Outlaw Road (A MC Romance) (24 page)

Flora.

My heavy boot came down on the reptile's upper jaw, closing it only inches from Flora's already wounded leg. The gator thrashed, shaking me off easily, then lunged again. There was so much blood pouring down my face from the scratches that I had trouble tracking the beast.

I had to throw myself on top of it and hope to land on something that wasn't teeth. Fortunately, I hit its back and was able to close its mouth with my hands. The sting in my eyes made it so I had to do everything almost entirely by feel.

I punched its eyes repeatedly. It bellowed and thrashed, but this time, I refused to let go. This thing was a killer?

So was I.

It finally started to retreat, and I knew that any fight the beast had left was gone. It had mistaken us for easy prey. No doubt Tully had been feeding it unwelcome company for some time.

I jumped off of it, watching as it crawled towards the water. Looking back to Flora, I could see that her bleeding wasn't as bad as I initially thought. As long as we could get that bullet out of her, she'd be fine.

“Fucking hell.” I knelt down to catch my breath and stripped off my belt. “Is everyone still whole?”

“I think so,” Flora said, wincing. I walked over, tying off her leg with the belt to halt some of the bleeding. Seeing her in this much pain renewed my anger at Lucky. I picked her up and carried her to the boat.

“How bad is it?” she asked, her chest flaring. She was clearly in pain, but trying not to show it.

My anger melted away, the time for that had passed. “I don't recommend we go dancing for at least a few days.” I enjoyed her helpless smile. “But when you're ready, I'll let you pick the place this time.”

“Those dumpsters will always hold a special place in my heart,” she chuckled grimly. Even now, covered in blood and pale, Flora was beautiful.

I gently laid Flora into the boat, then helped Claudine in. Lucky's fanboat was top of the line. It looked like it could hold about fifteen people and had one elevated seat, obviously for the driver, which was placed just before a massive caged-in engine and fan.

Sitting in the driver's seat, I turned the boat on and grabbed the one stick that was probably used for steering. Then, I hoped for the best.

“Do you know what you're doing?” Flora shouted over the extremely loud engine.

“I've got this,” I shouted back. “Hold on.” I looked behind me, expecting to throw it in reverse like a car and back out into the water. Instead, we jolted forward awkwardly at the mansion.

“Ronin?” Flora regarded me with a growing amount of worry. Claudine grabbed her sister and laid them both on the boat's floor. It was good thinking; if we hit something, they would be less likely to be thrown into the gator infested waters.

Donning a steadfast, confident facade, I began again. Once I learned how the steering lever worked, I quickly got the hang of everything else. I managed to bring us into a big U-turn and get us out onto the water.

I had no idea if Tully's thugs were shooting at us, but I sure as hell wasn't sticking around to find out. The fanboat was the loudest and least inconspicuous thing I'd ever operated, and I’d just driven a dump truck.

After a few minutes, we were on the river and the estate had drifted out of view. The grassy water was a little choppy and the controls were way too sensitive, but it didn't slow me down that much.

Soon, I saw the distinctive outlines of motorcycles and other boats in the setting sun, along with about thirty to forty people in an adjacent field. We'd reached the Steel Veins rendezvous point. The danger was finally over.

Looking closer at Flora, I saw that she was looking too pale, even for her. She was struggling to stay awake.

“We need the club doc over here. Now!” I roared, scanning the crowd for the doctor. I could see his tent halfway up the field. It'd be faster if I just brought her to him, so I hopped down and picked up Flora.

Jumping onto the bank, I ran her through the throng of rescued girls and bikers that milled about in various stages of distress.

The grizzled, clean-shaven old biker looked at me over glasses that hung halfway down his nose. “What'ya got, son?” He quickly sprayed and cleaned the plastic folding table, disinfecting it.

“Gunshot to the leg, but she's lost a lot of blood.” I set Flora on the table gently.

He prodded her wound. Flora yelped, shivering violently. With one last, pitiful look at me, her eyes rolled back as she passed out. The pain had been too much, and though I knew it was normal for her to faint from it, I still grit my jaw at the sight. I hated seeing her like this.

Doc cut down the side of her khakis to expose the area for cleaning, then he handed me a roll of paper towels. As he sanitized his equipment, I tore off a bunch to put in Flora's mouth. If she woke up during the procedure, she would need something to bite down on.

