Page 36 of Primal Urges (Bikers of Mayhem #1)

LUCAS

A s predicted, once Lucas finished drugging Caden and stepped outside the house, Darryl was waiting. He’d been sitting in a shitty unremarkable car that most people wouldn’t even notice, watching the house like any high-functioning stalker.

Lucas was used to his ex’s obsessive behavior. In the beginning, he thought it was cute, his boyfriend waiting for him or surprising him when he was out getting a coffee with friends. But as time went on, the possessiveness became something out of a horror movie.

He was not allowed to hang out with his friends. On the rare occasions that he was able to convince Darryl to let him go meet up with some people, his ex would magically show up or wait for him in the parking lot or some other creepy location.

Darryl even monitored his timing and movements.

God forbid Lucas deviated from his schedule or stopped off at a store to pick something up unexpectedly.

He would get berated when he got home and accused of cheating on his ex.

Those nights always ended with hours of pleading and trying to convince his ex that he was not unfaithful and that he still loved him.

It wasn’t until the end that Lucas realized how toxic their relationship really had been. By then, leaving his ex was nearly impossible.

Things really got scary when Darryl convinced his cop buddies to slowly patrol the area.

The police culture, especially in LA, was a big old boys’ club.

They looked out for one another and did what was necessary to protect each other.

That was one of the reasons Lucas had been so careful not to use any sort of technology or service that might create a digital trail or allow Darryl to somehow find him.

He hadn’t been counting on somebody videotaping him and then posting it online without his permission.

People really needed to think before they posted. Life was more than just likes and followers .

Sadly, that mindless drone mentality was sweeping across the nation.

People didn’t question things or verify accusations for themselves.

They just simply believed whatever popular rumor was being spread and jumped on the social media bandwagon, participating in the latest trend or vilifying or canceling people without using their brains to discover the truth for themselves.

Nobody thought about the consequences of their posts.

If only he had seen the warning signs. But when you are being emotionally and psychologically abused, you don’t even realize it is happening.

You somehow convince yourself that it is your fault and that you are overreacting.

It isn’t until your first black eye or accidental broken jaw that you realize perhaps Prince Charming isn’t really so charming.

And now, here he was. Voluntarily getting into a car with his ex. A man he had spent months running from. Willingly sticking his head in the lion’s mouth and praying that the beast didn’t bite down.

But this time, it was different.

Knowing that Caden and Lizzy’s lives were in danger, an inner monster awoke inside of him.

He was no longer driven by fear. He was now driven by the need to protect those he loved.

Yes, he loved his beefy biker dude and his kindhearted little munchkin.

He hoped that perhaps they could have a future one day.

If only he were able to survive this ordeal.

Well, he wasn’t going to get ahead of himself.

One way or another, this nightmare was going to end.

They had been driving for about two hours west, most likely on their way back to Los Angeles. Darryl had come to collect him, after all. If he had wanted to kill him, Darryl would have done it long ago.

No. With Darryl, it was all about control and possession.

He needed to remind Lucas who was in charge.

He needed to make sure that Lucas felt fear and understood that there was no escaping him.

Abusive men were narcissistic assholes who needed to maintain their power in order to feel good about themselves.

“It’s getting late. We should probably stop at a hotel for the night,” Lucas suggested. It was a fifteen-hour drive from New Mexico to LA, and he doubted Darryl was planning on driving all the way back in one night.

Darryl snorted. “Like hell I’m checking us into a hotel for the night. Think I’m stupid? The minute we check in, you’ll be planning your escape.”

Lucas rolled his eyes. “So your plan is to drive straight through until we get home?”

Pitch-black eyes landed on Lucas. Once, he had found those eyes so mesmerizing and charming. Now, they were just a reminder of the monster that waited to devour him.

“Since when did you get such a smart mouth?”

There was an underlying tone to his voice that warned Lucas to choose his words carefully. Darryl didn’t have an issue cracking him one against the jaw if it put him back in line.

Lucas watched as Darryl’s grip tightened on the steering wheel.

“We’re spending the night camping in the desert,” Darryl snarled. He appeared irritated that Lucas had questioned his actions. It might have been a few months since they’d seen each other, but Darryl was expecting him to fall back in line immediately.

