“Yes,” I exhale slowly. “Should have done it sooner.”
“You’ll be safe in Bel Mar. The Club will always be there if you need them.”
“That sounds really nice,” I smile in return.
“We’re family. You’re riding with the prospects in the moving truck. Already have your car loaded for towing. We’ll leave in a few minutes.” He turns to the door and leaves me standing in my apartment.
Turning to face my nearly empty apartment, I think about all I’m giving up. My family life has always been complicated and stressful for me, so moving somewhere with the promise of finding my own peace is something I can’t ignore any longer.
"Hurry! Let’s go before your neighbors catch on and call home." She urges me out and to the sidewalk where a bunch of badass bikers are waiting on me.
“Yeah,” I stifle a giggle. “I think a bunch of bikers moving around after dark will definitely raise some questions.”
“No doubt,” She chuckles as Etienne helps me into the truck the prospect whose name I can't remember is driving. He takes hold of the seatbelt and stretches it across my mid-section so I can buckle myself in. Door closed, he taps on the door to signal I’m ready to leave then mounts his bike and pulls ahead to lead us as we drive into the cold night.
When the MC decided it would be best to leave later in the evening to prevent any complications, I readily agreed. Anything to hopefully keep my parents from showing up to stop me is worth the extra effort. I know they will not be happy I’ve left without a word, but I can’t worry about that right now. Eventually, they’ll understand. I hope.
It’s an two-hour drive to where we’re stopping in Grayling to meet up with some of the guys from the other chapter. They’re switching with Etienne and another enforcer brother of his to escort me to Bel Mar. I'm not expecting anyone dangerous to come after me, it's just the way they do things, but I do feel safe and completely secure in knowing they’re looking out for me.
Looking out the window onto the landscape passing by, I release a sigh of relief and sink back into my seat, relaxed and mentally exhausted.
“New life, here I come.”
346
Hacker
“Looks like them,” X shouts, taking the lead as we pull into the all-night diner’s parking lot, the two prospects and I following behind.
We agreed on this spot because of its ease in pulling on and off the interstate, not to mention it’s the kind of place that has enough traffic to be public enough to discourage altercations, yet its remoteness is enough to keep out immediate law enforcement involvement if one does occur. We weren’t sure we wouldn’t be followed, neither of us needing unwanted attention, so it was agreed this was the best place to meet up.
“Hope you weren’t waiting too long,” I tell DoRight after parking beside them toward the back of the lot. Clasping my extended hand and slapping me on the back, we greet each other.
“Just long enough to stretch our legs,” he replies as our groups exchange various shoulder nudges and fist bumps. Great timing.
“Anything we need to know?” X asks when everyone’s said hello.
“No trouble to worry about with Lars. No one should even know she’s left town.” Did he say she? Surely the rumbling of the big rig starting off to our right interfered with my hearing because Lars doesn’t sound like a female.
The two of them begin going over the details of which prospects are riding in the moving truck and how long they’ll stay in Bel Mar before taking it back up North. I’m making conversation with the other brothers when an amazing smell reaches my nose and my cat comes to the forefront of my mind.
Delicious.
“What now?” I grumble in response, frowning as I crane my neck to where the scent seems to be coming from.
Need.
“Not now,” I dismiss him and turn back to the conversation at hand.
“There she is,” DoRight nods toward the front door of the diner, right where my animal wants to go.
Walking out the front door into the parking lot is a beautiful, petite redhead with a curvy body that makes my mouth water. She’s dressed in a light coat, faded jeans and a cropped, tight-fitting sweatshirt that bares her midriff when she stretches, giving me a peek at the smooth, ivory skin underneath. Thank fuck for my shifter eyesight or I’d not be able to see her body like I do from this distance. My animal more than agrees, and I have to fight hard to keep my feet rooted in place so I don’t run to her side and devour her with my hands and mouth. She’s like a tiny songbird warbling a melody just for me.
Mine.
She smiles nervously at our large group and I can see how unsettled she is as she walks our direction. Even though my cat is yearning to be near her, I feel none of the anxiety I’ve been dealing with. I feel oddly calm.
“Larken,” DoRight, apparently her cousin, says when she reaches us and stops right in front of me. She smells even better than I initially thought. Her skin, smooth and delicate as porcelain, is tinted blush with the faintest hint of coolness in the late-night air, and I want to cup her face in my hands and warm away the cold. “This is X and Hacker.” He motions to us and my best friend casts a glance at me before taking her hand and kissing her knuckles. What the fuck?
“NO,” He growls.
“The pleasure is all mine,” he grins like a lunatic and her eyes go wide. Jumping into action before I can process what I’m doing, I nudge him out of the way to break their contact. Asshole.
“Don’t mind him,” I apologize. “He doesn’t get out much.” I throw a glare his way and his grin widens.
