Dark Knights Ch. 01

We settled at the table, and while I'd have preferred a beer, I had a glass of tea as well. I surreptitiously watched as he cut into his pork chop, made sure it had a crumble of blue cheese and bacon on it, blew it cool, and popped it into his mouth. I smiled as he moaned, his eyes closed as he chewed slowly.

"Oh my God!" he murmured. "This is unbelievable!" He cut another piece, slathered it in grits, and ate that, sighing as he chewed. "Will you marry me?" he asked, his face serious but his eyes full of mirth.

I grinned, pleased with his reaction. "No..." I said, drawing the word out, "but if you're coming to help me paint, I think I can do better than pizza."

"Thank you, but you don't have to cook. You don't even have to do Pizza. If you paint one side and I do the other, we can probably be done in thirty minutes. Hardly worth the trouble of ordering."

I shook my head. "Nope. It's decided. Besides, it's nice to cook for someone other than myself."

"Well, if I can't talk you out of it..." he said, his voice trailing off in teasing.

"You can't."

"Then I won't try," he finished.

I smiled, enjoying his gentle banter. He was everything Hayden wasn't, and sitting there with Bryn, I couldn't believe I'd let that asshole into my pants, or what I saw in him. Our meal was fun, and despite the lingering nerves, I was enjoying myself. It was almost like a date, and I hadn't been on one of those in months. Hayden had fucked me, but he damn sure hadn't treated me the way Bryn had.

We were sitting at the table, sipping our teas and talking, neither of us apparently in a hurry for the conversation to end. I was feeling very comfortable around Mr. Bryn Ludlow, and I was considering that I might feel even safer if he shared my bed tonight. I smiled to myself. If he could fuck as good as he looked, I probably wouldn't have any trouble falling asleep after he spent a couple of hours taking my mind off what had happened.

He'd been nothing but the perfect gentleman throughout this mess. I suspected he'd go to his bed tonight without attempting to seduce me, and I was considering dropping a hint that I'd welcome an advance, when the doorbell rang.

"Expecting anyone?" he asked, motioning for me to keep my seat as he rose from the table.

"No one," I said, shaking my head as the warmth and comfort I'd been feeling vanished in an instant.

I watch as he crossed the room, opened the door, and then stiffened. "What do you want?" Bryn asked, his voice as cold and hard as frozen diamonds.

"I saw there'd been some trouble. Such a nice neighborhood too. Thought I'd stop by and see if I could help," Hayden replied. Bryn was blocking Hayden's view into the house with his body, but I recognized his voice.

"Funny you'd notice something like that from just riding by."

"Yeah. I have good eyes."

"Then you can see the door is fixed and you can be on your way."

"Yeah, okay, I get the message." Hayden peaked around Bryn to look at me before Bryn moved to block his view again. "You think you can protect her? I guess we'll see. What she needs to do is to come with me. Let the Rollers protect her. Under our protection, stuff like this might not happen again."

"Maybe," Bryn growled. "Even you could probably protect her from the chickenshit guys that do stuff like this. Cutting tires... breaking into houses... and they always seem to do it when nobody's around. I wonder why that is?" He paused, his posture tense, as if he were ready for a fight. "I think it's because they're nothing but big pussies," he rumbled, his voice laced with contempt.

"You better watch your tongue, asshole," Hayden sneered. "One day your mouth is going to write a check your ass can't cash." He tried to look around Bryn again, but again Bryn stepped in front of him. "Tell Reagan I'll be seeing her around."

Bryn stood in the door for a long moment, watching something before he closed the door. "Shit! What are we going to do?" I asked as I rose from the table. I'd never been so scared as I was at that moment.

"We're going back to my place. Get your things. It looks like all the Rollers are out there. Eight or ten of them anyway. At least at my place they'll have to come through the door."

I hurried to my room with a nod. I hadn't unpacked my suitcase and grabbed the bag from the bed as I heard several motorcycles start and quickly motor away. I wanted to get the hell out of there as soon as possible. When Bryn opened the front door, I saw at least six or seven guys leaning against their bikes at the curb in front of my house.

"Fuck..." I breathed. "Should I call the cops?"

