ROUGH RIDER (12 page)

“
W
hy do
I have to be the one to tie him up?” I asked.

“Because I’m the one holding the fucking gun! Just do as I ask, please,” he replied, rolling his eyes at me.

“Fuck,” I muttered, putting down the knives and gun on the kitchen counter and heading for the closet in the hallway to find the rope. When I opened the door, I gasped. The closet was full of guns. All kinds of guns. In fact, I’d never seen so many guns in one place before, and my father was in the fucking mob.

Dante was prepared for anything, apparently.

I grabbed a bunch of heavy rope that was hanging from a hook inside the door and walked back to the living room.

“Jesus, Dante, that’s some heavy shit you have in there,” I said.

“I told you, I like to be prepared.”

“Yeah, I guess you did, didn’t you?” I replied. He stood in front of Gino, his eyes glued to his every move. He’d sat him in a chair by the window and he was starting to get angry. His eyes shot daggers at me as I began tying him to the chair.

“I don’t really know what I’m doing. I’ve never done this before,” I muttered, shaking my head as I wrestled with the ropes.

“It’s not hard. Just tie them tight, Gabby,” Dante said.

“You’re gonna fuckin’ pay for this, dude,” Gino sneered. “You think you can just get away with this shit? Killin’ my men, snatchin’ Loprinzi’s daughter and whatever else you did to that ass.”

“Shut the fuck up if you want to live!” Dante snapped. My head shot around to him, and I shuddered when I saw his eyes. They were flat, empty, not even angry. As if he wasn’t even there, really. Even the shape of his face was different, his voice robotic and tense.

“Babe?” I asked quietly. “You okay?”

He ignored me, his hand outstretched as he brought the gun closer to Gino’s face. I continued tying him up, moving around to the back of the chair and tying his hands. He was huge, his hands and wrists thick like those of a giant. I tied them extra tight, with extra knots, just in case. The last thing I wanted was to be responsible for this guy getting loose.

I tried to ignore the voice inside of my head that was screaming about the fact that I was actually tying a man to a chair. Fuck, I’d already killed someone, so what did that matter now?

I thought about my father then. All of this was making me wonder what his life was really like. I knew he had hired men that did his dirty work for him, but he was once one of those men. I shuddered to think about the things he must have done himself, to think about the hands that had once gently rocked me to sleep as a baby doing such things made me sick.

That’s why I never allowed myself to linger on those thoughts for too long. I didn’t ever want to imagine that I would be like him.

And now here I was.

Guns.

Rope.

Bad guys.

Dead outlaws.

Maybe the apple didn’t fall far from the tree, after all.

I
should never have gotten
on that bike with Romeo and I cursed myself the entire ride.

When I saw he was going into Jersey, my heart sank.

I couldn’t fucking die in Jersey! I was a New York girl, and most of the time I wouldn’t be caught dead in Jersey. By the time Romeo turned off onto a deserted dirt road, I had convinced myself that was exactly what was going to happen.

I’d be the laughing stock of all my friends. My family would be shamed. Fuck, they’d probably tease my hair and make me wear spandex pants for my funeral, just to get me back for the embarrassment.

Committing every twist and turn of the road to memory, the thought of such a humiliating death quickly had me plotting out exactly how I was going to escape. I ran every move that I had learned in self-defense class through my head, going through the motions of executing a finger lock, remembering the mantra of the weakest parts of the human body - eyes, ears, throat, groin. Size doesn’t matter, I could hear my coach saying. I could do this. I could take down this Romeo guy if I had to.

Not long after Romeo pulled off the main road and onto a winding dirt road, he pulled over on the side and turned off the bike. I took a look around and realized we were completely secluded from view of the main road and totally alone. He pulled off his helmet, then turned and pulled mine from my head. My tangled hair fell to my shoulders and I pushed it out of my eyes.

“Where are we?” I asked.

“Just a little pitstop,” he replied, with that damned sexy grin spread across his face again.

“Why?”
Fuck
, I thought, my mind racing.
This is it. He’s going to fucking kill me. Or, he’s going to rape me and then kill me. Or kill me and then rape me. For fuck’s sake, what was I thinking agreeing to go somewhere with him?

