Ride Hard

Either way, I carefully help Dessie off my lap.

Langley is too young for me, and she has trouble written all over her—and not the good kind of trouble.

“Go in the old woman’s room and help Tub and Audrey get her ready to go, Des.”

“Okay,” she replies, looking at me strangely. Her eyes go to the girl and then back to me. There’s a question in her gaze, but I ignore it. It’s not her place to question anything, and hell if I know what’s going on myself.

“She your girlfriend or something?” Langley asks once Dessie leaves, and maybe it’s my imagination, but she seems irritated asking the question. Is she jealous? I like the idea of that, even if I shouldn’t.

“Or something,” I mutter, not getting into or explaining the fact that Dessie is club candy and what her role is. “You need to go get cleaned up,” I tell her, frowning at the threadbare clothes she has on. I’ll have to get her some new shit. Girls need that crap for school. Fuck me… is she in school?

“Why?” she asks, but my mind has already traveled in another direction.

“Are you in school?” I ask again.

“What?” she asks, blinking like I’m insane, and hell, I just might be.

“Are you in school?”

Her eyes widen before she pulls her brows down low in confusion. “Like high school? I’m twenty-one,” she says, and shock pushes through me.

I didn’t expect that. She seems younger, but I’m glad as fuck she’s at least legal. Although that shouldn’t matter, because I shouldn’t want anything to do with her.

I’m fifteen years older than her. That’s a fuck of a lot. That bothers me and pisses me off at the same time, and because of that, my voice is harsher than intended.

“Go get cleaned up,” I snap.

“Why?”

“Because people can see your tits despite my cut you’re wearing.” I stare at her hard. “And you have blood on your face,” I tell her, not bothering to be nice. Her body goes solid. I can literally see the way her muscles tighten up from my words. She clutches my cut tighter around her, and fuck I shouldn’t like that she’s wearing it. The truth is, I mostly lied. You can’t really see her tits now that she has my leather covering her, but I know she’s exposed under that shirt she’s passing off as a nightgown, and I don’t like it, especially with my men all wandering around in here.

“I-I’ll….” she stutters and takes a deep breath, lifting her eyes from where she was looking at the ground, and stares right at me.

I can see she’s trembling, but her voice is steady and she’s doing her best to not appear weak. I respect that. This girl may not have much, but she definitely has grit.

“I’ll be right back,” she murmurs, and I let her go. I wonder if she’s going to give me shit when she gets back in here.

The ambulance should be here shortly. I told Tub to call it once the men cleaned the room and rid the place of any sign of Einstein. I pulled a few strings and got the old lady a bed in a rehab facility. I’m no doctor, but it’s pretty clear she needs trained help. Langley can’t do it. I know she works, and there’s no way she can be the old woman’s caregiver too.

Besides, I have plans for the girl, ones that will take up all of her time.

Yeah, I’m definitely stepping in to save the girl, but I doubt she’ll thank me for it. In fact, she’s going to hate me when I move her into my club, but I’m still doing it.

Because I’m a fucking idiot.Chapter ThirteenLangleyI stand at the door and watch as the ambulance takes Mama away. I’m holding back my tears despite the fact that I know this is the best course of action for her.

As much as I cared for her this whole time, she needs so much more, more than I can ever give her. I have no medical background, and it has been nearly impossible to get any kind of assistance for her, to get anybody out here to help with her care.

I cover my mouth with my hands as I watch them close the ambulance backdoor. That’s it. She’s gone. But not forever. I’ll visit her, let her know I’m still here with her.

Thankfully, she’s out of it and doesn’t know what’s happening. If she’d been with it, no doubt she’d probably curse at the paramedics to get their damn hands off her. That would make me smile if I didn’t feel so overwhelmed.

Once the ambulance drives off, I stand here staring at the handful of bikers. There are Harleys lined up on the side of the road, and a couple SUVs, which I assume are for the women who’d come with them.