STICK: MC ROMANCE NOVELLA (Forsaken Riders MC Romance Book 8) (2 page)

Serena opened her eyes with a jolt as the coach jumped over the rough and bumpy ground of the desert road underneath. She looked around with bleary eyes and for a moment, she had no idea where she was. Until she let her gaze travel down to the large bag on the seat next to her, and she noticed the jostling of the other people that she had been crammed in there with, red hot and thirsty, for the past four hours.

The Greyhound was heading deep into the desert and she stretched her arms up and looked over her shoulder. She could see that a window had been opened slightly in the roof and cooler air was drifting in, but she was too far forward to feel its benefit.

Oh God
, she thought as she yawned.
How much longer?

She was tired and hot and she was pretty sure that her legs had lost all feeling in them. She scratched her arm, more for something to do and for reassurance that she was actually awake and truly doing this than anything, but then she sank back into the seat and looked out the window.

She had no idea how long she had dozed for, but by the looks of how high the sun was in the sky, it was noon. She turned to her right and looked at the woman and her child huddled together on the seat opposite and she felt herself smile in sympathy. She was having a miserable time travelling all on her own, and dealing with the heat, so she could only imagine what it must be like having a child with her. It had to be seriously hard work.

A dark cloud seemed to fall over her as she thought back to her own childhood and of how her and her brother had been taken on similar journeys back before they had minds of their own, and she was jolted back into the present. Her heart raced a little as she thought of the reason why she was traveling across the country, pulling herself away from her home and quiet life, and then she felt guilty. When she had heard what had happened, she had felt so sorry for him. How could any of it have been his fault? But then she shook some sense into herself and toughened up. Of course it was his fault, he was the one who had made the choices in his life that had led him up to this point. Really, the only surprise was that it hadn’t happened sooner.

Serena lowered her eyes and reached for her purse. She dug her hand around inside and pulled out the last photograph that she had of her and her brother. It was old and faded, and from a time long before, but she still clung to it and held it dear. They had always stayed in touch after he had left, and they had even seen each other plenty of times in the years in between, but nothing had ever been quite the same. She still had to live with the knowledge that her older brother was out there, living an entirely different life with different people, with no desire to be around her and her family.

To be fair to him, though, if she had had the same opportunities, she would have left them behind too. She just never would admit it out loud. 

And now he was calling off their annual meeting, saying he was hurt and couldn’t travel, which made her even more worried about him. He had called her from the hospital, out of duty more than anything, he had said, but she knew deep down that it must have been because he was wavering. Even though they hadn’t seen each other in well over a year, they still had a sisterly-brotherly bond, and she wanted to be there for him. She wanted him to know that he wasn’t alone.

“I’m not alone,” he’d laughed when she had told him. “Honestly, I have a brotherhood of my own here, don’t you go worrying about me.”

And Serena had rolled her eyes even though he couldn’t see it.

“But I’m your sister,” she’d emphasized. “And I want to make sure you’re okay.”

“Serena, I only called you to let you know because I know we normally see each other around now. And in case you’d been trying to get me on my cell and started to worry. I lost my phone in the…” He faltered for a moment and obviously changed what he was going to say. “In the…in the accident…” he finally concluded.

“What happened, anyway? All you’ve said is that you’ve hurt your leg and can’t walk?” she demanded.

“Yeah,” he said. “I just, you know, injured my leg…”

“For God’s sake, Lynx,” she’d said with irritation. “I barely ever speak to you, but whenever I do, you’re so goddamn cryptic.”

He’d sighed and she was quiet. She had no right to be busting his balls. Not really. They didn’t live in each other’s pockets.

“Look, like I said, I just called to let you know out of courtesy,” he said sternly. “I’m fine. Everything is fine. Don’t worry and I’ll be in touch with you again as soon as I can, okay?”

“Okay,” she’d said in defeat, hanging up the phone with more questions than ever before.

She knew her brother was part of something illegal. She knew that he lived life on the edge. When he had run away from home at fifteen, he had taken with him a shit load of anger that he was desperate to offload. She knew that he had found his own place in the world and was living his life the way he wanted to, but she hated being kept in the dark. Absolutely
hated
it.

She thought back to the last time she had seen him. It had been more than a year ago and she couldn’t even remember what they had spoken about. He had told her something about meeting a girl and wanting to settle down and Serena had been shocked. She had never thought, as little as she actually knew him, that he would end up going that way in life. Her brother had always been fiercely independent and didn’t ever seem to want to be tied to anyone.

