Page 10 of Thrust & Throttle


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“Willa.” We were on the sidewalk outside of Boots, but that didn’t stop him from moving his large body toward me.

Even though I wore heels, Duke still had a few inches on me. He cupped my jaw and bent his head, his mouth inching closer to mine.

“I thought we weren’t going to do this,” I whispered.

“To hell with it,” he growled.

His lips were just about to capture mine when my phone rang.

“Son of a bitch,” he rumbled, lifting his head and dropping his hand from my face. He didn’t step away though, choosing to remain close.

I pulled my cell out of my purse and saw Waverly’s name flashing across the screen. With a frown, I pressed the answer button and put the phone to my ear. “Hello?”

“It’s gone!”

“What’s gone?”

“Ourhome. We just got here and the RV is gone. I called Mom, but she didn’t answer. Savage went with me to knock on Mr. Edisto’s door. He said Mom was here around six with some guy in a red truck. They hitched up the RV and drove off! My backpack with all my books are in there. Not to mention all our clothes!”

“Put Savage on the phone,” I said, knowing there was very little I could do to stem the flow of a teenager’s meltdown.

There was a moment of shuffling and then Savage said, “Hey.”

“Hey,” I said quietly.

“I’m gonna take her to the clubhouse. You guys can crash with us while we figure shit out.”

I exhaled. “Thanks.”

“Did you have anything of value in the RV?”

“No,” I admitted. “Thank God.”

The first and last time I’d hidden money in a home I shared with Mom, she’d found it and blew it all on useless crap. After that, I opened up a bank account. I didn’t have a lot of money, but it was safer there than anywhere near my mother.

He hung up and I shoved my phone into my purse. I looked at Duke. “Did you hear that?”

“Yep.”

“My mom’s a real piece of shit.”

“Yep,” he agreed. “Come on, let’s get you to the clubhouse.”

“We have no clothes,” I pointed out.

“Nope.” He handed me the spare helmet.

“We don’t even have our toothbrushes.”

“We can get you new toothbrushes.”

I set the helmet on my head and then clicked the belt. Duke made sure it was fastened tight enough and then dropped his hands. I shook my head and climbed onto the back of his bike.

He cranked the engine and then tore off away from the curb. I had my arms wrapped around him, but the thrill and excitement of my position never diminished, no matter how many times I rode with him.

Duke made me feel safe and free at the same time.

Just outside city limits, we turned off the main road onto a winding dirt path. The clubhouse lights shone brightly against the night.

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