Page 2 of Reckless Vengeance

My hands burned from how hot he felt in comparison to me, the shivering getting worse.

“Can I take you home? You’re going to get sick out here,” he stated when I curled into him more.

“I can’t.” I wished I could stop crying but I couldn’t help it.

“You can’t stay out here all night. Tell me where to take you.”

“I just⁠—”

“You want to crash at mine? You can clean up and have my bed. I’ll sleep on the couch,” he offered, and I looked up at him through blurry eyes.

“That’s a bad idea.”

“If Skeet really wants to flip out, I can handle him. I’m not leaving you here alone. Not like this,” he replied, his hand rubbing up and down my spine to try and thaw me out. “Can you hold onto me on the bike? I can give you my helmet, but I can’t hold you to keep you on it.”

“I don’t know what to do,” I answered quietly, and he got to his feet, pulling me up with him.

“Tonight, you come with me. The rest, we can deal with tomorrow. C’mon.”

He led me back through the school and out to the parking lot, where Marco was waiting on his bike with his phone pressed to his ear, ending his conversation abruptly when we approached.

He eyed me like he wanted to break me and fix me at the same time, kind of like how Skeeter did when I pissed him off.

I stood still as Hunter eased his helmet over my head and did up the straps, then he put the pegs out on the bike before swinging a leg over and putting the kickstand up, starting the bike.

I hesitated, starting to think I should rethink this idea, but he put his gloves on and held out a hand, giving me a small smile. “C’mon, hop on.”

I flicked my gaze to Marco, but he was focused on his own bike, so I took Hunter’s hand and swung on behind him, sliding my arms around his middle to get comfortable.

It had been a while since I was on a bike, and I felt a little unbalanced.

He directed my hands under his jacket and shirt again, encouraging me to hold on before he started to inch forward, the engine purring under us as he picked up enough speed to lift his feet from the ground and turned onto the road towards Mount Mercer.

Marco trailed behind, and I appreciated their slower pace than normal. I was shivering too much and would probably fall off if they went too fast.

I clung to Hunter’s back, finding it almost impossible to see through the tinted visor. It must have been after midnight now, the grass becoming frosty as the morning air started changing with the new day.

My hair whipped around the helmet, and for a few minutes, I could cry in peace without witnesses. Hunter’s hand kept returning to the top of my hands over the jacket, so I knew he probably felt me shaking still, but it wasn’t like he could keep stopping to check on me.

I was taking a huge risk right now. If anyone saw us, I’d be fucked. I was still wearing Skeeter’s Psychos jacket, so being seen on the back of Hunter’s bike wasn’t a good idea.

Marco rode up beside us, his head constantly on a swivel for danger, and I swore I felt it every time his eyes landed on me, even though I couldn’t see properly.

We approached Hunter’s garage and Marco climbed off his bike to put the door up so Hunter could ride straight in, and Marco pushed his bike the rest of the way before shutting the door again, closing us off from prying eyes.

I pulled back a little when Marco reached out to help me with my helmet, his firm hands holding me still to stop me from escaping until he eased it off my head.

I climbed off the bike and felt like my legs were going to give out from under me, the shaking getting worse somehow.

Hunter pulled his gloves off and put the kickstand down, putting his things on the counter close by before moving towards me.

“Shower, food, bed,” he instructed, and I wanted to gag at the thought of food.

“I’m not hungry,” I exclaimed as he guided me through the internal access door into his house.

“I know, but you need something.”

“I’d skip the food. If she’s still in a state of shock, it could do her more harm than good. She can eat in the morning,” Marco stated, dropping down on the couch.