Raw: The Ultimate Mc Collection (34 page)

The diner shared a parking lot with a motel, and it was filled with empty cars. The streets were streaming with occupied ones.  I hated coming into the city these days.  I had once loved it, loved the electric vibrance of it all, but not anymore.  Now, I preferred staying at the clubhouse as much as I could.  Being alone was comfortable for me.  And those secluded woods provided me with a sense of peace that I craved, even if it was within the chaotic setting of the clubhouse.

Aches, pains, and the need for serenity.  I was starting to sound like a very old man.

I walked in to the diner and the hostess led me to a table in the back.  When Lacey found me, I was looking out the window, a million miles away.

“Feel better?” I asked.

“Yes, tons.  Sorry, I should have gone before I left.”

“That’s okay.  Gives us a chance to grab a bite before we get there.  The Eugene Gods don’t have any women like Grace or Cherry to keep the fridge stocked.”

“Oh,” she replied, her face falling again.

“You don’t want to go,” I said.

“Well…I mean, don’t get me wrong, it’s not that I’m not grateful. And I know I screwed this whole thing up and that’s why I have to leave.  I know it’s all my fault.  But I - I - I…well, I was just getting comfortable at your clubhouse,” she added, shyly.

I laughed out loud, much louder than I intended to.

“You definitely looked comfortable this morning when I left you sleeping in my bed,” I replied.

“Yes,” she said, her eyes shifting down.  “I did.”

“Hey.”

“Hey,” I repeated, when she wouldn’t meet my eyes.  She raised them finally, and I smiled at her.  “It’s all going to be okay, babe, I promise.”

I was lying through my teeth.  What the hell did I know? 

“I hope you’re right,” she replied, her voice shaking.  She had tears in her eyes, and I was reminded once again how frightened she must be.

“The Eugene Gods are just fine, don’t worry.  And I won’t leave you alone for a minute.  You’re safe with me.”

“Thank you, Riot.  But what about afterwards?”

“After what?”

“After I leave, to start my new life…” Her eyes fell to the table, and all the questions I saw there earlier came back.

I sighed.

“I don’t know, babe.  But what I do know is that Grace is great at her job.  She wouldn’t be sending you anywhere that wasn’t safe.”

“That’s not what I meant,” she replied, quietly.

“What then?”

“I meant…well, us…oh, nevermind.”

“Us?” I asked.

“Look, I get it, there’s no ‘us’.  I shouldn’t have said that.”  Tears fell down her cheeks.

“Oh, hey, don’t do that…”  I dabbed at her cheeks with a napkin, and grabbed her hand.

“I’m sorry,” she said.

“You have nothing to apologize for.  I don’t know what’s going to happen.  I’ve been thinking about it a lot, though.  We’ll figure something out.  Maybe Grace will let us bend the rules a little, and we can stay in contact."

I knew that wasn’t likely, but what was I going to tell her?

She perked up a little, though, and we ate slowly, taking our time before we had to get back on the road.  Before we knew it, it was after ten and the diner was closing.

Hand in hand, we walked back to the bike. 

I saw the puddle next to my bike right away.  My heart pounded as I scanned the parking lot and pulled the gun from my waistband, all at the same time that I pushed Lacey behind me.

“Get back!” I commanded.

“What’s wrong?” she asked.

“Someone fucked with my bike,” I said, as I pointed to the puddle at my feet.  There was not a soul in sight, and the few parked cars in the lot were empty.  I put my gun away, and leaned down, poking a finger in the puddle, and smelling it.

“Brake fluid. Fuck! They cut my lines.”

“Who would do that?” she asked, her voice shaking in fear.

“Someone who didn’t want us to leave.”

“What do we do now?” she asked.

“Well, that’s a good question.”  I wouldn’t be able to get replacement parts until tomorrow.  I could call the Gods to come get us, but the last thing we needed to do was return to the clubhouse.  I eyed the motel, and once again, my head was filled with images of Lacey splayed out in front of me, her warm, inviting body just begging me to devour it.

“Let’s get a room.”

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

Lacey

I woke up the next morning starving.

After talking to Ryder on the phone, we had decided to stay put for the night, but not after much convincing on Riot’s part.  Ryder wanted to come get us, but Riot convinced him to let us stay and get the bike fixed this morning.

We spent the entire night making love.  I was beginning to think he had sold his soul to the devil for that amazingly skillful mouth.  I had never come so hard in my life, and with every kiss, every lick, every stroke of his tongue, he took me to places I had never even imagined existed.

My body melted under his assault, submitting to him completely, letting him show me everything I had been missing in that tiny hotel room.  He insisted all night that I tell him everything I liked, and didn’t like.

They almost didn’t let us get a room, and I was convinced my loud moaning would get us kicked out.  Neither one of us had a credit card.  But apparently, my pleading and Riot’s flexing, convinced the clerk to show us a little mercy.

By the time the sun woke me up, Riot was passed out next to me, his face scrunched up on the pillow next to me, drooling.  It was so fucking adorable, there was no way in hell I was going to disturb him.

I delicately removed myself from the bed, making sure not to wake him. I dressed quietly, grabbed the hotel key, a twenty from Riot’s wallet on the dresser, and walked out into the blazing sunshine, after scribbling a note for him to let him know where I was going.

