“Bunker?” Jane repeated. “What the hell is going on? You guys can’t be serious. I’m not getting involved in whatever you’ve gotten yourselves into.”
“I’m sorry, Jane, but you don’t have a choice in the matter,” I said, as we continued to run, this time towards our Harleys. “If we were to leave you behind, there is no telling what they would do to you.”
“I knew it was a bad idea getting involved…” she whispered.
“We’ll explain, just as soon as we know that we’re safe,” I added, in hopes that it would extend her trust.
Once we reached our motorcycles, I eased her into place and gave her my helmet. Gently, I tightened the strap but I was careful not to do it up too tightly and risk pinching her skin.
Her eyes spoke of fear and uncertainty, and while we didn’t have much time on our hands, I took a moment to cup her cheeks against my palms. “I know that this might seem frightening to you right now but I need you to trust us and to know that we will do whatever it takes to protect you and keep you safe. That is a promise from me to you.” I dropped my hands in order to squeeze hers. “So, do you trust us?”
She looked up at me. “I do.”
I smiled and kissed her knuckles. “Then it’s time for us to ride.”
Roman looked on impatiently, from his bike but he didn’t say a word.
I started the engine and felt its powerful motor come to life. “Hold on tight,” I warned, just a second before we peeled down the street and towards the nearest highway. “And never let me go.”
Chapter 11: Jane
This is insane. This is fucking insane, I kept telling myself over and over. When I had imagined myself on the back of Landon’s bike, I never expected anything quite like this.
I was holding on with all the strength I could muster because I knew that letting go would mean certain death.
But, at the same time, mixed in with all that fear was exhilaration. There was Landon’s body pressed so close to mine, I could feel his every inch and the hardness of his muscles.
And of course, we were riding so damned fast. I didn’t dare look at the odometer but it was obvious we were breaking the speed limit. It seemed natural to Landon, like he did this sort of thing all the time.
That’s when I realized that Landon and Roman didn’t just look like bad boys — they were bad boys, by every definition of those words.
All my life, I had promised myself that I would never fall for a bad boy because they were bound to bring me nothing but trouble and, yet, here I was.
We eased onto the highway and that’s when things got really crazy. The wind factor was something I hadn’t considered. It threatened to blow me away, so I tightened my hold on Landon and pressed my cheek against his back, so that he could shield me from the impossible gale.
“How are you doing back there?” he shouted, but even so it was pretty difficult to hear him.
“I’m fine.”
I saw him look in the rearview mirror and curse under his breath.
“What?”
“We’ve got company.” He accelerated and the motorcycle flew forward, even faster than before. We were weaving through traffic and I was sure we’d be pulled over.
What if I end up going to jail for all of this? I thought. They would probably label me an accomplice or something and then I’d end up behind bars, just for thinking that a couple of guys were pretty cute.
This thought haunted me but not once did I consider that the police might think of me as a victim. I would never criminalize them in that way. Perhaps I didn’t understand the circumstances but I was sure that they had a good reason for what they were doing. After all, Landon had saved me, not once, but twice now. I owed him my life. The least I could do was listen to his explanation.
For now, all I could do was pray that we would reach a point of safety sooner rather than later.
Holding my breath, I looked over my shoulder and saw that the men from the night club were gaining on us. To my surprise, none of them carried a gun. If this was somehow gang-related, then wouldn’t bullets be flying right now?
“Uh… Landon?”
“On it,” he said and following Roman’s lead, we spun into the median and started down the opposite side of the highway. This threw our assailants for a loop but not for very long. Through the rearview mirror, I saw them turn around as well.
Beep!