Wild Blaze (5 page)

Heather took a step and Brody
grabbed her. She spun around and slapped him in the face. The slap echoed and
the sting did too.

“
Feel
better?
”
Brody asked.

“
Fuck
you,
”
Heather said.

“
Wipe
that shit off your face then. Show who you really are. Letting him do that
…”

“
I
will shoot you,
”
Heather
said.
“
I don
’
t care.
”

“
Yeah?
Then come get my gun, sweetheart. Come on. Come slap me again.
”

Heather started to cry again and
ran away.

Brody was pissed off now. He
understood what Heather was doing. She was protecting all those around her. She
didn
’
t want anyone to
sample her world of hell. But what she didn
’
t
know was that Brody
’
s feet
were still scarred from walking in that hell.

And for some reason, for Heather,
he
’
d walk through hell
again.

seven.

Heather just ran. She cut to the
left at the end of one hall, cut to the right at the end of the next. Nobody
thought it out of the ordinary. She could have gotten a call for help. Nurses
were always charging through the hospital. In fact, that was the easiest way to
look busy if you weren
’
t.
But Heather was busy. Busy trying to get away from the asshole.

That asshole in the leather cut that
thought he was so sexy and smooth. He wasn
’
t
that. Okay, fine, he was sexy, but not smooth. He was rough. Dirty. Grungy. He
didn
’
t smell of expensive
cologne or anything like that. He smelled of smoke, booze, and had the appeal
of a rattlesnake about to strike.

And Heather kind of liked it.

He put his gun in her hand and gave
her a minute of power. That was more trust in that moment than Lyle showed her
in years. Heather knew a long time ago she didn
’
t
love Lyle. She wasn
’
t even
sure if she ever loved him. It was more or less the love of the life they had
together. That suit and tie, smell good, good looks kind of life. Feeling like
other people were jealous of her. Now she was jealous of everyone else who didn
’
t have to deal drugs and get
smacked around for no reason.

And yet some biker wanted to jump
in the mix and help her?

Why? Because he wanted to fuck her
or something?

Is that such a bad thing? A
strong, sexy man who wants to touch you?

Heather stopped running, leaned
against a wall, and squeezed her eyes shut.

She couldn't be having these
thoughts. No fucking way in hell.

Right on cue, ready to strip her of
more freedom and life, her cell rang. And it was Lyle calling. Heather
considered ignoring the call, but she knew better. Each ignored call would be
paid back to her later. Plus, Lyle would just keep calling and calling and
calling until she answered.

When Heather did answer, it was a
pissed off Lyle. He was in the parking lot of the hospital, and he demanded to see
Heather right now. She tried to say she was working, but her voice cracked in a
little lie (since she was technically not working as she hid in a hallway from
the sexy biker) and Lyle made it clear he
’
d
come into the hospital with his guys and drag her out by the hair.

That was pretty scary to Heather.
She hung up the call and went to the first set of steps she could find. She
took them two at a time, all the way down to the ground floor. Her one solace
in life was her ability to run. It was the one thing she did to get away from
it all. Even though Lyle kept tabs on her while she exercised and had one of
his goonies follow her to make sure she didn
’
t
run and leave for good.

Heather exited the hospital barely
out of breath. Her legs burned a little, her mind and heart a lot. She couldn
’
t help but wonder if her legs
would burn like this if she were with that biker. How he
’
d touch her. Hold her. Pull at her.

Lyle stood outside his car, arms
crossed.

Heather gave a small wave and ran
to him.
“
Hey
…
what
’
s
…”

Lyle grabbed Heather by the arms
and spun her around. He slammed her against the car so hard, she lost her
breath.

“
You
fucking whore,
”
he growled.

Did he see me? With that biker?
I didn
’
t do
anything
…
well, in my mind
…

“
You
dumb bitch,
”
Lyle said.

“
What?
”
Heather managed to find her breath.

“
Peter
was picked up yesterday,
”
Lyle said.
“
Because of you.
”

“
Me?
What did I
…”

Lyle slid a hand up over Heather
’
s mouth. He squeezed tight. She
could barely breathe through her nose.

“
You
fucking gave him the wrong cup of coffee,
”
Lyle said.

Heather shook her head.

