GRIT: A Spartan Riders Novel (8 page)

TEN

Swan Creek wasn’t the ideal place to spend a weekend, let alone a lifetime. But Gabby committed herself to the lengthy bi-weekly trip, not out of love, but out of duty because, while she could leave anytime she wanted, the man lying in the hospital bed before her didn’t have the same luxury.

Shane Allen had fallen in with the wrong crowd and, because of her, had ended up with a lifetime sentence of being trapped in a body no longer able to function without the help of machines and a qualified nursing staff.

Giving up a couple days each month was the least she could do. She considered it penance for the bad choices she’d made in life.

“I didn’t think I’d make it through the first week, but the kids are pretty great. They remind me of you in a way, all that energy. Zipping back and forth, always on the go.” She’d spent the last hour telling him about her new role as a teacher while giving him his sponge bath and a fresh change of clothes.

“I know you don’t agree, but I can’t keep living my life on the run. That’s not living.” Buttoning the last button on the new flannel pajama top she’d purchased for him, Gabby stood back to admire the view. “There, now don’t you look handsome.”

Expressive, shale blue eyes met hers and seemed to call her a liar. Shane’s body, though once tall and thick with muscle, had withered away into the thin, frail man who served as a constant reminder of her guilt.

Sadness threatened to swamp her, so Gabby did what she always did when she felt like the world was closing in on her: she enlisted a nurse to help her transfer Shane into his wheelchair then rolled him outside to enjoy a dose of fresh air.

The courtyard was nothing more than a circular space covered in grass and surrounded by the pentagonal-shaped building on all sides. Sidewalk stretched from four separate exits, converging in the middle where a wooden pergola sat waiting for visitors.

Gabby wheeled Shane inside where they could escape the sun and still enjoy the weather. Taking a seat on one of the built-in benches, she pulled him up close before digging through her purse and pulling out a pack of cigarettes.

Shane’s gaze tracked her every move as she placed a stick between her lips and cupped her hand to shield the flame while she lit it. Drawing the smoke into her mouth, she was careful not to inhale. Her eyes stung as it drifted back out, and she placed the burning stick between his dry, chapped lips. “I’ll never understand why you like these things so much. You know they’ll kill you, right?”

Grunting, Shane gave her a narrow-eyed look that seemed to say
Why do you think I do it?
She got it. She really did. If the tables were reversed, she’d probably feel the same way. Going from someone who’d once been strong and athletic, a man who took his freedom into both capable hands and ran with it every day of his life, only to be reduced to this—a man trapped in the shell of a body unable to function without help—was unimaginable.

But here he was. And it was all his fault.

“I wish you’d never gotten involved with that man,” Gabby murmured as she looked out across the lawn where a couple of birds pecked holes in the dirt. “What they did to you…to me…I’ll never forget that night.” Her voice shook and she swallowed hard, forcing the lump in her throat back down. The past wasn’t pretty. It was hideous. If only she could go back, have a do-over, she’d change everything. Do it all different.

But the past was written in stone, the damages forever etching their futures in misery and pain. They were just lucky to have gotten out with their lives.

Although Shane probably had a different opinion on that.

Shane grunted again, and she looked up to find him staring intently back at her. The words he couldn’t speak shone in the brightness of his eyes, and Gabby leaned forward to clasp his hand. “I’m sorry. I’m getting all emotional.” She gave him a lopsided smile and sucked in a breath. “I won’t bring it up again. Promise.”

Her thoughts turning toward Blake, Gabby briefly considered telling Shane about that new development in her life, but quickly thought better of it. It would be cruel to tell him about all the good things happening to her, how she was moving on to bigger and better things, meeting new people, when all he could do was sit there and listen.

Shane’s life, or what was left of it, was essentially over.

It saddened Gabby to no end, but she had to remind herself that she wasn’t the one who put him in that chair. She wasn’t the one who stripped away his life and any potential of one. She was just a pawn, and she had the scars to prove it.

After he’d burned through two more cigarettes, Gabby took Shane back inside and got him settled in his room before promising to return the same time next week. As she pulled away and looked back at the fading building in her rearview mirror, she couldn’t help the overwhelming sense of relief that washed over her. Every time she left that place, she felt as if she were escaping from prison. A great weight lifted from her shoulders, coloring the road ahead in the brilliance of freedom and endless possibilities.

