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Willa

I don’t think I can quite believe that he is actually here, holding me.  That I am safe.  That Miguel is dead.  Actually dead.  His lifeless eyes are drained of evil, his soul burning in the depths of hell.

I curl myself further into Oak and relish his familiar scent.

He came for me.

Oh god, my brother shot Miguel!

My body automatically tenses at the reminder.  What if Rad goes to jail?  He can’t go to jail.  He can’t.  The thought makes me want to start crying again.

“What’s wrong, Willa?” Oak asks gently.

“What will happen to Rad?” my voice is hoarse, my throat tender from screaming earlier.

“Don’t worry about that, darlin’.”  He lifts me into his arms and walks out.  When he closes the door behind him, I promise myself right then and there that I will leave behind the worst time in my life, right there in that room.  I will not carry this grief with me forever. 

I don’t want to live like that.  I don’t want to become someone like my mother.  I am stronger than her. 

So, I will leave the destruction right where it lies, dead on the dirty carpet floor of a rundown warehouse just outside Dale, Oklahoma.

***

After securing the helmet on my head, Oak holds my hand to steady me as I climb on his Harley.

Thankfully, Rad had a spare shirt, so I’m wearing that over my jeans that the boys found tossed aside in the warehouse.

I watch quietly as Oak reaches into his saddlebag and takes out a black tee shirt.  He deftly pulls it over his head and then he slides on in front of me. I instantly press myself into him, craving the contact and security that surrounds him.  I wrap my arms tight around his waist and grip the muscles beneath my fingers, loving the way they ripple and contract under my fingers, showing his strength and the power he holds within.  It gives me comfort, and as we drive away from the warehouse, down the dirt road and toward Ford, I begin to relax more and more with every mile that passes.

Oak pulls the bike into a roadside diner and Rad pulls in behind us.  I wasn’t even aware he was following us. I thought he would stay back to assist the police with their questions…if he even called the police.

“How you feeling, little sis?”  Rad asks, pulling me into his arms as soon as I climb off the bike.  My helmet squishes into my face, but I don’t mind. I tilt my head on an angle and hold my brother.  “You okay?”

“Yeah, I’m fine.  He didn’t really do much.”  My voice is thick and full of emotion and reservation.

“You don’t ever have to worry about him again, Willa.  Okay?”

“Thank you,” I whisper into his neck through a sob.

He squeezes me tighter and then releases me.  Oak takes my hand and we walk into the diner.  We choose a booth near the back corner and are immediately addressed by the waitress.  We all order coffee and browse the plastic menus while we wait.

“You all ready to order?”  The waitress asks after filling our cups with warm black liquid.

“I’ll have a burger with fries, please.”  I’m starving.

“I’ll have the same,” Oak orders.

“Same for me, please,” Rad says.

“Won’t be long.”  She walks away to fill our order and I sip my coffee in silence while Rad absentmindedly flicks through a newspaper.

Oak’s warm palm rests on my knee and he squeezes me gently to gain my attention.  I turn to face him from where I was staring unseeing out the window, and find his concerned gaze on me.

“You doing all right?” 

I nod.  “Yeah, I really am.”

“Good.”

Our food is set down before us and we dig in. 

After we’re done, Oak pays the check and we continue riding home.

I’m surprised when he doesn’t take me back to my apartment.  He rides right past the turnoff to the clubhouse as well, so I’m really confused as to where he’s taking me.  I look over my shoulder and see Rad tailing us.  When Oak finally comes to a stop, it’s at a motel in the heart of Ford.

“What are we doing here?”

“Your place still needs new locks fitted, and I didn’t think you’d want to go right home anyway.  You’re definitely not going to the clubhouse.  So, this is the next option.”

“Oh, okay.  Well, why are you still here?” I ask Rad.

“Staying with you two for the night.”  He gives Oak a look I can’t decipher and I shrug. 

“Let’s go get a room then, I’m tired.” I stifle a yawn and follow the boys into the motel office.

We head up to our room and the first thing I do is make my way into the bathroom and turn on the hot water.  After stripping off my clothes, I climb under the stream and scrub my body using the ridiculously small bar of soap provided by the motel management. 

I let the water rush over my skin, erasing the memory of Miguel’s greasy hands from my body.  When the water begins to cool, I step out and dry myself before pulling my clothes back on.  I wish I had something clean to wear, but I don’t, so this will have to do.  I don’t even have any body spray I could use to freshen my clothes up.

