Taken: Rough Devils MC Book 1 (BWWM Motorcycle Club Romance) (3 page)

The
next day, I pulled up into the parking lot with my heart thudding in my chest.
Pictures of the senator were broadcast all over the internet and it was because
of me! I was almost surprised at how big this story had gotten.

The
office was quiet for a split second when I walked through the door. Then
everyone burst out and cheered. My face turned beet-red as I let the confetti
fall over me. They had thrown me a party! It was so rare that the boss even
allowed recreational activities in the office, especially during busy times
like these.

The
rest of the morning was great. I spent time talking to each one of the staff
and they all seemed to be being extra polite to me today. Whether it was
because I’d just gotten the biggest story of the year or because they knew I’d
be a big player now, I didn’t know.

It
wasn’t as though I was universally hated or anything, but I certainly didn’t
have any friends here. To throw me a party and actually
recognize
me was
surprising all on its own. I’d never gotten much appreciation around the office
even though I know I’d been the hardest worker from day one.

Hopefully
things would change now. I couldn’t stop myself from smiling even if I tried.
The rest of the day was spent having fun at the office and I was really
enjoying myself – until they brought out the cake.

It
was a huge store bought chocolate cake. It took two guys to carry it, it was so
big. My mouth watered as they brought it over and another wave of gratitude washed
over me. This was looking to be the happiest day of my life!

My
smile faded as they set it down. The cake said “Good luck over there, Sasha!”

“Uh
guys, what does that mean?” I asked pointing. Good luck where? Was I being
promoted to a bigger office or something? I certainly wasn’t about to get
fired.

“You
haven’t told her yet?” asked one of my co-workers.

Dave
shook his head. “There wasn’t enough time.”

“Tell
me what?” I
demanded,
my heart racing with excitement.

“Sasha
I’m promoting you. You’re going to be one of my state journalists!”

What?

“Uh
what is that exactly?”

He
beckoned to me and turned to his office.

“Maybe
we’d better talk about this inside.”

I
followed him into his office and shut the door behind me, not sure if I should
be terrified or elated.

“Sasha,
we’re all very proud of you and that huge story you brought us. You’re
basically a celebrity! I think you need a change of scenery though. I’m going
to have you go to Dallas, Texas and report on a motorcycle club gang called
Rough Devils.”

He
waited for me to respond but I was too surprised.
A
motorcycle gang?
Going from Washington DC to Texas? What the fuck?

“Uh,
why me and why to Texas?”
I asked, trying to be as polite as
possible.

He
averted his eyes and stared at the doorway. Was that guilt in his eyes? I
couldn’t be sure.

“Well
I just think you’d be the right person for the job. Plus the pay is much better
and I figured you’d appreciate that. It wouldn’t be a permanent thing; you only
have to stay there for one or two months tops.”

I
sat back in my chair and tried to absorb this information.

“So
I’d be getting paid to report on a motorcycle gang. What would I have to do?
Just take pictures of them getting beers or something?”

He
leaned forward ominously.

“Not
exactly.
I want you to get close to them. I want you to find out what they do, where
they go, who’s involved. From what I hear, they aren’t as dangerous as some of
the other gangs around the area, but I would still play it safe. You shouldn’t
have too much trouble.”

“But
why go there in the first place? What’s so special about them? What sets them
apart from all the other gangs around the country?”

He
averted his eyes again. I knew there was something he wasn’t telling me and it
made me nervous.

“My
boss just says it’s important to learn about what they’re up to. They’ve only
been around a couple years so they’re relatively new. But they are pretty big
down there in Texas now. I think you’ll enjoy it,” he said, smiling at her.

I
wasn’t so sure.

“When
do I leave for this assignment?”

“You’ll
be catching a plane on Friday. I have your hotel booked for one month, but if
you find anything interesting I may pull you out sooner.”

I
nodded. Maybe this wouldn’t be so bad. Plus I’d get more money, which didn’t
hurt. There was something about this that seemed a little fishy though. There
was definitely something Dave wasn’t telling me about the gang. But I didn’t
think he’d send me there if he knew there was a chance I would get hurt, right?

I
spent the evening packing my bags and thinking about just what the hell I was
going to do over there. I’d never been out of DC before so it would be a whole
new experience for me. I was more nervous about the job though.

What
kind of motorcycle club required a journalist to follow them around? Why was it
me
being sent when there were plenty of other people who were probably
more experienced than me? What was it that Dave wasn’t telling me about the
job?

Those
questions went through my head for the rest of the week as I prepared myself to
leave. The only thing that comforted me was the fact that there were probably a
lot of hot cowboys in Dallas. Who knows? Maybe I’d get lucky and score with a
cute guy. I was a decent looking
girl,
I shouldn’t
have too much trouble.