“
You
wasted time. Precious fucking time. They were looking for him. They were on to
him. If he got the right cup and it was all perfect, like I had said it would
be, he would have been out of town before anything happened. But he had to
rush. And he got caught. Because of you, you fucking idiot.
”

Lyle moved his hand and Heather let
out a gasp for air.
“
I
’
m sorry! I
’
m so sorry, Lyle.
”

“
That
’
s not good enough,
”
Lyle said.
“
You fucked me.
”

“
I
’
m not a drug dealer,
”
Heather said.
“
That
’
s not what I signed up for.
”

Lyle grabbed Heather again. He
slammed her against the car. She cried out. He pulled her to do it again.

“
I
fucking dare you,
”
a voice
said.

Heather looked and saw the biker
standing behind Lyle, a gun to Lyle
’
s
head.

“
Holy
shit,
”
Heather whispered.

“
Do
it, pussy,
”
the biker said.
“
Hurt her again. I dare
you.
”

“
Who
the fuck is this?
”
Lyle
asked. He let Heather go and slowly turned.

“
Stop
it,
”
Heather said.
“
Put the gun down and leave.
”

“
Listen
to her,
”
Lyle said.
“
You don
’
t know who I am. I don
’
t travel alone.
”

“
Neither
do I,
”
the biker said.
“
Bring them out!
”

Bring them out?

Heather looked left, right, and left
again. She couldn
’
t believe
her eyes. There were two more bikers and they were dragging two of Lyle
’
s men. Their faces bloody, feet
barely able to move.

“
Drop
them,
”
the biker said. He
looked at Lyle.
“
Those are
your men. Take good care of them. Because she
’
s
coming with me. You
’
re not
going to hurt her anymore.
”

“
Who
the fuck are you?
”
Lyle
spit fire.

“
I
’
m Brody. I
’
m Back Down Devil. I
’
m going to kill you if you step
into this town again.
”

Heather was shaking. She didn
’
t know what to do or where to
turn.

Lyle made a move though. He spun,
hand ready to smash into Heather
’
s
face. She braced herself but wasn
’
t
prepared for what happened.

The biker -
Brody
- was
faster than Lyle.

He made a fist and punched Lyle
right in the nose. Heather had never seen someone stand up to Lyle, let alone
actually hit him.

Lyle stumbled back, grabbing at his
face.

Brody put his hand out.
“
Come on, sweetheart. This is
over. You
’
re not going to
get hurt anymore. Not with me.
”

“
You
’
ll fucking pay for this!
”
Lyle screamed.
“
You
’
ll fucking die for this!
”

“
Ignore
him,
”
Brody said.

Heather couldn
’
t believe what was happening
right now. She was following a biker. Before she knew what she was doing, she
was on the back of his motorcycle. He turned his head and yelled to her,
“
Tell me where he lives. We
’
ll go get you some clothes and
shit. You
’
re done with that
asshole, sweetheart. Trust me. You
’
re
not going to end up dead when I
’
m
looking after you.
”

Then stop looking after
me.

But Heather didn
’
t say that. Because it would
have been a complete lie. In fact, she wanted Brody to keep looking after her.
And
more.

eight.

Brody throttled his ride and clenched
his teeth. Behind him the prospects were following. It was dumb luck that Lane
and Jack ended up staying in the hospital to flirt with a few of the girls at
the check-in desk. It was even dumber luck that Brody saw Lyle
’
s asshole guys standing around, smoking,
talking about drugs. It damn near set itself up for Brody to save her.

But drugs? What the fuck
…

Brody had heard enough of the
conversation between Lyle and Heather to know that this beautiful nurse on the
back of his motorcycle wasn
’
t
the most innocent woman in the world. He could deal with that later though.
First, he needed to get her to safety. Then he could pick her apart and figure
out what the hell was going on behind the scenes here in Frelen.

Heather yelled directions into his
ear. Her hands were tight around his waist. Her small hands hung on for dear
life as he made sharp lefts, sharper rights, and sped as fast as he could.

The house was far out on the edge
of Frelen. Actually, Brody couldn
’
t
be sure that the house wasn
’
t
a couple hundred yards outside Frelen. That made Lyle and whatever operation he
was running a little trickier.