I finger-brush my hair and tie it in a knot on top of my head.  Oak is standing in the corner, looking out the window when I walk back into the room.

“Hey.” I offer him a small smile when he turns at my greeting.

“Hey, baby.”  His tight features relax a little as he strides over to me.  His arms wrap around my shoulders and he pulls me into his chest.  I go willingly, linking my fingers behind his lower back.  I savor his warmth, his clean scent, the safety net he provides me with, even though I doubt he knows he does.

“Where’s Rad?” I ask eventually.

“That door there leads to his room.  He’s in there.”

“Okay.”  I yawn again.

“Why don’t you take a nap?”

He releases me and I make my way over to the bed, where I promptly face-plant it.  I hear Oak chuckle but I’m too exhausted to manage much more than a smile.  My eyes drift closed and my mind begins to shut down.

I feel his knees hit the side of the bed beside my torso as he straddles my back.  His hands begin to knead my shoulders and I moan.

“You’re so tense, babe,” he comments as he continues to work the knots out of my back and neck.

“You’re so good with your hands,” I groan.  “Don’t stop.  Ahh, yeah, right there.”

“Jesus, dude, have some class. My sister don’t need any of that.”  Rad bellows through the thin walls, banging on it as he speaks.

“Piss off, man.  I’m not pleasuring her in the way you think.”

I can’t help the laughter that bursts free.

“Oh yeah, right there, Oakey-baby,” Rad says, his voice high-pitched like a little girl.

I giggle.  “Go away, Rad.”

“That feel good, Willa?” Oak asks.

“Mmhmm,” I mumble, my body going lax as he continues his delicious treatment.

“Good girl. Just relax.”

Right before I succumb to sleep, I swear I feel his lips touch my shoulder blade as he whispers, “Don’t hate me when you find out the truth.” 

I must be dreaming…

Oak

I feel the tension leave her body as she nods off to sleep, but I don’t stop massaging her.  Leaning forward, I kiss her shoulders softly.

“Don’t hate me when you find out the truth,” I whisper.

I work her entire back until my fingers begin to ache.  Then I lie beside her and gently rub her milky white skin, loving the way my brown hands look on her. 

I memorize every dip in her skin, every freckle and mole.  I trace the two dimples on her lower back, causing an involuntary shiver to move through her.

Rad taps lightly on our conjoining door, so I leave Willa to open up for him.

“Yo dude, what’s up?”

“We’ve got some phone calls to make.”

“Yeah.” I sigh, knowing what we have to do.  “Mind if we make them in your room? I don’t want her to wake up.”

“No problem, man.”

I turn around and walk over to where my cell is sitting on the side table.  I pick it up, and the admire Willa’s sleeping frame.  God, she’s so beautiful.  Her dark curls fan around her face and spread out onto the bed, creating a shiny deep brown halo.  Her long eyelashes sweep across her cheeks, showing their incredible length, and her lips pout peacefully in sleep, begging to be touched by my own.

Instead of kissing her, which is what I really want to do, I gently run my thumb over the apple of her cheek before walking into Rad’s room.  He is sitting on the edge of his bed, his burner pressed to his ear.  He gives me a chin lift, and continues his conversation. 

“Prez?” I mouth. 

He gives me a sharp nod and a grimace in reply.

Taking myself into the small bathroom for some privacy, I quickly send out a group text to Dunlop, Mason, and Chief Watson.

Found Willa. She’s safe. Miguel Sanchez is dead
– O

Immediately, my phone rings.

“Can you talk?”  Dunlop asks.

“Yeah, for a few minutes.”  I keep my voice low.

“Where are you?”

“Fresnell Motel.”

“Willa’s safe?” he asks, wanting verbal confirmation.

“Yes.”

“Good. Chief wants to speak with you.  He’s throwing me filthy looks because I got to speak with you first,” Dunlop says through a laugh.

“Tell him not to get his panties in a twist.”  A smile twitches my lips.

“Talk soon, man.”  I hear a rustle as Dunlop hands the phone to Chief Watson, and then his raspy voice filters through.

“Drake, the girl is safe?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Glad to hear it, boy.  Where is Sanchez?”

I quickly fill him in on the location and then add, “Zephyrs will be on clean up duty.  It’s best you stay away, so as not to draw attention.”

“I agree.  We’ve got enough to shut them down now, Roman.  The girl is safe, all loose ends have been tied.  It’s time.”