"For what? They aren't doing anything. The cops might run them off, but they won't go far." He closed the door. "I'm afraid the shit is about to get deep." He paused as he licked his lips, clearly thinking. "I'm going out first. Shut the door behind me. Leave your bag. When I pull up in front of the door, you run like hell and get the car. Got it?"

I nodded, struck mute with fear. I used to think of myself as a badass biker bitch, but now I was quaking in my boots. Bryn opened the door and trotted down the three steps as I closed it behind him. As he walked quickly to his car, I watched through the window as a couple more of the Rollers mounted their bikes, clearly intending to follow him. It appeared the rest, Hayden included, were going to remain behind to watch the house.

He fell into his car and after a moment, the engine started with a growl. I made sure my hair was tight before I put my hand on the knob and prepared to fling the door open. I had a moment of panic as he backed slowly down the drive, afraid he was going to leave me behind, but then the engine of his car howled before the Subaru darted forward and swung left across my front yard.

Bryn slid to a stop across the walk leading from the drive to my front door. Before the car had stopped, I'd flung the door open and charged down the steps, not taking the time to engage the deadbolt as he shoved the car's passenger door open. Some of the Rollers' bikes roared to life as the rest of the men scrambled to mount up, our sudden escape attempt surprising them.

I threw myself into his car, and before I had the door closed, he'd floored the accelerator and dumped the clutch, the Subaru tearing up my grass as its engine screamed and its tires scrabbled for traction. I was still trying to get buckled when he slammed the car into second and jerked the wheel, the car gliding sideways in a drift as he tried to adjust our path to avoid the Roller who was racing us in an attempt to cut us off in our sprint for the street. With car's engine again banging hard against its rev limiter, we crashed over the curb and shuddered into the road, unable to completely avoid the Roller. With a sickening thump, we clipped his bike with the rear bumper to send him tumbling and sliding on the pavement.

I planted my feet and grabbed the dash with both hands, fighting the scream that threatened to escape me as we careened across the street toward a parked car. Bryn worked the wheel to control the car, never lifting, before the car finally found grip with what appeared to be inches to spare, and we were gone.

"Here they come," he said, gritting his teeth as he banged the car into third. "You better hold on."

He flung the car around a corner at the end of the next block, the tires wailing in protest as he hung the car out in a tidy little drift. I gritted my teeth hard to keep from screaming as I held onto the dash and the chicken handle above the door. I'd been riding bikes with Bryn for two years, and I knew he was fast as shit on his FXDR, but I had no idea he could handle a car like this. I wish I could say I was impressed but I was too scared.

With his skillful handling, his car was much faster than the Rollers on their bikes, and we began to open some distance on them. He banged down a gear, then another, the Subie's boxer engine howling as we rounded another corner, the tires screaming in protest at their rough handling. As we accelerated again, I took the moment to quickly buckle my seatbelt and then check our pursuers. They were well back now and falling farther behind. I began to relax.

I was turning back to face front when I was slammed hard into the seatbelt, the violent deacceleration making me grunt as Bryn stood on the brakes. We were at a stop sign, sitting behind a SUV waiting to make a left on Gwinnett. He blipped the throttle, working the gear lever with nervous energy as the vehicle in front of us waited for an opening. Gwinnett was a busy, major road, and as we waited, I looked behind us to see the Rollers hauling ass toward us. If we didn't move, they were going to be on us in seconds.

Before I could say anything, he revved the engine hard, dumped the clutch, and whipped the car left around the Pilot in front of us before lurching right, punching a hole in traffic to the sound of blaring horns as we rocketed away. Moving much faster than traffic, he darted and wove, threading his way between the cars, cutting his passes way too close and leaving a cacophony of horns echoing in our wake. After several long moments of heroic, if terrifying, driving, he slowed to match the pace of the traffic before darting left onto a side street, though he kept a watchful eye on the rearview mirror.

"I think we've lost them, but there's been a change of plans. We need to go someplace other than my apartment. They'll go there looking for us, if they're not there already. We need to find a motel or someplace like that, somewhere we can get the car out of sight until we can sort this out." I nodded, still unable to speak. "It's going to be okay, Reagan," he said, glancing at me, though I could read the concern in his eyes.

Tears threatened but I will them away. "I can't thank you enough," I finally said, and I could hear the slight quiver in my voice.

