My limbs are heavy, my muscles ache, but sleep doesn’t even come close to claiming me. My head’s too busy spinning with a million and one things.
When my cell pings, I move faster than I would have thought possible as hope bubbles up inside me that today might be the day she replies.
My heart quickly sinks once again when I just find Ryder’s nickname staring back at me.
Swiping across the screen, I wait for his message to pop up, and the second it does, I shift to the edge of the couch.
Jack Off: Kat is walking home alone from the compound. She could probably use a ride. *winky emoji*
My heart jumps into my throat at the thought of getting the chance to talk to her. She’s totally cut me off over the past few weeks, and damn it, I miss her.
In only seconds, I’ve got my car keys in my hand and I’m rushing out the front door.
It’s late, too fucking late for her to be walking home alone.
Part of me wants to go and beat the shit out of Ryder for letting her leave, but the other part is grateful as fuck that I might just have a good enough reason for her not to be able to ignore me.
My truck rumbles to life and in only a few seconds I’m heading in the direction of the compound.
It doesn’t seem all that long ago that I truly believed the Red Ridge Reapers, as they were back then, were going to be my future. For as long as I can remember, Diesel, Ryder, and I dreamed of futures as part of the club. Spent our days together, working on engines, riding around, and ruling the town.
They got that dream. I guess, looking back, it was always more their thing than it was mine. I didn’t have any other dreams or ideas for my future so I just tagged on to theirs. It seemed like a solid plan. I remember watching the members of the club having the time of their lives. Drinking, partying, getting all the women.
What could three young guys want other than that?
Well, I soon found out the answer to that when I fucked up and lost one of the closest friends I had.
I’ve apologized for what went down time after time, but always one to hold a grudge, D has never got over the fact I betrayed him. Even if the girl it all centered around turned out to be a lying, conniving, piece of work.
A heavy sigh falls from my lips as I pass by the compound, my eyes locked on the sidewalk as my speed slows. It’s dark out, and even with the streetlights, it would be too easy to miss her.
Irritated with my snail’s pace, at least three cars overtake me as I continue to search, refusing to allow myself to panic when I don’t find her as quickly as I was hoping to.
“Fuck off, asshole,” I grunt when an impatient car behind blasts his horn at me.
But the noise causes someone farther up on the sidewalk to turn around, something on them reflects in my headlights and I put my foot down, needing to see if it’s her.
“Gotcha,” I mutter, turning the wheel abruptly and bumping onto the sidewalk.
Kat jumps back in fright, and I suspect she’s just about to run from the creep she probably thinks is about to abduct her when our eyes meet.
I want to say that I see relief on her face, but that’s far from the truth.
Pushing the door open, I jump out. More than ready to chase her and throw her in the truck myself if that’s the way she decides to play this game.
“What are you doing, Styx?”
“Get in the car, Kitty Kat,” I growl.
She throws her arms up in the air in frustration. “I’m not in the mood for this,” she complains, taking a step back.
“And I’m not really in the mood to let you be picked up by some fucking scumbag who thinks he can have a good time with you.”
She stares at me, her eyes dropping down my body, assessing me. “As opposed to you, who wants to do what? Lie to me again? I think I’ll take my chances. Thanks for the offer though.”
This time when she moves, she actually looks like she intends on following through with that threat.
“I’m not going to let you walk away from me,” I warn, closing in on her.