At least until the next visit.

***

“A nursing home?” Blake stared at the phone in his hand, his brows drawn low over his eyes as he thumbed through the catalogue of pictures again—a little side project Blake had Country working on after church let out earlier that morning.

Shrugging, Country flattened his hand out on the table and leaned back in his chair, kicking his left ankle up to rest on his right knee. “She went in around noon and left just before three.”

“What the hell would she be at a nursing home for? Especially one over twenty miles away.”

“Visiting a grandparent. Volunteering. The woman reads like the saintly type. Wouldn’t put it past her.”

“You didn’t go in?” Blake already knew the answer. He’d specifically told Country to stay outside. Observe. As a former military man, it was ingrained in him to follow direction and to date, he’d never failed to follow a command, and he always did it to the letter.

“You know I didn’t.”

Nodding, Blake handed the phone back. Aside from looking like a wet dream in a modest floral sundress, the pictures of Gabby told him zilch, but damned if he didn’t want to know what she was doing there. Could be completely innocent, like Country said, or could be that she was hiding something. He wouldn’t know until he asked her. Or went in himself to find out.

Tucking the phone in his back pocket, Country’s intense eyes stared him down. “So, ya gonna tell me what this is all about?”

“Nope.”

“She do somethin’ wrong? Piss ya off?”

“Not yet.”

“You want me to stay on her?”

That was the million-dollar question. Did Blake have reason to keep tabs on Gabby? A crazy ex-girlfriend said he did. Whether or not Gabby was hiding something, the fact still remained that Jodi was the type of bitch to cause trouble. If she got wind that he was interested in another woman, there’d be no limit to the amount of trouble she’d cause, which meant he needed to be proactive. Plus, Blake was the suspicious type, even more so now that he had Jodi to reference and a little boy to protect. So, if Gabby had something to hide, he needed to know about it.

“I’ll let you know.” Meeting his gaze, Blake said, “In the meantime, keep your eyes and ears open when you and Taco are on patrol tonight. The earlier the better.” Even though things were quiet, he wanted to make sure it stayed that way, and the only way to do that was to keep vigil over the town morning, noon, and night. Especially with Cruiz setting up shop nearby. That piece of shit was going to be a problem. It wasn’t a matter of
if
, but
when
.

It was driving Blake crazy wondering when and where Cruiz and his men were going to show up in his territory. A man like him played it smart, cool. Start small and work your way up…fast.

“You got it, Prez. Anything else you want me to take care of before I head out?”

Blake cocked a brow. “Why, you got somewhere to be?”

Country smirked. “Got me a nice piece waiting. Thought I’d break her in before heading out tonight.”

“If it’s something you picked up ‘round here, I doubt you need to waste the time.”

“She’s new,” Country informed him as he pulled to his feet and ran his fingers through his hair. “Figure I’d show her a few things before the brothers get ahold of her. Leave an impression.”

Blake followed him to the door. “Better watch yourself with that one. Fresh meat has a way of sticking to the first surface it touches.”

“Thanks for the advice, Prez, but I think I got a handle on it.”

Clapping him on the shoulder, Blake gave Country a nod, and they split off in opposite directions. To each his own as far as he was concerned. Country was a big boy, and Blake already had a boy at home to tend to without taking on another. Besides, who was he to talk? No sooner was he unattached did he find something else to attach himself to.

He was nearly as bad as the house bunnies.

Striding across the clubhouse’s main floor, Blake made his way over to the bar where his VP, Garrick Stone—or Repo—took up occupancy and looked as if he’d been there a long time. Both arms folded on the counter, he leaned forward, his shoulders bunching around his ears, and if the way Ginger was smiling at him from behind the counter was any indication, he was sweet talkin’ his way into her pants.

Wouldn’t be a first.

Approaching from behind, Blake gave Ginger a nod and clapped a hand on Repo’s shoulder as he claimed the stool beside him. “I see you’ve started early.”