“Yes, it is,” I agree wholeheartedly.  “When?”

“Tomorrow.  I’ve got a team ready to go.  The boys will move in early.  I’d appreciate you giving us as much intelligence as you can regarding the whereabouts of specific members for tonight and tomorrow.  The tactical teams are ready to move in at first light if it’s required.”

“I’ll text you tonight,” is my reply.

“Good. Stay safe.  You’re at the Fresnell?”

I nod, even though he can’t see me.  “Yes, sir.”

“Right. I suggest you head out and grab as many supplies as you’ll need.  Do it soon, Drake,” he orders.

He’s right.  When shit goes down in the morning, I won’t be able to just walk out on the street like I don’t have a care in the world.  Chances are, I won’t be able to be seen again in this town.  That’s just the nature of my job. I knew it going in.  When all this goes down, I just hope Willa’s feelings for me outweigh the deceit she is bound to feel.

I wish I could tell her the truth, but right now, it is just not possible.

“I will do that now, sir.”

“Send me that information as soon as possible.”

We end the call and I walk back out to Rad, who is still sitting on the edge of the bed, though he is now finished with his call.

“Prez pissed?”

“Nah.” He shrugs.  “He’s glad Willa’s safe.  The Prospects are going to clean up the little mess we made,” he says with a smirk.

“Good.”  I walk past him and poke my head through the door, seeing Willa still sleeping peacefully.  A small frown creases her forehead and I itch to smooth it out with my thumb.

“What’s the news from your end?”

“We’ll talk later.  Right now, I need to run some errands.  You mind keeping an eye on Willa?  She’s sleeping now, but she might wake up and I don’t want her to be scared shitless.”

“I’ll be here.”

After kissing Willa softly on the lips, I race downstairs and climb onto my bike, intent on getting the supplies we need and getting back to the motel as fast as humanly possible.

I locate the nearest store and purchase some panties for Willa, plus a pair of jeans and two T-shirts.  I purposely buy an oversized one for her to sleep in, and the other in the size I pray fits her right.  A man knows the worst thing he can do is buy the wrong size for a woman when it comes to clothes.

I grab a pair of jeans and a shirt each for Rad and myself as well, then ride to the next store.

Locating the correct aisle is easy. 
Finding
the products to buy is the hard part.

“Fucking Christ,” I mutter to myself as my eyes roam the shelves of body spray.  I’ve seen her use it, but I can’t for the life of me, remember the name of the shit she uses.  I pick a purple bottle off the shelf and take a sniff. 

Yuck!
Lavender.

I work my way along the shelf, sniffing them all until eventually each scent blends in to one and it feels like my nose hairs have been burnt off from all the perfume I’m inhaling.  Finally, I find one that reminds me of the one she wears.  After that, I grab the first packet of disposable ladies razor blades I can find.  Fuck hanging around to test them out!

I also find some soap and decide to grab it too.  According to the packaging, it’s mildly fragranced and gentle on the skin.  Sounds girly, so it will do.  I toss in the first packet of tampons I see when I walk past that shelf.  I don’t know if it is coming up to
that
time of the month for Willa, but just in case it is, then she will be covered. 

I stand at the end of the aisle, staring into my basket, mentally ticking off everything, and wondering if I have forgotten anything.

I think I’m good.

This shopping caper is surprisingly easy...

As I walk to the cash register, I see a hairbrush hanging at the end of an aisle. I add one to my basket, knowing Willa will need a way to tame her hair.

After I’ve paid, I load everything into the saddlebags on my bike and head back to the motel, stopping on the way to buy a few groceries to tide us over.

As the sun starts to set in the distance, I take a moment to just sit and stare.  My bike idles between my legs, the rumble of the engine fills my ears, but my mind is quiet.  Tomorrow, this will end.  I’ve worked this assignment for almost a year now.  One year of slumming it with the dregs of society, seeing things I wish I never had to see, doing things I thought I would never have to do.

Tomorrow, I will ride out of this town and go home.  I will able to see my friends and family that I have had zero contact with in twelve months.  I’ll go back to being Special Agent Roman Drake.  Not, Oak, member of the Zephyrs MC.  He will be a thing of the past, another persona of mine who inexplicably falls off the face of the earth, never to be seen again.

My mind wanders to Willa.  I wonder how she will take the news that I am not who I say I am.  I wasn’t supposed to fall for her – it wasn’t part of the plan.  I just couldn’t help myself, though.  She drew me in and before I even knew it, it was too late to back out. I was a goner.  That hair. Those hips that lead into that luscious ass.  Those lips.  That fucking voice of hers, the way it turns husky right when she’s about to cum.

