She sensed this group of men severely underestimated the depth of her race, yet it didn’t bother her. Ian had been wise to wait for the right woman.
While staring into the floor length mirror, she brushed out her hair, then finger fluffed it around her shoulders. Lastly, she pulled on her knee-high ladies’ biker boots. Again, she inwardly mused over how the guys would expect something sexier. Men tended to have preconceived images of biker women. She doubted her leather boots with the rugged sole and low heel would set them to drooling.
Once satisfied with her appearance, she secured the daggers into the holsters at her thighs and tucked her backpack into a corner of Raef’s room.
The only thing I’ll need with me tonight is my attitude and my blades.
She left the master suite with confidence in her heart and determination in her soul.
Raef, Ian, and Hatch looked up when she entered the main living area.
“Not what I expected…but
wow
…” Raef’s eyes widened. “I was right when I called you
angel
. You look tough…
and
angelic.” He met her halfway across the room. “I’m impressed. Only you could pull off kickass and virtuous in one outfit.” He brushed a light, modest kiss over her lips.
“Thank you.” She fought back the blush trying to break through. She did not want anyone to see her soft side except for Raef—she felt at ease with him. Hatch’s jealous glare did not go unnoticed. She shrugged it off. He would have to accept her decision eventually.
“Raef is right,” Ian added. “I thought you’d have some hot black riding leathers to offset that wild blonde hair.”
She let out a soft laugh. “Expected the typical biker chick look, huh?”
“Something like that. Cassie wore the usual black leathers.”
“Our attire is designed to be practical yet versatile. Never know when we might need to use more than just our weapons to accomplish our goals.” She gave him a playful wink.
Ian raised a brow. “Sounds interesting. Do all your members ride bikes?”
“We each choose our method of travel. I love motorcycles. As I told Coop, I’ve been riding since very young, so it’s natural for me to hop on a bike and take off. I prefer the freedom as opposed to maneuvering an awkward car.”
“How many other members of your sisterhood ride bikes?” asked Hatch. His calm curiosity puzzled her.
Flame shrugged. “I never took count.” Her reply came out as cold as she felt toward him.
Tension mounted in the room accompanied by heavy silence. She simply could not pretend to accept his denial over the end of their relationship. Coop bursting into the room couldn’t be better timing. She breathed a sigh of relief over the crusty biker’s entrance.
“Ya’ll ready to ride?” he barked. “We’ve got a nice moon on tap, peaked at full tonight. If there was ever a night for an evil fiend to be prowling for a mate then this would be it.”
“I’m more than ready.” Flame headed for the door.
“So Ian was right.” Coop gave her a thorough once over. “You really do carry daggers.”
“Yes.”
“Nice jacket.”
“Thanks.”
“Are you fast? We will most likely encounter more than one creeper at a time.”
“Very fast. This is what I am trained to do…fight to win.”
He arched those bushy brows. “I look forward to this. I’ve never seen one of these creepers die.”
She half-grinned. “Then tonight will be your lucky night.”
A group of over fifty growling Harleys pulled into the parking area of an all night eatery about an hour south of LA. The air smelled damp like wet burlap and foul like death. Flame shook her head to rid the stench of what smelled like something rotting.
“Damn, remind me to never eat here,” she muttered to Raef who’d parked beside her.
“You’ll get no argument from me.”
Coop dismounted his bike then walked over to her. “Lots of creepers in this area. We might be here for a while until they leave. Kill as many as you can. All we can do is protect the citizens, it’s up to you to kill them.”
“Then let’s not look so obvious,” Flame murmured.
Ian and Hatch joined them as they strolled over to a picnic table to relax and refresh themselves. Flame drank purified bottled water and ate light. She scanned the area for activity. The men did their best to appear casual. All but Hatch seemed at home in this rough area. He hadn’t looked very comfortable on the Softail, either. She couldn’t understand why he wanted to come along. This trip was not a joy ride on a fancy touring bike. These men rode hard and fast, just as Coop had said.
A familiar voice startled her from behind. “We meet again.”
