“Bowie, stop it! I just want to…”
“It’s time to go,” He growls out, anger in his voice.
He reaches out for me again me, but Jeremy is on us in a second, wrapping his strong arms around me. “It’ll be okay, Sis, just remember, one call.”
As soon as he releases me, Bowie’s arm is around me and we are down the hall and out the door where Tin-Man is sitting on his bike. As soon as he sees me, he smiles. “About damn time, now we can head home.”
“What the fuck ever,” Bowie mumbles under his breath as we walk toward his bike.
He climbs on and motions for me to do the same. As soon as my arms are wrapped around him, the engine of his bike comes to life. Without warning, he starts backing out of the driveway. Just as we hit the road, I see my brother step into the door. He doesn’t lift a hand, just watches us ride away.
*****
I climb off the bike, stretching my muscles. After all the hours on the road, my body aches from head to toe. I know Bowie has to be hurting. He started to move around on his bike, not long after we crossed the Kentucky border. I tried to keep my arms from touching his wound, but with every bump of the road, I would brush against it. Each time, I could feel Bowie tense.
When he finally slides from the bike, he lays a hand on the small of my back. “Come on, baby. Let’s get some rest.”
I look toward the clubhouse and back to him. “Why did you bring me here? You could’ve dropped me off at Nina’s, or even let me ride with Tin. That’s where he was headed, right?”
“What the fuck are you talking about?” He asks, as he pushes me forwards and starts walking us to the door.
“I just meant, this seems like a lot of trouble. We drove right past Nina’s. You could have dropped me off then, and you wouldn’t have to take me over there later.”
He shakes his head, not missing a step. “You’re not going back there. You sleep by my side from now on.”
Before I get a chance to argue with him, a large man with silver hair steps out of the clubhouse door. Bowie’s body goes on alert, and he pushes me behind him.
“Wondered when you’d get your ass home?” The man says his voice anything but welcoming.
“I’m here now.”
I move my head, looking around Bowie. It only takes a minute for me to realize who the man is. He has the same blue eyes as Bowie, but they are cold. There is not a hint of warmth anywhere in this man. Everything about him screams danger, just being around him sends a shudder down my spine. For years I have been scared to death of making Marcus mad, but something about this man makes Marcus’ anger seem almost benign.
Before I can move back into my hiding spot behind Bowie, he levels his cold eyes to mine. A menacing smile spreads across his face, as he winks at me. “Who’s the hot little piece you got hiding behind you?”
Bowie’s body shifts, completely blocking me from the man’s view. “She’s mine, that’s all you need to know about her.”
“Well, now. I didn’t get a good look, but I’m damn near sure I didn’t see a patch on her.”
“I’m fuckin’ sure I didn’t see a patch on that bitch you claimed.”
A harsh laugh fills the air around us. “That cunt’s not getting my patch. I told you a long time ago, boy. There’s not a bitch alive worthy enough to wear my colors.”
Anger vibrates off Bowie, when his father calls him boy, but his voice doesn’t change. “She said you claimed her.”
“I claimed her mouth, her pussy, and her ass.” The man says with a snicker. “That’s doesn’t make the bitch my Old Lady.”
“You might want to let her know that, before she runs her mouth too much.” Bowie says, still shielding me from his father.
“She can say whatever the fuck she wants, as long as she keeps servicing my dick.”
Bowie stays silent, not responding to his comment, but that doesn’t keep the man from going on. “Now, if that one you got there isn’t wearing your patch, I want her in my bed.”
The thought of being anywhere near this man has bile rising up in my throat. “No.”
My voice is soft, but Bowie hears it. Without hesitating, he slides his vest off his shoulder and slides it on me. Then, he turns back to his father. “She’s wearing my colors now.”
A chuckle reaches my ear, before he responds. “I’ll let it slide this time, but she better have your patch next time I see her. If not, her ass will be under me.”
The men go silent for a minute, before I hear a door open then slam shut. Instantly Bowie turns around and looks down at me. “Stay the fuck away from him.”