Pale blue, nearly white eyes that seemed to glow, cut to Blake. They were unsettling, those eyes, and made him question once again why they didn’t call him Ice instead. Snow white hair and a full beard only exacerbated the situation, and Blake knew he was a lucky sonofabitch to be on his good side.

“Five o’clock somewhere,” Repo grunted.

Indeed. “You gonna be solid later?” They’d been working on rebuilding an old Harley together, and the last thing Blake wanted was to find himself missing an appendage because his VP was too shitfaced to handle a wrench.

“As a rock.”

Flattening her hands on the counter, Ginger propped herself between the two men, the position pressing her ample breasts up and out. Her smile was sweet if not inviting. It was that way for everyone. Ginger was an equal opportunity slut, but being that her old man, Hawke, had discarded her a few years back because she refused to put up with his extracurricular activities, the brothers had developed a bit of a soft spot for her—a soft spot Blake had always harbored since she’d been his first. “You want anything while I’m back here, Prez?”

Her voice was a seductive purr. Blake flashed Ginger a friendly smile. “No thanks, Momma. I’m ridin’ today.”

Her eyes flashed and her smile tipped up another notch despite the perpetual sad look in her eyes. “You sure?”

The invitation was there for the taking, but Blake had already traveled that road. Besides, he had his eyes on something much sweeter. “Seems you already have plans with this one,” he said with a jerk of his chin.

Repo’s hard gaze was fixed on Ginger, and it didn’t take a genius to realize he was pissed over the slight. Seemed as though Ginger had an ass whippin’ in her near future. Looking between the two, though, and witnessing their heated, unspoken exchange, Blake didn’t think that was going to be an issue.

Snorting a laugh, Blake gave up and stood. “I’m going to leave you two to relieve the tension y’all have buildin’ up in here. When you’re done, Repo, see your way over to my place.”

Repo gave Blake a two-finger salute, then went back to staring down his prized catch. Blake shook his head as he walked out the door. Why those two didn’t just make it official was beyond him. Ginger might be the mother hen of the house, and maybe she’d taken a few turns with all the brothers, but she wasn’t much older than any of them, and she was as sweet as she was feisty. She’d make any one of the brothers a good ol’ lady, but Repo might just be the only one to appreciate what she was offering. Lord knew Blake had tried to snuff out the torch she carried for him too many times to count, but it seemed no matter how hard he tried, Ginger either wouldn’t or couldn’t let the past die. If she could learn to accept that she and Blake were never gonna happen, she might just find herself happy with a man who could give her everything she’d been looking for. Blake had a feeling Repo might be that man.

Slinging his leg over his bike, Blake put the topic to bed as he tucked the helmet over his head, held his hand up to a couple of the brothers passing by on their way inside the clubhouse, then sped out with thoughts of a certain teacher on his mind.

ELEVEN

“Thank you for tagging along. I don’t think I’ve ever seen Ash smile so much.” It was Monday morning, and they were on a field trip to the zoo. Walking alongside Blake, Gabby tried her best to keep her tone light, casual. Looking at him was definitely out of the question. She was afraid that he might see just how much those words applied to him reflecting in her eyes.

“No need to thank me. He’s my kid.”

“Sure, but you’re a big hit with the rest of them too. Especially the boys. I think they have hero worship after seeing you ride up on your bike this morning.” In fact, she knew they did. The way their eyes had lit up when Blake and Ash rolled into the parking lot, dismounting with a fluid grace and striding up in matching leather like a pair of outlaws was awe worthy even for her. She hadn’t been able to stop staring.

She might have even drooled a little.

She knew for a fact a couple of her coworkers—the third and fifth grade ones in particular, who she knew to be happily married—definitely had.

Blake Mahone had certainly left an impression.

Chuckling, Blake ducked his head and scratched his thumbnail over his left brow. “Yeah? Well, I guess that means we have some new recruits to look out for in the future.”

Gabby frowned. She certainly hoped that wasn’t the case. She wasn’t overly fond of the biker world, regardless of how nice and down to earth those in Blake’s command happened to be. It just wasn’t an environment that someone should aspire to be a part of. Came with too much baggage, too many hidden dangers. Too much…everything.