She turned sharply to face Von Calder, once again meeting him on the road. Coop stood as if prepared to strike. The animosity between the two men was unmistakable.
“What do you do, Von, roam from place to place? Why don’t you settle down somewhere?” Flame taunted.
Von stared into her with an unsettling gaze. “I see you have more friends with you now.”
Coop took a step toward him. Ian and Raef hung back, watching closely. Hatch remained seated, staring at Von in a peculiar way. The tense moment felt extremely unnerving. She employed her training skills to remain very calm.
Flame shot him a fiery glance. “Yeah, so why don’t you just run along now. I don’t need anyone getting in my way.”
He smirked, looking completely unruffled, and walked away. Everyone turned to see where he went, but the tall mysterious man decked out in a leather duster had simply vanished. Flame thought it odd that Von met up with them again. But with bigger tasks at hand she couldn’t let the likes of Von throw her off course.
“That man has a hard-on for you,” Hatch growled.
Flame gave him a disapproving glare. “Is that all you think about? It seems to me that Von has unresolved issues but really bad timing.”
“Has he been bothering you?” Raef asked.
“No. He showed up at a truck stop on the way out with some of his buddies. We had a mild but uneventful encounter. Hatch just can’t control his jealous side. He thinks every man wants me.”
“He came straight out and admitted that he wanted you,” Hatch argued.
“Oh, phft, he was just doing that to provoke you.” She kept her reservations concerning the dark rider to herself. His silent and unexpected appearances affected her in a way she could not discern. On one hand, she found him undeniably attractive and sinfully seductive. Yet on the other hand, he felt dangerous to her. Though he had helped her escape Aiden’s family, she never did find out where he’d planned on taking her.
Von Calder,
she thought.
You are a very mysterious man. Are you following me? Or are we just crossing paths by accident?
She didn’t have time to dwell on this enigmatic man. Shadows lurking in the distance caught her eye.
“Look!” She directed her gaze to the activity.
On the far side of the parking lot near a tree line appeared a cluster of several men. They skulked about, zeroing in on a small gathering of women eating near the restaurant. Flame focused on their footsteps as they moved into plain view. Ian’s account was right on, the men left no imprints on the soft dew-laden grass.
She elbowed Hatch in the side. “And you didn’t believe him.”
Cooper whispered, “Let’s be discreet, boys. Pretend we’re hitting on the ladies. One of you should make it look like you’re with Flame though, to avoid suspicion until we get the women out of harm’s way.”
“I’m with Flame.” Raef draped an arm over her shoulders before Hatch had a chance to protest.
Cooper, Ian, and an openly annoyed Hatch approached the women and struck up conversation. They began leading them into the restaurant. One of the creepers grabbed a trailing woman by the arm. Cooper attempted to free the woman but could not. Ian and Hatch hurried the others into the building.
Flame ran straight toward the woman in imminent danger.
“Ha! What you gonna do, little missy?” The foul looking man sneered.
Flame flashed her daggers. “Send you to hell.”
Immediately he released the woman and the creepers scattered, but didn’t flee as she expected. Flame swung her blades at the closest one. He ducked and tried to grab her weapons but failed. After averting several strikes, he succumbed to his doom when she drove the pointed dagger through his heart. A hair-raising scream came from him when he realized his defeat.
Flame jumped back as he burst into flames then fell to the ground. Thick bluish smoke rose from the corpse. When the pungent mist cleared, all that remained were his clothes. Suddenly strong hands gripped her throat from behind. She twirled the blades with her thumbs and drove the knuckles of the Sai into the assailant’s eyes. He released his grip. Flame turned to face another surprisingly aggressive attacker. The miscreant howled in pain from her jabs. Not wasting a precious second, she manipulated the blade again and plunged it into his heart. Another inferno and a cloud of smoke accompanied by a bizarre foul mist—one more creeper sent to an agonizing end.
Raef was losing ground in hand-to-hand combat. Flame spun and wielded her weapons with precision. In lightning fast movements, she drove a dagger through the back and into the heart of each miscreant. They perished in the same horrific manner as the first. After killing the two that were trying to take down Raef, she swung to face the second wave.