Claudine squeezed Flora's hand. “Is she going to be okay?” She was coming down from her high and was fighting the urge to become frantic. I knew all too well how she was feeling.

“She'll be fine.” The doc cleaned Flora's wound, then dug in with medical tools. He pushed the gushing hole open enough to get the pliers in and fished for the bullet. “I was trained in Nam',” he calmly recounted with the casualness of building a toy car. Flora groaned, but was still incoherent. “This is a cake walk. Your friend—”

“Sister. She's my sister,” Claudine corrected.

“Your
sister
,” Doc let the words drift as he found and slowly removed the bullet, “—is gonna be alright.” He dropped the bullet into a tray, patted down the wound, then opened her eyes to check her pupils. “Put her on the grass outside.”

I picked her up and he followed us out. Once I had her gently on the ground, I felt her cheek. Her breathing was soothing. “Any word on Poet? He in the area?” I asked, looking around. I recognized a few of the guys, but only through reputation or through other acquaintances. It struck me that these guys were the closest thing I had to a family, and even then I didn't know many of them. It was a lonely feeling.

“Last I heard they were picking off the stragglers, but you know Remy...”

“Yeah, yeah. He's always gotta be the last one out. Poet's a goddamn superhero.”

The old man laughed. “Gives the rest of us a bad name!” He briefly looked me over for any grievous injuries. Satisfied that I wasn't going to fall apart, he patted me on the shoulder and headed back in.

For a long while, I just stared down at Flora's sleeping face. The peace was envious. Glancing up, I saw that Claudine was standing over us.
She won't let Flora out of her sight.

Except she wasn't watching Flora—she was staring at me.

I shifted under her scrutiny. “How're you feeling?”

“Like shit,” she answered with an honest smile.

“The withdrawal gets harder every time. It's gonna be rough, but it'll pass if you let it.”

She took Flora's hand again, considering something only she could see. “The withdrawals aren't the hard part, not anymore.” She looked up at the sky, eyes starting to shimmer with unshed tears. “Letting her down, that's what's rough.” Laughing without humor, Claudine lowered her head and rubbed her eyes. Here, watching her raw emotion, I could see she was related to Flora. “This is all my fault. She came out her for me.”

“That's true.” I made myself more comfortable in the short grass, absently stroking Flora's shoulder. “She risked her life for you.”

The painful realization marred her already weary face. “All the damage I've done... Flora's better off without me.” She half-turned, ready to walk off without another thought. “She's safer without me in her life.”

My hand froze where it was. “You're leaving?”

Claudine swallowed hard, the look of determination solidifying on her features. “It's for the best.”

“Don't leave, please,” I said, a tired smile spreading on my face. “Your sister might be game for it, but I don't know if I have another one of these rescue missions in me.”

Hesitating, she glanced back down at her sister. “Tell her not to come after me this time.”

“That's adorable. You think she listens to me? I spent days trying to convince her to give you up, but she came anyways. Stubborn, that one. I see that she gets it from you.” I spoke with enough conviction that Claudine twisted around, listening curiously. “Stay. Say goodbye in person,
when she wakes up
. You know that she deserves at least that much.”

There was a war going on in her head. I don't know what she decided, but it was good to see Claudine come back and sit down next to her sister.

“You should hear the way Flora talks about you,” I said. “Her big sister. The girl who taught her everything she knows.”

“Hopefully not everything.” She smiled weakly, covering the pronounced track marks on her arm with her hand.

“Should I blame you for teaching her how to steal my bike?”

Claudine chuckled, covering her mouth. “I only taught her how to ride. Everything else is all her.” We sat in quiet for a long while until she added, “Why do all this? You don't owe us anything.”

“You're not the only one worth blaming.” I shook my head lightly and gazed off into the distance. “First, it was because I had to, then... I don't know what happened.” Finally, as if magnetized, my eyes found their way back to Flora. She was filthy and bloody, but still perfect in so many ways. “She clawed her way into my head, and I haven't stopped thinking about her yet.”

Claudine studied me.“Is that a first for you?”

“Hopefully first
and
last. Violence and danger are one thing, but I think my heart would give out if I ever tried something like this again.”

