Hard Roads Read online

  “Listen, I’m sorry. You can’t blame me for trying, can you?” My chest heaved as I struggled to breath and my words came out on choppy bursts. I wondered if he could even understand me.

  He stopped what he was doing and wrapped his hands down over my hips. “What’s your name, beautiful?”

  My eyes looked over his body and I recognized the colors on his cut. Quickly realizing that he was not only a biker, but also a member of a rival club, I thought fast in an effort to save my ass. I knew my father was a shady son of a bitch and there was no telling what debt had to be paid.

  “Angel. My name’s Angel.”

  “Angel, huh?” He smiled, pressing my hips down so hard that it felt like the bones would split apart. “Why were you hanging out with … what was his name? Jeremy?”

  Fuck. The more he talked, the more apparent it became that I’d been taken over club business. I didn’t want any part in any of this shit, but I knew that being the Prez’ daughter placed a high price on my head if my piece of crap dad ever fucked up.

  Lying again, I replied, “I was just getting laid. He kicked me out when he was done. Same shit, different day.”

  “Uh, huh.” He smiled again and his thumb started moving over my hip. He pressed down firmly and my body trembled beneath his hold. “Are you sure, that’s why you were there?”

  “Yes.” Normally, I’m not the type of woman that cries, but I forced the tears out to make him believe I was more scared than I was. I needed to buy time. I needed to gain enough of my strength to have a chance at fighting back against this asshole.

  “Listen, I don’t know what’s going on, but I was just servicing him and getting back home. I have two kids who are waiting for me and if I don’t get back soon, I’m sure child welfare is going to be called in. They’re home alone, but I needed the money, you know?” If there was anything in this world I knew how to do it was hustling and lying and right now I was putting on an Oscar winning performance.

  “Pl … please, I’ll suck your dick. I’ll let you fuck me, but please just let me go after that.”

  “Oh, you’re going to let me fuck you, Angel? I thought I could take that with or without your permission. Okay, tell you what. I love kids and I hate to think that anything is going to happen to your babies because you’re a dumb whore that didn’t know any better than to leave them alone. But first, you’re going to service me. I don’t want any screaming and I don’t want any fighting. You hear me?”

  “Yes.” My response was immediate. I’d ridden enough cock to not worry about the fact that I was going to fuck my attacker. If he was buying the act, my escape was worth more than my pride.

  He chuckled above me and his eyes flashed with a heat I rarely ever saw in the drunken eyes of my ex-whatevers. I’d never really had a ‘boyfriend’ so there was no term that could describe them. I’d always hated that fact about my life, but in this moment, it helped me come to terms with what I had to do. My body had been used and abused before. There was no way this could be any different. I was still fighting for my life, but I was using my brain and body instead of my brawn.

  “Okay, baby. I’m going to let you go. I want you to stand up, slip your shorts and panties down and then bend over the trunk. You try anything funny and I’ll be spilling your blood out onto the road here. Got me?” His voice lowered as he spoke and the heat behind his eyes was stocked into an inferno. I don’t think I’d ever seen a man more turned on and I realized I was dealing with a sick fuck.

  Any man that was turned on by forcing a woman was not the kind of man I wanted to deal with. They were the types to cause pain just for the sheer joy of making a woman scream. They were the types of assholes that would kill a bitch and not blink at the fact that they’d taken an innocent life. My dad was liberal with his brothers in the rules of the club, but fucking with innocent people was where he drew the line. Club sluts were there for a reason and for the most part it was to keep the violence in his boys at a manageable level. The bitches would give it up and it kept the boys on home turf. Not one of the men had gone to jail for rape under his watch. If they did, they would have walked back out of that jail and straight into the business end of my father’s .45. I never understood why that was the one crime he wouldn’t tolerate, but he was very clear about that rule with any member that was newly patched. Murder, drugs, guns…it didn’t matter. But fuck with an innocent woman and you’d be lucky if you were allowed to keep your balls before being buried.

  The bastard released my hips and I pushed up on shaky arms, blinking my eyes against the bright sun when he moved aside. He took one step back, giving me enough room to crawl out of the trunk. Rolling my head to loosen the muscles in my shoulders, I pushed out further, slipping one shaky leg out of the trunk and balancing my legs on shaky knees when I finally had two feet on the ground.

