Just Ride: Legion of Guardians (15 page)

“Son of a bitch.”

I hit the dashboard with the heel of my hand. “Son of a bitch is right. I told him that his services were no longer needed, and I’d hire my own people to protect me. Bitch! How is it
NOT
my place?”

My entire body was heated from red, hot anger. I wasn’t thinking straight, but I couldn’t stop myself. Impulsive was the word my parents used for me and now it made sense.

How was it NOT my place?

Bitch.

Well, fuck him.

“Take me to Lori’s. If I go to your place or mine, he’ll find me there.”

“I don’t feel comfortable leaving you there alone. How about I park and we walk together?”

“Naw, it’ll be cool. I’ll text you every hour to let you know I’m okay.”

“Uh, I don’t know,” Shay tried to push.

“Girl, I’m fine. Nobody knows I’ll be there. Not even
said
stalker.”

“Fine. Every hour. You hear me?”

K
ylie
:

I used my spare key to Lori’s place, which was the extension to her parents’ house, and tried not to turn on too many lights. I then sent Lori a quick text letting her know that I was staying here so if she came home early she wouldn’t be startled.

As I sat on the sofa, trying to finish rereading my book, I realized my plan was stupid. There was no way I would get any sleep because this place was just as scary as my place. After a while, I finally did doze off until a noise startled me.

Holy shit, someone was inside of the room with me.

“Kylie?” A voice whispered as I screamed bloody murder.

A hand covered my mouth, muffling my cries. I stomped my foot down on theirs and went to pound their balls, but he grabbed my wrist like he knew what was going to happen, thus throwing me off guard. He quickly spun me around, and I started to scream again, until I saw it was Apollo.

Fucking Apollo.

“What the fuck, Apollo?!” I yelled.

“What the fuck to you. Running off like that. Fuck is wrong with you woman?”

“Nothing is wrong with me.”

“Come on,” he said as he grabbed me by the wrist.

I maneuvered my arm out of his and said, “I’m not going back. If you haven’t heard, you guys are no longer employed to protect me.”

“Listen, you want to be stupid? Fine by me, you ain’t my old lady. But, sitting in here with a flimsy ass lock between you and God knows what, calling yourself trying to hide, is just plain stupid. Do yourself a favor and stay at Razor’s.”

“I will not stay at Razors’ and don’t you dare tell him where I’m at!”

Apollo laughed, “Girl, you fucking around with my man. Yeah, he lost it, but he’s lost in you.”

“No, you’re wrong!” I snapped. “He just simply lost it and made it quite clear that I had nothing to do with his business.”

“Yeah, well that ain’t my business. What
is
my business is your safety. Now, where are you going or where am I dragging your ass?”

I glared at him, but he wouldn’t be moved. He was the Sergeant-at-Arms for the Guardians, and his sole purpose was to enforce and ensure the safety and security of the club. Apollo didn’t take much from anyone, and people didn’t fuck with him. The man knew surveillance, and he was sharp. Not much passed him which probably explains how he found me.

Bitch.

“Take me to my parents,” I finally said.

“Let’s go, or you’ll encounter Razor 4.0 in ten minutes.”

“What?” I asked.

“Let’s go. He’s on his way. I’ll call him from the truck.”

Oh shit.

We were en route to my parents’ when Apollo hit his cell screen and said, “I got her…she’s fine…demanded to go to her parents…not fighting with your old lady…she almost snatched my balls off…hold on.” Apollo tried to hand me the phone.

My hands crossed over my chest and I shook my head.

“She ain’t taking it…okay,” Apollo said and then hung up the phone.

When I arrived, my dad knew something was wrong. First it was eleven in the evening, and second, I’m sure I looked a bit rattled.

“Running? Huh?” he asked.

“No, just thinking.”

“I swear you’re your mother’s child.” He shook his head. “Almost feel sorry for the man.”

“Dad, you don’t even know what happened!” I snapped.

“Oh, but I do. Somewhere in your mind, you probably either made a decision for yourself that impacted Razor, made a decision for him that directly impacted him, or made a decision for the both of you that impacted him but you failed to discuss it with the one person it would impact the most. Y’all just do your own shit, get mad with one another when the other person doesn’t see your side, and then just leave and do your own thing.”

My eyes were wide.

Shit.

“How’d you…”

“You’re your mother’s child.” He pulled out the ice cream.

Two scoops of strawberry for me and two for him were our usual talking snack.

