Page 21 of Devil Within

“I believe people come into our lives for a reason.”

He stared at her lips, and she wondered what it would feel like to kiss them. To claim them. Or to have him claim her. The thought ... didn’t scare her. Before anything happened, their little dance of two broke when a man walked into the shop. Jade gave her a pointed look before he turned to greet the customer. Shiloh curled her fingers into her palm, holding back on reaching for Jade.

Destiny? Could she believe it?

It rocked the tentative ground beneath her feet, threatening to collapse.

Only time would tell if that was good or bad.

Chapter Seven

Thursday afternoon, she heard Jade’s bike, but as soon as he showed up, he pulled up next to her and turned off the engine. Which was different. Usually, she just got on, and he’d take off, so she was curious about what he had to say.

“I think today is a good day to not work,” he declared.

Her eyes widened. “You mean, play hooky?”

He chucked and winked. “Get on the back, hot stuff. We’re going on an adventure.”

A thrill shot through her. Suddenly, she felt alive. It was the same feeling she’d had when she stepped foot on that bus. Her instincts had told her to come to Wyoming, and now her instincts were telling her that this man would be someone very important to her.

Maybe he already was.

She put her helmet on and wrapped her arms around him when she settled behind him. He started the bike, and off they went. Although the shaded visor kept the wind off her face, the breeze wrapped coolly around her body. Traveling under the shade of trees, she looked up as sunlight found patches through the leaves and shone down. It was a beautiful day, and she took a moment to appreciate her surroundings. Jade handled his big bike with ease, and she felt comfortable with him, which still confused her. What made him different? Why did she feel at ease with him?

Questions she may never get to answer. Or want to answer.

They rode for about an hour, and then he slowed down and turned off the freeway, where they traveled for about thirty minutes, when he slowed down again. This time they traveled on a gravel road until he came to a clearing and stopped. He turned off the engine and pushed the kickstand out. Then he tapped her leg to indicate for her to dismount.

She took off her helmet and spun in a very slow circle as she glanced around. “You didn’t bring me out here to kill me, did you?”

She was only half serious.

He grinned. “Nope.”

Taking her helmet, he placed both of them on the seat and held out his hand. She took it without hesitation. The path they walked wasn’t long, and before she knew it, the trees thinned, and they stepped out onto a ridge that overlooked a valley.

“Oh my God,” she breathed, wide-eyed.

“I used to come here, set up an easel and paint the view,” he said.

“You grew up here?”

“Yeah, next town over,” he replied. “I used to paint murals all over the place, even when I wasn’t paid for them.”

“Are you a good artist?”

“Yep, even went to CalArts in California.”

“What made you come back to Wyoming and join a motorcycle club?”

“My sister was killed,” he said quietly, turning to stare over the valley. The fixed stare let her know his mind was replaying a memory. “Murdered. Cops did nothing because she was a sex worker. I decided to put the fucker down myself, but Nero beat me to it. Turns out, Nero was in love with her, but she always turned him down. Felt like she wasn’t worthy of him. He was a member of the Sons of Sin, so I cast my lot in with them. Had nothing else. When Saint found out I was an artist, he asked if I did tattoos. Wanted to set up some legit businesses, so I started practicing on pigs because their skin is similar to ours. Funniest damn thing you ever saw, pigs with colorful tattoos running through the mud.”

He laughed at the memory, then slowly he morphed back into Somber Jade.

“The john who killed my sister didn’t want to pay, so he beat her to death. I wanted to pay him back with every bruise that covered her body, but I had to settle with watching him OD. Didn’t give me the satisfaction I craved.” He looked at her, staring her in the eyes. “I’m a dangerous man when I need to be, Shiloh. I’ve done things that would make you run far away from me, but I’ve never hit a woman who was weaker than me, and I never will.”

What was he implying?