Sexy Bastards Anthology: Bad Boy, Biker, Alpha, Motorcycle Club, Contemporary Romance Collection (82 page)

Chapter 21

Crystal

I lay in Rams' bed, my emotions swirling around in a big jumbled mess. My body felt taut, thrumming with the desires Talon had stirred up in it, now with no promise of relief. I could masturbate, but I knew that wouldn't do a damn thing. I didn't want to orgasm, I wanted to hear that gritty voice tell me to suck his cock, I wanted to feel those hard fingers touch me roughly, I wanted to watch those hard-won muscles flex as he controlled me physically. I'd always sworn I'd never be with a biker, never be an old lady, never ever end up at the clubhouse with the rest of the women, but now I finally understood the appeal.

The nice, polite college men I'd been with had never held my head deep onto their cocks as I blew them, had never told me to "suck it," would never have even
tried
to fuck me up against a wall. They asked permission. They didn't push too hard. They kept things within reason.

I held my head in my hands and rolled over to face-plant into the pillow. Talon regretted what he'd done with me, that much was clear. So it didn't seem like I was going to get another chance at the good stuff. The thought made me want to bury my head and cry, but I didn't. I hated to cry. I'd already done enough of it that night.

I'd promised Talon just one night, just pleasure, only sex. There had been pleasure, but it ended up being just the one time. So now I had to make good on my promise. Let him be. Let him live his life. Try to build my own without him. I hoped we found Jaze quickly so I could go back to school early. Fuck the holidays. All I wanted to do was disappear and lick my wounds.

The only good thing about not being able to stop thinking about Talon was it kept my mind off Jaze. I still couldn't believe he was missing, and I could tell Talon thought he was dead. That terrified me. My big brother, my protector, the guy who always had been there for me.

My ears strained to hear the sound of Talon's motorcycle outside, like I had off and on since he'd left, but all was silent. I couldn't believe he'd left. What was I going to do in the morning? Where would I go?

The thought pressed on me as my jaw opened in a joint-cracking yawn. I snuggled into the pillow and willed myself to sleep. It was the only thing that would take away the pain and confusion for a little while.

***

Crystal

I came awake with a start, blinking against the heavy morning sunlight.

Another knock sounded on the door. "Yes?" I called.

"Crystal," Rams said. "Get up, Talon wants us to take you to the clubhouse."

Great. But at least he was here. I'd get to talk to him before we left.

I pulled on my clothes quickly, visited the bathroom, and rushed out into the main apartment. Rams stood there alone, looking at me apologetically. "He wants you to ride with me."

"Did he say anything?"

Rams shook his head.

I touched his arm hesitantly, not sure if what I was about to ask Rams would make Talon more upset or not, since I wasn't entirely sure why he was upset in the first place.

"Do you know why he's mad?"

"Because he loves you."

I covered my gasp with my hand. "He what?"

Rams grasped my upper arms and held them tightly, focusing his strong gaze on me. "Crystal, I don't know what happened between you two last night, but if you ask me, it's been a long time coming. Talon is complex, always has been, and being kicked out of the army fucked with his head in a way I can't even begin to understand. He loves you, and he has since we were kids, but for some reason, he doesn't think he's good enough for you." Rams snorted and rolled his eyes. "Oh, and he thinks Whip and Jaze will hate him if he pursues you."

I couldn't believe it. But I desperately wanted to believe it. "He ... told you this?"

"No, he's never said it to me, or even to himself probably, but I've seen it for years. The way he treats you, like you're the fucking Queen of England or some shit. The way his voice goes soft when he talks about you. The way he gets pissed if he sees you with a guy, or even hears about it. Fuck, when your old man said you had a boyfriend last year, Talon walked around in a grumpy haze for four or five months. Bit everyone's head off. Then we heard you'd broken up and we got Talon back."

I pressed a hand to my chest to try to still some of the pain there. "Rams, we had sex last night."

