Maybe I should have pulled on pants before we left the house. I’m still in my PJ shorts, I have a jacket on, and my boots, but my legs are bare. I’m not out to impress anyone, so why should I care?
“I guess I missed this place more than I realized. I missed my friends, my house, the park...”
“The park?” She laughs with a turn of her head.
Yeah, it’s funny to her. The park was never much to look at, but I enjoyed playing there with my friends – Jett and Tank – until the very last minute. Until we were almost late home each time.
We never were though. We always made it home with seconds to spare. That’s how fast Jett and Tank rode their bicycles with me on the back of either one.
We had some great times when we were kids, my best friends through and through, always there for me, and I’ll always love them both.
“Yes, the park. I had fun in that park with Tate and Haiden.”
“Jett and Tank,” She sniggers. “Don’t go forgetting that they’re big, bad bikers now.”
I roll my eyes playfully. “Like I could forget.”
“Now, what are two pretty little things like you doing out here and all alone?”
Ruth pulls me closer to her side. The man in front of us, the tall, scrawny, apparent drug addict is looking us up and down. I know what he’s going to do, he’s going to try and rob us. He won’t get anything from us. I didn’t even bring my phone out with me, stupidly.
Why the hell didn’t I bring my phone with me?
“We’re just taking a walk. We’ll be on our way now.” I pull Ruth to the right, trying to step around him, but he blocks the way. I step to the left, but he follows.
I sigh to myself. This isn’t going to end well.
“Hand over the money, and I won’t hurt you.”
“We don’t have any money!”
“It’s okay, Ruth.” I yank her behind me, yelling in fear won’t change the outcome of this. Using our heads will. “We have nothing worth stealing. We just came out for a walk.”
He pulls a knife from the inside of his jacket and waves it in front of my face. Great, just what I need. I swallow hard. “Then you’ll take me to your place and give me what I want, or I’ll cut you bitches up!”
“We won’t do that. We’re not showing you where we live. We have nothing to give you, so put the knife down before the police arrive.”
“The police ain’t comin’, bitch. Ain’t no one around to call ‘em.” He steps closer. I step back taking Ruth with me.
“Ruth,” I whisper toward her without taking my eyes off the guy. He’s filthy, twitching, jumpy, eyes red and itchy. He needs a hit. “Run. Run as fast as you can back to the apartment. Get my phone and call Shepard.”
“No, I can’t leave you.” She’s frightened, so am I, but I’m not the kind of girl who will roll over and cry. Hell, fucking no!
“Go!” I scream, she pulls away and runs. Good. “I don’t know what you think will happen if you use that knife on me, but I promise you it won’t end well for you.”
“Oh, yeah?” He laughs. He’s right in front of me. I can smell the musky scent of sweat on his filthy clothes. He leans into me. I’m trying everything not to breathe in. I might puke if I do. Ruth should have gotten back to Denise’s by now. Especially running, it isn’t that far away. I just hope she’s managed to call Shepard. Not that I think for one-second he’ll make it here in time to stop this idiot doing something to me, but I won’t let him beat me, I’ll fight as hard as I can to stop him. “Ain’t nobody around to save you, little girl.” He sniffs loudly, dragging in my scent. I close my eyes and fold my arms around my body to protect myself.
All a girl can do against a druggie trying to rob them is stand their ground. He may well cut me with that knife of his, but I won’t go down without a fight. You can believe that.
“Back off! I’m warning you...” Is all I get out of my mouth before he’s ripped away from me. I mean literally ripped away from me, his head connecting with the wall beside us, a sickening crunching sound following.
My heart is racing. I have so much adrenaline rushing through my body that my toes are tingling, the backs of my thighs are tight with it.
“Fuckin’ cunt!” I clasp my hands over my mouth. Kicks, punches, head slamming against brick again and again. I have never seen anything like this in my life. Never. I don’t even understand where he came from; I didn’t hear his bike, but that could have been the fear pounding in my ear that deafened me to it.
He repeatedly kicks the guy in the ribs, he’s no longer moving, but Stryker isn’t stopping. Why isn’t he stopping? He’s going to kill the guy!
“Stryker, stop!” I yell, but I can’t move, I’m frozen to the spot.
The sound of bike engines has me turning my head. Ruth called them, thank God. I don’t know how they got here so fast, and I don’t really care, I’m just glad they’re here.
Shepard, BlackJack, and Roman dismount their bikes. Roman and Jack rush toward Stryker. I rush Shepard before he can move. He wraps his arms around me and kisses my head. “It’s okay, Sunflower; I’m here.”
“You have to stop Stryker. He’s going to kill that guy!”
“Good,” I narrow my eyes. He takes my arms and stands me aside. “He’s doing exactly what I told him to do.”
What the hell? I don’t understand!
How could he have told Stryker anything?
Ruth had time to call Shepard, but he couldn’t have got here this quickly unless he wasn’t far away, to begin with, but Stryker? I don’t fucking understand!
Chapter Seven
Stryker
I pounded that cunt into the damn concrete! If Roman hadn’t pulled me away, there’d be nothing left of him. Not that he’s still breathing cunt is long since dead.
When Shepard took a call from Coral’s phone from her frightened friend, telling him in the most panicked voice that Coral was in trouble, he had me, Roman, and BlackJack all follow him. We were just around the corner at a bar, already on our bikes about to make our way back to the clubhouse. I took the fuck off and arrived minutes before them. I had to get to Coral, nothing else mattered to me right then.
Cunt was so close to Coral. I honestly thought he’d hurt her. My heart was in my damn throat. Ain’t no way I’d stand by and watch a man hurt any woman, remember it enough from when I was a kid to know the damage it does. However, this is Coral, the woman who should be mine. There is no one alive who’d be that way long should they hurt her.
Don’t fuckin’ ask me why I feel that way about her; I can’t explain it. Trust me I’ve tried to explain it to myself a million times, ain’t no answer I can come up with other than she’s forcing her way into my heart. This is dangerous.
Back to the asshole. I grabbed him and beat the hell out of him, or the life depending on how you look at it. There ain’t nobody alive gonna hurt my girl and live.
My girl?
Where the fuck did that come from? I don't even know her, I’ve spent the past month avoiding her. Not that it’s been easy, it hasn’t. I can't get her out of my head, no matter what I do.
There’s something about her that captivates me. I look at her sometimes, and all I see is my girl. She should be mine. I honestly don’t know why, but I know she has to be.
I don’t know yet how the hell I’m going to do this, how I can possibly make Shepard understand why I want this. I know I shouldn’t want this, she's forbidden fruit. Ain’t that just sod’s law? Wanting what you can’t have always tasted so much better. I bet she tastes so fucking sweet I’ll never get enough.
No matter what I have to do, I’ll make her mine. I’ve never wanted anything as much as I want Coral. I know the second I walk into a room if she's there. The air becomes too warm. I can smell her perfume before I even see her. The second I do see her, my heart pounds wildly in my chest. She smiles at me each time, such a sweet smile that tells me she wants nothing more than for me to just talk to her, and what do I do? I
ignore her like she's got the damn bubonic plague.
I thought I could push past this. I thought I could ignore her and what I’m feeling for her. I was doing well until I saw the junkie about to attack my girl tonight.
I can’t go on like this. I don’t know what Coral has done to me, but I need her. I’ve never needed anyone in my life before. She walks in, and I’m fucked!