Tease: Mojave Boys MC (20 page)

A loud bang made Maya frown and open her eyes. At first, she thought it was one of the bikes backfiring, but another boom followed, and the bike to her right, carrying Dusty, swerved and fell to the side. Vance slammed on the brakes, skidding sideways to a halt, and he had a gun drawn and firing before she could process the situation.

“Get off and get behind the bike!” he cried over the sound of gunshots, and Maya ducked behind the rolling hunk of metal. The Scorpions were riding in behind them, firing away, and all of the Mojave Boys had stopped to return the onslaught. They’d come for her, and Maya felt more guilt than fear. She peered around the wheel and tried to count, but she didn’t have a clear enough view. She wasn’t going to risk her neck by stretching it any further, especially as Vance crouched next to her and pulled a second gun.

“Don’t move,” he grunted at her, and she merely nodded.

He rose and fired some more, and Maya covered her face with her hands, staring ahead down the road they were on. She didn’t want to know who was winning or losing, considering she was already worried about Dusty. The noise was deafening, so loud she barely noticed as it died down just a little. It was the sound of revving engines that caught her attention, followed by Vance shaking her shoulder.

She stood, and she instantly searched for men down. Most of them were in the distance, Scorpions, but Dusty was in trouble, and a couple of others were wincing in pain. She rushed to Dusty’s side, assessing the damage, and he all but pushed her away. “Not much you can do right now, sweetheart.”

She scowled. “Your leg’s broken in at least one place, and you’ve got nasty road rash everywhere.” She was most concerned about the knot on his head. It wasn’t bleeding too much, but it was severely swollen. “You need to get your head checked.”

“I could have told you that,” he growled, laughing and wincing.

“Ribs, too,” Vance mumbled from behind her. “We’ll have to rig you something up so we can ride you into a hospital.” He started to protest, but Vance drew Maya away before he could argue.

A bullet had grazed Tank’s arm, and he was already tying a cloth around it. Caleb had crashed, too, and he was covered in scrapes, cuts, and bruises. Sid had taken a hit to the leg, and Maya wanted to vomit as she watched him dig out the bullet with his knife before covering it with a makeshift bandage.

Seeing that everyone was taken care of, Maya turned her gaze to the Scorpions littering the road, most of their bikes down, too. “They’re dead, Maya,” Vance said, coming up behind her. “We already checked. The last three rode out of here. We need to leave before they call for backup and catch up to us.”

Maya hesitated a moment, but she turned away and got ready to climb on Vance’s bike. “This is all because of me,” she said, shaking her head. “Why did you come after me? I thought you had another option. I didn’t want any more blood on my hands.”

“This isn’t your fault, Maya,” he argued. “It would have come to this for one reason or another. And this time, they’re crippled.” He motioned vaguely to some of the bikes that were down, as if Maya could tell easily which ones he meant from this distance. “These are some of the big boys with their crew. Their leadership experience was just reduced by a thousand percent.”

“
Tres Amenazas
has his men under control,” she argued. “He doesn’t need a whole council. He tore up one of his guards just for making snide remarks to me.”

But Vance didn’t seem to agree. “To a point, he’s a one man operation. But he needs his other leaders to be eyes and ears and muscle when he can’t be. Without them, he’s hurting.”

Now, Maya understood. She should have realized how the dynamics worked from seeing it with the Mojave Boys. There was a distinct head of the table, just like any family. But there were others who made sure he could do the job. And since no man could be everywhere at once, the others were necessary. She glanced over at Dusty, then at Caleb, and she thought about having lost Cougar. How hard would it be to cripple the Mojave Boys?

She refused to worry about it as the group of riders gathered and got ready to finish the ride home. She had to trust that Vance had things under control.

CHAPTER THIRTY ONE

Most of the crew refused medical treatment, but Caleb came to Maya for stitches on his arm, while a couple of the others loaded a dizzy Dusty into the truck to take him to the hospital. Vance assured her there was an emergency clinic about thirty minutes away, just outside of Las Vegas, and they would take good care of Dusty.

“You need to stop worrying about everyone else. Take care of you for a minute,” he told her.

Maya shook her head. She didn’t really need anything. “I could use a shower,” she admitted reluctantly.

Vance nodded. “I’ll have to be back in the morning, but we’ll get out of here. I’ll take you home to get cleaned up.”

She started to protest. Maya didn’t want to just fall right back into what had become the status quo. But she realized everything she owned was gone. She’d even have to replace all the contents of her wallet. She couldn’t exactly clean up in the motel. She couldn’t even buy supplies until she got all of that back.

And her phone…it had all her contacts.

Suddenly despondent, she just nodded. “I have to get in touch with Franz.”

“You can do that at home, too. Come on, let’s go.” He pointed at Caleb. “You’re in charge till I get back.”