A slow smile spread over Rams' face and he bobbed his head. "About time."

"But that's when he got pissed. After. I—I didn't tell him I was a virgin and when he figured it out he left me alone."

Rams looked up at the ceiling. "Like I said, he's complex. I would think he would have been happy you were a virgin, unless he was just pissed he didn't know cuz he woulda made it special for you or some shit."

I rubbed hard at my forehead. Rams was smarter than people gave him credit for. Either that or he just knew Talon really well. Better than I did. "You might be right, Rams. God. It wasn't a big deal though!"

Ram's raised an eyebrow. "Really? How come you were still a virgin after so long? I know you've had plenty of boyfriends. Weren't any of them good enough?"

I dropped my eyes. "I was saving myself for Talon. I always wanted him to be my first."

Rams snorted. "Sounds like a big deal to me."

I leaned forward and Rams pulled me into a hug. We stayed like that for a long time, until I heard a motorcycle engine rev outside.

"We better go," Rams said.

I pulled on my leather jacket and gloves, then walked outside, my thoughts jumbling, trying to decide what I should say to Talon.

I didn't get a chance to say anything. He was on the street already and when he saw us come out, he nodded at Rams and took off towards the clubhouse.

Great.

"Hey, don't mind him, he's in a hurry. He says he's got a lot planned today."

"Was being an asshole one of those things he had planned? Because he got a head start on that one."

Rams laughed and handed me my helmet. "I never knew two people with harder heads than you and him," he said. "Things should be interesting when you get married."

Married!?
For once, I was left absolutely speechless.

Chapter 22

Crystal

Rams drove fast and we caught up with Talon in no time. I watched him, thinking about everything Rams had said, wishing I could get into Talon's head just a little bit.

Talon motioned to Rams that he was pulling over, then took a right on a side street and stopped at the curb. He pulled his phone out of his pocket as Rams pulled up behind him and cut the engine so Talon could hear.

Talon listened to someone talk and his face grew dark. "Shit, Whitey, when did he get back in town?"

I watched Talon nervously, hearing only his side of the conversation, but still getting the gist. My dad needed help.

"What kind of trouble?"

"Yeah, I'm close, me and Rams. Yeah, we got Crystal with us."

"Which rest stop?"

"No, that's Briar Hill. The one with the pond is Fisher's Grove."

"Ok, I'll be there in ten, no five. You guys come on as quickly as you can. What about Crystal?"

"Ok, got it."

Talon hung up and pointed at Rams. "Get her to the clubhouse. Now. Then call Whitey."

Without waiting for an answer, Talon started his bike and was gone.

I stiffened. No way was I going to the clubhouse to sit and wait. I hopped off the bike and began to run towards the main street. I knew Rams wouldn't take me to the rest stop, so I would hitchhike.

"Crystal, come on, what are you doing?" Rams yelled.

I didn't bother to answer, just ran faster.

Rams pulled up next to me. "Crystal, get on the bike."

"No," I said simply, saving my energy for running.

"Shit, Crystal, I can't leave you alone. Talon'll kill me if something happens to you. So will your dad. So will everybody. Don't do this to me."

I slowed slightly. "I'm going to hitchhike to the rest stop, Rams. You can follow the car that picks me up."

"Aw fuck. Crystal, we don't even know what's going on there. What if there's fighting, or shooting, or people are being stabbed. You just going to walk into the middle of that?"

"Well I'm not going to go wait to hear what happened twenty miles across town!" I shouted, desperation leaking through my body.

"Fuck. Crystal, get on my bike. I'll take you if, IF you promise to stay back, to do what I tell you to. To not just run into the place until we know what's going on."

I slowed. I could promise that. I could probably even do it. As long as my dad and Talon were ok.

I stopped and pointed my finger at him. "Rams, I swear, if you try to fool me, if you take me towards the clubhouse, I will jump off your bike while it's moving."

Rams shook his head and held up his hand. "Scout's honor."

