Authors: Anna Mara
He gave an encouraging pat to her hands wrapped at the front of his chest. His head turned slightly back to her. “Remember what I told you—don’t hang on too tight and do exactly what I do. Ready?”
Tori’s heart nearly leaped out of her chest with excitement. “Yes, ready.” She nodded, suddenly looking forward to the ride, her first ever on a motorcycle.
“Okay, let’s roll.” Savage’s beast machine roared to life.
Tori was shocked when she realized that Savage hadn’t been teasing when he’d referred to the rumble in between her legs. In fact, her bottom was vibrating so much that she couldn’t practically feel it anymore! But it was thrilling and maybe a little fun.
She shut her eyes tight, as the beast moved forward out of the Jubilee Hotel parking lot and onto the Las Vegas Strip road—and Victoria Alexandra Jones hung on to Savage Monroe for dear life—literally.
* * *
Estelle Crumpton secretly watched the pair from inside the front doors of the Jubilee Hotel, making sure that her precious grandbaby would be fine. She had faith in her tingle and knew that Mr. Savage would see her Tori right.
As they exited the parking lot on Savage’s motorcycle, she clasped her hands, closed her eyes, and prayed, “Blood of Jesus, please protect that child, and Mr. Savage too. Even though he is a sinner, he’s still a good man. Oh—and please protect my wonderful Joe, wherever he is, and return him to me safely. Amen.”
Estelle opened her eyes and smiled. Okay, it was time for her hair appointment and then some blackjack!
Chapter 15
Savage steered the
Harley slowly down the Las Vegas Strip road, ever aware of his new passenger and her inexperience with riding. He was taking it easy on her on purpose, giving her time to adjust to the feel of the machine and being on it for the first time.
The bike felt heavier and slower, as was to be expected with an extra person on the back. And as the driver, her safety was his top priority. He was here to look after her—for now, at least. After all, she was the one who would lead him to Sorelli—and the completion of his mission.
They came to a red light. Savage stopped the chrome beast, waiting for the light to change. He turned his head slightly to her. “You okay back there, Snow White?” he asked, already knowing the answer to his question. Her hands were clenched around his chest and he’d felt her body tremble a few times as they’d cruised down the Strip. No doubt about it, she was scared but sometimes being scared was a good thing. It made you keep your wits about you and that made you safe.
He felt Tori nod. “Yes—I’m okay.” The words barely choked out of her.
Savage smiled to himself. Yup, the girl was scared shitless, no doubt about it. But she’d get the hang of riding in no time, he was sure of it. She was smart and had paid attention to his instructions back at the hotel. In fact, he’d felt her mimicking his movements on the machine as they traveled. That was good. That was very good. At least it told him that despite her obvious stubbornness at being told what to do, she had listened to him.
As he waited for the light to change, the breeze shifted and suddenly, the gentle feminine scent of her filled his nostrils. She smelled fresh and exotic all at the same time; and her perfume enveloped his senses with a sultry aura. He inhaled, dragging her deep into him and immediately, a familiar warmth flooded in between his thighs.
For a brief second he closed his eyes, savoring the feel of her small body wrapped around his, his own body tingling with awareness at the heat of her hands splayed across his chest and burning through the thin, cotton material of his t-shirt at the front. Yes, she was hanging on too tight to him but he wasn’t going to complain, especially when he could feel her soft, full breasts brushing against the back of his biker’s cut—the leather vest stitched with their club patches and insignia.
He grinned, as the traffic light flashed green.
Okay, Snow White,
let’s see what you’re made of.
He revved the bike hard and left the Strip. It was time to give her a taste of what the machine could really do—and give him a taste of what she could too.
* * *
The light turned green and he took off down the road, going faster than before. Tori let out a squeal as she watched the road scurry beneath her at a quicker pace.
Oh God, I’m going to die on this thing
, her thoughts screamed inside of her. She was going to fall off, and her body would be mangled and torn-to-a-million-pieces beneath the speeding wheels of the passing cars.
Oh God, oh God, help me, please…
Okay…what exactly had Savage told her to do? All his instructions were now, because of the powerful rumbling of the bike’s engine, scrambled like an omelet in her brain. In fact, the sound of the Harley was so potent that it invaded her legs and arms, then traveled up into her chest and inside her heart, just like one of those alien movies where the beast infiltrated your body and took over. She couldn’t feel any separation between her and the machine anymore. Wherever did she begin and this damn deathtrap end?