“I went to Razor’s mom’s house and called myself trying to mend fences. He found out and lost his shit. Told me it was none of my business. He said I had no right or place to do it. So I left. No rights, no place. I left.”

Dad smirked then shook his head. “You know our divorce was your mother’s bright idea. She was at the beginning stages of her illness, and she did not tell me about it. Just let me believe she fell out of love and wanted to move on with her life. Of all the things, I wanted her to be happy. Wanted her to live her life and damn if I would have known she was sick. I would have taken care of her and to hell with being in office, she’s my love. Was my wife. Here, she was concerned about my campaign while I was suffering from a broken heart. I could have given a damn about a campaign. I would have given it all up for her. Just her.”

Damn, I didn’t even know that.

“It was her idea?”

He nodded and took a scoop of ice cream. “Yup, she even convinced me. It wasn’t until I found out she was sick that I realized she had orchestrated this from the beginning.” He put the spoon in the bowl and continued, “Decided I’d be better off without her.”

“Damn, Dad.” I was stunned.

“Well, sort of like what you’re doing now. Made a decision that clearly impacted him, without discussion and then when he rightfully got upset, you make yet another decision that will impact him. It’ll affect you both, but he doesn’t even have a say. You took that choice from him.”

Fuck
.

I sighed.

“Dad, he said I had no rights. Said I had no place.”

“Do you?” He asked with one eyebrow raised.

“Well, he’s been treating me like I do. Though nothing has been finalized, I thought we were on that road.”

“He never said you were on that road.”

“Not verbally. Just in actions. Told me I was staying with him. Has me involved with his son, his businesses, and I even have a job working at
Pepper
as the entertainment manager.” I added. “It’s not a handout, and it’ll let me keep singing.”

“Okay, that all sounds good. However, he hasn’t said anything specific about your role in his life, the future, his plan?”

“No,” I frowned at my father’s ability to see through my bullshit.

Well, my stupidity again. Here, I thought I was being smart. Nope, just being young and dumb.

“Well, for what’s it’s worth, I think he’s waiting for you. He stood flat-foot in here and told me and your mother that’s he’s all in. I believe him; however the question is, are you?”

“Huh? Waiting for me?” I asked. “I’ve made my intentions clear.”

“Have you?” My dad questioned. “Have you had that conversation?”

That reminded me of the conversation we did not finish. About
my
future plans.

Goddamnit
.

“No, we didn’t finish it.”

“Ahhh,” he replied and finished off his ice cream. “I’ll suspect he’ll be coming here in the morning. Just don’t have any long, drag-out yelling matches. Your mother will be sleeping.”

“Night, Dad.”

He was right on all accounts, and I was wrong.

Completely wrong.

The next morning, my phone buzzed with a text from Razor.

Come to the door.

When I looked out the window, I saw Razor leaning on his bike as his gaze was right in my line of sight. As usual, he was looked sexy as hell leaning on that bike like that.

Simmer down, Kylie.

As I opened the door, I saw he was no longer on his bike, but sauntering up the walkway. The house was at the end of a cul-de-sac, so any and everyone could see us if they were up at dawn.

“Razor, it’s six in the morning. What are you doing here?” I asked as I slowly closed the door.

“Couldn’t sleep.”

He was standing at the bottom of the steps looking up at me while I stood at the top in blue/grey pajama bottoms, a pink, fitted tank top, and slippers. Neither of us moved any further but remained looking at one another. He looked rough, rugged, and rundown.

“Come home,” he said simply.

His eyes remained lifted and on me. “That’s your home, Razor. Not mine.”

He put his head down, then raised it again and growled, “Well, make it yours.”

“It’s not my place to make it mine.” I replied.

He took a step up and said, “Come home, sweetheart.”

“I’m good where I’m at. I can have Shay go and get my stuff tomorrow after work, but I won’t be going back to your house.”

