CHAPTER TWO
Luke
Addie is exactly the type of woman I should stay away from. It’s clear she belongs to an entirely different world than me and her family would most likely have me arrested if they ever knew I even talked to their little girl. Not that I blamed them. I would only hurt a girl like her.
But she was adorable. She was everything I wanted. And I would have to resist the temptation to try to seduce her. The sooner she was away from me, the better.
But I couldn’t just leave her on the open road like that. The Demon biker gang frequently traveled on that road. They would snatch a pretty little thing like her in an instant.
I took her to the nearest gas station and she hopped off the bike onto unsteady legs. She stumbled forward and I reached out to catch her. “Careful,” I said as she crashed against my chest.
Addie took a step back and took off the motorcycle helmet. Her cheeks were flushed, but I couldn’t tell if it was from exhilaration or embarrassment. “I’m sorry,” she said. “My legs feel like jelly.”
I smirked. “First time on a bike, huh?”
She nodded. “I’m not allowed to do anything this reckless usually.” Her eyes widened. “Not that there’s anything wrong with motorcycles! It’s a great form of transportation and practical in a lot of ways.”
I fought back a smile. She was so cute. “It’s all right,” I said. “You’re right. Motorbikes are dangerous.” I liked a little danger and the feeling of freedom on the bike. But it wasn’t for everyone. More reason to leave her as soon as I knew she was safe. “Let’s go inside so you can call a friend. I’ll stay with you until you get picked up.”
She bit her lip and nodded. “Okay. Let me buy you some food or something to drink or something. It’s the least I can do after you’ve been so nice to me.”
I smiled. “Trust me, it’s not necessary.”
At first glance, I thought she was going to be stuck-up and arrogant. I was a little ashamed I thought that now. It was clear she was a nice person. She was just from a different world.
I walked her inside and she went to the cashier, explaining the situation. I perused a small stand of paperback books. I had a weakness for trashy spy novels and murder mysteries and was always on the lookout for new ones.
I only tuned back into the conversation when the cashier started to speak. “I’m afraid I can’t let you use the phone because of company policy,” he said. “But I’ll be happy to call someone for you if you give me their name and number.”
I turned to look at the man. He was young, probably around Addie’s age, and even though his expression was friendly, something was off about him. Why weren’t customers allowed to use the phones? I had never heard of a policy like that.
“Oh, that’s okay,” Addie said, disappointed. “I guess you can call my brother.” She gave him the number and I went over and stood next to her.
She looked up and flashed me a quick smile as the cashier started to talk to someone on the phone.
“She’s here,” the cashier was saying. “Yeah, she came in with a guy.” He looked me over. “No, I don’t think so.”
I glanced down and noticed I wasn’t wearing any insignia tying me to the Hell’s Renegades motorcycle club for once. Had he been checking for that?
The cashier hung up a second later. “Good news, Addie. Your brother will be here soon.” He smiled down at her.
She took a step back. “I… I didn’t tell you my name.”
“No, but your brother did. You are Addie, right?” His smile was a little more strained.
I slowly shifted so I was in front of her. “I don’t remember you introducing yourself on the phone or explaining the situation either.”
“Hey man, I called her brother and he’s going to pick her up. That’s all. In fact, you don’t have to wait around here. You can leave if you want.” He reached up to run his fingers through his hair and the sleeve of his uniform rolled up to reveal part of a tattoo.
I grabbed his arm, ignoring his cry of outrage, and pulled his sleeve down, revealing his tattoo. It was the Demon biker gang insignia.
I shoved him back. “We’re leaving,” I said, grabbing Addie’s hand. “Now.”
The cashier pulled a gun, glaring at me. “Not so fast,” he said. “You can leave if you want. I don’t have any problem with you. But you’re not leaving with her.”
Addie drew in a sharp breath and I pushed her completely behind me. “Listen, kid, normally I would beat you within an inch of your life, but I’m not in a violent mood today.” More like I didn’t want Addie to see that type of violence. “So I’ll give you one chance to put down your gun and walk out of here right now.”
He sneered. “You think I’m stupid? I will fucking kill you right now if you don’t leave.”
I took a deep breath and held my hands up as if surrendering. “Fine. I’ll–” I stopped suddenly and grabbed the gun. The cashier was taken by surprise and let go. I pointed the gun at him. “Easy,” I said. “We’re leaving now. There’s no need for violence.”
Everything was silent except for the sounds of muffled whimpering coming from Addie. I could tell she was trying to hold it in, but she wasn’t quite successful. I couldn’t blame her. She wasn’t used to this sort of thing.
I kept the gun on him until we were out the door. Then I grabbed Addie’s hand and we ran back to my bike.