“I see that look, teach,” Blake’s raspy voice grumbled. “You don’t like the idea of someone like me inspiring impressionable youths, do you?”

Seeing one of her students beginning to wander from the pack, Gabby took a moment to bring the little one back into the fold with a hand on their head, steering them where they needed to be. “I just think that it’d be better for them to shoot for something more…law abiding.”

“Daddy! Can I have a quarter? The goats are hungry!”

Blake tore his eyes from her and looked down at Ash, smiling as he dug into his jeans pocket. “Sure thing, buddy. Any of you monsters want to feed the goats?”

A rush of children headed their way screaming and shouting, their hands thrust out and fingers flexing. Gabby watched in amusement as Blake filled each little palm with a shiny quarter.

“That was nice, and it puts an end to the mystery of the giant bulge in your pants.”

Blake’s eyes glittered. Leaning in, he lowered his voice and asked, “You checking out my package, teach? Because my pocket might be empty, but I can assure you that bulge you had your eye on is very much still present.”

“You’re incorrigible,” she said with a roll of her eyes. Catching sight of one of the boys shoving his way through the line to the treat dispenser, she shouted, “Marcus, wait your turn!”

As she continued monitoring her class, Gabby felt Blake’s eyes on her, and the little hairs on the back of her neck perked up.

“Getting back on topic, I think you should know that my club and I haven’t broken a single law in over a decade,” Blake informed her, his voice hard. “I’m sure you’re disappointed now that your theory of us all being criminals has been blown out of the water.”

“Not at all.” She shook her head. “I’m glad that you’re all staying out of trouble, but you can’t blame me for being concerned. It’s not as if motorcycle clubs are known for keeping their noses clean.”

“Well, there’s the difference right there. We’re not an MC. We’re a riding club.”

“Where I come from, there’s not much difference. Are you planning to tell me that you all have a clean record?”

“Not even a little bit. Most of us have a couple marks, some more than others. Just depends on how long you’ve worn the cut. Going back to my pop’s time, yeah, a lot of the brothers spent some time upstate. Since I’ve taken the head at the table, only the normal, everyday shit. Misdemeanors mostly.”

That didn’t exactly make Gabby feel warm and fuzzy—a record was still a record—but she could admit that it was marginally better depending on what angle you viewed it from. “Which side of the fence do you fall on, misdemeanors or felonies?”

She met Blake’s dark gaze unwavering. He was intimidating no matter the circumstance, but in this setting, surrounded by a group of happy-go-lucky children and sultry-eyed volunteer mothers, coupled with that unforgettable kiss he planted on her over the weekend that she hadn’t been able to stop thinking about, it was becoming increasingly difficult to keep up her guard.

Stepping closer, Blake towered over her, his tall frame casting her in shadows as he stared directly into her eyes. A couple of the moms that had been circling nearby peeked over their shoulders, and Gabby tried her best to ignore their curious stares. “My past is mine, teach,” Blake rasped. “You don’t get to judge me on that. Now, you stick around long enough, I might tell you about it, but by then it won’t matter a good goddamn either way, because you’ll already be mine.”

“Yours?” She swallowed thickly, afraid to admit that she liked the sound of that.
Mine
. It sent a dangerous shiver down her spine.

“Mine,” he growled. “My woman, my old lady, my responsibility, my property.”

“Miss Gabby, the goat is eating Olly’s shirt!” a girl’s voice called. Grouped together, the kids laughed and pointed, getting a real kick out of the goat who was making a fast meal of Olly’s clothing. Thankfully, one of the moms jumped in to handle the situation, because Gabby was still reeling.

Like a bucket of ice water had been dumped over her head, the interruption served to jolt her back into reality. “I’m no one’s property,” she snapped, then, with a sharp look, she broke away to join her students. Feeding the goats was preferable—and safer—than being caught in Blake Mahone’s orbit.

***

By the time the bus returned them to the school, the dismissal bell had already rung. Relieved, Gabby ignored Blake’s constant, invasive stare that had drilled through the back of her skull the entire ride, choosing instead to absorb herself in taking a head count as she directed the children off the bus.

