AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Hey. Is Alexandra settling in okay?”
“She’s gone.”
The air rushed out of me as if I’d been kicked in the gut. I couldn’t catch my breath.
“What? What happened?”
“It was my fault. I knew something was off but I didn’t push her. She left a note, saying she was going to talk to Stephen.”
I felt as if the world tilted beneath me. Then rage surged over me at the realization that prick was anywhere near her. Alexandra had made it clear how much she hated dragging other people into this, putting others at risk. She was too good, too kind, and now it could get her killed.
“Did she say where she was headed?” I asked, already leaving the warehouse.
“Route 66 Diner. I’m tracking her phone.” Tank paused. “How do you want to play this?”
I fished my keys from my pocket, striding out of the warehouse toward my bike. Images of Alexandra dead on arrival flashed through my head. I shoved those thoughts aside.
“You take the front door,” I said. “If Stephen hasn’t escalated the situation yet, he’ll get violent as soon as he sees me. I’m the threat.”
“What about you?”
“I’ll come in the back and hope I can get a clear shot that doesn’t jeopardize Alexandra.”
***
The ride to the diner felt excruciatingly long, even though it barely took fifteen minutes. I parked my bike one block away and jogged in to prevent Stephen from seeing me. Tank’s bike was already there and I caught a glimpse of him through the windows, seated at the counter, nursing a cup of coffee. He’d ditched his colors and his jacket covered his tattoo sleeves. At a cursory glance, he looked like a regular guy. Definitely not associated with the Alpha Riders at all.
Then I spotted Alexandra, seated at a table beside Stephen, stuffed into a booth, shoulder to shoulder like sardines. Thank God, she was alive. But he was too close for my comfort. And judging by the way Alexandra sat so stiffly, he probably had some way to control her – a gun, a knife, a bruising grip on her arm.
I made my way around to the employee entrance of the diner and stepped into the kitchen. The scent of frying grease, coffee, and bacon filled the air. The cook gave me a startled look but I moved past him without a word. I stopped at the threshold of the kitchen, just at the edge of Tank’s line of sight.
“I’ll call the whole thing off,” Stephen was saying. “I’ll leave your precious biker boyfriend alone. All you have to do is agree to marry me and get the fuck out of this hellhole.”
“Stephen,” Alexandra said with a sigh. “You don’t love me.”
He slammed his fist against the table. She startled. I almost flew across the diner but I held myself back. Stephen could hurt her long before I had a chance to get to her.
“Why do you think I’m going through all this shit for you?” he demanded. “Iwillhave you back. When I set my mind to something, no one refuses me.”
Alexandra’s hand crept over the edge of the table, inching to the silverware next to her plate. She found a fork and curled her fingers around it. Pride and fear tangled in my chest – pride that she was keeping her wits well enough to arm herself, and fear that she felt the need to resort to protecting herself in the first place.
“We’re done, Stephen,” she said with finality.
He went dead silent. His arm flexed and Alexandra gritted her teeth. I caught the glint of gun metal, nestled against her ribs. My heart lurched.
“For once in your life,” he hissed. “You will be obedient.”
Alexandra turned her head and met his stare.
“Fuck. You.”
Then she drove the fork into his neck.
The diner broke into chaos.
“Bitch!” Stephen roared, yanking the fork out.
Alexandra scrambled to escape but she wasn’t quick enough and Stephen was pumped up with adrenaline and fury. He caught a fistful of her hair, yanking her head back. She dropped back into the booth. He locked an arm across her chest, holding her in place against him.
