AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“You can stay.”
She held her hand out and carefully accepted the cushion.
“Just for tonight…”
I nodded. “Just this once.”
She tucked her arms into her shirt and curled on her side, lying down against the pillow. I stayed on my side of the blanket and closed my eyes, but sleep didn’t come. I found myself watching to make sure no one else came up, so she’d be safe all night.
THREE
CALLIE
Rose Ridge,Virginia, was a tiny scrap of land huddled against a wide, long river. The town was old, with weathered brick buildings and thin panes of glass. Wood structures sported chipped paint and were in desperate need of repairs. There were only two major grocers, three gas stations, and a few banks stretched across town. Then there were the coffee huts, and a handful of cafés and clothing shops. Those little shops were the only redeeming thing about this place.
The thought blinked out as quickly as it came in as I considered how untrue that sentiment really was. I used to love this place. I loved everything that made it imperfect, but when I left, I had taken the proverbial paint brush and done a wide stroke across this whole city, painting it all in the painful colors that had shaded my life.
Sliding my jacket on, I cleared my throat to chase away any lingering emotion and pulled on the brass knob of my motel door. Outside, the sky was a gorgeous blue with a streak of hazy white clouds. The sun was blinding, making me dig for my sunglasses. Right as I dipped my face, I heard my neighbors exit their room.
“There’s more of them. I’m talking to the manager about it. I heard them all night.”
I smirked as I slid on my shades. The three chrome and black bikes that had been parked in the lot overnight had multiplied into ten, and yes, I could hear them partying all night too. But I had learned a long time ago to travel with noise-canceling headphones. The elderly couple in front of me obviously hadn’t.
What did they expect, though? The White Knight Motel & Inn wasn’t known for being quiet—or clean, for that matter. Which was why I traveled with a sleeping bag. I wasn’t picky; I had grown up sleeping in worse.
One of the doors opened a few rooms down, and a figure stumbled outside. Tattooed arms were all we could see under his leather cut until he turned, and I caught sight of his fitted tank top, revealing every single defined muscle along his chest. I wasn’t staring, but he caught my gaze as he straddled one of the bikes.
He froze for a second, his lips slung to the side in a sensual smile.
“Hey, Beautiful, wanna come for a ride?” he called to me while pulling on his bucket helmet.
I was frozen for an entirely different reason. Seven years removed from this life still didn’t erase the red flags or gut check you obtained while surviving it. This guy was dangerous, I could feel it. I may not know if he belonged to the Stone Riders, without seeing his patch, but there was no doubt there was something dangerous about him.
The elderly couple had said something while loading up their car, but I didn’t catch it. I was too busy tilting my wrist to hide my tattoo. Whoever this was didn’t need to know who I was connected to.
I shook my head as a way of responding because my throat was tight. Something about him had a trail of angry goosebumps running down my arms. He lifted one of his shoulders before sliding his key in and twisting the handles on his bike. Then in a loud roar, he was speeding off, and that’s when I saw his colors.
The back of his vest didn’t have the Stone Riders patch.
Instead, it was the Grim Reaper sickle-cutting a skull in half.Death Raiders.
The air was trapped behind my breast.
No, no, no.
I needed to leave before any more exited the motel. I gripped my bag and sleeping bag and threw them both in the back of my car then got inside and locked the doors.
I held my keys in a death grip as I sat there staring at the steering wheel. The past was a ghost with clawed fingers, raking against my mind as I battled to control my emotions.
Death Raiders were in Rose Ridge. Death Raiders were sleeping here, as though they were on vacation. My mind whirled. Had Dad called a truce with them? No way. There’s no way in this life he would, not after what happened.
Clenching my fists, I counted to ten and tried to collect my thoughts. A lot of time had passed; maybe there was a reasonable explanation for this, but as I wasn’t currently speaking to any of the members from the club and my father, the president, had just died, that meant this little blip would have to go unchecked. I couldn’t worry about it. This wasn’t my life anymore.
With thirty minutes until my meeting with the lawyer started, my car pulled easily into one of the available spots outside my favorite coffee shop. The fact that The Drip was still open and bustling with people brought me some sense of joy. It was nice to see that some things hadn’t changed. Once I had a medium coffee in my hands and had settled back into my car with the doors locked, I pulled my cell phone out. I had a few missed texts from my best friend, Laura, who was pet sitting for me.
Laura: he’s a monster
Laura: or at least like a goat. I know his breed is technically Great Dane, but he eats EVERYTHING. He tried to eat my Kindle, Callie. My KINDLE.