They came in fast and mean from the shadows. Raef fought fearlessly to help even the odds as Flame used her honed skills to take them down one-by-one. She drove her Sai into their hearts without mercy, killing the evil fiends that attacked. Eventually they gave up the fight and backed away before hightailing it back into the woods.
Flame stood frozen in astonishment, breathing heavily and very disturbed over what she’d just encountered.
“Bloody hell, Flame, that was awful!” Raef pulled her back from the scene.
Her body shook from racing adrenaline. “Yeah…it was one thing hearing about them…but actually seeing the fiends and fighting them…unreal…”
Coop joined them after making sure no lurkers stayed behind. “Nice work, Flame. You sure as hell weren’t exaggerating when you said you are fast.”
Flame was a bit shaken. She’d never dealt with such powerful foes. “Ian was right. They do have super human strength. They are extraordinarily powerful.”
“You afraid?” His demeanor had become less cocky and more concerned.
“No, just stunned. I thought they were afraid of the Sai.”
Ian came up from behind. “They must have contacted their leader as I thought. That would explain their heightened aggression. He controls their minds and evidently commanded them to fight.”
Hatch swaggered over, a cynical look on his face. “So where is this Satellite?”
“I have no doubt the bastard is watching.” Coop glanced around the immediate area. “I suggest we ride south to the next stop, take our time. The night is young. He’s probably waiting for the right moment now that Flame has made herself known.”
“This is where we are supposed to have blind faith that she can handle him on her own, right? I’m just supposed to let my woman march right into the Satellite’s camp?”
Coop scowled. “He’s not going to reveal himself if her boyfriend is shadowing her every move.”
Flame held back from pointing out their breakup. This was nor the time or place to divulge personal matters. Clearly, Hatch had still managed to convince some of the guys that he was allowing her extra space to complete the mission.
What a jerk!
she huffed to herself.
“Ignore him.” Raef told her as they walked to their bikes. “Once this is over, he’ll go on back to New York and we’ll have plenty of time to set the record straight on who is with whom.” He paused and stopped walking, then turned to her. “You are staying in LA for a while, aren’t you?”
“I’d like to.” She offered him a hopeful smile. “Don’t know my way around the area very well yet.”
“Stay with me. I’ll show you around.”
“I’d like that.” She stood on tiptoes to reach up and give him a kiss. “I’d like that very much.”
“Awesome.”
They followed Coop as his pack merged onto the highway. He motioned for her to fall back, then signaled his men to surround her as they rode. She began to like him a bit more. He exhibited fierce leadership and under that gruff exterior he seemed to genuinely care about people.
Just over a half an hour later she saw road signs for Oceanside when Coop waved the group into a truck stop.
Ian walked over to relay a message. “We can gas up here, then cruise on down to San Diego. The heaviest creeper activity we have monitored is between LA and there. We’re pretty much in the middle of it right now.”
Flame nodded, did her usual visual scan of the area and guided her bike to an available pump. After filling the tank, she turned toward Raef, who was waiting behind her.
“I’m going in to use the ladies’ room. Keep an eye on my bike for me?”
“Sure thing.”
She drew a deep breath. No signs of creepers yet. Their stench was something she’d never forget. She wandered around the back of the building in search of the restroom. After relieving herself, she washed her hands, splashed cool water on her face then left the not-so-clean facility.
“Flame,” a man’s voice whispered from the shadows.
Suddenly she stopped. Every muscle in her body tensed as her senses went on high alert.
“I hear you’re hunting for the Satellite.”
His voice sounded vaguely familiar, yet it was too soft to recognize.
“Who are you?” She peered into the darkness.
A tall figure stepped into the moonlight. His long trench-style jacket blew gently in the night breeze. Even through the darkness she could see those seductively alluring eyes.
“Von?” She took a step back.
“I can lead you to the Satellite.” He inched closer.
Her pulse quickened. “How do you know about that fiend?”
“Aiden told me, just like he told me that you’re a warrior. How do you think I knew?”
“I didn’t obsess over it.” She lied. “What makes you think
I
am looking for him?”