  “Take off your shirt, baby. Let me see those tits bounce. I always love a well-stacked woman.”

  Breathing out a heavy sigh, I moved to pull down the side zipper of my shirt. Slipping the material from my body, I reached out to drop it in the trunk. His eyes widened and he reached out to touch them. However, when the deep rumble of a bike was suddenly heard in the distance, he dropped his hands and turned to look behind him. Sunlight flashed off the chrome of the front fender and the rider came in to view, the road ahead of him appearing liquid from the heat.

  While the jackass in front of me was busy watching the apparent new jackass that was joining us, I reached behind me attempting to lift the false bottom of the trunk. I knew there was a tire iron beneath it and I hoped I could get to it before jackass #1 turned back around.

  “Fuck. They sent JD.”

  My hand patted around frantically in search of the handle that would lift the bottom as Jackass #1 announced the identity of the rider that was fast approaching. He turned back and around and shrugged. “Sorry, baby. Looks like I won’t be able to let you go after all.”

  My hand stopped moving immediately and I tried to pull my arm back to my side without drawing his attention. It worked and once the second guy rolled up, he turned again.

  I immediately went back to searching for that damn handle.

  The bike rumbled as it pulled to a stop and his booted foot came down on the stand. The bike leaned to the side when he killed the engine and stood up to step off. My eyes looked up from his boots to the typical jeans and black t-shirt worn by these assholes. Over the shirt was a cut that bore the colors of not only his club, but others. It was apparent the son of bitch who was walking towards me had connections.

  Black sunglasses covered his eyes. Jet-black hair adorned his head. It hung down to his collar and was wavy. It didn’t look like he’d bothered to drag a comb through it after rolling out of bed. His shoulders were broad and his abdomen cut in at his jeans. He was a big motherfucker and I was suddenly concerned that a tire iron wouldn’t cut it.

  The rumble of his voice was almost as deep as the bike he rode when he said, “What the fuck do you think you’re doing, Scooter?”

  I couldn’t help it when I blurt out, “Scooter?” The stupid as hell road name burst from my lips on a laugh and Jackass #1, now known as ‘Scooter’ turned to look at me with a nasty scowl on his face. His hand moved to his hip and I saw the glint of the steel when he pulled the knife.

  “Yeah, bitch. What do have to say about it?”

  I flinched back at the anger in this tone.

  “Scoot. I’m not fucking playing with you man. You need to put your shit away. Your knife and your fucking dick. Got me?”

  Scooter put the knife back in its sheath at his side and spit on the ground at my feet. A sick grin pulled over his lips when he said, “JD. Let me introduce you to Angel, here. She tells me she’s a single mom with two kids home alone while she’s out whoring her shit out.”

  Jackass #2 smiled, dimples appearing on his shadowed cheeks. His skin looked rough, as if he hadn’t seen a razor in a week. I watched his throat move as he swallowed before speaking
again.

  “Yeah, well, I don’t remember hearing that the Joker was a grandfather. It’s good to see you … Holly … I’m surprised you don’t remember me.”

  Chapter Three

  JD

  Holy fuck this girl had a rack on her. As soon as I walked up, the only thing my eyes could focus on were the set of tits sitting proud and naked under the hot Arizona sun. She stared me down as I approached. When I stopped, I was barely able to pull my attention away from them to see the color of her eyes. Fucking silver-grey, almost colorless in how light they were. Dark hair tumbled down from her head and over her shoulders and her body curved in all the right places.

  “Well, Holly. Do you?”

  She squinted in my direction as if she was trying to recognize me. I knew she wouldn’t, that she was ten years younger than me and wouldn’t remember pestering the 12 year old son of her dad’s former business partner.

  I was so focused on her face that I barely understood the words Scooter was speaking when he turned around to talk.

  “What the fuck you doing on my bike, JD? I’ll take the bitch back. She was wanting to fuck me anyway.” He turned back to her. “Right, baby?”