And what was she supposed to do again? What had he said? Hang on tightly—or not? Lean with his body or go in the opposite direction? Oh no! What had he said?
Do what he did. Yes, that was it! Oh crap—she should have paid better attention when he’d been explaining things instead of being a smart ass and bristling at his domineering stance.
The Harley slowed again and they stopped for another light. Suddenly, Savage took his right hand off of the handlebars and reached behind him to pat her encouragingly on her ass. His large hand then rested there, cradling her behind. It felt strong and capable against her, and strangely enough, Tori wasn’t annoyed by the gesture at all. He was just telling her that she was doing well and that he was proud of her and that he was here to protect her.
In a flash, some of the fear left her. Okay, if Savage was pleased with how she was doing, then maybe she should try to relax a bit and enjoy the ride more.
Her arms and hands loosened their death grip on Savage’s body, and her tension left, to be replaced by a sudden awareness of him as a man. Instinctively, her fingers smoothed themselves over his rock-hard, chiseled stomach. She realized then that her breathing had become in synch with his too. His body heat enveloped her, as did his fresh soap and shampoo smell, offering her his promise of protection. It was so intimate, the pose they were in—him with his powerful hand resting on her behind, and her with her body coiled around his—that the wonder of his maleness suddenly invaded all her senses at once.
Closing her eyes, Tori allowed herself to relax even more into the moment and for one split second, Savage, the bike and her became one. It was exhilarating and cosmic; and she experienced a closeness with him that she’d never ever even experienced with her ex-husband before. But the feeling only lasted a tiny second and then it was gone.
She re-opened her eyes and smiled to herself. Yes—the man was definitely scorching hot and handsome; but she wasn’t ever going to forget who he was—a criminal thug, not to be trusted completely—but he had just given her a magical moment she’d never experienced with anyone else before and she silently thanked him in her heart. Life was strange—you never knew who would give you a special gift like that. More reason not to throw anyone away, no matter who they were.
The traffic light changed to green. He patted her ass again before gripping the handlebars and accelerating the Harley forward. This time, as the bike revved louder and faster down the road, she relaxed even more and noticed more of the world around her as it flew by, the side scenery becoming a blur of colors. The wind rushed against her face and pulsed against her body as the heat of the Nevada sun warmed her skin.
For the first time in a very long time—since way before Tod had left, actually—she felt alive and free, completely free. Tori looked up at the open, blue sky and thanked God for allowing her to be a part of his beautiful masterpiece, resurrecting her from the walking dead that she had allowed herself to become.
Chapter 16
Friday – 9:25 a.m.
Joe Sorelli’s Bungalow
Savage pulled up
to the curb outside the address for Joe’s house and shut off the Harley. Mrs. Moore’s house was next door with only a driveway separating the two dwellings.
Tori sighed as she dismounted but whether it was a sigh of contentment or a sigh that the ordeal was finally over, he couldn’t tell. Swinging off the machine himself, he looked her over as he pulled off his helmet. How was she feeling about her first ride, he wondered? He noticed she was grinning with happiness as she removed her own helmet.
“You did well, Snow White. I’m proud of you.” He nodded, having been impressed with how quickly she’d picked it up. He knew the exact second she had relaxed into it—about halfway through their ride, as his body had been intuitively in sync with every squeal, sigh, shiver and shudder coming from behind him.
“It was…” Tori let out another big sigh, “incredible!” She smiled up at him, beaming with joy. “Thank you, Mr. Savage, for giving me the ride of my life.”
Stepping forward, she wrapped her arms around his neck, bringing him down to her 5’ 2” level and planted a quick, innocent peck on his cheek before releasing him and moving away.
Savage was stunned as he straightened up. He knew how to deal with ‘mean’ and he knew how to deal with ‘brutal’, but he didn’t know how to deal with ‘sweet’, which was exactly what she looked like as she stood in front of him with her blue sweater and jeans, and the most beautiful, devastating smile he’d ever seen on a woman. She looked adorable, as if she was glowing from within.
He could still feel her soft lips on his cheeks. In fact, he had to physically restrain himself from touching the spot with his hand, just to make sure he hadn’t imagined it. But he caught himself in time, not wanting to appear the fool. Imagine a Son of Perdition biker, and him being one of the most vicious and violent of the bunch, being felled by an itty-bitty thing like a thank you kiss from a prim and proper Snow White. It was too ridiculous to think about—even if his hard heart had just melted a little bit more towards her.
