My Dark Biker (7 page)

My brows furrowed as I ran my gaze over the short line again. Wondering who it was from—since neither note nor package had a name attached—I tore the wrappings apart and pulled the box’s lid off. I peeked inside and instantly stepped back in shock. My eyes widened, and my mouth parted letting out an anguished scream that alarmed Jack, making him cry.

I willed my body to move, to go over to my baby and soothe him, but I couldn’t do either. My body stood immobile, my eyes never leaving the dead, bloody snake inside the box. The revolting sight me made me gag, my throat constricting as my belly flipped.

I fell to the floor; my stomach heaving and my body trembling as I tried to inhale. As my lungs expanded the strong smell of dead snake filled my nostrils. I coughed continuously, trying to expel the disgusting scent, as I saw Jack crawling toward me. I dragged my body off of the floor to reach my baby and held him tight, brushing the sudden tears that welled in my eyes.

Still shaking, I looked down to collected myself and saw a short note in bold letters on the lid. I bend over to pick it up and read it.

See this dead snake? This is what’s going to happen to you and your darling baby, bitch. You shouldn’t have ran away from me. I’m getting sick and tired of chasing you. This is a warning, Abby. Come find me, or the next time I go looking for you I’ll make sure to slit that lovely neck of yours.

Until then…

I paled as I read the short message. My eyes immediately darted to the doorway, searching for signs of Vince’s presence. Luckily, there wasn’t any. Still, this small reassurance didn’t calm me.

I bolted for the door and fumbled with the doorknob to get the wooden barrier open. I stepped outside and desperately fished my phone out of my pocket. With shaky fingers, I dialed a familiar number, one that I remembered by heart. As it rang, I pressed it to my ear and hoped he’d pick up.

After two rings, a familiar deep voice—albeit slightly groggy—sounded in my ear. “Hello?”

“Aiden?” I whispered.

***

The loud sound of motors rumbling echoed around the driveway. I looked up from my crouched position and saw the Rough Riders Bikers lurking in the shadows, their intimidating forms bent over their bikes. I scanned them until eyes met a pair of deep blue ones. A shiver ran down my spine, and I tried not to break eye contact as Aiden hopped out of his bike. The intensity of his gaze made me want to run the opposite direction, but I was done running.

I needed his help. Jack needed his help too, and I wouldn’t let my pride get in the way of my baby’s safety.

I stayed rooted to my spot, holding tight to Jack as the other bikers followed their leader towards me. Even if I could move my wobbly legs, the hard look Aiden gave me was enough to make me immobile.

I tried not to tremble when Thick, Aiden, Dave and another mean-looking dude walked over to me and Jack, their eyes assessing me from top to bottom. It was like they were trying to figure out the problem just by staring at me.

Dave was the first of the group to speak. “What happened, B?”

There was a concerned line on his forehead. The sight almost made me weep in relief. Gathering my strength, I opened my mouth and told them what happened. I was careful to leave out the part about Vince being a drug dealer, seeing as the boys didn’t have to know about my ex’s history.

As I told my story, tears welled up in my eyes. I blinked them away quickly, knowing that tears would not solve my problems. These guys could.

Once I was finished with the story, Aiden took immediate action. He ordered Thick and the other guy to search the house as Dave and Aiden stayed with me and Jack. They whispered under their breaths, saying my name every once in a while.

I focused my attention away from their conversation, focusing on the fussy boy in my arms. Trying to remain calm for Jack’s sakes, I lulled him to sleep. His breath had just evened and softened when loud curses came from the house.
They found the snake
, I thought, closing my eyes.

Thick and the other guy strolled out the door with grim looks on their faces. They walked over to Aiden and, seeing that the baby was sleeping in my arms, explained what they saw inside in hushed tones

Aiden kept staring at me for a few more moments. I tried not to read too much into it, though. I had too much on my mind already.

When they approached me again, they had grim expressions and arms crossed over their massive chests. I tried not to feel intimidated as they focused their attention on me.

“So, the deal is you won’t be able to stay in that house, B. It’s too dangerous. This guy knows where you live. You’ll have to go live with your family or somethin’,” Dave explained.

“I can—” I began, ready to suggest that I could stay at my dad’s house, but I was stopped by a curt “No,” from Aiden.

“What?” I asked, not understanding his answer.

“I said no.”

If I didn’t have Jack in my arms, I would have placed my hands on my hips, and demanded an explanation. Instead, I settled for, “What do you mean, no?”

Aiden stared at me with a hard glint in his blue eyes. “Just that. No. You ain’t about to bother your family with this shit. You’re stayin’ with me, babe.”

Babe.

He called me babe.

Oh, how I’d missed him calling me that.

I forced my treacherous mouth not to smile, but it was damn near impossible. My mind was too wrapped up in that word. In fact, it took a while for the rest of his sentence to sink in. I stared at him in confusion, wondering what had him feeling like Tarzan again.

“I’m sorry?” I asked, raising a brow.

Aiden made an impatient grunt in his throat. “Damn it, babe. How many times do you want me to repeat myself? I ain’t got time for this shit, Abby.” He ran a hand through his hair and stared me deep in the eyes. “You need the club’s help or what?”

I nodded. “Yes.”

“Then you gotta let the boys sort this shit out and come with me. I ain’t takin’ no for an answer. You want protection from this crazy ex-boyfriend of yours, fine. But it’s not for free.”

A chill ran down my spine. “And the cost is?”

“You and the kid are staying with me, at my house.”

“As a houseguest? On the couch?”

He stared deeply into my eyes and pulled me close. “You’ll be sleeping in my bed, Abby.”

He was so comfortable with himself, commanding power, radiating confidence. My jaw dropped. He was a cocky son of a bitch.

“You just expect me to have sex with you?”