With a gentle hand, he cupped my chin, pulling my eyes up to meet his.

“Bella, I don’t know about you, but I felt a connection with you. I know it sounds crazy, but when I look in your eyes, I feel something,” he rubbed his thumb across my bottom lip and my stomach quivered with desire. “I’m going to take you to Gabby, and I promise she’s safe. I just wanted to stop and spend a few minutes alone with you before we get there.”

I probably should have screamed. I probably should have run away, even if I had no idea where I was. It was a little creepy - no, a lot creepy. But fuck, he was hot. And the way he kept rubbing my bottom lip while he was talking, his voice smooth as silk, his eyes peering into mine like they were caressing my soul - well, there was no way I could stop my body from responding.

And he fucking knew it. My breasts were heaving, my lips were parted slightly, my breath shallow and ragged. And I certainly wasn’t screaming no or running away. In fact, I’m pretty sure I was leaning into the delicious heat that was rolling off of his muscular frame.

“You’re just so fucking beautiful, Bella,” he whispered, his voice rough and low, his face inches from mine. He reached out, grabbing my hand and pushing it between his legs. His cock was hard, pulsing against me. He pulled his hand away and I kept my grip, holding him in my palm like a prize. “I’ve been hard as a rock since you walked into Otto’s.”

I squeezed lightly, my eyes dilating with desire as a low, guttural growl escaped his lips before he captured mine. His kiss was like an inferno, so sizzling hot that it scorched my skin in the most delicious way. His fierce passion was overwhelming, and I struggled to relax under his sudden assault.

He pulled away, looking deep into my eyes again, his gaze full of sudden concern.

“I’m sorry,” he asked. “I’m going too fast, right? It’s the fuckin’ Italian in me. I can’t help it. My cock just takes over,” he shrugged in apology.

I still had his cock in my hand, and I bit my lip as I contemplated my next move. He was giving me an out. I was confident if I said no, he would accept it.

I sighed, squeezing his cock gently, drinking in his fiery, hungry eyes, the weight of his hardness in my hand like a promise of good things to come. He throbbed against my palm, waiting, his eyes questioning my hesitation.

“Just say the word, Bella, but I gotta warn you, babe,” he said.

“Warn me what?” I asked, all traces of fear and hesitation melting away. I didn’t care about his warning, whatever it was. I had him right where I wanted him - in the palm of my hand.

“If you keep squeezing my cock like that, I’m not going to be able to control myself.”

“What are you going to do, Romeo?” I asked, flashing him a teasing smirk. “I could crush you right now.”

“I’m going to throw you over my bike,” he said, his voice so deep, so slow, so thick, “and I’m going to pull those tight jeans over your hips, and I’m going to slide my cock into you so hard, so deep, and for so long that you’ll be begging me to stop.”

“Is that so? I don’t think so,” I replied, raising an eyebrow. “I’ve never been one to beg for anything.”

I squeezed him again and he moaned. I was impressed with his restraint so far, his cock was hard as a diamond in my hand. But I wanted more. I was growing impatient myself with this little game. I was ready. I didn’t care about his warning. And I definitely wasn’t going to be begging him to stop. I squeezed again, harder this time, with my eyes filled with an invitation.

He reached up behind me, grabbed a handful of my hair and pulled my head back. I gasped, my lips open, ready, welcoming. His mouth landed on mine, his tongue sliding inside, searching, exploring, conquering. I moaned into his kiss, squeezing his cock again as it throbbed heavily against me.

His arms wrapped around me, pulling me into his chest as he kissed me deeply before tearing his lips from mine. Roughly, he turned me around and pushed me forward onto the seat of his bike.

My heart raced with excitement as reached around me, unbuttoning my jeans as he slid his tongue in my ear.

“I’m going to fuck your sweet pussy so hard, pretty Bella,” he whispered, sending sparks of electricity shooting through my body. Slowly, he kneeled behind me, sliding my tight jeans over my hips and thighs. I kicked off my boots quickly and he pulled my jeans off, leaving me standing in the bright sunlight in nothing but my black thong and my shirt.