Caleb blinked as if confused, and Maya smiled. He wasn’t one of the old timers, and it was a lot to ask. But Maya knew he’d earned Vance’s trust and would handle it. Letting Vance take her hand and guide her toward the door, she gave Caleb a wink and a smile over her shoulder for encouragement.

“Why Caleb?” she asked, as he swung his leg over the bike.

“Because I trust him and Dusty the most. Dusty isn’t here, so that leaves Caleb.” He looked her dead in the eyes. “I trust my brothers, but only a few of them are stubborn enough to keep things in line. Caleb is a lot like Cougar and can be obnoxious, but he’s also like me, and he won’t take any shit from anyone.”

Fair enough, she thought, and climbed on behind him. She was desperate to get clean, even if she had no idea what she was going to wear. And she couldn’t wait to call Franz and get her affairs settled, maybe some clothes sent to her, though she didn’t know how she was going to explain losing her belongings.

As soon as they were inside Vance’s house, she excused herself to the bathroom and climbed into the shower, moaning as the hot spray hit her back. She ducked her head under and let it run down her body, which ached from a combination of lack of exercise and the roughness of the kidnapping. When she finally felt relaxed, she scrubbed her skin raw to get the dirt and grime off. Just as she started to rinse, the bathroom door opened, and then the curtain.

Maya stared at Vance in surprise, and she trembled at the sight of his beautiful nude body. She shouldn’t have come here, she realized. She should have stayed at the motel, or had someone take her to Phoenix or even Vegas. She’d known the temptation would be too much.

But as he joined her in the shower and his hands cupped her face, she melted. There was nowhere she’d rather be. His lips touched hers, and Maya fell into him. Vance was her shelter and the source of her contentment. Physically, emotionally, mentally—she needed him, especially now, and she wrapped herself around him.

Vance’s hands slid down her shoulders, over the small of her back, and beneath her buttocks, lifting her and turning her to press her back against the wall. The length of his erection pressed against her center, and she moaned. His lips devoured her, from her lips to her ears to her throat, and she dragged her fingertips over his back, his chest, and up the back of his neck. She loved the way his hair curled around her fingers when it was damp.

Maya was in a frenzy now, trembling as her fear broke through, her relief swept through her, and her desire to be with this man overwhelmed her. It all added up to a reason to celebrate, and the wave of pleasure rolled over her as Vance’s shaft teased against her folds. She cried out, but he swallowed it with a kiss so deep she thought he might swallow her.

He pushed inside, and Maya gasped into his mouth, the physical sensation erasing all thought. She took him into her center, letting her inner walls convulse around his swollen shaft. He thrust in and out with a fervor that sent her reeling, and she threw back her head against the tiles, panting and crying. The feel of him was so familiar, and it was still better each time. She basked in the glow of one orgasm after another as he pushed deeper, harder, and faster into her. Maya clung to his shoulders, using the leverage to ride him, pushing her hips forward so she could take him in further. The water and the ecstasy running over her. When Vance came, they both nearly lost their grip and footing in the slick shower with the force of his peak.

Slowly, he lowered Maya to her feet, holding on until she managed to make her quivering legs work again. Just as she found her grip, his hands were on her again, and she shivered as he began to wash the intimate parts of her, cleaning away the smell of sex. Her eyes rolled back in her head, though, as he fingered her folds, and she couldn’t stop herself from coming again.

He chuckled as he stood, and she narrowed her eyes at him. “Are you laughing at me?”

He shook his head and pulled her against him. “No, ma’am. I’m laughing because I’m happy.” He kissed the tip of her nose and her forehead, and then he smacked her ass. She rubbed it, the sting worse because of the water. “Come on, let’s get out of here. We need to get you some clothes.”

She scowled as she wrapped in a fluffy towel. “I don’t have anything to wear now. And I have to cancel all my credit cards and do some damage control.”

He nodded. “I’ll wrestle something up for you to wear. We’re going to Vegas to buy a few things. Give your manager a call or whatever, and we’ll get out of here when you have that squared away.”

Maya didn’t even know where to begin. She sat in the towel with Vance’s cell in her hand, calling the only number she knew by heart. She got Franz’s number from the office and dialed, telling him someone had stolen her wallet. She could deal with everything else once her financial situation was squared away.

He promised to have everything back to her, with the exception of her driver’s license, within a day. She’d have to visit the dreaded DMV back in Houston to get her ID back. She wrinkled her nose as she thought about running around without the security of her cards and things. She couldn’t remember the last time she was at someone else’s mercy.

But Vance made it easy. She heard a knock at the door, and as she finally finished her call, he came into the room with some clothes draped over his arm. “Bessie is a little bigger than you, but it’s the best we can do right now,” he told her. “She dug into her ‘high school stash’, she said.” He presented Maya with a pair of jeans, a bra that would be tight but work, and a tank top.