“My pleasure, Snow White. My horse and I are at your disposal for the weekend, remember?” He grinned.
She flashed him a mocking smile. “Well, you and your horse can wait here by the curb while I go speak with Mrs. Moore. We wouldn’t want to scare her by having a Son of Perdition biker showing up at her front door now, would we?”
“Are you implying I’m not respectable?” Savage pretended to be insulted but he really wasn’t. He knew exactly what she meant. His presence could be intimidating. In fact, it better damned well be!
“You are rather—large,” Tori teased, as her eyes scanned his heavily inked arms. “Besides, this…” she indicated the conservative neighborhood with a flick of her finger, “is my world, so it’s my rules, mister.”
Savage laughed at the clever way she had parroted his words back at him, but before he could answer her, she had turned around and was already hiking up the walkway towards the steps leading to Mrs. Moore’s front door. Grinning, he watched the neighbor open her door to her knock and then Tori disappeared inside.
His smile vanished; his eyes swiveled towards Joe Sorelli’s house. What had happened to the butcher, and where was he?
Scanning the street for any prying eyes, he walked towards the bungalow. Approaching the home, he toured its perimeter looking for clues that would lead him to the old man’s whereabouts, but he couldn’t find any.
Like a silent jungle cat, he moved back to his bike on the curb, just in time to see Tori coming out of the house next door. Her jovial mood had disappeared and a frown was marring her pretty face.
“What’s wrong?” he intoned, as she approached.
“She doesn’t really know much. She says she hasn’t seen Joe since last Tuesday, just like she told me yesterday, and the only friends of Joe’s that she knows about are Dirty Dan, and someone named Stella Simon and her son, Roger. Apparently, this Stella owns a spa called Pleasurably Yours near the downtown area.”
Savage nodded. “I know Stella and her deadbeat son and their—
spa
.”
Tori’s eyebrows shot up in a quizzical fashion. “Spa—as in facials and bikini waxes?”
“More like rub ‘n tugs and happy endings.”
Tori sighed. “Well, Mr. Savage, I guess we’re back in your world now.”
The biker smirked. “Oh yeah, we definitely are.”
Chapter 17
Friday – 10:38 a.m.
Dirty Dan’s Pawn Shop
Tori followed Savage
into the shady-looking storefront, the pair having decided to look for Dirty Dan first before paying the spa owners a visit. The claustrophobic, oppressive atmosphere inside the shop immediately hit her like a door slamming in her face. Behind a long counter sat a man of about thirty, wearing jeans and a faded t-shirt with the name of some obscure rock band emblazoned across its front.
“Hi Savage,” the rocker greeted.
“Hey Jesse, where’s your uncle?”
The slacker shrugged his shoulders. “Probably on a gambling binge again, you know him.”
Savage nodded. “Yeah, figures. When was the last time you saw him?”
“Tuesday afternoon.”
“You haven’t seen or heard from him since?”
“Nope, but that’s normal. He’ll probably pop back up by Sunday night, drunk and broke as usual.”
Tori stepped forward. “Have you seen Joe Sorelli recently? I understand he’s your uncle’s friend.”
The rocker’s eyes narrowed. He studied her, as if he suddenly realized there was another person there. “Who wants to know?” he muttered.
“My grandmother is a friend of Joe’s and she hasn’t heard from him for a few days now, since Tuesday actually, just like your uncle. Do you know where we might find Joe?”
“Nope,” he responded coldly. He turned back to the biker. “If I see either of them, Savage, I’ll tell them to call you.”
”Do that, thanks.”
With a curt goodbye nod, Savage headed for the door, followed closely behind by Tori.
“Do you think it’s a coincidence that he and Joe both disappeared on the same day?” Tori mused, as they walked towards the Harley.
“I don’t believe in coincidences.”
“Do you think they’re together?”
“Could be, but then again, Dirty Dan is a degenerate gambler. He’s pulled this disappearing act before, showing up a week later, dead broke and dead drunk, just like Jesse said.”
“What about Joe Sorelli? Is he the same way?”
Savage took in her worried expression. She was obviously concerned that her grandmother could be involved with someone like that.
“Don’t know, Snow White. Joe Sorelli has only been coming around the bar for a few months now. He brings in his meat order and then leaves. He doesn’t hang like Dirty Dan does. I do know they’re good friends though, but beyond that?” Savage threw her a careless shrug.
Tori nodded. “I guess it’s time for a spa visit next.” She sighed, annoyed that the pawn shop had been another dead end.