  “Nah, man. You’ll be riding your shit back home. Why else would you have to pull over to wait for someone to meet you, dipshit?” He looked back at me again. I was staring the motherfucker down and neither of us thought to keep an eye on Joker’s daughter. Turned out that was a bad idea on Scooter’s part.

  The tire iron connected with the side of his head and I swear I saw his jaw shift to the left from the force of the blow. He dropped within seconds. Holly took off on foot, running as fast as she fucking could in the opposite direction with what looked like a shirt in one hand and the tire iron in the other.

  “Fuck.”

  I didn’t give a shit that Scooter was laying on the ground, probably losing grey matter through the new crack in his thick skull. It was his dumb ass fault for not keeping an eye on the bitch. She was a daughter raised in a club. There was no way that she wouldn’t defend herself. The fact that the iron was even left where she could reach it showed that Scooter had been hit in the head one too many times in the past. The asshole was a complete fucking liability. Why he was picked for this particular task, I didn’t understand.

  Pounding sand behind her, I caught up to her after about a half mile. By the time I tackled the bitch to the ground, I was huffing heavily above her trying to catch my breath before dragging her back to the car. Finally able to breath normally, I half laughed, half growled when I said, “You’re going to pay for that, you know? Ladies can’t just go around hitting men with tire irons and getting away with it.”

  She scowled up at me and I laughed. My hand came down on her right arm and squeezed her wrist until she dropped the tire iron.

  “Fuck you, asshole. First off, I ain’t no fucking lady and second, you can kill me right here and fucking now because I am NOT getting in the middle of any of your club shit. Whatever debt you have is with my father and I’m not making the fucking payment.”

  Laughing again, I pinned her to the unpaved road, sure that the pebbles beneath her back couldn’t be comfortable pressed up against her skin. “Now, if I killed you, wouldn’t that be the same as making payment? I’m sure your daddy wouldn’t be too keen on losing your beautiful ass.”

  An odd expression flashed across her face before she smiled a sweet smile. “You’d think so, but my daddy wouldn’t give a fuck. He’d be more upset about losing his brothers over me. So I’d rather die right here than get fucked by Scooter or your ugly ass!”

  I stared at her long and hard, waiting for the stubborn little scowl to leave her pretty face. After several minutes, it was still plastered across her expression and I blew out a frustrated breath. “Listen. I’m gonna let you up. I’m even gonna let you put your shirt back on to cover up those perfect tits of yours. After that, you’re gonna show me how thankful you are for my kindness by walking your little ass to the car and climbing into the backseat. Ain’t nobody gonna fuck you right now.” I chuckled thinking about what she’d just done. “Besides, I doubt Scooter is conscious enough to get it up. You whacked him something decent. I’m thinkin’ ‘bout leaving him laid out right there on the road so he can think about where his stupidity has left him.”

  She blinked and her eyes flashed like silver crystal beneath the bright glare of the sun.

  “You hear me, beautiful?”

  Finally, she nodded, acceptance slipping behind her almost colorless eyes. “Yeah, I hear ya.”

  Nodding once, I pushed up to remove my weight from her. Before completely letting her go, I reminded her, “Now remember, munchkin’, I run faster than you and I’m gonna be real mad if I have to chase you down again. I ain’t in no mood to be runnin’ this mornin’, you got me?”

  “I ain’t no munchkin.”

  I laughed at her words before laughing again at her reaction to my laughter. “Well, you are to me, little one, so we’ll save that argument for later.”

  She didn’t respond and she didn’t need to. I knew she was smart enough not to fight against us again. I wasn’t planning on fucking the girl out here on a public road and I wouldn’t let Scooter get his dick wet either. But I wasn’t against knocking a bitch out if she was giving me problems. I didn’t like to hit women, but this was business and ordinary rules disappear when you fuck with the MC.

  After pushing up off the ground, I dusted off my jeans and watched her as she pushed herself up onto her feet. She held the shirt over her chest and I noticed how her eyes flicked down to the tire iron in my hand. “Don’t be gettin’ any ideas, Munch. You ain’t gonna get this outta my hand any time soon. So, be a good girl, put on your shirt and we’ll be heading out of here all peaceful-like, got me?”