But then, he did have his
brotherhood
.

Serena hated herself for being jealous of a group of men that she had never even met. But these men, whoever they were, they had swept him up in their way of life and they knew her own flesh and blood better than she ever had.

Even when they were kids they hadn’t had the closest of relationships, but Serena had always looked up to him. Lynx was six years older than her and he had always had an attitude that said he was always halfway out of the door. He hated their parents and he couldn’t have gotten away from them sooner. Now Serena kind of felt the same way.

After their phone call, she had no idea of the town he had moved to or what she would find there, or even why she was more desperate now than ever to make the journey and find out herself what it was all about, but she knew that she had to go. She hadn’t told her mom or dad about her leavin
g̶
they had barely spoken to her in months anywa
y̶
and had packed a bag, leaving the very same night.

Now, three days later, she was almost there. She was on her way to Slate Springs to find her brother and see, once and for all, what he was up to, hundreds of miles from her and their family.

She looked out the window again and as she did, a long line of gun metal motorcycles roared as they began to overtake the Greyhound. Serena turned so that she could see them properly and smiled as the men, all tanned and fierce looking, revved as they passed by.

They all look pretty free
, she thought, as she slumped down in her seat and pushed her knees up against the back of the one in front and yawned. They really did. They looked free and as if they were flying down the highway without a care in the world. The wind was blowing through their hair and they looked as if they could take on anything.

As Serena pushed the photograph of her and Lynx back down into her bag, her mind wandered to what the hell he was going to do when he realized she had tracked him down. He was sure to be mad. He had always told her never to come and find him. That’s why he had agreed to meet with her roughly once a year to ensure her that he was okay and still alive and happy. She had managed to get the name of the town out of him almost by accident and she could tell he hated the fact that she knew. As if he could already sense that she would head straight home, open her laptop and Google the twelve letters that meant so much to him and had been his home now for over ten years.

SLATE SPRINGS

She had no idea what she would find there, and from what she had seen online, it didn’t look like much. Just a small desert town with not a whole lot to offer. So why the hell did Lynx love it so much? And why had he moved there, immersed himself, and then never wanted to leave?

Serena wasn’t sure that she would ever find out all of the answers for sure, but all she did know was that she was now on the outskirts of town. And after three days on the road, she was more than ready to arrive and lay down her hat.

Lynx may have had no idea that she was coming, but he wasn’t going to turn her away. He was her brother, after all. Whether he had a new brotherhood of his own or not, she was going to make sure that he didn’t forget about his little sister.

And if he really was hurt, then she was going to be there to help him, every step of the way.

As the bus pulled away, Serena felt a flash of panic deep inside her. Even though she had hated every moment of being on that bus, it had been a cocoon of safety. Now she was out in the world on her own again, over a thousand miles from home, and with no clue on where to turn next.

She shuffled down Main Street with her bag slung over her shoulder and looked for the nearest pay phone. Kids zoomed past her on their bikes and skateboards and her hands began to shake as they startled her. Her nerves were running high and she had to calm down. She breathed in deeply and took a moment to bring her nerves under control. She could do this. She was in a small town and she was looking for her brother. She wasn’t a criminal on the run.

As she wandered down the street, she took in all of the sights that Slate Springs had to offer. The small restaurants were quaint and welcoming, and the whole town seemed to feel warm and alive. Even though she hadn’t stepped inside anywhere, she could already see why Lynx liked being there. It was a nice little town and people appeared to be friendly.

She stopped as she reached a pay phone and hauled her bag down off her shoulder and onto the ground. She stepped up and looked around the side of the receiver for some clues. There was plenty of graffiti there, years of school kids and their pen knives carving in obscenities and jokes, but there was nothing that struck a chord with her, and nothing that reminded her of anything to do with Lynx.

She sighed and dragged her bag back to the bench that was close by. She sat down and bit the end of her fingernails. The last thing she wanted to do was start walking into the restaurants and bars and asking around. The second she did that, then she knew that Lynx would hear she was coming, and she didn’t want him to know. She wanted to catch him off guard. She wanted to turn up on his doorstep and see for herself what he was actually doing here. She didn’t want him to have warning. She didn’t want him to have a chance to cover his tracks. Whatever the hell they may be.

