“Nothing you need to know right now. Just watch your six brother and get home fast. Shit is going down.”
I tensed. “Is Kitty and Hailey safe?”
“I won’t let anything happen to my sister or niece. I give you my word.”
“You’re acting weird. What happened?”
“Can’t tell ya, not yet. Talk to Reaper.”
“Well, he isn’t here yet, so fill me in.”
“Just talk to Reaper when he gets there. Look, I gotta go get some relief. My dick is throbbing. Unless you wanna talk purdy to me?” Savage chuckled.
I hung up. Fucking nasty bastard. How he was related to Kitty, I would never know. The man was a fucking Neanderthal. Scrolling through my contact list, I found Kitty’s name and was about to hit send when I heard the thunder of bikes pull into the parking lot. Sighing, I pocketed my phone. Getting to my feet, I grabbed my cut and put it on. When I opened the door, I was face to face with the one man who had every reason to kill me dead.
Reaper.
Fifteen
Aariaani
We were back on the road again. Had been for two days now. I loved being on the back of Balthazar’s bike as we rode down the interstate. At first, I thought it was just a simple road, but no. Apparently, there are different kinds of roads. There are backcountry roads, street roads, state roads, county roads, and interstate roads, which we’re currently on. I couldn’t believe how many different types there were. Though I was also told, almost all of them are paved, minus a few backcountry roads. I wanted to ask him to explain, but it was a long ride, and he had already closed his eyes.
While he slept, I found myself emersed, captivated even by the televisions in our motel rooms. There were so many things in the world that I didn’t even know about, likeFacebook. That took some explaining on Balthazar’s part, but I think I got the hang of it. He told me when we got to Tennessee that he would get me a smartphone. I was going to ask him how that was different from a regular phone but decided against it when he yawned. He said I would need a smartphone to mess around on Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat, Instagram, all those things’ women like me had to have. Though I wasn’t so sure what he meant by women like me? Was I that different from other women? If so, how?
I liked watching television.
It was a great source of information, though I wasn’t sure about the news channels.
They were a bit scary, so I stayed away from them.
I found a couple Christian channels and watched those briefly but turned them off when I couldn’t listen anymore as they brought back too many bad memories.
I found cooking shows, home improvement shows, shows where people talked, shows where people exercised, and all kinds of cartoon shows, shows that were funny, sad, and a bit over the top.
However, my favorite thing I found so far to watch was a show calledAmerica’s Next Top Model. Wow, those women were so pretty, and I loved watching them prance around in cute clothes, getting their hair and make-up done. It was fascinating. Those women were smart and knew what they wanted. Though some of the language they used was crass and unneeded, I didn’t understand why they fought so much, but I quickly caught on after a few episodes.
I watched so many amazing things while Baltazar slept that I hated turning off the television, but even I could only take so much. When the lights were out at night, and the silence surrounded me, my mind raced with all the new things I saw and learned. There was still much more out there, and I couldn’t wait to know everything.
The sun was slowly rising as I rolled over to find Baltazar missing from the bed. Hearing the shower running, I sighed, flopping back against the pillows. He hadn’t touched me since that night in the cabin, and I didn’t know why. Did he not like it? Did I do something wrong? Was I not pleasing to him? I had so many questions and no answers.
He was so careful, caring, and tender with me. I’d never felt anything like it before. I will admit that I was scared and a bit unsure, but my body hummed with excitement after the fact. I wanted more and didn’t know how to ask for it. Did women ask for sex? If so, how? I wasn’t taught that part. I was raised that it was the man’s job to initiate relations, never the woman. A forceful woman was considered a Jezebel, a sinner, a whore. It was a man’s job to take control of the woman and house. His word was law, and as a female, I was taught to obey. Though, I was quickly learning that was not how modern women behaved. I wondered why that was? Did they not like the man they were with?
The bathroom door opened, and out walked Balthazar drying his hair with a towel. I noticed that he already had his jeans on and sighed. He smiled when he saw me. “Good, you’re awake. We need to get on the road as soon as possible.”
Nodding, I climbed out of bed and quickly got dressed. He seemed anxious to leave, and I wanted to know why. It was like he couldn’t stand being alone in a room with me anymore. Matrix got the tracker out of my hand. So, why the rush? Was there something he wasn’t telling me? Regardless, I found myself back on the bike as we roared down the highway.
The country was beautiful, something I thought I’d never get to see. The magnificent beauty of God’s creation was astounding. Such color and vibrancy, and I thought Oregon was beautiful with its tall trees and water views. Nope, every state we went through, I noticed something better, something more, something unique to that state alone, but as we traveled into Tennessee, for me, it was the Smokey Mountains. I thought nothing would compare to the Rocky’s, but the Appalachian Mountains were just stunning, from their patchwork-covered trees to the mist that roamed the ground. But what really warmed my heart to the place was the people. They were kind, generous, and simply happy with what God gave them. They didn’t put on airs or try to impress. They just were.
The further into the Smokey Mountains we went, I noticed the slower the bike moved, then almost slowing to a stop as Balthazar turned down a dirt road and carefully maneuvered the bike up the steep incline. Once he breached the top, I gasped. There before me were three log cabins, with the largest in the middle. Over the porch on the main cabin were the words, Golden Skulls Tennessee Chapter. Slowing the bike to a stop. Balthazar cut the engine and got off his bike.
“Stay put, baby.” I nodded as he walked into the main cabin, leaving me alone on his bike. I looked around the area taking everything in. There were several metal buildings, a few small sheds, and lots of bikes. Many bikes. Men moved about the site, staring at me, and I wasn’t sure why, but the longer Balthazar took, the more men gathered until I counted over twenty. All were staring at me as if I were lunch. A couple of the men licked their lips, while a few others grabbed and rubbed their crotches. While some just blatantly flirted by making kissing noises, while one, in particular, did something with his tongue and two fingers.
I wanted Baltazar to come back. I didn’t like it here. I wanted to leave. I was just about to get off the bike and go search for him when a woman walked out of the cabin, smiling at me.
She must have seen my face because instantly she turned to the men and shouted, “What the fuck are you assholes doing! Is this how you welcome a guest? An ol’Lady? Wait till I tell Moonshine what kind of fucking animals you are!”
“Awe, come on, Roxy. We didn’t mean any harm.”