"It's okay," he said with a small smile. "I won't let anything happen to you. You can trust me."

We wove through the city for nearly an hour, avoiding major thoroughfares while turning left and right at random with no destination in mind, talking little as we kept a keen watch for the Rollers. We finally stopped at a Comfort Inn near the airport. I waited in the car as he checked us in.

"Got it," he said as he dropped back into the car. "We have a room at the back on the second floor... 224." We puttered around the building before he stopped at the back entrance. "Go inside and wait for me."

"Where are you going?" I asked, my heart almost seizing in my chest at the thought of him leaving me.

"I'm going to park my car over at the Springhill Suites. That way if the Rollers do spot the car..."

I nodded in understanding. Bryn's car was a bright blue Subaru WRX STi with gold wheels. It was easy to spot, and the dent and scuff on the rear of the car was a dead giveaway this was the WRX the Rollers were looking for. If the car was parked in the lot of a different motel, at least the Rollers would be looking for us in the wrong place. Hopefully, my mind whispered.

"Be careful," I murmured as I opened the door.

He waited until I had the entrance door open before he pulled away. A bank of elevators and the stairs were just around the corner from the entry. I started to take the elevator, and had already pushed the call button, but the thought of doors opening on the second floor, and having Hayden standing there, trapping me in a box, convinced me to take the steps.

I found our room and blew out a soft stream of air in relief when I slid the card through the lock, the door clicked softly, and I was able to open it. The room was typical mid-priced motel, with thin neutral colored carpeting, inoffensive wallpaper, and a brightly colored comforter on the bed.

Though I knew Hayden and the Rollers didn't know where I was, I was restless. After tugging my ponytail tight, I opened the thick, lightproof curtain to surveil the parking lot. Seeing nothing, I closed the drapes and sat on the corner of the bed, stared at the door, and willed Bryn to hurry back. It seemed like he'd been gone a long time, and I was beginning to worry, afraid he'd been caught by the Rollers, when there was a soft rap on the door.

I hurried to the door, stood on my tiptoes to peer through the peep, and sighed with relief at Bryn's distorted face. I swung the door wide and he stepped into the room, shutting the door behind him. His shirt was stuck to his chest with sweat from his walk in the heat, but I didn't care as I melted into his arms and laid my head on his shoulder, wanting, needing, to feel the touch of another human. I smiled to myself as his arms went around me.

"See anyone?" I asked, not moving.

He shook his head. "No. I think we're safe enough for the night." He paused and then continued. "It's going to be okay."

He slowly stroked my head as we stood, his touch comforting. "You got a room with only one bed," I finally said as I begin to relax. "Isn't your girlfriend going to object?"

He shrugged, but never stopped caressing my head. "It's what they gave me. I didn't even think about it. I'll sleep in the chair or something."

I pulled out of his arms. "And the girlfriend?"

"No girlfriend," he said softly.

"Why not?" I asked, genuinely curious. Finally seeing Bryn as his true self, women should be throwing themselves at him.

"I don't know," he replied with another shrug. "Girls just don't dig me. The good girls are kind of put off by the fact that I ride a bike and carry a gun, and the bad girls... I guess they don't like the way I look. Not bad boy enough for them I suppose. Besides, remember, I told you, I have a hard time trusting people, and that makes it tough too."

I suddenly felt bad for him. "You can trust me," I murmured as I snuggled into his chest again.

"I trust you."

"No. I mean I won't hurt you. I had no idea who you were until these last few days. You're completely different than I thought you were. And where did you learn to drive like that?"

"I don't know," he said, his shoulders hitching. "It's just something I learned to do. After I got my first car, I used to go to this big open parking lot after it rained and throw the car around. I like to drive and ride fast." He paused. "So the different, is that good or bad?"

"It's good. I like what I see. You combine the best traits of a nice guy and a badass. I know we like to pretend we're badasses in the Knights, but really we're just a bunch of regular guys out making a few extra bucks. I can't see anyone else in the club standing off eight or nine guys like you did at my house."

"They're not stupid enough to do something in broad daylight. Hayden may be crazy, but he's not that crazy."