Fuck Serena, you’re not a detective. What do you think you’re even going to find?
she thought as she laughed slightly at herself, shaking her head.

From the end of the street, a big black truck revved its engine as it took off from the light and raced toward her. She raised her knees up to herself, almost as if she was trying to shield herself from it, even though it was nowhere near her. But as the truck came closer, it began to slow and it pulled in at the side of the curb effortlessly and the engine went quiet.

She suddenly felt very exposed, even though she was pretty sure that whoever was inside hadn’t even noticed that she was there. She pulled her hair down around the side of her face to try and disguise herself nonetheless.

A man got out of the passenger’s side. He was tall and muscular and so incredibly good looking Serena almost forgot to breathe. His almost white-blonde hair was reflecting the sun and made him look even more wild and alive, and when he turned, his bright green eyes caught hers for a moment and she felt her heart begin to pound. He faltered and they were caught in a completely unexpected moment. Both looking at each other, neither of them wanting to be the first to look away. Serena’s pulse was quickening. She didn’t know why, but whoever he was, he certainly had her attention. She bit her bottom lip and felt her cheeks flush red with heat. She looked down to the ground and brushed a strand of hair behind her ear.

Wow
, she thought.
I wonder if every guy around here looks like him.

The driver’s door opened too and another guy climbed out, again just as good looking as the other. Tall, broad-shouldered, and with big heaving muscles.

Jackpot
, Serena mused internally.

He continued to watch her, but then he looked away and they both slammed the doors behind them. Serena looked up coyly, trying to do it so subtly that they wouldn’t notice, and she saw the rings on their fingers and the tattoos snaking their way up their arms. They looked bad to the bone, and even though that type had never appealed to her before, there was something about them that was pulling her in.

“Hey, Bull,” the one who had caught her attention said. “Grab this, will ya?” He reached into the flatbed at the back of the truck and heaved out a large black bag which he then threw to the man who had been driving.

Serena’s heart instantly began to pound even harder.

Bull
.

She knew that name. She had committed to memory almost everything Lynx had ever let slip about his new life, and the name Bull had been one of those things. She couldn’t remember in what capacity he had said it, but she knew she had heard it before. And it wasn’t like it was a name easy to forget.

She watched as the two men walked away and went inside one of the stores and then looked back to the truck.

If there was ever going to be a chance for her to surprise her brother unannounced, then this was it.

She rose to her feet quickly, grabbed her bag and walked slowly and unassumingly over to the truck on the opposite side of the street from where the two men had headed, and then she ducked down behind it. She knew that they were inside the store and no doubt distracted, but she was still going to have to be quick. She hurled her bag up and over into the flat bed and then in one swift movement, she pulled herself up and over, hiding underneath the flap of the tarp that was crunched up in the corner.

She breathed in and out heavily and closed her eyes.

Oh God, what are you doing
? she thought as she suddenly got a wave of nerves.

She had no idea who these men were or where they may end up taking her, but it was the only shot she had without alerting Lynx to her arrival.

She was hidden in the back of a strange truck and two men were about to climb into the front seats. She was scared, but she was ready. She sucked in some air and tried to hold her breath just in case she made any sound. From somewhere a small distance away, she heard the
ting
of a doorbell and a gruff voice saying goodbye. Footsteps pounded on the street and she could hear them coming closer. Before they even got anywhere near the truck, she knew that it was them, and as the doors opened up front, the truck bowed with their weight as they climbed in.

When the engine started, she actually felt herself relax. As if she had reached the finish line, but then she had to remind herself she still had no idea where they were going to be taking her. For all she knew, they could be about to drive straight out of town, or head to somewhere very dangerous indeed.

Her heart started pounding and the blood flooded through her ears. She held her hands together to stop them from shaking and then she cursed herself for putting herself in such a crazy situation.

You should have just asked around in town
, she thought.
You should have just let Lynx know that you were here.

The truck growled and moved out onto Main Street. She wanted to sit up and look at where they were heading with all of her being, but she knew she had to stay hidden away. As their speed picked up, she was aware of the road smoothening out underneath and she could no longer hear the sounds of town life.

We must be heading back out into the desert, she thought. Oh damn, what the hell have I done?

The truck continued and she heard the dull sounds of the radio being turned on and the monotone of their voices, but she couldn’t work out what they were saying.