If I wasn’t so fucking turned on, I might have been shy about it. Anyone could come up the road at any time and spot us, and yet I didn’t give a fuck. I wanted him and I wanted everything he was promising to give me. I looked over my shoulder, and watched as he opened his jeans, his beautiful hard cock standing at attention between his legs.

“My god,” I whispered, licking my lips in anticipation. My juices flowed between my legs as I brought my gaze up to his. His eyes were full of lust, full of steely intention.

This is going to be amazing
, I thought, as he closed the distance between us, his warm hand on my back, pushing me down onto the bike as he gripped my hips. I moaned in pleasure as his hardness slid into me, so smooth, so deep, so fucking perfect.

“Oh, Romeo, yesssss!” I cried, as he began thrusting into me slowly.

“Fuck, yeah,” he moaned, sliding in deeper, his cock throbbing and pulsing inside of me. Waves of sensual pleasure washed over me, my body overwhelmed with fiery need.

“More, please, more…” I pleaded, as I pushed my hips back to meet his powerful thrusts.

“That’s a good girl,” he muttered, reaching forward and grabbing a handful of my hair in his hand, tangling it around his fingers as he pulled back, his body pushing hard into mine. He slammed into me, over and over, his thrusts so hard that my entire body shuddered with each blow.

I melted into the seat, giving my body over to him, opening up to his delicious assault, submitting to the blissful waves of pleasure that washed over me. His pace quickened, his grip on my hair tightened, and I screamed as my pussy spasmed around him, my body exploding into waves of uncontrollable pleasure as he continued to fuck me hard as I came in waves, his cock swelling inside me as he rode me harder, faster, until he was coming too, his hips slamming into me one final time, before he froze, his cock exploding inside of me, his warmth filling my spasming pussy before he fell on top of my back, his kisses trailing along my neck and shoulders lightly.

What the fuck was that,
I thought, as he removed his body from mine. My body was on fire with ecstasy. I’d been fucked so many different ways, by so many different kinds of men, but nothing had prepared me for what I’d just felt.

I stood up and turned to him, and he grinned, winked, and pulled me into his arms.

“I guess you didn’t have to beg me to stop after all,” he said, with a quiet laugh. “Your pussy was so fucking amazing I couldn’t help myself.”

I smiled, speechless, electricity still shooting through my body.

I’d never been more thankful that I’d agreed to fuck someone in my entire fucking life.

“Let’s get dressed,” he said, kissing me quickly. “I’ll take you to your friend now.”

We dressed in silence, stealing hungry looks at each other.

Yes,
I thought,
it was time to find Gabby
.

And while that might have been a seriously rough fuck, as we climbed back on the bike, and I wrapped my arms around Romeo once more, I hoped like hell I got a chance for another ride that was just as rough.

I
pulled
my phone out of my pocket and dialed Bat’s number, keeping my gun pointed at Gino. He answered on the first ring.

“What’s up, Dante?”

“I’ve got a situation here at the clubhouse. I need you guys to get out here soon as possible.”

“What’s going on?”

“One of the Godz is tied up in my living room. Pretty sure where there’s smoke, there’s fire, you know what I’m saying? Gotta be more on the way.”

“Yeah, alright. I’ll call the guys.”

“You find out anything?” I asked.

“Word on the street is that Loprinzi’s freaking out. Apparently, he’s been in hiding because the Feds are after him. Donny said he was wanted for questioning in a murder, but nobody knows where he is. They’ve been looking for him for weeks, and now that his daughter is missing, he’s come out of hiding. Mickey Two Suits told Fat Paulie’s cousin, you know that blonde bitch, Crazy Linda? Well, she told my sister Kathy that Loprinzi don’t trust any of his guys to find his daughter, so he’s looking for her himself. I don’t know. Looks serious, though. He ain’t fuckin’ around, Dante.”

“Yeah, I hear ya,” I replied. “Call the guys. Get here as fast as you can.”

