Filed to story: Reclaimed Book by Roxie Ray
“Which means she’s helping Sean, too.”
“Fuck.” I sat up in my bar stool and raked my hand through my hair. “You know, when Harley put the fear of God into her, I really thought we might be done with her.”
“She’s like a roach. Indestructible.”
I stood up. “I’ll go talk to her.”
“What? Right now?”
“Yes, right now. I’m not letting this spiral out of control any more than it already has.” I sighed, then placed my hand on Hawk’s shoulder and squeezed. “Thanks for investigating the bar. I’ll handle this.”
First, I had to talk to Harley.
Outside, I leaned against my motorcycle and called my mate.
She picked up on the first ring. “Steph? Everything okay?”
“Hawk just got back from the bar where your mother was picked up,” I said. “He asked around about what happened.”
“So you still think she was telling the truth?”
“I do,” I said. “And on top of that, apparently Forrest was there. With Blakely.”
“What? What the hell was she doing there?”
“I had the same question. I’m going to her place to ask.”
Harley exhaled hard. “Seriously? Now?”
“I need to see where her head is at,” I said. “See how deeply she’s involved in this. If she’s decided to help out Forrest and Sean…”
“Then she’s an idiot,” Harley said. “God. I wish that bitch would just disappear.”
I hummed in agreement. If she didn’t bow out of whatever she was doing with those two, she might have to disappear. As infuriating as Blakely was, I hoped it wouldn’t come to that.
“I really thought I had gotten through to her,” Harley said. “I’m sorry.”
“You have nothing to be sorry for. This is all Blakely-her and Forrest.”
“Be careful when you go over there,” Harley said. “I have a bad feeling about all of this, Steph.”
“I will be. I love you, Harley.”
Another sigh. “I love you too, Steph.”
I ended the call and climbed onto my bike. If I couldn’t stop Sean tonight, I could at least end this mess with Blakely.
The night was cool and dark as I drove toward Blakely’s apartment. It wasn’t as good as flying, and my dragon longed to stretch his wings and soar over the mountains. I was so furious, though, I knew if I shifted I wouldn’t only work off some of this excess energy, but my dragon would take me straight to Sean.
One step at a time.
I gunned my engine, relishing the speed. The wind rushed over my shoulders and arms, whipping my jacket back. I would never ride like this with Harley. It was too reckless, too dangerous. But fuck, it felt good, and I needed it.
Headlights flashed behind me, illuminating the two-lane highway like a brief lightning strike before they cut off. An engine roared as a black SUV pulled out of a dirt road turnoff. The tires squealed against the asphalt as the SUV picked up speed.
Yep, Harley was right about that bad feeling.
The SUV drove right up to my back tire, then swerved to the left, driving on the wrong side of the empty road. The engine roared again as they picked up speed until they were right next to me. My focus narrowed onto the bike and the road. This was exactly what Sean’s goons had done to Harley-picked up speed, spooked her, and run her off the road.
That wouldn’t work on me, though. Especially not when I was on my bike, which was almost an extension of my body. I smirked and kept the bike steady, matching the SUV’s speed. The car began to veer closer, inching over the dividing line and into my lane.
I hit the brakes on my bike and dropped my speed. The SUV roared forward, overtaking me as it swerved into my lane, scraping onto the shoulder and kicking up dirt before it drove back onto the asphalt. I memorized the license plate. The SUV slammed on its brakes, trying to brake-check me and send me into the rear window, but that was an obvious maneuver. I saw it coming from a mile away. I slid my bike to the left, onto the wrong side of the road.
Headlights shone ahead at the top of the upcoming hill. It’d be dicey, but I had time… I hoped.
I revved my engine. The SUV did too. They picked up speed. I picked up speed. I raced next to the SUV, urging my bike faster and faster.
The headlights from the oncoming truck shone into my eyes, and the driver sounded their horn.
Shit. The SUV was souped up. The powerful engine matched my speed, keeping me locked in the wrong lane.
I needed a little more juice. I urged my bike forward, forward. The headlights nearly blinded me. The SUV and the oncoming car both honked wildly, surrounding me from both sides.
I flipped my nitrous switch.
The gas injected into my engine, and my bike roared like a dragon and leaped forward with a burst of acceleration. I slipped right over the yellow line, just ahead of the SUV, right as the oncoming truck barreled forward. It was so close it clipped the mirror off the SUV.
My engine roared as I put more distance between me and the SUV. I repeated the license plate to myself a few times, locking it in my memory so I could text the details to Hawk. It didn’t look like they were following me. Whoever tried to run me off the road wasn’t brave enough to fight me outside of the car.
I smirked. Maybe they weren’t total idiots.
When I got to Blakely’s apartment, my bad mood was worse than ever before. I parked my bike and wrenched off my helmet, then stormed up to her door. It was late and dark, but I couldn’t care less. I pounded on the door incessantly until the lock finally clicked open.
The door swung open a crack, and Blakely peeked out. Her eyes widened, then narrowed as she opened the door a little wider. Not enough for me to see inside her apartment, though. She was dressed in an oversized hoodie with my old high-school mascot on it that fell to mid-thigh on her bare legs, and her short, red hair was a mess. She looked like she’d just crawled out of bed. “What do you want?”
“I need to talk to you. Now.”
“I don’t know if my boyfriend would like that.” Her voice was sultry, but she looked like she was holding back a grin. She was eagerly waiting for my reaction to that statement. Her delusional mind probably thought I’d be jealous.
“Forrest?” I asked. “Do you have any idea who you’re involved with?”
“Is that why you’re here in the middle of the night?” she asked. “You heard about my boyfriend and had to rush right over here, huh?”
I rolled my eyes. “Don’t flatter yourself. I’ve already saved your ass once, and I’m not too keen on doing it again.”
“What the hell does that mean?” Blakely snapped.
“It means you’re getting yourself involved in something dangerous.”
She scoffed. “You think everything is dangerous. I like Forrest. He takes care of me. Prioritizes me. Unlike some guys I used to date.”
“We never dated.”
“And Forrest understands how badly you hurt me. I love that about him.”