“If you see your parents, you’re free to go. Those who ride the bus, form a line on the sidewalk and wait for me.”

They filed past her, one by one. When the bus was nearly empty, Blake and Ash left their seats, and all the oxygen in her lungs seemed to go with them. She stood at the front of the bus, her heart lodged in her throat for some unknown reason, and she trained her focus everywhere but on them.

Her efforts were futile.

There was no ignoring the six-foot-something man in black leather and faded jeans heading her way. His mere presence demanded to be noticed. It was almost an unspoken agreement between her eyes and his body that she had to watch every long-legged stride, every prowling gait aimed in her direction.

When they reached the front where she stood waiting, she found herself face to face with a wall of man. Unbidden, her gaze lifted, her breaths growing shallow as she met his deep, penetrating eyes.

“After you,” he said in that deep, dark voice that stirred something concerning inside of her.

“Oh, um…thank you,” she muttered, surprised by his chivalry and thrown just a little off-kilter by his proximity. Each step down was an effort, her legs trembled so badly, and feeling Blake’s looming presence behind her only made it worse.

Why was she such a mess around this man? It wasn’t as if she’d never been around handsome men before. But there was just something about him. Something that set her off, made her feel weak, unbalanced, vulnerable.

She hated the power he had over her. Sucking in a breath, she reminded herself that she was in control of her body, her mind, and her reactions. She was allowing Blake to get into her head, to affect her, and she wasn’t going to let it happen anymore. She needed to keep her wits, stop acting like a school girl and behave like an adult in control of her faculties.

Even if that was the furthest thing from the truth.

Fake it ‘til you make it, right?

Once off the bus, Gabby was glad to see Blake and Ash heading off in the direction of his motorcycle. No awkward goodbyes or conversations. Just a clean break. For the first time, she wasn’t appalled to see the boy on the back of the bike. Relieved was more like it.

Pasting on a smile, she guided what was left of her class to their respective busses, thanked the parents who’d volunteered to chaperone, and wished them all a good day. Then she headed for her car, glad that she had thought ahead and hadn’t left anything important inside the school. She was eager to escape, get home, soak in the tub, and put the day behind her.

Going to the zoo with twenty-two kids was…well, a zoo. God love them, but she needed a few hours to unwind after that circus, especially since sleep had been in short supply as of late.

She was reaching for the door handle when she heard the low, unmistakable rumble of Blake’s bike coast up behind her. Turning, she tried not to look or sound annoyed on the account of Ash being present.

The visor on Blake’s helmet was up, so there was no mistaking the concentrated look in his eyes as he let his gaze travel blatantly over her curves. “Ash wanted to invite you over tonight for another movie and dinner. We’re making Top Ramen.”

“Daddy said it’s a delicacy.”

A smile flickered to life as Gabby looked toward Ash, who was just too cute for words. “A delicacy, eh?” He nodded brightly. “Well, as awesome as that sounds, I was planning to go home and relax tonight. Rain check?” Ash’s expression fell and, instantly, she felt like a jerk.

“You can relax at our house,” Blake suggested, a knowing smirk curling one side of his mouth up.

Gabby checked her glare, annoyed because she knew full-well what he was trying to do. She just wanted to go home, but he was reeling her in, and he clearly wasn’t above using his kid to do it. “I was going to take a bath…” she trailed off, her excuse weak even to her own ears. Except she really had been looking forward to that bath.

“We have a bathtub!” Ash said excitedly. “And Daddy bought me Superman bubble bath. You can use it if you wanna.”

“Sharing is caring,” Blake said, his smirk transforming into a full-on grin.

The bastard, he knew she couldn’t say no to that. Breaking Ash’s heart was not on her list of things to do, and being that he looked so damn hopeful, she knew she was stuck between a rock and a hard place.

Never one for lying and all excuses exhausted, Gabby released a sigh, her shoulders sagging. “Fine, okay. Just let me run home and pick up a change of clothes, and I’ll meet you there.”

Throttling up, Blake jerked his chin at her. “Careful you don’t lose track of time.”

Holding back a snarky retort, Gabby watched as they drove away, lifting her hand to return Ash’s little wave, and wondered what the hell she’d gone and gotten herself into again.