***
I closed my eyes and let my mind wander.
My face was pressed against the leather of Silas’ cut.
My hands were gently tracing the waistband of his jeans where it met the skin of his taught belly.
My inner thighs and crotch were pressed snugly to his backside.
The rumble of the engine was soothing, even though it was loud.
My ears had gotten used to the sound of the bike, it’s growling repetition lulling me into a peaceful and happy place.
Silas leaned into a bend in the road, and my body leaned with his. I was amazed at how close to the road we tilted on the bike as he maneuvered us through the turn.
Silas handled his machine expertly.
It was powerful and beautiful all at the same time.
I loved the way the tension seemed to leach out of him the longer we were on the bike.
The more we rode, the more relaxed I became because he became more relaxed.
His friends rode around us, one on each side, two in front and two in back.
The women were much the same as I was, although they were probably more used to the way their ass went to sleep after a while than I was.
In fact, I was so relaxed as we drove down yet another back road that I almost missed it.
Almost.
I happened to glance over to look at Baylee, and I immediately noticed that she was as white as a sheet and her eyes were starting to roll back in her head.
I grabbed a hold of Silas’ hair to get his attention, then pointed in the direction of Baylee.
Silas’ response was immediate, surprising me with his quick reaction.
Instantly, he maneuvered the bike to the side, crowding closer to Sebastian’s bike.
My heart was pounding in my chest as I did the only thing I could think of to do as we traveled at fifty miles an hour down the open road with nothing surrounding us.
I reached out and caught her, shoving her back up against Sebastian in an effort to keep her where she was supposed to be. Silas kept his motorcycle steady next to theirs, while we both slowed down, allowing me to keep a hold on her as I held her in place on the back of Sebastian’s bike.
Sebastian was also trying his hardest to hold her to him while slowing his bike one handed, and I knew she wasn’t going to make it.
She was going to fall.
She was going to be ripped to shreds by the pavement before my eyes.
Oh, God. Please no.
But a miracle happened.
We somehow managed to stop.
And, by the grace of God, she stayed in place on the back of Sebastian’s bike.
Once the bike finally came to a full stop, I gasped out a breath like I’d just run a fifty-mile marathon.
I was half off the bike, the only thing holding me back was Silas’ grip on the back of my jeans and my grip on his cut around the base of his neck.
My thighs were screaming, though, and my mind raced with concern as I quickly got off the bike.
Kettle beat me to it, though, seeming to come from nowhere with Adeline right on his heels.
They easily moved Baylee off the bike, and it was then that I saw the amount of blood that was pouring out of her.
I could see a wound on her neck, but I couldn’t tell what caused it, what the hell had happened to her.
“What’s going on?” I asked worriedly.
The next thirty minutes were a blur.
Ambulances came.
Cops showed.
One ambulance left with Sebastian and a still unconscious Baylee.
And the cop in front of us kept saying words ‘arrested’ and ‘obstruction of justice’ since we didn’t know what happened.
“Seriously, man,” Silas finally said. “I have no clue what happened. We were enjoying a ride, and my woman practically rips my head off to let me know that something’s going on. We pull over, and she was like that. She has a disease, though – Von Willebrand’s. It’s a bleeding disorder. Anything could’ve happened to her, and it’d be more serious just because of that.”
I’d actually heard Baylee say something about having that disease tonight.
It made it so that she could barely function during her periods since the blood flow leaned towards the extreme rather than normal.
She’d also told me about when she’d delivered her daughter, Blaise, and how she’d almost lost her life because they couldn’t get the bleeding under control.
“That’s true, she told me about this tonight. I looked over and her eyes were rolling back in her head. I was lucky I saw it when I did, or she would’ve been hurt much worse,” I whispered.
Silas’ hands tightened on mine. “We really would like to get to the hospital to check on her, if you don’t mind.”
The officer narrowed his eyes. “We’ll be in contact,” he said, flipping his book shut with a snap and turning on his heel to leave.
“Dick,” Silas muttered under his breath.
I squeezed his hand tighter.
“Be nice,” I whispered.
He snorted. “Let’s get to the hospital.”
We walked to the bikes where the others waited, one of the prospects having been dropped off to take Sebastian’s bike back to his place.
And all I could think about was how bad it could’ve been.
How she could’ve died. How she could even be dead right now.
Did I attract death? Was it me?
Questions that I couldn’t answer right now filled my mind. I pushed them out to reevaluate later.
Because, seriously, I had a sickening feeling that this wasn’t so simple. Something had happened.
I just knew somehow that the worst was yet to come.