Losing Me, Finding You (20 page)

Austin starts the engine and a few moments later, a trickle of music comes through my helmet.

A collective groan rides through the group as people start to listen in.

“Hey, Austin,” Beck calls from across the garage. “Nickelback? We're going to listen to Nickelback? Seriously, fuck you, man.” Austin chuckles and starts the engine. It rumbles to life and cradles my body with this powerful purr, like it could turn into a growl at any moment. I get goose bumps.

“That's not what the intercom system is for,” Mireya calls out, and I notice that she's looking at me when she shouts this.

“Fuck y'all. I'm Road Captain, so deal with it.” Austin kicks us off and the wind rushes around me, grasping with cold fingers. Before we even make it out of the garage, I've thrown my arms around Austin's muscular chest and pressed myself as tightly against his warm body as I can get.

A split second later, we explode out into the street, and in moments, I've left everything and everyone I've ever known behind.

I am in fucking heaven, I think as I fly down the highway in the dark with Amy at my back and my bike beneath my ass. On the open road with the wind in my face, Nickelback playing on the intercom and no friggin' idea where it is that I'm going. Kimmi and I have some targets laid out, but nothing that we've firmed up, so I watch the signs as they fly by, waiting until one of them strikes my fancy. God, I love this life. I don't think I could ever be the kind of man that stays in one place, buys a house, raises kids. That shit just doesn't seem all that appealing to me. If I couldn't leave at the drop of a hat and take off, lose myself somewhere new, then I might just shrivel up and die.

One thing I do like that I never thought I would – having a woman on the back of my bike. Not once have I ever taken a lady for a ride, and I've got to admit, there is something kind of hot about it. I smile as I flick on my turn signal and take off on a random exit. Amy's arms tighten around me as we take the curve and my smile turns into a grin. I don't know what it is about this girl, but I like her. A lot.

I figure my ridin' time's my thinkin' time, so I let my mind go, trying to sort out the last few days and all the shit that's gone down. My first thought is of Mireya and what she did to Amy. Well, I think it's her anyhow. I'm going to have to confront her about it. That shit is not going to end well. I speed up and zip around a semi, checking the road for other vehicles, so the rest of the group can pass. It's a quiet country highway out here, so it should be fine, but I've at least got to pretend to be a real road captain. If I were, I'd scout our route ahead of time and lead the group to planned stops – gas stations, restaurants, hotels, etc. But in all reality, I'm just looking for our next gig, searching out the next place that Kimmi and I can take advantage of so we can bring money into the group because that's what we do. It's what we've always done.

“Austin?” It's Kimmi's voice, breaking through the com system and cutting across my favorite song of all fucking time – 'S.E.X.'.

“Yeah?”

“Take the 120 East.”

“Why?”

“Don't be a dick wad, just do it. I've got a plan.”

“Where we headin'?”

“Sparks, do you trust me?” I sigh because of course Kimmi knows that I do. I trust her with my life and my freedom every damn day I spend on this earth, and she knows it. “I want to go to Fort Clinton.” I reach down and check my dash, just to make sure that it's only me and Kimmi that're in on this call.

“Are you fucking with me, Reynolds?” I ask. Fort Clinton has been our dream hit for the last two years. It's like a fucking gold mine. If we could hit that, there's a good chance we could take a long overdue break. But then again, there's a reason we've been avoiding it. It isn't going to be easy, not by a long shot. Plus, I got Cross to worry about now. Wouldn't do to go gettin' myself arrested or killed until she's settled into the group.

“I want to do this, Austin, but I don't want to go straight there. I say we do some small jobs first, just in case Walker decides to follow us. Maybe St. Marlin's and then Long Horn? They're not big cities, but they'd be easy to do.” She pauses and a small crackle cuts through the line. “Besides, the route's a bit convoluted and it'll take us longer to get there. Makes for more riding time.”

I think about what she said for a moment and then my face cracks into a smile. I rev up the engine and pick up speed, hitting a flat, straight stretch of road with as much power and force as I can muster. Amy yelps and clutches me so tight I can feel her heart beating in her chest like a trapped bird. I try to ignore it, but it beats straight down to my dick, making me hard as rock. This girl is gonna be the death of me.

“You know what, Reynolds? You're on. I like the way you think.”

Kimmi's laughter comes through the com for a brief moment before I switch the channel back over to the music and gun my bike all the way into the next town.

We spend the entire night driving, flying through the darkness like bats, a sea of metal and chrome, with people as colorful as they are unique. It's a strange experience, one that I have to admit, I'm anxious to repeat. I can see the appeal of the open road when I'm out here, the way the wind grabs at you and doesn't let go.

And then there's Austin.

When he sits on that bike, he becomes a different person, much less closed off. With my arms wrapped around his chest, I can feel the beat of his heart. It speeds up at every turn, beating frantically through the fabric of his leather jacket. It's enough to keep me wide awake despite my fatigue, enough to keep my mind on daydreams and fantasies until the sun starts to peek its head up at the edges of the sky, burning the night to rosy pink.

When we finally pull into a town and start to slow, my mind jumps like I've been shocked, snapping out of the trance of the road and bombarding me with hoards of annoying thoughts.
I wonder how Mama will start her morning without me there? And Christy … what does she think of me now? If I call her in a day or two, after she calms down, will she talk to me?
I push the thoughts back and try to keep up with the flurry of sudden activity.

The entire group pauses and the music on the intercom dies away completely, leaving a chorus of excited chatter that makes my head hurt a bit. I watch as Gaine climbs off his bike and heads inside a hotel lobby. When he comes out, he nods his chin and the entire group spills into the parking garage that's attached.

