Obsession (A Bad Boy's Secret Baby)(73)

There was, of course, this lingering sense of dread; me for my club, her for her sister, but it wasn't overbearing. Not yet. I was sure all that would change once we crossed the Florida state line, but that was tomorrow's problem.

Right now there was just Flora, me, and miles of empty road.

I couldn't remember the last time I'd felt this at ease.

****

Advance Auto Parts, Pizza Hut, Family Dollar and other familiar franchise stores had started to pollute the periphery. With Hilliard a stone's throw away, the abrupt but welcome vacation was finally coming to a close.

This was it, the one last night that held us together.

The sun was setting over the sloped red roof of the Tuffy Two restaurant when we turned into the parking lot.

“Hungry?” I asked, kicking down the side stand and turning off the bike.

Flora peeled herself off me, extending her arms as high as she could as she did a long stretch. I was immediately drawn to the slice of her creamy midriff that was revealed in the process. “Where are we?”

“The last diner in Georgia, from the looks of it.

“Huh. I was really hoping for barbeque.”

“I can still turn us around. I know this great place about a day's ride in the opposite direction.” I smirked and gave a shrug.

Flora raised her eyebrows, they told me that she wasn't having any of my shit. It was a refreshing change of pace from what I was used to. “I'll get us a table,” she said.

I nodded and watched her go. She let her hair down and shook it out as she walked. Despite the leather biker pants and strapless halter top I'd suggested, Flora wore a very modest light blue T-shirt and a pair of khaki pants. We'd picked up a change of clothes, something without blood splattered on them.

With time, Flora had finally relaxed enough for me to see that she was truly unlike any girl I'd ever known. I'd come to notice that she was clumsy and awkward and would smile at weird times, all of which I found endearing. In addition to that, she was a mix of stubbornness, naivete and spitfire that was infuriating, but also sexy as hell.

That made what was coming all that much worse.

I pulled out my phone, calling some old contacts that might be in a position to get me out of the country. It was a long shot, so I wasn't holding my breath. When no one answered, I figured they'd either moved on or were dead.

What was I going to do after I dropped this girl off? Where could I go as a hunted man?

Nowhere.

With the long rides, I'd had a lot of time to think. Although I didn't see it before, all I'd done as a nomad was run. I ran from everything and everyone that might slow me down. That's why I joined the Steel Veins to begin with; they embraced that culture.

But no matter how hard I ran, or how much pussy or trouble I used as a distraction, those old ghosts...

They always found a way to catch up.

I was tired of running.

By now, the Knights must've spread the news that I was no longer protected. They'd probably have a bounty on me after what I'd done at Roach's.

I looked down at my rough, scarred hands and thought of the countless storms they'd weathered. I guess it's all just a matter of time, now.

As for Flora... Well, I tried not to think about the chances of her surviving the next meeting with the Knights. I didn't have much faith that either of us would last long in Miami.

I saw through the window that she'd ordered us a round of waters. Regardless of whether I asked for it or not, she'd done the same thing every time we'd gone to a restaurant.

She had this inherent sense of minding for others that I found charming. Surprisingly enough, past the trauma and zealot-like focus, Flora was the best traveling companion I'd ever had. I couldn't have asked for a better way to spend my last days.

After I dropped Flora off, I was going to find the seediest game of cards around, get liquored up till I could barely stand, then make as much noise as possible and wait for the end.

It wasn't while cooking in a well stocked kitchen, but all things considered, it wasn't a bad way to go out, either.

I headed in.

“Everything alright?” she asked when I sat down.

I looked her over wearing my usual smirk; one that had grown more honest as I spent time with this woman. I took a sip of my water and replied, “Right as rain, Darlin'.”

It was dinner time, so the place was packed with what looked like the regular crowd. We ordered and ate. It was typical diner fare, made with more gristle than love for my liking, but I'd had worse, and Flora didn't seem to mind.

I was chasing my dry Salisbury steak down with some beer when I caught two men at the bar eyeballing me. After a few seconds, they turned back around and talked between themselves.

“What is it?” Flora asked, noticing that my demeanor had become more tense.

I watched the two guys pay their tab and leave. “Nothing,” I said, taking another sip of beer. “It was probably just locals that didn't take kindly to outsiders. Tell me about Claudine. What's she like?”