The diner was dead at this early hour, and I sat at the breakfast counter while I waited for our order.  My body was on fire, my flesh deliciously swollen, the soreness a constant reminder of Riot’s touch.

It was obvious that the feelings I had for Riot were mutual.  Monty’s men had never been like that with me.  Riot gripped onto me like he never intended to let go.  He kissed me and fucked me like my pleasure was the only thing in the world that mattered to him.

And holy fuck did he know to please me.  It was like someone gave him a blueprint to my body, and then handed him the only key.

By the time he was done with me, my skin was singing, begging for more of his sweet melody.

My stomach growled, teaching me something new this morning - voracious sex made one very hungry!  I had never experienced this before, but apparently, it was very true.  And if I was this hungry, then I knew Riot, who had done almost all of the ‘work’ last night, must be famished.

My order came up, and I paid for it and walked back out into the sunshine.  Since it was early, there were only a few cars parked.  I was crossing the lot, heading back to the motel, bags of hot food in my hand, when I heard a car door open behind me.

I turned to see two very large men emerge from the car, and begin walking towards me.  I picked up my pace, and pulled the hotel key from the pocket of my jeans.  Stupidly, I had left my cell phone in the room.  The men continued to follow me, and I started running.  They began chasing me, and I dropped the food, breaking into a sprint across the lot as the skin on the back of my neck stood up.

I was almost to the door that led into our room, and I began panting, running as fast as I could now to escape them.  My foot caught on the curb as I tried to jump up to the sidewalk, and I landed right on my face.  Quickly, I jumped back up to my feet, but it was too late.

They towered over me, and I looked up straight into the barrel of a gun.

I took a deep breath, and yelled as loud as I possibly could.

“RIOT!”

CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

Riot

I heard Lacey’s cry before my eyes opened.  I bolted out of bed, naked and panicked, looking around the room.

She wasn’t here.

I barreled through the door of the motel, just in time to see a black sedan peeling out of the parking lot, Lacey  struggling in the backseat, and her screams echoing in my ears.

I hopped on my bike, for a split second forgetting that I was naked, my bike was broken, and that I didn’t even have the fucking keys, but reality quickly came crashing down on me.

“Lacey!” I jumped off, screaming, running after the car.  It was no use.  By the time I got around the corner, it was gone.  

“Motherfucker!” I yelled, my fists pumping the air.  Never in my life have I wanted to hit something so badly. 

What the fuck just happened?

What the fuck was I going to do now?!

I looked around the parking lot frantically, searching for some solution.  Unless I stole a car, I had no other options.  

I had to call Ryder.

I began running back to my room, when I heard a soft voice call to me.

“Hey, you’re Riot, right?”  I turned to see the perky blonde reporter from the news the other day.  She stood by the ice machine, quietly staring at me, alone and a complete contrast to my panicked state.

“You’re that fucking reporter!” I sneered.

She walked up to me slowly, her eyes glued to my naked body.

“I’m Diana Trudeau, KATU News,” she closed the distance between us, and held out her card.  I stared it blankly.

“I don’t have time for your shit,” I said, turning to go back to my room.

“Sir, please? If I could have just a minute of your time?”

“Fuck off!” I growled, my blood boiling in my veins.

“I can help you!”

“How do you know my name?” I snarled.

“I - I’ve been following you! Well, sort of.  I know your name, because I just heard that woman yell it before they put her in the car.  And I saw you together last night.  In the diner.”

I turned to look at her, and thundered back to her.

“What are you fucking talking about? Are you the one that cut my fucking brake line?”

“No!  Like I said, I - I - I’ve been following you. Well, Lacey Carrington, really. But since she’s with you…well, anyway. But those men that just took her?”

“What about them?” I asked.

“I know where they’re staying.  I think they’re Monty Patterson’s men, but I’m not sure.  They’re definitely not cops. Dressed way too nice for that, you know?” she shrugged.  “They’ve been following you, too. So, I guess I’ve been following all of you.”

“You got a fucking car?” I asked, my mind racing.

“Yes!” she said, her voice shaking.

“Stay here!” I said, yelling over my shoulder as I walked away.  “I have to get dressed.  Don’t fucking go anywhere, you hear me?”

“Darlin’,” she replied, her eyes focused squarely on my junk, “with a package like that I - well, I’m not going anywhere.”

CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

Lacey

They put something dark over my head as soon as the door slammed shut behind us.  I screamed, wiggled, tried to push them off of me. But they were so fucking strong.  One of them pressed his hand hard against my mouth, digging my tooth painfully into my lip.  I tasted blood, and struggled harder.

“We’ve got a fucking tiger on our hands here,” the man holding me grunted as he struggled to contain me.

“Just hold on to her.  We aren’t going far,” a deep voice boomed from the front seat.

I turned and kicked, my legs flailing wildly and aimlessly, looking for flesh to make contact with.  A resounding crack followed immediately by an angry grunt.

“You bitch! That fucking hurt!”  His hands gripped my arms tighter and he pushed me roughly against the seat.  He shifted beside me and I felt the cold, hard steel push against my temple.