Page 6

Rebel

She hadn’t called.

Again.

I t was dumb as fuck to feel so upset about the fact that Nikki hadn’t called, that she’d ghosted me. That history was repeating itself. But it’s what the fuck I felt, which made me a glutton for punishment because I listened to her show while I went over the MC’s books for the month. I tried to keep on top of the club finances each month, because otherwise it became too much to handle and put me in a bad fucking mood. Also because we had a list of enemies that grew every month, and it was crucial to know if or when someone was trying to take our shit.

Don’t fucking worry about her. You warned her and that’s all you can do. That was the bullshit I told myself to make me feel better. But it didn’t fucking work because if it did, I wouldn’t be listening to her damn radio show for the fourth time this week.

I wanted, more than I could even admit to myself, to get to know her again, but for real this time. That night we spent together we’d only touched the surface because surface shit is what you do during a one night stand. You don’t bare your fucking soul to a complete stranger, but now I wanted to know her secrets and her worries, her hopes and her goals. It’s what I wanted, but she had to want it too, which was why I’d left the ball in her court.

And she hadn’t called. Or texted, goddammit.

“Caller, you’re on the air.” Her voice was chipper as usual but there was an edge to it. “Tell us, um Thrash, what’s your siren call to the open road?”

There was a long and uncomfortable silence before a slightly familiar voice spoke. “You ignored my warning, bitch. I told you to keep your mouth shut. Now you’ll have to pay.” There was an audible click on the line which told me the person had called from a payphone or a landline.

“Slate, listen to this,” I called out. I knew it was bad news because that voice and that name belonged to the President of the Blood Fangs MC.

His brows dipped. “Who the fuck is still using a landline these days?”

“Someone who either doesn’t want to be tracked or doesn’t want anything linking them to a threat like a call log, would be my guess.” Given that he’d used his real name, I was thinking it was more the latter. Which meant they were serious about these threats.

“Want me to look into it?”

I nodded and pushed away from the desk in our shared office inside the clubhouse. “Could you? I’m gonna head out for a bit.”

His lips curled into a knowing smile. “Be safe. Holler if you need backup.”

***

I jumped on my bike and put Highway Pulse on in my helmet as I weaved between cars to get to the KTDH studios where her show was broadcast, as fast as I could. When I arrived most of the windows in the building were dark, and I was worried that maybe I was too late to talk to her. But then her voice sounded in my ears again and I relaxed and listened to the soft song of her husky voice, and her sweet laughter.

I’d made her laugh so many times that night. It was like a fucking challenge to see how many times I could get her to make that sound that I’d become addicted to within just a few hours. She laughed freely, openly, and without pretense—and I craved that sound.

She’d recovered quickly from the call and kept on with more callers who told her to ignore that humorless asshole, as they shared their stories of being on the road for all kinds of reasons. Nikki listened and understood them, commiserated with them. She reached them where they were, and they loved her for it.

“Okay road warriors, that’s it for me. Thanks for joining me on tonight’s journey and as always, ride safe.”

The tension in my chest loosened as I watched the front door of the studio, waiting for Nikki to appear. Cars pulled in and picked up people or dropped them off and I paid them almost no mind while I watched the door like a fucking stalker. I didn’t care if she was angry or annoyed by my showing up, she needed help.

There she was.

My heart slammed faster and harder in my chest when I laid eyes on her. Instead of the braids she’d worn the last time, her hair was down in messy waves that reminded me of how she looked, after I made her scream my name the first time. And the second time. She was laughing and smiling with her friend—the same woman who’d given me shit at the festival—as if she didn’t have a care in the world.

To her credit, she did scan the parking lot. She hadn’t spotted me yet, and I was too busy watching her to notice that high beams until it was too late.

Car tires squealed and then the engine groaned loudly as a dark sedan sped up in the direction of Nikki and her friend Mia.

“Nikki,” I called out just as the car barely missed them.

“Watch it asshole!” Her friend Mia shouted angrily and tossed her hands in the air.

Without thinking I moved my bike forward quickly just as the car’s reverse lights appeared and the asshole backed up fast as fuck. The car slammed on the brakes hard enough to jolt the whole vehicle before they took off, tires squealing again. “Fuck!” My heart raced in my chest, and I realized it was fucking fear. I was worried about Nikki and I usually reserved that feeling for my brothers. My family.

“Logan?” Nikki’s voice pulled my gaze from where the car disappeared down the street. “What are you doing here?”

“Shit, are you both all right?”

“Yeah,” she answered but the way she wrapped her arms around herself in that protective gesture told me she wasn’t. “What are you doing here?”

“I heard Thrash’s call, and I was worried.”

Her frown relaxed into a smile. “Thanks.”

“How do we know you didn’t set this up?” Mia the ball-buster crossed her arms and glared at me. “It’s awfully convenient, you showing up here tonight when this happened.”

Ignoring her, I turned back to Nikki. “Did you post the video?”

She shook her head. “I didn’t. I’ve gotten a few threatening emails this week, but I blew them off because I haven’t done anything.”

“You got emails?” Mia shouted the question at her friend and got in her face. “You didn’t say a word.”

“There was nothing to say because I haven’t done anything.”

“Yeah,” I growled. “Well Thrash thinks you did, and that’s about all the evidence he needs to convict you. Any specific threats?”

“Slow painful death. Sexual torture. Drug overdose. The usual.” Her attempt at brushing off the threats didn’t fool me. There was a tightness around her eyes and the pulse in her throat fluttered wildly.

“Nikki, I’m serious. He thinks you’ve talked, which means you have a target on your back. I’ll make sure you get home tonight and then we can talk.”

She shook her head. “Not home. Not yet. How about we grab a bite to eat?”

I frowned but tabled the questions I had until later. “Fine. Does she need a ride or an escort,” I reluctantly asked and aimed my thumb at Mia.

Nikki’s lips twitched as she turned to Mia. They stared at each other for a long time, having a silent conversation I couldn’t figure out. A moment later they hugged, and Mia whispered something to Nikki, who responded with an easy smile. “I will. Talk later.”

“Count on it,” Mia said to Nikki in a firm tone, but her angry scowl was fixed on me before she walked off.

“She seems nice.”

“She is,” Nikki assured me. “She’s just protective.” She pointed to a green hatchback at the other end of the parking lot. “That’s me.”

“Don’t park this far away from the door anymore.”

She bristled at my tone. “You’re not my boss, Logan.”

“I’m not, but I don’t want anything to happen to you.” I sighed and pushed my bike as I followed her. “You know how easy it would be to grab you over here? Or worse, would any of your colleagues hear you scream if you were injured?”

“Okay,” she shouted and threw her hands up in frustration. “Got it, no more parking over here.”

I dropped my bike’s kickstand and grabbed her shoulders, turning her so we were face to face, which was a real fucking problem because she was so damn pretty up close like this. “I’m sorry Nikki, I’m not trying to scare the shit out of you.”

She laughed. “That was you not trying? Somehow that’s more terrifying.”

“I just want you to understand how much danger you could be in. Tonight was a warning.”

She let out a shaky breath and nodded. “Okay. Fine. I hope you’re in the mood for tacos.”

I smiled. “Always.”