But
my nerves returned almost instantly once the plane touched down in Dallas. I
grabbed my luggage and looked around for a guy holding a sign with my name on it.
I found him at once by the exit, looking as nervous as me and at least five
years younger. He couldn’t have been more than twenty.

“Hey,
I’m Sasha Nicks. I take it you’re here to take me to my hotel?”

“Y-yes.
Right this
way,” he mumbled opening the door for me. I wondered why he was so nervous.

He
helped load my luggage into his car and ushered me in quickly. I sat back and
relaxed in the back seat as we began to drive away.

“So
where in Dallas are we going?” I asked.

He
gave me a terrified look in the mirror.

“The
dangerous part,” he whispered.

Wow.
It must have been pretty dangerous if the poor kid was this terrified. He
didn’t answer any of my questions the rest of the drive. I silently cursed Dave.
I thought he said this wouldn’t be dangerous?
Too late to
back out now.

Finally
we pulled up to a little rundown motel in the middle of nowhere. I got out of
the car and looked around. There was sand everywhere. Millions and millions of
miles of sand, it seemed. This town really was in the middle of nowhere.

There
was a little grocery store next door to the motel, a bar across the street,
twenty or so houses and a few more shops lining the streets. I cursed Dave
again. Why the fuck would he
send
me to a tiny little
town like this? And where the hell was I supposed to find a biker gang? I
couldn’t even see any people.

My
answer came a few moments later. I heard the sound of engines rumbling and spun
around. There, about a hundred feet away, sat eight huge, hulking guys on
motorcycles with the letters
TRD
on their jackets. There was a little
carving of a demon looking thing with horns on the front of each motorcycle.

I
gulped. Well, at least I found the Rough Devils without too much trouble. The fun
part would be following them. The guy in the middle seemed to be the leader. He
drove over to the motel parking spot as the rest of the guys followed.

He
dismounted and immediately turned and walked over to me, taking his helmet off.
My heart seemed to melt. I could see his emerald green eyes from here. This guy
did not look like any typical redneck biker. He was absolutely gorgeous.

His
sleeveless shirt revealed huge, broad shoulders and bulging arm muscles that
rippled when he walked. I could make out his chest muscles underneath his
shirt. This guy was
ripped.

He
stood about a foot taller than me and had tattoos running all the way down his
arms and legs. If he turned around I’m sure his jeans would outline a perfect ass.
He looked like a bodybuilder model turned biker.

He
stopped right in front of me and looked me up and down. I could feel my heart
racing in my chest. If I wasn’t so nervous about these guys, pussy juice would
be seeping through my pants right now. This guy was
incredible.

“We
haven’t seen you around here before. What are you doing here?” He had a smooth,
deep voice that made my head spin.

“I-I’m
here on business,” I squeaked, unable to meet his eyes.

“What
kind of business?” He eyed the big camera in my hand.

“You
a photographer or something?” he asked, flashing me an absurdly perfect smile.

I
don’t know where my sudden burst of courage came from, but suddenly I got
angry. I was from Washington DC and these hicks were from butt-fuck nowhere.
What business was it of theirs what I was doing here?

“That’s
none of your business,” I replied defiantly, looking him square in the eye this
time.

He
chuckled. The chuckle turned into a laugh. Pretty soon the whole gang was
laughing their asses off at me. I felt myself turn beet-red. Whether it was
with rage or embarrassment I didn’t know. But these guys were really getting on
my nerves.

I
made my decision. I was determined to find some dirt on these assholes if it
took me years. At this point I didn’t care that Dave had screwed me over
sending me to this town in the middle of nowhere. These fuckers were going to
get theirs.

When
he finally stopped laughing enough to make a coherent sentence, the leader
spoke again.

“Honey,
it’s our
job
to know everything that goes on around here. We basically
run the town. You may not want to tell us now, but believe me. You will,” he
rumbled, much more seriously.

Those
last two words sent a chill down my spine. Was he threatening me?

“I’m
Rick, by the way. I got a feeling we’re going to be seeing each other real
soon, honey,” he promised, giving me a wicked grin.

He
turned back to his motorcycle as the rest of the gang followed. Within seconds
they had sped off into the distance.

I turned
to look back at the driver but he was huddled in the car.

“Thanks
for all your help,” I muttered to him, grabbing my bags.

“S-sorry,
ma’am.
But those guys are really dangerous. If they saw me with you, they might…” he
didn’t finish. I didn’t ask him to elaborate.

“So
these guys run this town huh?” I asked him as he helped me carry my bags
inside.

“Sort
of,” he said. He grew more relaxed when we walked into the motel.

I
nodded.

“I
have a lot of questions for you if you don’t mind.”

He
shrugged.

“Okay,
that’s fine. Let’s get you settled in first and we’ll talk.”