“Wrong answer,” Razor hissed as he took the stairs two at a time until I was against the brick on the house. “Let me clarify for you. Told you before. Not letting you go. You want to cut me loose, you look me in the eyes and tell me that. Show me that. Until then, you’re with me. You don’t get to do that. You don’t get to steer my boat and pull up anchor because you don’t like something. That’s not a fucking relationship. It’s not one that will last. You deal with that shit. I’m mad, you deal. You’re mad, I deal. We’re mad and we’ll deal. You fucked up, Kylie. I don’t take that back, you had no right. That was my personal shit. That was …”

“No,” I stood on my toes to get back in his face. “I had every goddamn right. You’re
never
going to let me go? You want me to come
home
? You won’t let me leave? Then you prove that shit. You have been estranged from your family for over ten years. Ten fucking years. You call your house a home? Then if you know anything about me, you should know that I’ll stop what I’m doing and put my career on hold to take care of home. My home. My mom and her sickness. She didn’t ask, I didn’t tell her, it’s what I did. That is because it’s important to me. You are important to me. So I wished to mend something that despite all you didn’t say, I know was broken inside. Why? Because for me, you’ve become my safe place.” A tear started to roll my face. “So I wanted that for you. Peace and reconciliation. I want that for
you
. So, yes, it was my damn place and my fucking right to intervene. And fuck you if you don’t agree.” I pushed him in the chest as the tears started to pour down my face. “You’ve given me so much, and I wanted to do something for you. That was it, and you have the fucking nerve to say, it wasn’t my place. Like I was that whore at the movie theater. Like I was nobody to you.”

Razor cornered me against the wall again and my hands pressed on his chest. “How could you ever say that? You’re nobody to me? You’re fucking
everything
to me. You’re all that I have. You are home. It’s not a place. Not even a feeling. You’re just home for me. I don’t need them. None of them.”

“You don’t mean that, Razor. Your home is with your brotherhood, and that’s fine with me, but you do need people. I’m not your home.”

“Yes, you are.” He grounded out in what sounded like pain. “You come before all of that. My brothers, my club. You’re all I have.” I shook my hand, but he leaned in and kissed my lips. “It’s just you, Kylie.” He kissed me again. “All I want is you.”

By this point, his hands were around my waist and I was pressing against his chest still trying to push him away. “No, Razor.”

“Wrong answer, Kylie.” He kissed my lips again and didn’t let go.

Pressing me against the house, I could feel his strong physique against my body. One hand held my neck while the other was around my lower back. His tongue invaded my mouth and the mixing of our flavors brought back every other time he kissed, touched or stroked inside of me. All of these familiar thoughts and feelings started to attack me at the same time, and I was mad all over again.

My strength kicked in, and I pushed Razor completely off of me. Well, he let me as his eyebrows drew together.

“No, Razor. You tell me what you feel about me. You tell me what you want with me. Never let you go doesn’t mean shit. What do you see for us? What’s next?” I was out of breath.

He ran his hands through his hair and said, “You don’t know?”

“No, because you’ve never said it.”

“I’m still trying to figure out where we stand. Your mom is better?” He pointed towards the house, “What does that mean for you? Huh? You staying? Leaving? Where does that leave us? You think I’d stand in the way of your dreams? Try to strap you down here if you want to see the world? I love you, Kylie. You stole my heart, and sweetheart, it belongs only to you, but I have no idea what your next move is. I mean it. I won’t let you go. I’ll hold on until you tell me to stop and mean that shit, but I won’t hold you back. I won’t tie you down as much as I want to.”

What in the actual fuck?

There were no words left as I stood there stunned by his words and admission. Xander Razor Willis just said he loved me. There was nothing else to say. He approached me again, caging my body against the wall with his lips hovered over mine.

“Tell me to go?” he said. “Tell me it’s over.” I turned my head away from him. Razor nipped my ear and whispered, “Send me away.”

“I can’t,” I murmured.

And dammit, if I couldn’t. I was not sure if I wanted to go out on the road again, but I was sure that I did not want to leave the safety of Razor’s arms or protection. I understood what he meant. He had become home for me in so many ways as well.

In all the ways that mattered.

“Then, come home.” He turned my face back towards him. “Let’s go.”

I nodded and he backed up.

“Gotta grab my stuff. I’ll be right back.”

He nodded and I ran upstairs to get my bags and ran into my dad.

“Heard you got your answer,” he smiled.

I laughed softly as I was a little nervous about all that he heard.

“Yeah,” I replied. “Just going to get my stuff.”

“Proud of you sweetheart. He’s a tough man, but like I though. He ain’t a dumb one.”

I turned around and hugged my dad. “Thanks Dad. Love you.”

“Love you too, baby girl.”

Razor and I drove home and we both got in bed. There was no hanky panky, just good ole’ sleep. We were exhausted as neither of us got any sleep last night. When I finally woke up, Razor was outside on the grill. The smoke was coming in through the bedroom window, and it smelled delicious.

After taking care of business in the bathroom, I joined Razor outside on the deck. He was barefoot, wearing faded jeans and a t-shirt.