Austin parks his bike and helps me down with a smile.

“Tell me you liked the ride, beautiful?” he whispers, holding my hand tightly in one of his. For a brief moment, there's nothing but his face and his sandy hair and his beautiful eyes.

“Hurry up, Sparks. The Pres wants you front and center.” Beck's voice jolts me out of my trance and I can barely manage a quick nod of my head before Austin is scowling across the garage at his boss. He takes me upstairs to the hotel room, but he doesn't stay, disappearing to go attend to whatever it is that he needs to do. I wonder if he'll ever tell me what that's all about, if that stuff is something you get to know when you've been fully accepted into the group or not.

I look around the room and am not surprised to see that there's only one bed. Austin said I didn't have to sleep with him, but we both know better. We can hardly keep our hands off each other. I smile and fluff my hair in the mirror. It's frizzy and flat at the same time somehow. Helmet hair, ugh. I set my duffel bag down on the end of the bed and rifle through it until I find a clean pair of jeans and a black tank top. It was the best I could do given the circumstances. My cardigans and floral skirts wouldn't exactly work with this crowd. I pause for a moment and check my wallet. Fifteen dollars in cash. Great. Definitely not enough to buy any new clothes. I wonder briefly how this whole MC thing works. I mean, they can't all have jobs if they're on the road all the time, right?

I take my clothes into the bathroom and grab one of the white towels that's stacked on a metal shelf above the toilet, tossing it over the shower curtain rod and pulling back the white plastic. I don't admit it to myself, but I linger a bit, hoping Austin will come in and join me, but after about a half hour, I realize he isn't coming back and shower quickly. By the time he does return, my hair is dry and I've even rimmed my eyes in kohl and colored my lips with a dark pink that my mother would never approve of.

“Well, hello there, beautiful,” he says, wrapping his arms around my waist and pulling me against him. One of Austin's knees slides between my legs as he lifts me up to my toes for a kiss, sliding his tongue into my mouth like he's known me forever. I try not to melt into a puddle on the floor. “Good news,” he says, pulling back. “Got you a jacket.” He lifts up the item in question and presses it to my chest, letting his knuckles brush against my breasts in the process. I swallow hard and step back.

The jacket is sized perfectly for me, beautifully made of gently oiled leather with a red satin interior, but on the back, there's only one patch. It's the one on the bottom, the one that says USA. Austin sees me looking at it and touches his fingers under my jaw to grab my attention.

“When you first join an MC,” he begins, sliding his fingers along my face until they're wrapping in my hair. “You only get one patch. If you're a good, good girl, then maybe you'll earn the rest.” Austin uses my hair to pull me forward for another kiss, a more desperate one this time. My hands come up and touch his stubbly face, running along the hard line of his jaw and then …

There's a knock on the damn door.

Austin pulls away from me with a growl and storms over to the door, jerking it open without even asking who's on the other side.

It's a girl with orange hair and leather pants so tight they look painted on.

“Kimmi, I'm a bit busy … ” Austin begins, but she's already holding up a hand to silence him. When she notices me staring at her, a sultry smiles tilts her bow shaped lips up.

“Amy Cross, I presume?” she asks, pushing Austin aside with her shoulder and waltzing into the room like she owns the place. She's got on these ridiculously tall, red heels and nothing but a coin covered bra under her leather vest. I nod and hold out my hand. “Kimmi Reynolds. Nice to meet you.” Her eyes rake me up and down, and she nods, like she likes what she sees. “Welcome to the group.” She pauses and turns to Austin, giving him a look that I can't quite read. “Kent would like to see you downstairs.” Austin frowns, but Kimmi isn't done yet. “Both of you.”

“Ah, shit,” he says with a sigh. “We just rolled in and he wants to start this crap?” Kimmi shrugs and runs her fingers down his arm. I watch, but I don't say anything. What can I say? Austin doesn't belong to me. “Alright then, come on, beautiful. Let's get this over with, shall we?” Kimmi steps into the hallway and watches as I slip my jacket onto my shoulders and hook my arm through Austin's. “Smart girl,” he says with a wink as he leads me out and over to the elevator.

As we step inside, I hear a door closing down the hallway and someone shouting for us to wait.

It's that girl, Mireya.

I swallow nervously and watch as Kimmi grabs the doors and holds them open.

“Thanks,” she snips, wrinkling her nose like she can't bear the sight of Kimmi. Or maybe it's me that she's disgusted with because when her dark eyes find mine, I can practically feel them cutting through me, wishing me dead. I shiver and it's not because of Austin. “Trying to escape to the welcome party without me?” she coos, but she isn't talking to me or Kimmi, just Austin. That much is blatantly obvious. And it only takes me about three seconds to realize that the perfume she's wearing, that sweet, sickly smell, is the same one that was on Austin's sheets. I press my eyes closed and try not to breathe.

“Nah, just following orders. When Kent says jump … ”

“You say, Fuck off,” Kimmi interjects before Mireya can respond. “Or you used to … ” She pauses again and gives Mireya an up and down. The dark haired woman pretends not to notice.

“I see,” Mireya says, staring way too hard at my arm where it's touching Austin's. Oh no. Is this is his girlfriend? But no, no, that doesn't seem right. Austin does not seem like the kind of guy who has a girlfriend. I ignore the little, niggling thought that adds, not even you. But he did sleep with her. After he slept with me. I try not to be bothered by that, but I can't help it. “Lemme guess.” She snaps her fingers and leans back against the mirrored walls. “You've heard my story, too? Is that right? Is that why we left town in the middle of the Goddamn night like fucking criminals?”