Page 12 of Riding Hard

Diesel

I stand with my arms tied around a support beam. This is a first. Nico and a few of his men pace the cement floor in front of me. My eyes have been darting around the room since I woke up. A weapon of any sort would be nice, but the old assembly floor has been stripped and there’s nothing left but a few hardhats, a forklift, and some cardboard boxes.

I yank on the rope again and stare toward Nico who hasn’t said a word since I opened my eyes. I wish he would. The wind is whipping through this place causing a chaos of sounds that grate at my ears. It’s almost like grinding metal. Anything else to focus on would be nice. Besides, it would be nice to know why the fuck I’m here. For decades, the Death Rangers have respected our boundaries without question.

“What am I doing here, Nico?”

He grins as he glances toward me. If half of the stories I’ve heard about him are true, he should have been locked away in either jail or a mental institute years ago. I’m not sure what Bella was thinking about going out with him in the first place. “We’re waiting for my father.” He continues to pace, and I take note of the tattoos running up and down his arms. They’re not art like what Bella is doing at the tattoo shop. Nico’s ink is jailhouse green with blurred lines and faded edges.

Bella.My mind reels back to the way we left things. I’d bet my hand still smells like her.

Okay, maybe I deserve to be tied up. Maybe this is the universe righting my wrong.

When Erica was in the hospital, she pushed me daily to see that I could have feelings for someone else again. When I was younger, I got so mad about it. I used to go to sleep frustrated that she spent so much of her remaining time worrying that I wouldn’t find someone else. That wasn’t what was important. I thought it would be a betrayal of our feelings together, but she saw it otherwise… and maybe now is the first time I understand it. I’ve kept the door closed to my heart for so many years and it wasn’t until Bella’s innocence that I realized I’m not replacing Erica. She was smart enough to see that years ago, and I guess I never believed it until now.

As I tailspin into a hellfire of thoughts, a flash of blonde catches my eye from behind a plexiglass wall Nico is standing in front of.

What the hell?

I squint my eyes and study the figure. She’s with an older man I’ve never seen before, followed by Kane, Gunner, and Tex. The three men have guns drawn. From this distance, the woman looks like Bella. Blonde hair tied up, thick curves, and a hoodie matching the one she’d been wearing last night. For the life of me, I can’t reconcile why she’d be here.

Maybe the Death Rangers gave me some sort of drug to keep me calm and I’m hallucinating the perfect rescue. The one where an inked little sweetheart comes running across the factory floor and wraps her arms around my neck.

I half expect Nico to stop her, but she dodges out of his grasp, around his buddies, and makes a B-line for me. The sweet vanilla in her hair sends a wave of calm over me. I know I must be fantasizing.

“Are you okay?” Her voice is soft as she works the rope.

Nico and his guys focus on the troop of men walking toward them.

“You need to run, Bella. These guys aren’t playing. You shouldn’t be here.” I stare at her, trying to focus my gaze enough that she knows I’m serious, but part of me still wonders if any of this is real.

“Guns down, gentleman.” A deep voice booms in from across the factory floor where a large man with a bulb nose appears. I haven’t seen the man in years, but I know it’s Tony DeMarco. He’s unmistakable. “I’m sorry for all the trouble, but the sooner we get this solved, the sooner you’ll get your co-founder back.”

Bella, not paying much mind to the men surrounding her, continues to work my rope free. It isn’t until I’m standing on my own that Tony takes note of me.

“I see what you’re doing over there. No need to run.” He nods upward toward the scaffoldings. “I’ve got men positioned everywhere.” Tony runs his hand through his hair as he straightens himself. “We want the route through Rugged Mountain. If we get it, you all walk away. If not, well,” he shrugs and aims his gun toward me, “bang.”

“No.” Bella stands from behind me. “I’ve talked to my father. He owns private roads north of Rugged Mountain. He’s willing to open those paths to you if everyone walks away unhurt.” She crosses her arms over her chest. “Deal expires in one minute.” She talks with a straight back and a confident stare that I wasn’t expecting from her. Why does this sweet little girl keep surprising me?

Pride swells within me, but it’s shrouded in worry. These men don’t typically take women standing up to them well. I wrap my arms around Bella, desperate to keep her safe but she shrugs away from me, aiming her focus on Tony.

“Do we have a deal?”

Tony looks Bella up and down with a smirk on his face as though he’s amused by her gravitas. “How much time will these roads cut?”

Her father steps out onto the floor. He’s in great shape for a seventy-two-year-old man. I’d guess he works out a few times a week. “My route, further up the mountain range, will cut your travel time by nearly six hours. It’s a private road that isn’t on anyone else’s map. It’s a dirt road I’ve used for decades for my own‘business.’It can be a bitch in the winter, but if you have a plow, you’re right as rain. You’ll be able to move product for nearly an hour without anyone knowing you’re doing it.” He lifts an envelope he’s holding. “I have the paperwork right here,” he waves it back and forth, “but this is contingent on you honoring your deal with these boys. If my daughter is living in Rugged Mountain now, I never want to see your son or any of his guys there ever again.”

Tony stands unmoving for what seems like hours as he thinks over the deal.

All I want is Bella safe. My jaw tightens and my pulse picks up. There’s so much tension in the room. Anyone could shoot, but my eyes are fixed on Nico. This isn’t going to make him happy. He’s been obsessed with Bella for months.

Finally, Tony speaks. “Deal. Nico, let these people go.”

Relief should be washing over me, but Nico explodes with anger and grabs Bella by the wrists and drags her toward the door.

Kane’s gun is aimed, Gunner lunges toward Nico, Tony is yelling, and Bella’s father is rushing to her side.

I jump forward and grab Nico by the back of his shirt, punching him over and over until he falls backward and his filthy fucking hands release Bella.

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