Page 10 of Thrust & Throttle
“Willa.” We were on the sidewalk outside of Boots, but that didn’t stop him from moving his large body toward me.
Even though I wore heels, Duke still had a few inches on me. He cupped my jaw and bent his head, his mouth inching closer to mine.
“I thought we weren’t going to do this,” I whispered.
“To hell with it,” he growled.
His lips were just about to capture mine when my phone rang.
“Son of a bitch,” he rumbled, lifting his head and dropping his hand from my face. He didn’t step away though, choosing to remain close.
I pulled my cell out of my purse and saw Waverly’s name flashing across the screen. With a frown, I pressed the answer button and put the phone to my ear. “Hello?”
“It’s gone!”
“What’s gone?”
“Ourhome. We just got here and the RV is gone. I called Mom, but she didn’t answer. Savage went with me to knock on Mr. Edisto’s door. He said Mom was here around six with some guy in a red truck. They hitched up the RV and drove off! My backpack with all my books are in there. Not to mention all our clothes!”
“Put Savage on the phone,” I said, knowing there was very little I could do to stem the flow of a teenager’s meltdown.
There was a moment of shuffling and then Savage said, “Hey.”
“Hey,” I said quietly.
“I’m gonna take her to the clubhouse. You guys can crash with us while we figure shit out.”
I exhaled. “Thanks.”
“Did you have anything of value in the RV?”
“No,” I admitted. “Thank God.”
The first and last time I’d hidden money in a home I shared with Mom, she’d found it and blew it all on useless crap. After that, I opened up a bank account. I didn’t have a lot of money, but it was safer there than anywhere near my mother.
He hung up and I shoved my phone into my purse. I looked at Duke. “Did you hear that?”
“Yep.”
“My mom’s a real piece of shit.”
“Yep,” he agreed. “Come on, let’s get you to the clubhouse.”
“We have no clothes,” I pointed out.
“Nope.” He handed me the spare helmet.
“We don’t even have our toothbrushes.”
“We can get you new toothbrushes.”
I set the helmet on my head and then clicked the belt. Duke made sure it was fastened tight enough and then dropped his hands. I shook my head and climbed onto the back of his bike.
He cranked the engine and then tore off away from the curb. I had my arms wrapped around him, but the thrill and excitement of my position never diminished, no matter how many times I rode with him.
Duke made me feel safe and free at the same time.
Just outside city limits, we turned off the main road onto a winding dirt path. The clubhouse lights shone brightly against the night.
