Riddick tried again and this time he was able to maneuver it enough that I could slide her out and onto the ground. She lay sprawled on the grass, her dark hair haloed around her light complexion. She took my breath away for a second. Her striking features coming into the light of the bike’s headlights. Pink pouty lips, innocent heart shaped face, long dark lashes that touched the tops of her pale cheeks.
“Hey, pretty girl,” I muttered to myself as I tapped on her cheek. “Come on, react.”
She moaned again and her lips parted. I didn’t know why but my body reacted instead. Fuck, that had never happened before.
“She alright?” Riddick crouched by her head and grabbed a strand of her hair. “Well, she is a sight for sore eyes.”
“Dude we’re not here to get our kicks off, we need to get her to a hospital.”
“You can drop her off at the front. No hospitals remember. Jameson said, don’t get involved in something where the cops could ask questions and put a name to a face.”
“I don’t give a fuck; this girl needs help.”
“Then we drop her off out front.”
“I’m going in with her.”
“Goddamn you’re stubborn.”
“Drop us both out front. I’m not leaving her.” I stared down at the pretty brunette, she looked so young. God only knew what the hell she was doing down these roads so late.
“If you’re so damn concerned why don’t we just take her back to your place.”
“Yeah, you see that gash on her forehead. She took a pretty bad hit to her head. Most likely she’s concussed.”
“Weren’t you a medic or something. I’m sure that Special Forces training taught you how to put in some stitches.”
I stared down at her. He wasn’t wrong, I was a trained first responder in the Special Forces. It was one of the main reasons why I was so fucked up in the first place. But Riddick was right. We couldn’t put the cops on our trail. If they found out this road was being used by Royal Bastards, they’d come snoopin’ around, asking questions. In turn, we’d be put on the radar, and we couldn’t afford that. Not now.
“Help me lift her into the truck.” Riddick had brought over Bandit’s truck, at least he was thinking ahead.
I slid her carefully into the backseat, her skirt sliding up beneath her, giving me a glance at her smooth white thighs. My body groaned as I jumped over her and slid up further. Carefully trying not to harm her. I slid my hands down her collarbone, across her shoulders and arms. Applying pressure where needed to make sure there were no broken bones.
She sighed as my hands slid around her waist, putting pressure on her ribs. I ran them along the swell of her hips and over her thighs, my fingertips grazing soft, warm flesh.
“Fuck, you’re pretty,” I whispered to myself as Riddick slid into the driver’s side.
I removed my hands from her body, flexing them slightly as they still tingled from her heat. It had been way too long since I’d felt a woman and I couldn’t deny the need for one. I’d forgotten how good they felt.
How soft.
How warm.
“You ready?” Riddick interrupted my thoughts, and I slid out, slammed the back door shut and opened the passenger side door.
“Drive slow. I don’t know how severe that accident was, and it may have caused some stress on her neck and back.”
“What are we gonna do with her truck?”
“Have Styx pick it up. He could bring it by the house. I’ll take a look at it.”
“Fuck, what a night, Brother?”
“Yeah well, doesn’t seem it’ll be over any time soon for me.” I sighed and leaned over the seat. I looked at the sleeping angel, her eyelids slightly fluttering as she dreamt. I wondered what encompassed her dreams. At least they looked peaceful, so much unlike the nightmares I woke up from.
“I’ll follow you.”
Riddick nodded and took off as I walked over to my bike. Sliding on, I kicked the starter and she came to life. I looked out to the dark open road. The only light was coming from my headlights. You couldn’t even make out ten feet in front of you. That was pretty much my life. A series of dark inevitable turns with no direction.
The Chariot tarot card suddenly came into mind. Jameson had pulled it on me the other night. We’d been discussing projects and arguing about the negotiations we were making and how I thought we were taking too many risks. That’s when he held it up and slid it onto the table before me. Tapping on it, he watched me. I looked down at it and found it odd he’d pulled it upside down.
“No direction. No clear path. You have a lack of control and direction and you’re so damn angry it’s scary. You want to be a part of this then I suggest you get your shit together Taron. Don’t let that fucking fear of yours interfere with your potential.”
He slammed his palm down over the card, and slid it back toward him, sliding it blindly into his deck. He liked pulling shit like that with me and it pissed me off.
Standing up, I fixed an angry glare on him. Jameson only leaned back in his chair, not in the least afraid of me. “You got somethin’ to say to me, Knuckles?”
I kept my mouth shut knowing it wouldn’t get me anywhere. Jameson set his tarot deck beside him and folded his hands before him as he spoke. “You don’t like how I’m running shit, then come up with a better plan. Until then you do as I say, no questions asked.”
I’d slammed the door shut on my way out, feeling frustrated and exhausted. This was all bullshit and he knew it. We were making money, but not nearly what we could be making. After a few days of thinking things through, and some long nights of driving along this godforsaken road, I came up with an idea. It would cost us at first, but in the end, it would make us all extremely happy and wealthy. We could focus on transport and production, and we didn’t have to worry about dealing with these fucking lowlifes to get the numbers in. I could only hope he was willing to listen.
But at the moment I had other priorities. Focusing on the truck in front of me, the only question I had, was what the hell I was getting myself into with this woman.
3
Dyanara
I flinched as a severe throbbing pain along my forehead woke me. Sliding my hand over it, I hissed as I came across a bandage. I slowly opened my eyes to stare up at the tiled ceiling. Fluorescent lights flickered above me, and I blinked a few times trying to get my vision to focus. I was lying on a dirty old couch, a blanket draped over me.
I had no idea where I was or what had happened, and slowly dread and fear started to settle in. I shot up from the couch, and instantly plopped my ass back down as the dizziness took over.
“Ok, Dyanara, you can do this. Stand your ass up and head for that door. Despacio, con cuidado.” I murmured to myself as I once again tried to stand up.
I held on to the couch and safely made it to the wall. Gripping it, I leaned my head back on it. My head was pounding, my body ached, but I seemed to be in one piece. Opening the door to my right, I realized it was the entrance to a small bathroom instead of the exit. I closed my eyes and slowly made my way inside. When I turned on the light, I gasped.
Dried blood ran down my cheek, and a bandage encompassed the left side of my head. “What in the world.”