After around five minutes, which seemed agonizingly slow, the truck began to slow down and she was aware that they were turning off onto what she could only assume to be the desert highway. The ground beneath them was bumpy. Her body was shaken and thrown around as she clung to the sides of the truck.

When the truck screeched to a halt, she held her breath again. Even though she knew it was ridiculous to think that they could hear her breathing, she was so paranoid she didn’t dare move a muscle.

“At least now we know,” one of the voices said deeply as the truck’s front doors opened and she felt their weight leave the vehicle.

“There’s a part of me that didn’t want to,” the other voice said. “Because now we know there’s no turning back. This is it…”

The two men fell silent and even from way in the back of the truck, Serena could feel the tension hanging in the air.

“Well, we were always going to end up here,” the other voice said. “It was always just a question of when.”

“Those fuckers,” the second voice said. “I still can’t believe it.”

“Hey, at least no one died,” the first man said. “It could have been a lot worse.”

“Lynx still got a bullet in his leg and King is in a coma,” the second voice spat. “It’s not like it hasn’t been bad enough.”

The hairs on the back of Serena’s neck seemed to stand on end.

Lynx…her brother…a bullet…? He had been shot!

“Come on,” the first man said. “We better get this inside.”

The doors slammed behind them. She lay still, listening to the sound of their footsteps crunching over the gravel, dust, and dirt. Her heart was racing so hard she was feeling dizzy and she felt like she was going to throw up.

She couldn’t even begin to comprehend what she had just heard. Lynx had told her that he had been in an accident. And now, these two men, whoever they were, were saying that he had been shot…

Serena swallowed hard and tried to control her breathing. She needed to calm down and get the hell out of the back of that truck. Wherever she was, she would deal with it.

She peeled back the tarpaulin slowly and peeked out under the harsh sun. The heat was heavy and beating down on her and she squinted as her eyes adjusted from the dark. She pushed herself up onto her elbows and looked around. She was out in the middle of the desert as she had thought, but not in the middle of nowhere. All around her were gleaming motorcycles and garages, trucks, and machinery.

She pulled herself to the side of the bed and with her arm hooked into the strap of her bag, she hauled herself up and out as fast as she could. As her feet hit the ground, they kicked up a dusty spray and she coughed as she waved it away. She turned slowly and was aware of a big building behind her, but nothing could have prepared her for what met her when she finally saw it full on.

A high, old wooden house, all four floors of it, and its darkened windows. Looming over her like a mirage.

“What the hell is this place?” she whispered to herself as she squinted up at it and shielded her eyes from the sun. From inside, she could hear the thumping of music and the calls of men from room to room. It sounded wild, almost like a frat house, and she was so confused she didn’t even know what to do next.

She held her bag tightly and shuffled slowly over to the foot of the steps that led up to the front door. She looked around again, unsure of whether to keep going and aware that this was her last opportunity to back out.

“Come on,” she whispered to herself. “You’ve come this far. What other choice to do you have?”

She slowly began to climb the steps, all the while hoping that she wasn’t about to stumble across some weird cult. Knowing her luck, that would be exactly the kind of thing that Lynx would have gotten himself caught up in. She scowled as she stopped at the front door and raised her hand.

As she knocked once and then twice, she had no idea what was about to greet her, all she knew was that if she was ever going to learn the truth about her brother and discover what his life was really all about, then this was the way it was going to have to go.

From the other side of the door, she heard a heavy set of footsteps coming toward her and a deep, confused voice saying, “What the fuck?”

The door creaked slowly and it wasn’t until it was open all the way and she had managed to look past the intense, familiar, and piercing green eyes of the man who was greeting her that she noticed he had a gun in his hand and he was pointing it right at her.

“Who the fuck are you?” he snarled. “And what the hell do you think you’re doing?”

Serena’s mouth gaped open and she held up her hands instinctively. He was the man she had seen in town, the one who had caught her eye. But suddenly, he didn’t seem too appealing anymore. 

“Please…,” she stammered… “I… I…”

But before she even had a chance to get any other words out of her mouth, she heard a shotgun being cocked right behind her, and she could feel several pairs of eyes all boring into her from various places both inside and outside of the house. She didn’t even know where they had all come from, but she was surrounded.

“Okay,” the man in front of her said. “Don’t say anything, just get down on the ground.”

And with her whole body shaking, that’s exactly what she did.