  Rolling her eyes, she slipped the top over her head. I won’t lie and claim to have been a gentleman at the moment either. When tits as perfect as those are flashed in your face, a man can’t help but look. They were perfectly fuckin’ round, the swells creating a beautiful frame for the half-dollar size, light pink nipples. My mouth watered, but I breathed in to force back the lust flooding my system. By the time she’d zipped herself into what might be able to be considered a shirt, I’d imagined her bent over the seat of my bike, up against a wall and laid out on my bed with her ankles covering up the small gold hoops she wore in her ears.

  “Well, good. I’m pleased to see we’re understanding each other now. I won’t hold your earlier rebellion against you.” I smiled. She frowned. This was going to be a hell of a long trip back home.

  Grabbing her by the elbow, I squeezed when she tried to flinch away. “Don’t think I’m letting you walk by yourself, Munch. I know better than to trust your ass. I’d like for this to go as smoothly as possible.”

  Her feet moved in time with mine when she asked, “What’s going on, exactly? If I’m going to die anyway, might as well get it over with now. Leave my body to be found by the club. They’ll get the message.”

  Laughter bubbled out of me. “Just a minute ago, you were fighting for your life and now you’re practically begging me to off you. What the fuck, babe? I thought you had more spirit than that.”

  She frowned up at me before directing her gorgeous eyes back in the direction of the car we were walking towards. “I know better than to get taken in by a club. I’m much more into a quick death than whatever torture you motherfuckers can come up with.”

  “Yet, you’re walking with me anyway. Seems to me, you’re not as quick to ask for death as you say you are.”

  “Whatever, asshole. I suspect you’re going to do with me what you want. Ain’t nothing I can do at the moment, now is there?”

  “Nope. Not a damn thing.”

  The rest of the walk was quiet, neither of us having much to say to the other. I didn’t like having to take the bitch, but my Prez, better known as Big John, thought this little beauty would be good incentive for Joker to pay back his debts. Thing is, when y
ou borrow from another club, it’s always a good idea to stick to the payment plan. From what I’d heard, Joker had been getting himself into shit with several of our chapters and Holly here was going to be our way of keeping his old ass in check. Ever since he lost his old lady, the man was acting like death was no big thing. Offing him wouldn’t pay back our losses, but Holly would probably fetch his attention.

  Finally reaching the piece of shit car I’d be driving for the next 50 miles, I pulled on the handle, opening the door and shoved her small ass inside. Before shutting the door, Scooter’s groan caught my attention and when I turned my head, Holly’s foot caught my face.

  “Sonofabitch!” I caught myself when I fell back and spit out blood as I watched her tiny ass hoofing it down the road again. Damn if this girl wasn’t going to give up. I respected the shit out of her in that moment, even though I knew she wasn’t going to win. Dumb bitch had no idea who she was fucking with.

  I was on my feet, my steps thundering beneath me when I caught up to her and tackled her ass to the ground again. She swung at me this time, her fist connecting with my temple, knocking the sunglasses off my face. “Goddammit!” I picked her up and slammed her little ass back onto the ground. The wind was knocked out of her and I hovered over her watching her gasp for air.

  “Are we done here, bitch? Or do I need to slam you down a few more times?” I turned to spit again and noticed the blood that was still seeping into my mouth. A sharp pain shot through my jaw when I clenched my teeth and I wondered if the bitch knocked a tooth loose when she kicked me.

  Her skin looked like it was turning blue, but finally she dragged in a large huff of air and laid her head down on the ground before closing her eyes.

  A short burst of laughter broke free of my lips and I dropped the weight of my body on top of her while caging her in with my arms. “You don’t give up do you?”

  She didn’t open her eyes to look at me or her mouth to respond.

  “Fine. We’ll do this the hard way, I guess.” Pushing myself up, I grabbed her and threw her over my shoulder to start back towards the car. She was slamming her fists into my back and kicking her legs out attempting to nail me in the face. Bending over, I picked up my shades with my free hand, slid them over my eyes and then slapped her as hard as I could on the backs of her legs. She yelped behind me and I laughed. “I think it’s ‘bout time you give up. You’re starting to piss me off.” Slapping her a few more times, I chuckled again when every cuss word a person could say fell from her lips. Hell, I think she even made a few new ones back there.