Eventually, they left the interstate and followed a long dirt road that appeared to lead to nowhere.

Fifteen minutes later, they came to a large clearing, perfect for camping.

“Get your ass out of the car and help,” Darryl ordered, throwing the car in park before adjusting the ballcap on his head that hid his handsome features.

How could a man who had such gorgeous features be nothing but rotten on the inside?

Huffing, Lucas exited and began unloading the car as ordered. In the trunk, he found a cooler and two sleeping bags. It appeared that Darryl had planned this little excursion beforehand.

Made sense. Cops were always thinking ahead. That’s how they survived gang takedowns and homicidal men with machetes.

While Darryl was temporarily distracted trying to collect usable wood to start a fire, Lucas pulled out the knapsack he had bought from the house and carefully placed it next to the other items he had unpacked from the car.

He then walked over to where his ex was crouched down, attempting to light a fire.

It had been forever since they last camped together, and Darryl still sucked at lighting campfires. But there was no way he was going to remind Darryl of that fact.

“Need me to grab anything?” Lucas offered, trying to remain on Darryl’s good side.

“Yeah, there are some sandwiches in the cooler, and you can grab me a beer as well.”

Lucas did as he was told, ever the good listener.

Once the fire was roaring, Darryl sat down next to Lucas and offered him a bite from his sandwich. Lucas shook his head.

“So when did you find me?” Lucas asked, staring into the fire as the flames danced over the wood.

“A little over two weeks ago. A coworker of mine saw that video of you singing that was posted online. It took me a bit of time to figure out which bar it was, but I happened to glimpse a reflection of the bar’s name in one of the windows in the background.

It was just a quick snapshot, so I almost missed it.

After that, it was only a matter of time before I was able to confirm that you were, in fact, in New Mexico. I arrived in town about a week ago.”

“You’ve been in town for a week?” Lucas gasped, snapping his head toward his bastard of an ex.

“Yes. I had to do a little recon first. See what it was that my little hummingbird was up to. Then I saw you with… him. ”

“Did you start the fire?” Lucas asked, already knowing the answer.

Darryl nodded. “That asshole thought he could take what was mine.”

Trying to keep his emotions in check, Lucas clenched his teeth and focused on the flames before him. He needed to remain calm.

A rough, meaty paw slid across his lap and settled on his hand. Darryl gave Lucas’s hand a squeeze.

“Don’t worry, my little hummingbird. In time, I’ll forgive you for what you’ve done. Betraying my love like that. Leaving me and then sleeping with that miscreant of a man. If you can even call him that. Tomorrow, we’ll be back home, and then you can begin earning back my respect and my trust.”

Hearing Darryl’s words made Lucas’s blood boil. This was how psychological manipulation began. Trying to make the victim feel like it was their fault and that somehow they owed it to their abuser to make things right.

Like hell. There was no fucking way he was ever going back to that life.

Tonight, it all ended, one way or another.

“Grab me another beer,” his ex ordered, tossing the empty bottle on the dirt beside them.

Lucas stood up, taking a step past the man he had grown to hate.

Slap!

Darryl’s hand smacked Lucas’s ass with all the power he had remembered.

Without thinking, Lucas spun around and slapped his ex across the face.

Lucas froze. His eyes went wide when he realized what he had just done. He hadn’t meant to slap his ex; it was just a natural reaction to someone slapping your ass without your permission.

Rage flashed across Darryl’s eyes.

He knew what was coming next.

In an instant, Darryl was on his feet, grabbing Lucas by the throat. His big, meaty fingers dug into Lucas’s soft flesh.

Flashes appeared of all the past assaults, all the bruises, broken jaw, and even dislocated shoulder from when he had lost track of time and ended up coming home from rehearsals three hours too late.

Darryl had been fuming that night. He chased Lucas into their apartment stairwell before grabbing him hard by the arm and shoving him down the stairs.

He didn’t go to a hospital that night. Instead, he stayed with a dislocated shoulder for six hours until Darryl brought one of his cop buddies over to reset his shoulder.

Cops looking out for cops. There was a code of silence they all lived by.

Lucas struggled, clawing at Darryl’s hands as they tightened around his throat.