Dark Temptation (Dark Saints MC Book 2)(51)

I mulled it over for half a second or less. When I felt, Ryder pull up on the throttle. I looked to see why up ahead. And then I looked behind. There were two bikes on our path and one behind us.

Fuck.

The Devil’s Hawks had caught up to me. Shit. The two bikes were stopped and blocking our progress. Ryder had no choice but to stop. He enabled the kickstand of his bike. He looked at me and said in a low cold voice, “Stay right here. These are some bad dudes.”

“But...” he didn’t give me a chance to explain.

“I’m badder.” And he flashed that smile at me. Shit. He had no idea what he’d done by picking me up.

Daddy had sent Boone and Headlock. They were mean, tough, and stupidly loyal. If Daddy said jump, they did. Behind us was a guy I didn’t recognize. I didn’t focus on him. I needed to warn Ryder. Ryder didn’t know what they were capable of. I did.

I knew Boone and Headlock were deadly.

Ryder spoke up first.

“You’re gonna want to move out of the way.” His smile was still there, but his eyes had changed. The sexy flirt was gone and instead Ryder was something else. There was ice in his eyes now.

“You go from Devil’s Hawks to this piece of shit Great Wolf?” Boone was looking in my eyes and ignored Ryder’s request.

“This isn’t your business Boone,” I said, and Ryder looked at me.

“You know these meatheads?” Ryder asked me and I caught the surprise in his expression.

“Oh, we know you don’t we Jules? Not as much as we’d like. Kept that pussy locked up tight but not after we get you back to the church, right?” Boone said.

“Don’t be such a pig, Boone.” The other Hawk was rustling behind us. God. Did they plan to shoot Ryder? Force me to go with them? I struggled with the question of just how far Daddy’s guys would go to bring me back.

“Maybe we take a little side trip on the way back to the church.” Headlock apparently took Boone’s disgusting lead.

“I’m sure I don’t know what you’re talking about, but this lady doesn’t have to go anywhere with you.” Ryder put a hand behind him and around me. Jesus I was going to get this man killed five minutes after meeting him.

I decided to end it right then. I wasn’t going to risk it. This was my problem and running away had failed. I’d come up with something else.

“Ryder thank you, but I can’t let you get in any trouble because of my situation. I shouldn’t have dragged anyone else into this.”

I walked out away from Ryder and toward Boone and Headlock. I looked at the other Hawk, who was now next to Ryder. We were really penned in. I looked at the smallest of the three Hawk’s patch. Dirt. His name was Dirt? Ugh.

“I’ll ride back with Dirt.” I figured that was one way to keep my distance from Boone and Headlock. They looked like the worst of the three evils.

Ryder stayed on guard. The situation was about as tense as it could get but once I got on Dirt’s bike, I’d be okay. Well, Ryder would anyway. I’d be screwed again.

Almost paralyzing disappointment washed over me. I had a moment when I was running when I had hitched a ride when I thought it was going to work. I was going to escape before they knew I was gone. I hoped for that moment that I had pulled it off. But as soon as these three showed up, I knew I was going to have to give myself up. I wasn’t going to drag this handsome and kind stranger into my drama. I felt guilty that he was even here.

“Listen, Jules you really don’t have to go with these three,” Ryder said, and I kept getting farther from him and closer to Dirt.

“Thanks, really, please, this isn’t your problem. You don’t want to get involved in this mess.” I said, and Ryder looked skeptical, and I’d almost say hurt. Of course, I’d only known him for a few minutes. I was clearly projecting.

“I don’t mind a mess.” He said, but I turned away. He had no idea. And it turned out neither did I.

Dirt smiled at me. He was one of Daddy’s yes men. A soldier. He was one of the dozens. But Dirt was better than Boone or Headlock. They’d already said what they thought ought to happen to me.

As I got closer, Dirt reached into a bag that he’d stashed behind him. Before I had time to even process what I saw, he pulled out a finger. Not his finger. An actual severed finger!

I felt revulsion so strong that it nearly knocked me over.

“Dirt? What did you do? What is that?” I screamed.

“Oh, it’s Ross’s. That’s what you get when you fail the Devil’s Hawks.” Dirt took a step toward me with his horrific and bloody prize. This was my fault. I had caused this. I had slipped out of Ross’s fingers, and now Daddy had shown me in the most violent way what that meant. Ross had suffered because of me.

But I couldn’t go with Dirt, Boone, or Headlock. They were monsters in my eyes, barbarians. The finger was still bloody, still recognizable. Oh God, poor Ross. I just wanted to run away. Run into the woods. I forgot about Ryder, Boone, Headlock, only Dirt, who stood in front of me we the evidence of my Daddy’s brutality, was in my mind. Daddy’s brutal visual aid was like jet fuel.

Dirt took another step forward, and I bolted. I didn’t have a plan or a strategy, just get away. Get away fast.

Dirt was clumsy. When he grabbed for me I had already started running. I had a ton of wedding dress slowing me down, but I didn’t care. I leaped over the ditch and into the field next to the road.