I shake my head, unwilling or unable to believe what he’s saying. “That’s just lust.”
He pulls me in and sets his forehead against mine. He takes a deep breath. “That’s love, Addi. I want you in my bed, in my life, I want it all. Fuck, I’ll even give you the fuckin’ white picket fence if that’s what you want.”
I slide my hands up his chest, wanting to believe what he’s saying but scared to. “You love me? That’s crazy talk. You met me two days ago.” I hate it, but my voice is laced with doubt.
“Yes,” he grunts. He opens his mouth to say something else, but the bell inside the school rings, alerting me that first period is about to start. I have sixteen kindergartners in my class, and I can’t leave them unattended.
“I have to go,” I tell him.
“Addi,” he starts.
I pull from his arms. “I can’t do this right now, James.”
He looks almost desperate. “Come and see me after school.”
“I have bus duty,” I tell him, as if that’s an excuse.
“I don’t care. We need to talk.”
I nod my head. He’s right. I know he’s right.
“I know you’re thinking this is a joke or it’s too fast or whatever. It’s not, baby. One way or another, you’re mine. I’m not letting you go, not without a fight.”
I want to believe him, but there’s something holding me back. “I’ll be there around four-thirty or five.”
He pulls me in and kisses me on the forehead, “I’ll be waiting for you.”
I turn then and walk toward the school building. I don’t even turn around because I know he’s just sitting there watching me, and one look would be all it would take for me to toss any self-preservation out the window and run back to his arms.
Ice
The whole day I’ve been a mess. My painting skills are shit, heck I’m struggling even taping off the parts to prepare to paint. I spend most of the day pacing back and forth in my paint booth, wondering if Addison is going to show up this evening like she said she would.
It doesn’t matter. Even if she doesn’t, I’m going to her, but fuck, it would be so much better if she trusted me just a little and came to me. But I’ll track her ass down if I need to. I know she wants a future with me. No two people can make love like we did and not know there’s a future for them. Somehow, I just have to convince her.
Four-thirty comes, and I’m sitting on the front stoop of the shop. Ranger and Gage have already given me shit, saying I’m pussy whipped and everything else, but I don’t care. Nothing matters now except for Addi.
At five o’clock, I’m a ball of nerves and watch as each car drives by the shop. At five-ten, I’m texting and calling her with no answer. I call Patriot, who’s supposed to be watching her, and he doesn’t answer either. It’s then I know there’s something up. Patriot never doesn’t answer. Ever.
I put a text out to my brothers in the MC to keep an eye out for Addi, and already they’re searching for her. The town of Valor is small, and I have no doubt my brothers will come through for me. The only question is how long can I sit here and wait doing nothing?
7
Addison
The whole day I went back and forth on everything Ice – I mean James—said to me this morning. But finally when it all came down to it, I knew that I had to give us a chance. I’m scared, and I wasn’t lying when I said he could annihilate me. There’s no doubt he could. I just have to trust that he won’t. It’s fast, it’s scary... but gosh I want it. I was able to swap bus duty with Janice, and she was more than willing and happy to do it when she found out I was meeting James.
So I left school earlier than expected and went home and showered, curled my hair, put on makeup and my prettiest dress. I figure if I’m going to tell James I love him, I should look my best when doing so. All I can hope is he didn’t change his mind after he left this morning. My luck, he’s already decided that I’m more trouble than I’m worth.
I’m driving the speed limit on the backroad that leads into town when I’m hit from behind, and my car lurches on impact. I look in the rearview mirror and it’s a big white van, but instantly I recognize Officers Johns and Green. I grip on to the steering wheel when I see them accelerate, knowing they’re going to hit me again. I’m reaching for my phone in my purse in the front floorboard when they hit me again and I veer off the road and barely stop in time before going off the big embankment. My head has hit the steering wheel, but somehow my air bags didn’t deploy. Dazed and a little confused, I raise my head just in time to see both officers with bats, swinging them at my car. They don’t stop until they’ve smashed in every window. All I can do is scream and cover my face as glass flies all around me.