“Wait ... Are you saying I can actually leave?”
“That’ll depend on you.” I made my way over to her and leaned back against the desk. “I gotta know that you aren’t going to do anything stupid.”
“Like what?”
“Like run to the cops.” My tone grew serious as I explained, “No one can know anything about what’s gone down here. No one. Danny’s life and yours will depend on your keeping your mouth shut.”
“Okay.”
“I’m not fucking around, Delilah. You even think about going to the cops or—”
“I won’t say anything. I swear.” She stood up to face me as she said, “I’d never do anything to jeopardize Danny’s life. My lips are sealed.”
“I’m going to hold you to that, and just in case you get any wild ideas, I’ll be keeping an eye on you.” Her eyes never left mine as I told her, “I’ll be monitoring your every move, and—”
“You’re going to be stalking me?”
“Call it whatever you want, but I’m not taking any chances. I’m putting a lot on the line by letting you walk out of here.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Her brows furrowed. “Are you saying that you’re the reason why I’m getting to leave?”
“That’s not important. Just remember what I said. Play this thing smart, and you’ll have your life back. One fuck up, and there’ll be consequences.”
“I won’t fuck up.”
“Good.” As I started towards the door, I told her, “Grab your stuff. It’s time to go.”
“Wait ... What about Danny? What’s going to happen to him?”
“That’s not my call.”
“How am I supposed to leave here without him?”
“You don’t have a choice, Delilah.” I got it. She was in a tough spot and I couldn’t blame her for being torn, but she had no idea how lucky she was to be given the chance to walk out of here alive. I could’ve taken the time to explain it to her, but I doubted that it would ease the guilt she was feeling. “You need to remember that Danny got himself into this mess. It’ll be up to him to get himself out of it.”
Despair crossed her face as she whispered, “But he’s my brother, Hawk.”
“I get that, I really do, but if Danny’s any kind of caring brother at all, he’d want you to get out of here. You gotta know that.”
“I know, but—”
“Delilah, get your stuff.”
I waited as she quickly grabbed what few belongings she had, then led her down the hall. I expected her to be thrilled about finally getting back to her own life, but she looked even more terrified now than she had when she first arrived, especially when she noticed that we weren’t going out to the parking lot. “Where are we going?”
“Viper wants a word with you before you go.”
“What?”
When we got to his door, I knocked, then eased it open. “He’s waiting inside for you.”
“You aren’t going in with me?”
“He wanted to talk to you, not me.”
“Why do I get the feeling that this isn’t going to be a conversation I want to have?”
“He’s waiting, Delilah.”
She let out a deep breath, then stepped inside his office. I closed the door and waited in the hall for what seemed like an eternity. I had no idea what he was saying to her, but when she came out ten minutes later, I could tell by the horrified expression on her face that he’d made quite an impression on her. I didn’t ask her about it. Instead, I led her towards the back door. As we got to the parking lot and walked past a couple of the guys, she wouldn’t even look in their direction. Pretending to ignore them, she silently followed me over to my Harley. When I handed her a helmet, she looked at me like I’d lost my mind. “Wait ... What’s this?”
“That is a helmet”—I motioned my hand towards my bike—“and this is a 2019 Road King Classic.”
“You don’t have a car or something?”
“Nope.”
“What about that truck they brought me—”
“Not mine.” I threw my leg over the seat and slipped on my helmet. “Unless you wanna stay here, get on.”
“But I’ve ... um … never ridden a motorcycle before.”
“Nothing to it.” I took her things out of her hands and placed them in the saddlebags. “You’ll see.”
When she overheard the guys snickering behind her, she rolled her eyes and put on the helmet. Looking less than pleased, she eased her leg over the seat and settled in behind me. “Okay ... Now what?”
“Just hold on and follow my lead.”
Once she’d placed her hands on my hips, I started up the engine and pulled out of the parking lot. The second I pulled onto the main road, Delilah leaned in closer, tightening her grip around my waist, and damn, it felt incredible. That’s when it hit me. I’d never had a woman on the back of my bike—at least not one who I’d found remotely memorable. Not a woman like Delilah. I didn’t expect to like it as much as I did. I wanted to savor the moment. It was one of the reasons why I chose to take the long way back to Danny’s place. When we finally got to his apartment complex, I pulled up next to Delilah’s car and parked. As soon as she got off my bike, she asked, “How did you know to come here?”