Hell on Wheels (Kings of Mayhem MC 4)

By the time he was finished with me, I was face down on the bed and naked below the waist.

My body ached but it was nothing like the pain in my soul.

I woke up with a start, my skin cold but my hair damp with sweat.

My eyes darted around the dark, unfamiliar room as I struggled to catch my breath, the fog of sleep slowly lifting.

As my dream receded, my breathing evened out and my heart began to slow.

I was safe.

He didn’t know where I was.

There was no way for him to know.

I had been careful.

One day it wouldn’t have to be this way.

One day I would be truly free of him forever.

I didn’t know how.

I could only have hope.

It was the only thing that kept me going.

The alarm woke me five hours later. Reluctantly, I climbed out of bed and took a long shower. Standing under the spray of warm water, my muscles softened, and I began to feel relieved about leaving Missy’s mom’s house. Here in this little motel room I was free from Craig’s leering and the possibility of him walking in on me at any given point.

I was also free from Missy’s craziness.

Her selfishness.

Her impulsiveness.

But I felt sad. She was my only friend. And despite her unpredictable, and often self-centered behavior, I couldn’t understand why she turned on me like she did. She told me it was because I wasn’t supportive of her involvement with Johnny, but I couldn’t help but feel like there was more to the story.

Now I was alone.

Truly alone.

Except for the kindness of one lone biker.

My cheeks heated when I thought of the kiss and how he’d pulled away.

I had only asked him to breakfast to say thank you for his kindness. The guy had done me a solid by giving me a roof over my head for the night. Not to mention a paid gig at his clubhouse. It was the least I could do. Even if the memory of our non-kiss made my spine tingle with embarrassment.

I dressed quickly in my favorite boho dress and boots, shoving my arms into a denim jacket. I threw my bag on the bed and started repacking it but paused when I realized my entire life was in front of me. Everything I owned in the whole world, apart from my guitar, fit into a canvas backpack. It was kind of pathetic, really, but it was the way it had to be. For now, anyway. I couldn’t afford for anything to slow me down.

My eyes shifted to the silver gun sitting next to my pair of Converse high tops. I picked it up and stared at it in my hand. When we were in Texas I took a firearm course and spent hours honing my skills at the firing range. Now I was good at three things. Singing. Running. And shooting a fucking gun.

When you were running from what I was running from, you needed some kind of protection in case you got caught.

Could I use it if I had to?

Absofuckinglutely I could.

I shoved it into my handbag and continued repacking my backpack.

When I heard the rumble of an approaching Harley I went to the window and watched through the parted curtain as Chance pulled up front.

A knot tightened in my stomach.

Sliding off his bike, he looked like all kinds of sin as he approached the porch. Dark glasses. Broad shoulders. Just the right amount of scruff on a sexy as fuck jawline. I quickly let the curtain fall back into place and ignored the pulsating between my thighs as I answered his knock on the door.

“Didn’t get mugged for your three hundred dollars?” he asked with a smile that totally disarmed me.

“Someone very wise told me to lock my door.” I raised my hands up in wonder. “Whataya know? It worked. I’m still rich.”

He gave me a big smile, and again I wasn’t prepared for the impact it had on me.

“Ready to go?” he asked.

I nodded.

“Have you picked out a place for breakfast?” I asked, closing the door behind me.

“Yep. And it’s super expensive. So it’s good you’ve got money, honey.”

I slid on the back of his bike and wrapped my arms around him.

He was big. The kind of big that made you feel safe. And for a moment I let myself enjoy the warmth of his body and the hardness of the muscle I felt beneath my arms as we rode into town in the morning sunshine. My heart felt light, and despite the craziness of the last couple of days, I could feel that comforting flicker of hope warming my heart. I rested my cheek against his leather vest, and for the first time in a long time allowed myself to feel content.

To breathe.

But that all came crashing down when we rode past a shiny pickup truck, and I saw Missy at the wheel.