Page 5 of Wild Side (Vicious Reapers MC #3)

CHAPTER FOUR

ZADIE

The airplane touches down on the tarmac, and my knee starts bouncing immediately. I’m here. All the way across the country. What the hell was I thinking coming here? My stomach rolls, and as much as I want to blame it on morning sickness, I know that’s not what it is. It’s nerves.

Big fat nerves.

Pressing my lips together tightly, I wait for people to get their things and disembark from the plane. I don’t have another flight to catch. This is the end of the road for me, and I don’t want to move.

But I also can’t stay here. Once the last person is off, I realize that I need to get moving. Standing, I try to keep myself from freaking out by inhaling and exhaling slowly. I take cleansing, calming breaths as I move through the airport and toward baggage claim.

Once I have my suitcase in hand, I roll it behind me as I move toward the rental car kiosk.

Thankfully, they have a car for me, and I am able to pay an extra young renter fee since I’m under twenty-five.

I would like to not have to pay any fees at all, but it’s cheaper than finding a rideshare to the mountains. Plus, I won’t be stranded anywhere.

Thanking the person behind the counter, I take the keys, wrapping my fingers around them before I head for the parking lot where the car is located. When I find my designated spot, I unlock the car with the fob in my hands and smile.

A four-door Jeep Wrangler. It’s not something I would ever imagine owning. I couldn’t afford one, so I would never dream of it, but damn if it doesn’t look cool as hell.

Opening the back, I lift my suitcase inside, then climb up into the driver’s seat. It takes me a good ten minutes to not only get the feel of the car, but also to get all my hands-free stuff connected and situated.

Then I put Thunder Rock into the navigation system.

There’s only one hotel in town, a motel really. I’m okay with that. I don’t know how long I’ll be there, but hopefully, it’s clean and safe. Once I pull out of the spot, I find Sable’s name in my phone and call her.

“You’re safe,” she announces.

“Well, for now,” I reply with a laugh.

She doesn’t find me funny and joins in the laughter. Instead, she clears her throat, and I can tell she has something to tell me. Something that I’m not going to like. “Your dad came by,” she whispers.

“My dad came by your place?” I ask.

She hums. “He was looking for you.”

Shit.

I wish I could pull over and hyperventilate right now, “He told me to handle my shit. I’m handling it.” My words come out in a whisper. She doesn’t respond immediately, instead makes a noise in the back of her throat before she continues.

“I told him you were going to talk to the baby daddy.”

Sucking in a breath, I hold it for a moment before I let it out slowly. “Did you tell him where?”

“I didn’t have to,” she mutters.

“How?” I demand.

God. I need her to talk faster, so much faster, but she doesn’t.

She’s taking her sweet-ass time, and I’m about to lose my shit.

But thankfully, she does continue, and I don’t have to cry or scream.

I don’t even have to ask her anything else about the conversation.

She offers it all, and by the time it’s done, I don’t feel any better about my situation, or rather, the situation I’m going to be coming home to.

“So, basically… I’m cooked.”

“You’re cooked, girly.”

Fuck.

“Well,” she begins, “the only thing I can say is that you’ll get to him before your father will. So, there is that.”

“Is he coming here?” I breathe.

“He is. I’m going to try really hard to keep him from going, like… tonight, maybe talk him into taking his bike. I don’t know how. I’m going to do my damnedest. But, babe, you’d better tell that man of yours there and get reinforcements, because I think your dad might be out for blood.”

Great.

Thanking her, I end the call and turn up the radio. I need to breathe, I need to rock out, I need to calm the hell down. It doesn’t even dawn on me that my father being at her place, even if he was looking for me, is odd.

I don’t have any missed calls on my phone, no voicemails, no new text messages. Nothing. You would think if he had been trying to get in touch with me, he would have at least attempted to contact me.

But he hasn’t.

Which means he went to her place, but I’m not so sure he was looking for me. I can’t help but wonder if my best friend and my father are more than just that—my best friend and my father.

At least thinking about them, and whatever the hell they are, takes my mind off Maverick and this baby. But not for long, because the motel comes into view, and I pull into the parking lot. I’m the only car here.

Shifting the Jeep into Park, I sink my teeth into my bottom lip and let out a heavy sigh. “Okay,” I exhale. “Let’s do this shit.”

Opening the Jeep door, I throw my legs over the side and slide out. I place my feet flat on the asphalt and I let out another heavy breath as I move toward the office. I gently tug the door open and slip inside.

The girl behind the counter lifts her head, and when her eyes find mine, I can tell with a simple glance that she’s annoyed with me. Ignoring her bad mood, I flash her a smile and stare straight ahead.

“I would like a room,” I chirp. “For a week.”

MAVERICK

“It’s not up to me,” Kyle says, lifting his hands in the air.

He shakes them back and forth. I snort. “Yeah, it fucking is,” I argue. “And if it isn’t, then you better figure out exactly how to make it up to you and figure it the fuck out.”

“It’s not up to me,” he grinds out. “This is a government thing. They watch every move we make. They see everything. It’s not as easy as greasing palms.”

“Then why the fuck are you trying to extort us for more money?” I ask.

He shakes his head. “It’s not that. It’s taxes. It’s not set by me. It’s just the way it is.”

Leaning forward, I look him directly in the eye. I can tell he’s scared shitless. I would be, too, if I were him. I’m ready to beat the absolute shit out of this asshole just for looking at me, let alone giving me some bullshit answer.

“You’d better figure some shit out. This was supposed to be a done deal. How much money have you made off our backs? Right now, it feels like you’re trying to make money off both ends, and I’m not having that shit, and neither is the club.”

“I’m not,” he lies.

“That’s funny,” I say with a snort.

He doesn’t respond immediately. Instead, he leans back slightly, his eyes on mine. They’re wide, and I can practically taste the guilt pouring off him. My fingers itch to take my gun out of my shoulder holster.

“How do we fix this?” I ask.

He shakes his head. “Pay the fees.”

“I’m not paying shit,” I say. “So, you’d better figure it out.”

He stands, though I can tell he’s trembling. I watch as he takes a step backward, likely to get away from me. I notice how squirrelly he is. I don’t move, though. My focus stays on him and only him.

“Then you won’t get shit.”

If I were a more diplomatic person, I would probably try to make this happen. I’m sure Bullet is going to be pissed at me, but I would rather cook meth and sell that than deal with this shit another fucking minute.

“Fine,” I snap.

Turning away from him, I walk toward the door but stop before I tug it open. Turning my head, I look at him. “Watch yourself there, Alexander,” I warn.

I storm out of the office, ignoring the girl behind the front desk again. She’s hot as fuck. But I’m too pissed off even to try to get in her panties. Plus, she’s not the girl from California.

She’s not Zadie.

I’m lost to her, to the girl I saw in that field hiding. To the girl who made me come so hard, I started questioning everything about my life. I didn’t think that love at first fuck was a thing, but I’m starting to question it all… question everything.

I don’t know how the fuck it happened, but I fell for this girl, and I don’t know a damn thing about her.

I walk out of the port authority, climb onto my bike, and roar out of the parking lot. I don’t go far, but I need to be away from Kyle Alexander, so I don’t shoot him in the head in the parking lot, where there are cameras.

Parking at the closest gas station, I take my phone out of my pocket and call Bullet. I need to tell him about the fact that Alexander isn’t going to budge without more money. But I told him to get fucked. So, basically, I need the go-ahead to kill him.

“Don’t kill anyone… yet…” Bullet grinds out. “Get a hotel for the night. I’ll call you soon.”