Ride Me Away (6 page)

Rodney led us out to the highway. The endless road and speed was freeing. I was glad I still remembered how to ride one of these things.

We rode for about forty-five minutes, and it was the first time in a long time that I’d felt any sense of true freedom. I had always focused so hard on my work and everything was always either a clue or a lead. It had been so long since I just let my mind be clear like this.

Up ahead, I noticed a few other guys on bikes. A nervous shiver rolled down my spine. I knew this could be trouble.

The group began slowing down, and I knew this wasn’t good. Jag waved one hand, motioning for me to keep going.

As the other group passed, I counted one leader and three pairs following him. Rodney and the rest of the group slammed on the brakes and pulled a quick U-turn in the middle of the highway. Jag stopped at the side of the road and I pulled up next to him.

“We gotta go,” he said before peeling off.

I caught up to him and rode to his right, constantly watching the rear view mirror. My heart was pounding as both gangs parked their bikes in the middle of the road and began walking to one another.

Holy shit
, was all I could think. This was not what I’d expected for my first ride.

Jag led us off the highway and down a dirt road before finally following a dusty foot trail under the bridge. We parked our bikes there, presumably to hide until things calmed down.

If a river had ever flowed underneath that bridge, it had long since dried up. The ground was just as dusty as the trail. There were a few large rocks underneath and some engravings on the walls. This appeared to be an old hangout of some teenagers. Most of the etchings were of hearts with two names inside or messages to let people know someone had been here.

Jag sat down on one of the big rocks and leaned against the wall of the bridge. He let out a deep sigh. I sat next to him, my heart still trying to return to a normal pace.

“What was that about?” I asked.

“Rival gang—the Saint Reapers. We have a score to settle with them.”

“Should I ask?”

“For now, it’s best you don’t,” he said as he turned his head to me. “But we need to stay hidden, at least for a little while longer. If they call for backup and they find us, we’re dead.”

I didn’t have a gun on me and I knew nothing of the situation. All I could do was trust Jag, but that didn’t worry me too much. It was obvious from the barbeque that he held the respect of everyone around him.

The two of us sat in silence, listening to the wind whistle under the bridge. The leaves of nearby trees harbored numerous birds that lived without a care in the world. I took a deep breath and closed my eyes as I relaxed against the bridge wall, wishing I could be like one of them.

Jag put one hand on my thigh as he moved closer to me. He was wearing a smile on his face as he looked into my eyes. His face moved closer to mine until our foreheads were only inches apart. I had the urge to taste his lips again, to have his short beard rough me up just like last time, but I knew I shouldn’t.

His eyes darted between each of mine and down to my lips as he continued moving closer. He ran his fingers up and down my thigh and I could feel my need rising.

Why did he have to be so damn attractive?

I turned my head and faced forward before he could get close enough for a kiss. I couldn’t let my own emotions get in the way of this investigation. Bribing politicians was not a crime you could look the other way on.

Jag didn’t stop. Moments later, I could feel his warm breath on my cheek before he planted a kiss on me. Then another, and another. His lips were slowly making their way across my cheek to the front of my face.

My body said yes, but my mind said no. I could feel my pussy getting wetter as his hand moved higher up my thigh.

It’s just a kiss,
I told myself.
We already did it once. It can’t cause any more damage to do it again.

Just before his lips reached mine, I turned my head back to face him. We shared one kiss, then another, slowly moving our lips together, enjoying each other’s presence until the pace started picking up. I soon found myself fully entwined in his intoxicating scent.

The hand on my thigh found its way behind my back as his other hand took its place. He reached to touch the soft skin on the small of my back, just underneath my shirt. His hand was warm and a little rough; just how I liked my men.

My primal urges were in heated battle with my conscious thought. Jag’s other hand began finding its way closer and closer to my warmth. Soon, I felt the pressure against my jeans just over my sweet spot. I wanted it so bad, but for now he would need to wait. Something like this would require deep thought.

I pulled my lips away from his, and with both hands, I pushed him away.

“You’re not getting me
that
easy.”

God, I want it
, was all I could think.

“You are a feisty one,” he said with that devious smile I had seen all too often already.

Jag respected my wishes to stop, and that only seemed to make me want it more. We spent the rest of the afternoon hiding under the bridge until he finally decided it would be safe to leave.

The two of us hopped on our bikes and rolled up the same trail from which we came, heading straight back to the club.