I made a face at him, then climbed on his bike. "You were never a boy scout."

"I was. Fifth grade. I went to two meetings but got kicked out for saying I didn't believe in God."

Rams took off, not giving me a chance to ask about that one. He was just as much of a puzzle as Talon.

I held on tight, urging him to go faster, but he stayed a good ten miles under the speed limit, even when we got on the highway. I couldn't complain though, I was still going to get there faster than if I had hitchhiked.

We approached the rest stop and I sat up straighter, looking around for my dad or Talon. Rams slowed to an intolerable speed and I contemplated jumping off, but knew it wasn't a good idea, no matter what I had threatened. He drove slowly through the parking lot of the rest stop, all the way to the far end.

"I'm going up to that hill," he called back to me, pointing ahead. "We'll be able to see everything up there. Remember your promise."

I tapped him on the chest to let him know I agreed and swiveled my head, trying to find Talon's bike. The plaza building and several towering evergreen trees blocked my view of the back of the rest stop, but we would be clear of them shortly. The rest stop itself was surrounded by trees, looking almost like a small park. The very back, away from the highway was bordered by a larger hill. If you climbed the hill you would find a tiny pond the city stocked with fish in the summertime.

People walked around and cars drove through the area, bent on getting back on the highway, just like always. There was no sign of a fight or shooting, or even my father.

Rams reached the edge of the parking lot, jogged left to get on a service road, and drove us up the hill. He stopped at a small leveling and parked his bike. I got off, my eyes scanning the area.

I saw him. Talon's bike was parked on the far end of the back side of the rest area. He stood a few feet away talking to a man in a white coverall who looked like he was emptying the garbage cans. The man shook his head and Talon turned in a circle, looking for something. I could read his frustration even from as far away as I was.

Talon said something to the man, then walked to his bike and threw a leg over. He pulled out his phone and held it up to his ear.

"Looks like it was a bust," Rams said. "Good," but his voice held confusion too. Maybe dad was in trouble at a different rest stop?

I put my hand in my pocket to retrieve my own phone when it happened. My worst nightmare. A shot boomed over the hill, sounding much louder than the gunshots had yesterday, but still completely unmistakable. I crouched instinctively, even as I knew I wasn't the one being shot at. Across the parking lot, Talon dropped to the ground so quickly, I couldn't tell if he'd been hit or was diving for cover. My heart squeezed painfully into my throat as the sound of two more shots rolled down the hill, echoing in the dip we were all in. I saw dirt kick up just to the side of Talon's bike, and heard the sound of a bullet pinging off metal.

"Holy Jesus!" Rams yelled, grabbing me by my jacket and pitching me behind a tree. People screamed and ran for their cars. Engines revved and vehicles sped out of the area.

Talon didn't move.

Rams pinned me against the tree with his body, sheltering me, hiding me. "Can you tell where the shots are coming from?"

I trembled, unable to tear my eyes away from Talon. We were far enough away that I still couldn't tell if he was using his bike for cover, or had been shot and was unconscious. My legs felt weak. Two more shots ripped through the air and I turned my head, trying to listen. "Maybe from up the hill?" I said, my eyes on the spot where I'd last seen Talon. A large truck sped through the back road of the rest stop, blocking my line of sight.

"Of course," Rams said. "Swear to me you won't go anywhere?"

I nodded frantically.

Rams disappeared. Talon came back into view, and I thought he had moved. Yes! He was peeking around his bike, looking up the hill, his gun in his hand.

I looked around for Rams and saw him running up the hill, sprinting from tree to tree.

As I watched, another boom rocketed through the area, and Rams went down. "No!" I shouted, then clapped my hands over my mouth. Rams landed on his back, then his legs flipped over his head and momentum carried him a good way down the hill.

I pulled my phone out of my pocket and called 911, unable to tear my eyes away from Rams' body.

No
!
Not his body. He's still alive. He has to be.

I heard sirens in the distance, but I didn't know if they would make it in time to save us.