She is the definition of perfection. 

The thought of losing her causes an ache to build in my chest.  I rub it away with the heel of my hand, but something in my gut tells me tomorrow will be the last time I see her.  The thought hurts me more than I care to admit.  She deserves the truth though, and tomorrow, before I leave, I hope she allows me the opportunity to explain everything to her.

I pull out onto the road and ride back to the motel, the impending doom I’m facing following me like a storm cloud as I make my way back to her.

She’s sitting by the window when I walk into the room, loaded with bags.

“Do you need some help?” she says, jumping up and rushing toward me.  I hand her some of the bags and she unwinds the plastic handles from where they are cutting into my fingers as she gently takes some of the load.

“Oh, my gosh, Oak.  What did you buy?”  I toss everything on the bed, while Willa places her bags down carefully.  She opens one up and pulls out the pink shavers.  Cocking an eyebrow at me, she says wryly, “Gee, Oak, I didn’t know you were into feminine hygiene products.  If you had asked, I could have recommended some.”

“Don’t give me any sass, woman. I just spent thirty minutes in the fucking women’s aisle buying smelly shit for you.”

Her face softens and she winds her arms around my neck, pulling me in to kiss me on the lips.  She pulls back all too quickly.  “Thank you.”

“I think I deserve a better kiss than that for the torture I just endured.”

“Oh, you do, do you?” she murmurs, peppering kisses along my jawline.  “Is that better?”

“No.”

“What about that?” she asks, swiping her tongue across my closed lips.

“Getting there.”  My cock hardens in my jeans.

She tugs my bottom lip between her teeth and sucks it.  My cock strains against my jeans, desperate to be released, aching to feel her warm cunt enveloping it. 

My hands find her supple ass and I give it a squeeze, pulling her into me so her tits are pressed into my chest, her hard nipples scraping over my abdomen with every hurried breath she takes.

She attempts to run her tongue over my lips again, but I surprise her by sucking it into my mouth.  Fuck, she tastes like heaven.

“Oak,” she moans.

“Roman,” I correct on a growl. 

“Roman.”  Fucking love it when she calls me that.  It allows me to believe for just a moment that this is real, that it won’t end when Oak ends.

“Yo, bro, did you get food?” Rad asks as he barges into the room.

He catches sight of us, and shields his face.  “Fucking Christ,” he mutters.  Willa pulls away from me, giggling, and seeing as though it is the sweetest sound in the world, I refrain from punching Rad in the face for interrupting our moment.

Fucking cock block. 

I toss Rad a bag of chips, while Willa sits cross-legged on the bed and begins pulling stuff from the bags and sorting it into piles.

“You hungry, darlin’?”

“Yeah, a little.”

“Pizza?”

“Sounds good.”

“I’ll order it,” Rad says, disappearing back into his room to place our order.

“You even got me tampons?” Willa asks in disbelief, holding up the little packet.

“Uh, yeah.  I didn’t know if you’d need them or not,” I mutter awkwardly.

“Thank you.  That’s really sweet.”

“Sweet?” I scoff.  “Nothing about me is sweet, babe.”

“Sure it is,” she says simply.

“Those are for you.  I hope they fit,” I tell her when she gets to the clothing bag.

She checks the size and glances back at me.  “You did good.”

Thank fuck for that!
  I feel my shoulders sag a little in relief.

“Pizza’ll be here in twenty,” Rad announces.

“Sweet.  Got you a change of clothes, bro.”

“Thanks, man.  I’ll shower now before the food comes.”  He leaves us alone again and Willa unpacks the final bag.

“Thank you for all of this, Oak,” she whispers. 

“Come here.”  She climbs into my lap, curling herself up there, and I hold her tightly.  I kiss her head and rest my forehead against her hair.  Breathing her in, I cling to the hope that tomorrow, nothing will change between us.  But, in case
everything
changes, I memorize her scent and the way she feels in my arms, knowing even if I tried, I would never be able to forget.

“Is everything okay with you?” she asks, concern marring her beautiful face.

I swallow the thickness in my throat.  “Yeah, darlin’, I’m fine.  Just got a lot on my mind.”

“Anything you want to talk about? I’m a good listener,” she offers.

Thankfully, there is a tap on the door that interrupts us.