Brody stopped his ride and made
Lane and Jack survey the scene. There was nobody waiting for Heather right now.
After shooting out the door, Brody told Heather she had literally two minutes
to pack up some shit. In that two minutes, Heather managed to pack up two large
bags. She couldn
’
t even
lift them off the floor. Brody grabbed them and gave one to each prospect to
strap on their backs.

Again, all of this told Brody that
Heather was living a wild life of hell. She had packed bags fast before. She
had dealt with drugs and guns before. The question was
…
just how innocent - or guilty - was this beautiful
woman?

With Heather on the motorcycle
again, Brody took off. The prospects were right behind him. A few minutes into
their ride, there were cars flying up the road. Brody drew his weapon and
lifted it, making sure the prospects knew to do the same. The cars swerved head
on toward Brody but the second he started shooting, they cut their wheels and
all three cars spun off the side of the road into the dirt, kicking up clouds
of dust.

Brody and the prospects sped
through the clouds and were off and free. Back into Frelen, sights set on the
Back Down Devil clubhouse.

There was no more trouble and once
Brody turned into the compound he felt a small wave of relief come over him. He
helped Heather off her motorcycle and then went to the prospects.

“
Put
the bags in my room,
”
he
said.
“
Then get yourself a
beer, a shot, and a
reliever
. Just one though. You
’
ll have to share. You
’
re fucking prospects and nothing
more.
”
Jack and Lane
nodded. Brody grabbed them each by their blank leather cuts.
“
Thank you though. That showed
balls. That showed loyalty.
”

The prospects walked away and Brody
turned and went to Heather. He touched her arms and smiled.
“
You okay, sweetheart?
”

Without responding, Heather jumped
at him, kissing him. Brody wasn
’
t
expecting the gesture and he wasn
’
t
going to turn it down.

His hands settled at the small of
her back, pulling tight and lifting her up. Their lips were tight together,
Heather breathing wildly. She then started to part her sweet, thin lips, and
that was all Brody could take. He commanded the kiss from there, his tongue
tasting her lips and then moving into her mouth. Heather kissed right back with
the same desperate fury, wanting more.

The kiss lasted only a few more
seconds before Heather pulled back and shook her head.

“
No,
sorry. I
…
sorry.
”

“
It
’
s good. Why don
’
t you come inside?
”

“
Brody,
wait.
”

“
What,
sweetheart?
”

“
Lyle
is a bad man,
”
Heather
said.
“
He
’
s a
…”

“
Drugs?
”

“
Yeah.
You heard?
”

“
I
heard enough.
”

“
He
’
s got people. Contacts. They
’
ll come looking for me.
”

Brody opened his arms and pointed
to all the motorcycles.
“
Let
them come. This is our town, sweetheart. This is Back Down Devil. Come inside
and take a fucking breath.
”

“
What
if
…
I say no?
”

Brody gritted his teeth. He moved
toward Heather, knowing he needed to try and approach with care. The last thing
he wanted to do was scare her. But, fuck, sometimes everyone needed to be
scared. To understand. To realize. To know the fucking truth of life.

Brody touched Heather
’
s face. He stared deep into her
eyes.
“
Don
’
t confuse what I did for you as
anything more than what it is.
”

“
What
is it?
”

“
I
heard what you said. I heard what he said. I wasn
’
t
going to let some asshole hurt a beautiful woman. But you
’
re not so innocent yourself,
Heather. And I
’
m not
offering you a chance to stay here. I
’
m
telling you you
’
re staying
here. You
’
ll be in care and
have my protection. You
’
re
not leaving until I tell you to. Do you fucking understand that?
”

Tears filled Heather
’
s eyes. She nodded.

Brody stepped back and made fists.
He wasn
’
t like Lyle. He
wasn
’
t like his father
either. There was a difference between hurting and protecting, even if on the
surface they seemed similar.

“
I
understand,
”
Heather said.

“
Just
be fucking honest with me,
”
Brody said.
“
That
’
s all I can ask for right now.
”

Heather stepped forward. She
grabbed at Brody
’
s leather
cut and tugged.
“
If you
want honesty, fine. Right now I can
’
t
stop thinking about a hot shower to wash
…
everything away.
”

Holy fucking hell
…

“
I
can make that happen,
”
Brody said.