He smiled. “Take it or leave it.”

“So this is a proposition with strings attached?”

He ran his thumb over my lip. “You can walk away, darling. The choice is yours. But just know if you take the deal, you’re mine and only mine. I won’t let any other man touch you.”

“Why are you protecting me?”

He cupped my face. “Because I always protect what’s mine.”

“You don’t even know anything about me.”

“You can tell me after we get done fucking.”

“Excuse me?”

His lips hovered over mine. “I want to kiss every inch of your body, slip into your sweet heat, and make you mine.”

“Then I’m yours.”

“Then here’s what’s going to happen, Abby. Go pack your stuff. We’ll go back to my place. And I’m going to make you feel so fucking good.”

“How hard are you going to fuck me?”

“You can’t wait for it, can you?”

“I wanted it since the second I laid eyes on you.” 

“So did I.”

We walked back into the living room Jack needed protection from Vince, and so did I. I knew Vince would never stop until he found me. He was crazy and dangerous.  And though Aiden and his club could be dangerous themselves, they could also provide protection like no one could. 

If moving into Aiden’s house for a couple of days was the best solution to my problem, then I was willing to take that step and go. I knew sex was part of the deal. What was wrong with a few passionate nights? 

His lips turned up at my lack of reluctance and he muttered a quick order to Thick and Dave before he turned back to Mick—the new guy.

The men dispersed and Aiden turned toward me. He gestured to his bike. “Let’s go.”

He reached out to me, but I dodged his hand and shook my head. “I need to pack a bag. All of Jack’s necessities are inside the house. Mine too,” I said, as I adjusted my baby in my arms. “Besides, a baby in a bike?”

Aiden scowled down at me. “You haven’t picked up your shit?”

I shook my head.

“Fuck,” he cursed under his breath.

“Please, watch your mouth,” I warned. “I’ve got a two-year-old in my arms, and he might just copy what you say.”

“He’s fucking asleep,” Aiden argued.

I locked my jaw. “He’s awake. I can tell. And I also would appreciate it if you don’t mention the eff word  or any other curses while we’re at your house.”

“You're tellin’ me what to do, babe?”

I shook my head no.

Aiden grunted, “Looks fuckin’ like it.” I sighed, and he nudged me toward the driveway. “Let’s go.”

“I told you, I need to—,” he cut me off.

“I heard you. I ain’t deaf. You can go to the grocery store and grab some of the kid’s shi—I mean,
things
, before we go back to my place.”

“Jack needs his toys, and we need clothes.”

A smirk curled up my former boss’s lips before he rolled his eyes upward, no doubt attempting to control his temper. I could see a muscle ticking on his neck; I just hoped he wouldn’t lose his temper while Jack was with me.

“Pick up your things, then. But you gotta fuc—freaking hurry.” 

I pretended to nuzzle his downy head, but in truth I was hiding my smile and the laughter that threatened to erupt from my mouth.

“Are you gonna move or what?” Aiden barked.

I cleared my throat and said, “I’m coming.”

“You will be when I’m done.”

Chapter 12

After a few seconds of arguing, Aiden finally saw reason and agreed to take my car. A baby riding on the back of a bike was insane, and I refused to say yes to Dave’s offer to take Jack and my car to Aiden’s house. He was my baby and would ride with me.

With Jack comfortably seated in the back, I opened the driver side door of my car just to have it slammed shut again by Aiden. I stared at his gorgeous face with pouted lips. “What the hell, Aiden?”

“You ain’t drivin’, Abby. I am.”

I took a deep breath and shook my head, thoroughly annoyed. However, seeing as there was no point in arguing with him, I walked around the car and took my seat on the passenger side. Aiden waited for me to get my seatbelt on before driving away from my home.

During the drive to my local grocery store, I kept looking back at Jack. Although I had recovered from the initial shock of Vince’s surprise, I was still edgy about it and needed to make sure that my son was okay.

“You can relax. He ain’t goin’ anywhere—not on my watch anyway,” Aiden assured, looking at me briefly before he focused his gaze back on the road.

I stole a glance at Aiden, completely confused. The man changed moods like people change clothes. When he hopped out of his bike earlier, I was sure he would yell and curse at me for leaving him like I did. Instead, he was being sweet—in his own gruff way, of course—and telling me that everything was going to be fine. He made me swoon almost as much as he made me pull at my hair.

“Mama!” Jack’s enthusiastic call broke my reverie as Aiden parked the car at the grocery store.

I turned around to see Jack swing his legs in the air. His round, childish eyes followed the movement of his feet unblinkingly.

“Yes, baby?” 

“Tots!” Jack exclaimed, pointing down at his wiggly toes.

I smiled at his attempt of saying toes. “Yes, Jack. Toes. Do you want to show Aiden your toes?”

He nodded. “Aien, tots!”

A laugh bubbled up from my throat as big-bad-Aiden chuckled and turned his body around to tickle Jack’s foot. His lips tilted into a smile as my son wiggled and pulled his legs up, evading his touch. I could be wrong, but he seemed as fascinated with the toddler as I was with him.

I forced my eyes away from the two of them and looked around for my purse. On my necessities run through the house, I grabbed his bottles, a bundle of clothes and personal hygiene items, my laptop and some of his toys—including the stuffed dog he was clutching at the moment. However, I was down to two diapers and half a scoop of formula, which were definitely a problem and the sole purpose of our trip to the store. He couldn’t go without those items and apparently, in my haste, I’d forgotten my purse back at the house.  

I looked at Aiden, mortified and humiliated knowing I would once again need his help, and took a deep breath before opening my mouth to speak. Before any sound could come out Jack cried once more from the back seat, “Look, mommy, boys!”  He pointed out the window at twins walking out the grocery store with their parents.