gunner asked him.
“I don’t know, but it feels wrong to end her,” he admitted.
That admission seemed to surprise Gunner. “Grizzly, you’re a stone-cold killer. One of the best in the MC. This is the first time you ever hesitated.”
Grizzly wasn’t happy about that comment, but he let it slide. When Piper was done, they got back on his bike. They started for Grace, the town the MC considered their territory, their personal playground to do whatever they wanted.
Gunner started for the road that would lead to the MC compound, but Grizzly took the other road, the one that led to town. He wasn’t surprised Gunner caught up to him. Grizzly slowed down.
“Aren’t we heading back to the clubhouse? King expects a report,” Gunner said.
“Then you tell him all he needs to know. I’m taking her back to my place for questioning,” Grizzly said.
Gunner frowned, about to argue, but Grizzly gave him a look that brooked no argument. “Fine, but King needs to know about the girl staying with you,” Gunner said.
“Woman, and it’s Piper,” Piper yelled as Gunner rode off, laughing.
****
Piper’s earlier bravado vanished the moment Grizzly and she got off his motorcycle. With shaking hands, she took off her helmet and handed it to Grizzly. As he tucked the helmets in his compartment, the thought of running entered her mind again.
Piper looked at the quiet street for a few moments, then dispelled the thought. She was in Grace, and Grizzly basically told her it was Ruthless Reapers territory. Who would she go to, the cops? Piper wouldn’t be surprised if they were paid off by Grizzly’s MC.
Her gaze lingered on the brick apartment building where Grizzly lived. Piper didn’t dismiss the thought that he could be taking her to a kind of safe house, or a place where the MC took guests to be questioned. That seemed more logical.
“This way.” Grizzly placed a gentle hand on the center of her back. Piper wondered why she didn’t find his touch unpleasant, why she hadn’t made a move to escape. Part of her still felt numb after seeing Mervin’s dead body. Maybe she was in shock. That might explain her compliance.
They entered the building, then stepped into the elevator. On the fifth floor, they alighted. Grizzly led her to a unit at the end of the corridor. Her heart beat in trepidation as he took out his keys and unlocked the door.
“After you,” he said. Grizzly smiled, showing a mouthful of white teeth.
