Page 144 of Chancellor
No one else.
The door swings open with a horrible clanking, and I blink into the night. In the alleyway, waiting for me, are three men.
Grizzly, Dart, and…it takes me a minute to recognize the third. He’s been a member of the club for a long time, and I know he’s close to Grizzly, but we don’t really talk. Trap, that’s it.
All three of them are looking me up and down, and I can feel goosebumps rise on my skin. The look is both protective and full of something else—something I dare not say anything about if I don’t want to break the moment.
I’ve been through hell thinking about what’s going to be done to me. My body has been messed with by people I’d never willingly let myself be so vulnerable in front of. But there is a slight thrill in the thought that someone worthwhile saw me go through all that and still thinks something of me. Especially when I’ve always been good little Meredith.
The rule abider. The smart college girl. The quiet one. The virgin.
I meet Dart’s gaze, and all the things I’ve been through and the fact that I’ve been rescued crash over me. Being the most comfortable with him, I walk over and cling to his side. He ends up wrapping his motorcycle jacket around me.
“Here, sweetheart. It’s the best I’ve got to keep you warm.” Sweetheart…the endearment makes me feel warmer than the jacket.
Dart suddenly moves away, and I catch a warning look from Grizzly. Is he just worried about my vulnerability, or is it more of what I saw inside?
“I knew. I had to believe it. When I saw you in the audience, I just thought…” I can’t finish the thought. The words are coming out all tongue-tied.
“Let’s get out of here, darlin’,” Grizzly says, an almost-grin twitching at the side of his mouth.
It’s an unfortunately long walk back to the bikes, and if I wasn’t feeling like I needed a moment of personal control I would ask to be carried.
Everyone keeps looking over their shoulders as we approach a parking garage, like they might come back for me or something. I’m too afraid to ask if it’s a real possibility. Do they even know why I was in the auction?
With a nod from Grizzly, I climb onto his bike behind him and cling to him as the other two get on their own bikes. I look at Dart for some reason, and he gives me a sad smile.
“Don’t worry. We’ll take you to the clubhouse. It’ll be okay. It’s just a bit of a ride.”
“I don’t mind,” I say. “Anything to get my mind off of…” I can’t say it. Not yet. I’m just trying to hold the shock off, knowing it’ll come at some point. But not here. Not on the back of a bike.
I force my body to relax, instead paying attention to the way the three are protecting me and looking at me…and wondering what it’s going to feel like to ride on the bike behind Grizzly. I’ve never done anything like this, and if I ignore everything else and just isolate this moment, this can be fun and dangerous.
Something the normal Meredith never gets to do.
Grizzly begins barking orders at the other two, but I just focus on the softness of his shirt and the breeze around my hair, still stiff with spray. “Send a message to the informant. We need more information. See if he knows how the hell she ended up here.”
“We’re going to get to the bottom of this, Meredith,” Trap says, speaking to me for the first time, his intense gaze showing his sincerity. I instantly feel reassured. Safe.
I look around at them one more time, my heroes, before Grizzly grunts at me. “You need to hold on tight and lean with the bike, darlin’. That’s all I ask. Tap me twice if you’re scared.”
I hold him tighter but then mumble, “What do I do to let you know I’m having fun?”
I know he hears me, because he chuckles and revs the engine.
There’s a jerk as the bike takes off, and I squeal. Another laugh, pure and unadulterated, escapes from Grizzly. I’ve never heard him like this. Free, and happy even.
I know he took it hard when he lost Harlow’s mother a long time ago. The only way I’ve really known him is as the grumpy Prez and overprotective father. However, there are those little flashes of the man he used to be when he’s around Harlow.
Harlow… Guilt and more fear grip me, bringing me back to myself. What’s she going to say about all of this?
But no, I deserve one reckless night. Just one. I tell my brain to send all the fear away for once and just let go. There’s no father to take care of here. No more danger. They won’t let me get hurt.
I let my hands slide over Grizzly’s muscles a little, just to see what he might do and what might be hiding under his shirt. He’s definitely ripped, more than I would guess for someone’s dad. But I need to remember his job. He’s no ordinary man.
His muscles tense underneath my hands, and then he hits a sudden curve, barely even slowing down. I lean with him, and it’s even better than a roller coaster as my stomach flies away from me. This time when I scream, it’s with a high I’ve never felt.
I can tell he’s trying to impress me as he takes back roads, speeding and weaving around and doing tricks. Every moment feels like the end and the beginning all over again.