He led the way to the clubhouse.
Once inside, he kept Heather close. All eyes were upon them. He spotted Lane
and Jack coming back from the room. They looked beat to hell and tired.

“
Lane,
”
Brody said.
“
Take Heather to my room.
”
He put his lips to Heather
’
s ear.
“
I
’
ll
be there in a few.
”

Heather went with Lane, Jack
following.

Brody turned and was met with
Blaine and Gaige.

“
Whoa,
”
Blaine said.
“
I smelled that fresh pussy from
a mile away. When do I get to taste it?
”

“
Fuck
off,
”
Brody said.

“
Care
to tell us what that
’
s
about?
”
Gaige asked.

“
She
’
s a nurse,
”
Brody said.

“
I
’
m hard,
”
Blaine said.
“
Rock
hard. A nurse? Damn. I
’
ve
got this massive growth between my legs
…
if she rubs it
…”

“
He
doesn
’
t stop, does he?
”
Brody asked.

“
Never,
”
Gaige said.
“
Better to ignore him.
”

“…
and after she rubs it for a few minutes, it
’
ll
get harder and thicker
…
but
that
’
s okay
…”

Brody gritted his teeth.
“
She was one of Erik
’
s nurses. She
’
s got herself into some deep
shit. Involved with a guy.
”

“
Boyfriend?
”

“
I
don
’
t know. I don
’
t care. Not like I
’
m going to go and fuck her.
”

But I
’
d like to. Oh, fuck, man,
I want to.

“
Then
I will,
”
Blaine said.
“
Christ. You can
’
t bring that in here and not let
it be taken care of.
”

“
Listen
to me,
”
Brody said.
“
The shit that went down with the
drugs. Chief called Miller about it. I think she knows something about it.
”

“
Fuck,
”
Gaige said.
“
Bring her ass out here right now
then. We
’
ll strap her to a
table and
…”

“
Oh,
don
’
t do that to me,
”
Blaine said.
“
Don
’
t talk about strapping a chick to a table. You know
what that does to my mind? The shit that runs through my head? My whole fucking
day is lost now. All I
’
ll
be thinking about is that little nurse strapped to a pool table. Me holding a
pool stick
…
a ball
…
holy fuck
…”

“
Blaine,
out of here,
”
Gaige said.
“
Go fantasize in a corner.
”

“
He
’
ll probably jerk off,
”
Brody said.

“
Good
thinking,
”
Blaine said.
Blaine winked and gave a thumbs up.

“
Gaige,
give me a break here,
”
Brody said.
“
The guy beats
on her, okay? She
’
s fucking
scared to death.
”

“
What
did you do to him? To her?
”

“
Don
’
t worry about it right now,
”
Brody said.
“
I took care of business. She
’
s protected here and she has
information. I hate to say this, but she knows what
’
ll happen if she doesn
’
t share with us. The point is that her
…
whatever
…
will be snooping around, I
’
m sure. I can get everything from Heather and we
can plan a quick attack.
”

“
Christ,
”
Gaige said.
“
This is the last thing we need
right now. We
’
re trying to
figure out Eight Under, Coast Road
…”

“
I
know,
”
Brody said.
“
I know. And I know Miller is
taking heat from Chief Jerry over this drug thing.
”

“
It
was a coffee cup filled with shit,
”
Gaige said.
“
That
’
s what Miller told me. Nobody
else knows. Don
’
t say I
told you, okay?
”

“
A
coffee cup
…”

“
Yeah.
It wasn
’
t just some asshole
with smack on him. This was a deal. This was movement. This signals something
bigger. Maybe. But Miller wants it squashed.
”

Brody put a hand to Gaige
’
s shoulder.
“
Then let me squash it, brother.
Let me take care of this. I may not sit at the table, Gaige, but fuck, I have a
patch for a reason.
”

“
I
know, bro,
”
Gaige said.
“
Go to it then. I
’
ll talk to Miller when he gets
back. Then we
’
ll have a
meeting.
”

Brody turned and walked away. As he
walked down the hallway, his hands curled up into tight fists. He remembered he
told Heather to take a shower. To clean up. To try and relax. There was no
relaxing in this life. There was simply relief. And if she was in the shower,
Brody knew nothing would stop him from joining her.