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Brax leads me back through the forest and into his shed, where he finds a tool small enough to pop the tiny frame out of the locket without damaging it. I let out a nervous breath as I carefully remove the photograph. And I don’t know what I was expecting to find, but my heart sinks a little when I see the four digits engraved into the gold.
Digits that could mean anything.
“Great.” I drop the locket onto Brax’s workbench in frustration. “Just fuckin’ great.” When I kick the bench, pain shoots from my toe to my knee. It hurts a lot more than I expected it to, and I slide down one of the beams to the ground before bursting into tears. Not just because of the throbbing in my toe, but because I can feel myself running out of hope.
I’m hidden in the middle of nowhere with dangerous people after me, and the only person I can depend on is the outlaw biker who kidnapped me. If I ever get out of this mess alive, I’ll be a talk show host’s dream.
“Stop being a brat.” Brax snatches up the locket from the bench and studies the numbers himself.
“They have to mean something… could it be some kinda code?”
“How am I supposed to know? It’s four numbers that mean nothing,” I snap back at him.
Brax thinks for a while longer, then he moves to stand over me.
“First thing tomorrow morning, we’re taking a ride.” He reaches down, grabs at my arms and then pulls me up onto my feet.
“A ride where?” I look up at him confused. Now isn’t the time to be taking a trip.
“I’m taking you home.” His grip tightens and his jaw tenses.
I should be happy, relieved, but instead, his answer places a nerve-racking discomfort in my gut.
“Just so we can try and figure out what this means,” Brax adds, and I don’t know if that’s a warning or if he can sense the anxiety building inside me. “There could be something back at your place that relates to these numbers and if there is, we are gonna find it.”
“Okay,” I nod, managing a grateful smile. He’s right. I am being a brat.
“Get back in the house and get some sleep, we leave early in the morning. Less risk of being seen.”
“Are you coming to bed too?” I ask, trying my best to not sound bothered either way. But the truth is, I want him lying beside me. The only time I can relax is when he’s close.
Brax closes his eyes and takes a deep breath, he’s angry at himself, and that’s how I know he’s going to give into me.
“Get to bed, Gracie, I’ll be up soon,” he promises.
It’s still dark when Brax stirs me awake. I’d pretended to be asleep last night when he eventually crept into the room. But it wasn’t long after he got under the covers, and my body tucked into his that I drifted off.
I don’t have time to eat or even shower, before he drags me outside toward the outhouse and pulls a white sheet off one of the bikes. It’s a classic model, but I can see it’s well taken care of. The chrome shines immaculately, the leather on the seat is glossy and black. Brax pushes it out the double doors before he mounts it, and I can’t help admiring how hot he looks as he straddles it, the black jeans and tight black tee he’s wearing adding to my fantasy.
“You gettin’ on or are you gonna stand there staring?” He looks over his shoulder at me, and I nervously take a step closer and clear my throat.
“I’ve never… I haven’t ridden a bike before,” I admit, feeling pretty fucking stupid.
“Of course you haven’t,” Brax sniggers back at me.
“Take a seat behind me, make sure ya climb on this side in case you catch the exhaust.” His arm reaches behind him so he can guide me around the bike. I do as he instructs, hitching my leg over the saddle and seating myself behind him.
“Let your legs rest against mine. There’s a bar behind that you can hold on to. Or…” he trails off.
“Or what?”
“Or you can hold on to me.” His tone suggests that the idea repulses him, despite the fact I spent the entire night with my body clung to his. I guess he’s had his fill of human contact for today.
“I’ll take the bar.” I reach behind me and locate the cool metal with my hands, gripping it tightly. “Okay, I’m ready,” I tell him, both excitement and nerves fluttering inside me.
Brax kick starts the engine and a thunderous vibration travels through my body. My hands automatically release the bar and wrap around his chest, my fingers digging into the cotton of his T-shirt.
“Better hold tight, Gracie.” He glances over his shoulder, before revving the throttle and pulling off.