“Will do,” he said.

“What did he say?” Gabby asked.

“Nothing surprising. Your dad’s out looking for you.”

“You think you can hide out here? People talk. The Godz are coming for you. The mob’s coming for you,” Gino sneered, his ugly face even uglier when he talked. “Even the cops are —,” Gabby stuffed a kitchen towel in his mouth and I raised an eyebrow at her in surprise.

Once again, I was impressed with her. She was tough.

“I can’t listen to him! What else did Bat’s say?”

“That’s all, babe,” I pulled her into my arms. “We already knew everyone was looking for us. Everything’s going to be okay.” She was shaking and I pulled her close, inhaling the scent of her hair, feeling the warmth of her body next to mine. I looked over at the asshole tied to the chair and wished like hell he wasn’t here, because more than anything I wanted to take her back to bed once again, to make her forget, to make myself forget.

“What do we do now?” she whispered, looking up at me with her big green eyes. My heart sank that I didn’t have a better answer for her. I knew she wanted a plan. A way out.

“We wait.”

“Fuck,” she whispered. I pulled her closer, comforting her the only way I knew how - physically.

As soon as the guys got here and updated me on what was going on out there, I’d know what steps to take. Gio’s Ma had a cabin in upstate New York we could go to if we needed to get farther away. Judging by the dude tied up in my living room, I’d say that was a big possibility. I wasn’t so naive to think there weren’t more following him. In fact, they could be right outside this very minute, just waiting by the door for me to slip up, to be weak, to hesitate.

I wasn’t about to lose my focus. Not when it came to Gabby’s safety.

The faint sound of an approaching bike made my heart skip a beat. It could be more Iron Godz or it could be one of my guys, fifty/fifty.

“Go in the bedroom,” I said to Gabby, pushing her behind me and taking the safety off my gun.

The bike was close now, just around the bend by my judgment. Gabby hesitated, but she walked into the bedroom and closed the door. I took a deep breath and walked towards the front door.

When I saw Romeo round the corner, with someone on the back of his bike, I exhaled with relief and put my gun away.

He pulled up beside me, cutting his engine and taking off his helmet as he waited for the person behind him to get off. When her helmet came off, her long black hair falling around her shoulders, I gasped. She looked a lot like Gabby.

“Who’s this?” I asked. She raked her gaze across my body quickly, then scanned the area around her in one fell swoop of her big brown eyes.

“Where is she?” she demanded, her Brooklyn accent was unmistakeable.

“Who the fuck is this Romeo?” I asked, irritated that I had to ask twice.

“Gabby’s roommate, Bella. She was asking questions. A lot of questions - back at Otto’s.”

“Why’d you bring her here?” I asked.

“Where the fuck is Gabby? Gabby!” she yelled at the top of her lungs, her high-pitched scream piercing my ears.

“Shut the fuck up!” Romeo barked.

“We got a situation,” I said, gesturing towards the cabin. “Inside.”

“Oh, yeah?”

“Yeah. Gonna need your help with that.”

“Gaaaaabbbbby!” Bella yelled even louder this time. Romeo grabbed her arm, and pulled her close, whispering in her ear.

“I said, shut the fuck up!”

“Just fucking take me to Gabby. That’s what you said you’d do!” she seethed, straining to get out of his grip.

“Dante, man, I didn’t know she was such a fuckin’ firecracker. You want me to take her back? I thought maybe she could help us, but I guess I was wrong.”

“Help you do what, you asshole? Kidnap my friend?” she cried.

“We didn’t kidnap your friend!” Romeo said. “She’s fucking fine!”

“I don’t fucking believe you!” she spat. “Gaabbbbbbbbbbriellllllaaaa!!” she screamed, much louder this time.

“What do you want me to do Dante?” Romeo asked.

“
B
ring her inside
,” I said, shaking my head. “But you!” I pointed at her. “Be quiet! We aren’t the fucking bad guys.”

We turned to walk into the cabin and Gabby was standing at the door, her mouth open in shock, her eyes wide with disbelief!

“Bella!” she cried, running into the girl’s arms.