When we got back, I was relieved that all the men had managed to return safely. A few of them were battered and bruised, but they were all still alive without any serious injuries.

Jag thanked and hugged each one of his brothers while I stood off to the side.

“You all right?” Jessica had snuck up beside me and given me a little nudge.

“Yeah,” I replied.

“Good. Apparently, that was one hell of a fight.”

“What happened?”

“Let’s just say that the Saint Reapers are lucky the cops pulled up to call for backup.” She turned to face the brothers, now cheering loudly. “These boys have one hell of a score to settle. I wouldn’t mind getting in on a piece of that too, but these guys are all too protective of us sisters.”

“I noticed.”

Jag walked over to Jess and I.

“Time for you to go home, sweet cheeks,” he said with a wink. “We gotta have a meeting to discuss some shit.”

And with a kiss, he turned and followed the others into the back. Jess disappeared almost as quickly as she had appeared at my side moments before, and I was left alone. I turned to the entrance and took my new bike home.

I found myself still in desperate need of a job. It seemed like nobody was willing to hire me. Maybe they weren’t a fan of women with visible tattoos and piercings serving their customers. Whatever it was, I needed to fix it, and fast.

Club X was becoming one of my last hopes of getting employed close to my apartment. I decided to make another trip down there in the evening. Ryan had said last time that the boss liked to lock the bar up each night, so I had to make sure I’d be there when he was.

I showed up at around ten-o’-clock. Ryan was still behind the bar.

“Hey, you look a little lost. Need another ride home?”

“Sorry Ryan, I’m not here for you tonight.”

“What?” he said, obviously shocked.

“Did you ask your boss about the job for me?”

“Oh, that…” he began fumbling with the cutlery he was organizing. “No, I forgot.”

“Is he here?”

“Yeah, he’s in the back.” Ryan pointed toward a door marked
Staff Only
. “Go through the door at the end of the bar. His office is at the end of the hall.”

I followed his directions. When I got to the back room, the owner was sitting at a desk in his cluttered office. He was counting a very large stack of bills.

Interesting.

“Excuse me,” I spoke up. He immediately stuffed the money underneath the desk and looked up.

“Oh, good. I thought you might be someone else.” He opened a drawer by his left leg and put the stack of bills in. “What can I do for you, miss?”

“I need a job. Can you give me one?”

“Can you mix drinks?”

“Sure.”

“Good. Maybe a pretty lady behind the bar would help liven this place up a bit.”

“So, is that a yes?”

“When can you start?”

“As soon as you need me!”

“Perfect, I’ll see you here tomorrow at five.”

That was easy
, I thought to myself as I left his office. On the way past the bar, Ryan spotted me.

“You sure you don’t need a ride home? Offer’s still open!”

“I’m good, thanks hun!”

The next day, I headed back over to Club X to begin what I hoped would be an exciting job to cover my real reason for being in Los Angeles. That wad of money the owner was counting definitely had my detective senses tingling.

The owner was standing at the door waiting for me when I got there.

“Good, you’re on time,” he said as he extended his hand to me. “I’m Max.”

“Kim,” I said as I shook his hand.

“Let’s get started, then.”

He turned and walked over to the bar where Ryan was cleaning some glasses with a towel.

“This is Ryan. Ryan, this is Kim.”

“Nice to meet you,” I said with a grin.

Ryan just grinned back and rolled his eyes. He didn’t stop what he was doing.

“You need anything else?”

I paused for a second, unsure if he was going to just leave it at that.

“What will I be doing?”

“You can help Ryan up here. No funny business. I remember you two flirting a few nights ago.”

Max then turned to go into the back, leaving us alone.

Ryan showed me where everything was, made sure I knew how to pour a beer properly, and gave me general knowledge about how things ran around there.

While he was showing me how to mark down each sale, the three regulars came in wearing suits and ties as usual. They must have come to Club X every night after work and just never went home.

“These guys are our best customers. Make sure you treat them right,” Ryan said as he grabbed a stein. “I’ll serve them tonight since it’s only your first day. How about you go take a look in the bathrooms and make sure they’re clean?”

Ryan had sure shooed me away pretty quick. My detective senses were tingling again.

“All right,” I said as I made my way to the customer bathrooms.

They appeared to have just been cleaned—or maybe they just hadn’t been used. Either way, Ryan was up to something.

As I left the bathroom, I watched him turn and walk away from their table. One of the men was pulling his hand out of his suit pocket.

I was most definitely getting a bonus this go-around. Club X was fishy as hell.