"Maybe, but that still took a shit-load of guts." I pulled out of his arms again and sat down on the bed, suddenly so very tired. "What are we going to do tomorrow? I have to go to work, so do you, and Hayden knows where I work. Even if he didn't follow me back here, we can't stay here for long. It'll bankrupt us both."

He held my gaze as he pulled his weapon from his back, placed it on the table, and then sank into one of the chairs, clearly thinking. "I'll take you to work and pick you up afterwards. Don't go out at lunch. We'll figure something out then." He paused, a faint smile touching his lips. "What are you smiling at?"

"You."

"Me?"

I nodded. "I was thinking of you as my knight in shining armor."

"Some knight," he muttered.

"I don't know. You've impressed the hell out of me so far." I paused, needing to say them but afraid to utter the words. "I don't want you to sleep in the chair. Will you hold me tonight? Please."

He squirmed. "Reagan... I, um, don't know if that's a good idea."

"Why? We didn't bring anything to sleep in, so we'll be in our clothes. You were holding me a couple of minute ago. I just... you made me feel safe when you were holding me."

He held my gaze for a long moment. I could see the conflict on his face before he relaxed into another of his soft smiles. "Okay, sure. That'll be a lot more comfortable than the chair, and I sure as hell won't be sleeping much tonight."

I relaxed slightly, his agreement making me feel better. "Yeah. Me either."

I scooted up in the bed and laid down before patting the bed beside me in invitation. I glanced at the bedside clock. It wasn't quite nine, yet I was exhausted. He slid onto the bed behind me and I snuggled in close. As his arms closed around me, I noticed he was very careful to not touch me in a sexual way, his arm around my back resting on my shoulder, his other hand holding mine as it rested on his chest. I closed my eyes, enjoying the contact and the sense of security.

I swam out the darkness. "Did I go to sleep?" I asked as I yawned and stretched.

"For a couple of hours. My arm is going to sleep. Sorry I woke you," Bryn murmured, pulling his arm out from under my head with a soft gasp, but he didn't move away.

The nap had refreshed me, and I became aware of our closeness, a closeness I was enjoying. "May I ask you a question?" I asked softly.

"Sure."

"Why did you join the Dark Knights?"

"As I recall, the club asked me to join."

Eric had recruited Bryn when I told him the only way we were going to be able to hide our grey marketing was if we had a computer nerd to help me cover my electronic tracks. Eric had found Bryn through the friend of a friend, and over the course of a few months, had coaxed him into the club with the promise of lucrative side deal if he was willing to use his computer skills to help the club.

"Yes, but why? You didn't know why we were asking you to join at the time."

"I don't know," he whispered and then sighed. "I've thought about quitting several times."

"So why haven't you?"

He was quiet for a moment. "I guess it's because you guys are the closest thing I have to a family. After juvie, I went to school, got a degree, bounced around here and there, but I never felt like I belonged anywhere. Then the Knights asked me to join... and for first time in my life, someone actually wanted me around. At least I thought you did. Now I'm not so sure."

"I want you around," I said softly. I rose so I could see his face. "I'll admit that I'm what you called a bad girl. I didn't even give you a second look because... well, I just didn't. I didn't think you were my type. I was wrong." I snuggled in again.

"What's your type?"

"I don't know. Tough. Strong. Maybe a little bit on the wild side. A hint of danger. Guys that won't tie me down."

"And now? Me?"

"I always thought you were this nerdy guy that sulked all the time, like Kevin does when he doesn't get his way. Now I see that you're not that way at all. You're dependable, strong, and fearless, but you're also kind and compassionate. You haven't made even one pass at me since all this shit started. I can't think of even one other guy I've dated who'd have done the same. None of them would have done what you have for me and not expect something in return." I waited, but when he didn't answer, I rose to look at him again. He smiled, that soft little smile of his, the one I was beginning to enjoy seeing.

"I didn't want to get shot with my own gun," he said as soon as I looked at him.

I smiled as I returned to my position. "I wish I'd never said that," I whispered.

"It's okay. I know you were kidding."

"So why haven't you... tried?"

"Because..." he began but then trailed off.

"Please tell me."

He was quiet for a long time, but I waited him out. "Because I like you and I don't want to screw that up," he finally said, but I had the feeling there was more to it than the words said.

"I like you too."

He nodded slowly. "You seem to be the only one. Everyone else..."