Swiftly donning them, she didn’t think it was too bad. “This works. Who’s Bessie?”

“One of Clint’s girls. She comes in about once a month, stays for two or three days.” Maya didn’t ask how many girls Clint had. She probably didn’t want to know. “Did you get in touch with Franz?”

She nodded, still holding Vance’s phone. It buzzed in her hand, and she practically threw it at him. “It was doing that the whole time I was on the phone.”

His expression was grim as he took it and pulled up the messages. With a grunt, he told her, “It’s a good thing we’re about to get you a new phone.”

She didn’t like the sound of that and reached for his, but he pulled it away, and she faced him with the rage she felt at having been brought into this ordeal. Hands on her hips, she told him, “Let me see it, now.”

***

Maya didn’t seem traumatized at the moment, despite the shit she’d endured, but Vance didn’t want to show her the texts from
Tres Amenazas.
She seemed to have felt almost secure in his care, and even though Vance didn’t want her to feel the guy was safe, he didn’t want to put more on her shoulders. He didn’t know what her reaction would be to all of it, especially the idea of being auctioned off to the highest bidder.

“I know you’re hiding something, Vance. Just be honest.”

Her demand made him clench his teeth. What if she ran again? He’d let her go once; could he do it again? She held out her hand, and Vance didn’t think he had a choice. He thrust the phone at her, and she yanked it from him. Her horror was obvious, and he turned away when she gasped at the last text to come through.

This is what tu mujer looks like when I get her back, ese,
it read, and the picture was of a raw steak, diced up and pooled in blood.

Maya cleared her throat, and Vance heard her tapping at the keyboard. “What the hell are you doing?” he asked sharply.

“Telling that bastard exactly what I think,” she answered with a false calm. He waited, not wanting her to lash out at him, and she nodded with a satisfied expression. She handed the phone back to him, and he read what she had typed.

Whether you sell me or chop me up, I’m just a piece of meat to you, and if that’s the case, I’d rather be dinner for the dogs. Take your threats and shove them up your ass.

Vance stared with wide eyes. He couldn’t believe how vicious she’d been, and he wondered if they would get a response. Not worried about it, he tucked the phone away and asked, “Are you ready?”

She nodded but looked suspicious. “You aren’t going to say anything about it?”

He shook his head. “Why should I? It’s not my place to tell you what to say and do.” He was going for indifferent, but he figured he probably sounded resentful from the look on her face. He sighed. “I don’t want you to feel like I’m trying to control you. That’s all.”

She sighed heavily. “I’ve never accused you of that, Vance. And it’s not you I’m worried about. It’s all of this shit that keeps happening. I just want you to clear the air with the Scorpions, whatever that entails. And that means even if I’m not here. I don’t want to wonder if you’re alive or dead.”

“I’m working on it.” Vance scrubbed a hand down his face. He wasn’t particularly thrilled with looking over his shoulder, but he would address that tomorrow. For now, he wanted to get moving. “Why don’t we take the SUV? It’ll be more comfortable.” And it would be less exposed.

She yawned. “That would be nice. I can use the heated seats and the ability to lean back. I slept in that room, but it was always restless.”

He raised a brow. “You know it’s not far, right?”

She snorted. “Every little bit helps.”

He wanted to ask if she’d been drugged, but since she seemed more than happy to put it all behind her and was acting like it was just a new experience, Vance decided it was best to do the same. As he pulled out of the garage, she tuned the stereo to a station she apparently liked–and Vance appreciated the heavy rock sound–and adjusted her seat. She leaned back and shut her eyes, and Vance drove in silence, letting her rest. He glanced at her several times, not quite believing she was back with him.

His phone buzzed in his pocket, but he ignored it, and when it buzzed a second time, he took it out and turned it off. He was going to spend a few hours alone with Maya, uninterrupted. She’d been through so much, and if he had any hope of not losing her again, he needed to prove to both of them that there could be a little normalcy in their lives.

He pulled into the parking lot of a mall, and she sat up as he parked, stretching. “That was nice, thank you,” she told him.

He smiled at her. “Do you feel better?”

“Much, and I’ll feel even better when I have some things of my own.” She stopped halfway to the front doors and looked devastated. “I don’t have any of my cards. I can’t access any of my accounts.”

He took her instantly and pulled her to him. “Sweetheart, you have paid for everything we’ve done. Or your agency has. I have money. Plenty of it. This is on me.” She started to protest, but he kissed her soundly to silence it. “No arguments. You get whatever you want, as much as you want. And get a new phone with a new number.”

With a huff, she nodded. “Don’t expect his to become a regular thing, okay?” Vance wanted to laugh at her petulant warning, but he stayed quiet and guided her into the mall.