Flora stirred, but stayed asleep.

I looked at Claudine, the concern for her sister was honest and apparent. “Flora needs you. The real you, whoever that is, not some junkie.” That made her flinch. “The way I see it, you've got two paths in front of you right now. You can run, chasing a high that'll never be as good as the first time, or you can get clean and be there for your sister. As tough as she is, she'll never be able to save someone who doesn't want to be saved. That's gotta be your decision to make.”

“She's a lot tougher than I am,” Claudine whispered. “What about you? You're obviously one of them.” She waved her hand at the other Steel Veins. “Where does an outlaw biker go from here?”

I couldn’t focus on anything past Flora. It looked like her color was returning, but I'd bring Doc over just to be sure. “Hey, Doc!” I saw him put a hand up, telling me to wait a minute. Sighing, I turned back to Claudine. “Hard to say, haven't quite figured out my place in the world yet.” My only concern was getting Flora better. “For now, I'm going to take her to a motel in the area and let her rest. She needs it.”

Doc finally came over, checking her vitals. He handed me some vicodin, to help with her pain when she woke up.

I gently scooped Flora up, then spoke to Claudine one last time. “She'll be feeling a lot better tomorrow, and I'm sure she'll want to see you—if you haven't disappeared by then.”

She kept quiet and looked down slightly. It was only when I turned away that she called out to me. “Wherever you do end up, I hope it's by her side. I see the way you look at her, and how she looks at you. I've never seen her look at anyone like that.” Claudine smiled, a genuine thing that lit up her face. “It's something really special.”

I didn't know what to say.

Flora spared me the challenge. “Claudine?” she asked, weakly reaching out for her sister.

“I'm here.” Claudine clutched her hand.

Flora smiled faintly. “Good.”

Comforted that she hadn't been abandoned, she fell back asleep.

Ronin

––––––––

T
he mattress stirred, blankets rustling. “Where are we?” Flora asked, slowly sitting up in the bed.

It was good to hear her voice.

“Just outside of Miami at the lavish two-star
Motel Flamingo
.” I put down the crossword puzzle, that I was failing miserably at, and got up from the chair to bring Flora a bottle of water and some pain medicine. “Welcome back to the land of the living.”

“Ugh... Being alive sucks. Everything hurts.” She rubbed her eyes and took the pills, then drained the bottle all in one go. “Guess I was thirsty. Thanks.” She looked to the window, but I had the shades drawn. I didn't think there'd be a retaliatory attack from the Knights, but in the off chance... It was best not to advertise. “What time is it?”

“It's either extremely early or extremely late, depending on your perspective.” I only knew that it was still dark outside, because the alarm clock, despite being plugged in, was off. Not surprising for this type of place, but I couldn't complain. After all, they didn't stop me when I carried a bloody, unconscious woman to my room.

We'd been at the motel for several hours, but I was way too amped up to sleep. After something as intense as the fight earlier, I needed a long time to decompress. “How's the leg?”

“Okay, I guess. Hurts like— Ronin, your face!” She blinked a few times, rubbing the last vestiges of sleep from her eyes.

I smiled, trying to diffuse the worry that was plastered all over her face. “It looks worse than it is. I'm pretty sure Lucky was really a bear in a man costume.”

“That would explain how he was such a fucking animal.” Flora peeled back the covers so she could sit up easier, revealing her silky thighs and panties in the process. Her wound had been cleaned, then dressed, but the rest of her leg was stained with blood and dirt.

I cracked my knuckles and went to grab a water of my own. Filthy or not, I wanted her badly. If I got too close, I wouldn't be able to contain myself. I exhaled deliberately. This wasn't the time for that.

“What happened to my pants?” she asked with some concern.

“They didn't make it, unfortunately.” I pointed to the trashcan on my way to the mini fridge. “Doc had to cut them off to get at your bullet. I picked you up another pair on our way over here.”

“Thanks. Hey, Listen.” Flora took in a deep breath and readied herself. Something weighed heavily on her mind. With only us here, she seemed ready to talk. “Everything you've done. I—I don't really know what to say. I mean, I've lost track of how many times you've saved me” Flora slowly swung her legs over the side of the bed. “I wouldn't be alive right now if not for you.”