Fury
Leaning his hips against a rest area picnic table, Fury waited on Bella to come out from the bathroom. Glancing at his phone, he realized she had been gone nearly fifteen minutes. With a sigh, he straightened and turned, about to head inside and check on her when she appeared in the doorway. Face angled down, the edge of one hand shaded her eyes against the glare of the sun, boot-clad feet moving slowly as she paced along the walkway towards him.
They would be stopping for the night soon, but he wanted to get another hundred miles down the road before that happened. To urge her onward, he swung his leg over the seat of the bike, making it obvious he was waiting. He felt compassion for her ordeal, knew what she went through would have to fuck with anyone’s head, much less a just-into-her-teens kid, but he needed to get her to Chicago where the full weight of the Rebel ranks could take on the responsibility of keeping her safe.
It might make him paranoid as fuck, but the skin on the back of his neck had been creeping since they left Lamesa. Even before then, he had the tech guy for the Soldiers sweep his fucking bike before they headed out. He had also switched phones, churning and burning the technology, carefully texting the new number to only three people: Mason, Watcher, and Bethany.
Ready for it, he didn’t move when Bella’s glove-covered hand settled lightly on his shoulder. The bike shifted underneath him as she placed her foot on the peg, swinging over and seating herself behind him. Two days into the trip, this was their routine, nothing needed explaining or discussing. She had grown up around a club, so she knew he was simply doing as he was told. Just like her. “Get on this man’s bike and ride with him until he hands you off to someone else I trust.” Those were the basic instructions her father had given her, and Fury could see what it cost the man to send her away after he had barely gotten her back. Saw the price in his clenched jaw and narrowed eyes, taking in Fury at a glance and nodding. Family cared for family, and blood mixed with club loyalties meant an unbreakable tie between him and his cousin.
Getting her out of the firing line seemed the smartest thing to do, especially since the particular brand of crazy they were dealing with didn’t seem to hold anything back. Where many clubs, hell, most clubs would never consider targeting families, Deacon and his minions like Shooter, Judge, and Lalo, all seemed hell-bent on causing the greatest amount of damage possible, regardless of the innocents caught in the crossfire.
Back on the highway, he felt her curl in behind him, her body slumping against his. Fury braced as he took her weight. Two hours, he thought, seeing a mile marker sign fly past. Two hours and they would rent a double in a cheap motel, cash only. No phones, no pool, no problem—they wouldn’t be there long enough to use them anyway. Just long enough for them both to catch a few hours shuteye, then they would be back in the wind.
Fury knew when he got to Chicago, he had another two days of riding before he would be back at his assigned post. Turn and burn. But, by then, the concert would be over, the rodeo would be over, and fuck…for all he knew, Chase and Bethany would be gone from Lamesa.
Bethany, he thought, feeling his lips curl up in a smile. The prettiest woman he had ever been around, hands down. She had accompanied the group to dinner the last night he had been there. He and she had wound up seated side by side, and conversation between them had been relaxed and comfortable. Almost like she was trying to catch up with an old friend. The idea sent a shiver up his spine, because Fury knew if she had realized who he was, she would have found a stake to tie him to and burn him.
Instead, it hadn’t been strange, hadn’t been weird. She’d pulled Chase into the conversation often, letting him bear the weight of talking when Fury felt himself getting too close to critical secrets. She had a million questions about his life, but was just as happy to talk about herself and her career. It had been fun to watch, how she had worked at giving him glimpses into her world in a way that she thought kept some mystery, her clear goal to ensure his interest remained piqued.
Even more than before, Bethy knew the music industry inside and out, and it was clear she wasn’t afraid to bust balls when needed. She’d laughed it off, saying it was a hard lesson learned, but her bands benefited from her education. That had stung, because he knew she was talking about him, and the days they’d spent together.
He found she had a soft side and got to witness it over and again as she loved on Chase. A woman he had always been able to see himself with, and one who seemed as cautiously into him as he could be her. If her brother wasn’t my fucking president, he thought as the smile faded into a scowl. If I hadn’t already fucked her over.
He considered all the details he knew about Mason. The biker, the businessman, the city councilman, the father, the brother. Would there be any possibility he could consider someone in the life for his baby sister, or would that be a no-go? All Fury knew was that since seeing Bethy again, all thoughts of any other woman had fled his mind. He didn’t consider himself a fickle person, his plans usually were laid months in advance and he lived by his lists. But now, Bethy consumed him, his dreams filled with her grey-eyed gaze, that zing of electricity from their first touch still seeming to ricochet around in his body every time she was near.
Seeing an approaching off-ramp with a motel nearby that would fit their needs, he slowed and prepared to exit the highway. What would work best with Mason, he wondered. Frontal attack, approaching him with the ask? Or a sidelong campaign, sneaking in the side door belonging to his sleekly attractive sister?
Pulling up in front of the doors of the motel, he waited for Bella to dismount, and then with a glance, cautioned her to stay by the bike as he went inside. Bethy’s too smart and sassy. She’d never submit to Mason if he went against her. Fury dragged his wallet out and tossed bills onto the counter, fingers slipping across to snag the old-fashioned key on a plastic fob. Finger to his brow, he saluted the man behind the desk, turning to see Bella obediently waiting, chin tucked tight to her chest, eyes focused on the ground at her feet.
Poor darlin’. He eyed the healing scabs on her face and forearms where she bore the wounds of her captivity. “Here’s the key,” he said, offering it to her. “Go on in and get cleaned up. I’ll knock when I’m back with food.” Her gaze flicked up, locking on him and he saw her warm brown eyes fill with tears. Oh, honey. “Swear. You’re okay, Bella. I won’t be gone five minutes. This place is safe.” Her fingers were shaking as she reached out for the key, obvious reluctance in her stance. He remembered she’d thought her apartment was safe, too. She’d do it, what he was asking, but she would be in fear the entire time.
“Okay, sweetie. No worries, yeah? Together,” he said softly, pulling the key back and shoving it into his pocket. “Ride with me for food, we’ll be back in a minute and you can rest.”
Now her gaze filled with gratitude, and he heard her voice for the first time, liquid tones sweet in the air. “Thank you.”
***
Three days later, Fury stood in a hotel doorway back in Lamesa, dusty boot toes just over the threshold, fingers clenched onto the wood at the sides. He watched as Bethany stalked across the suite towards him, grey eyes flashing with anger. He had never seen a more beautiful woman than she was right now, pissed as hell at him.
“What are you doing? I don’t need security, Fury. I don’t care what my brother thinks.” She stopped about five feet away and cocked out one hip, resting her hand on her waist. “You’re here and then gone, but it doesn’t matter. I’ve been taking care of myself for a long time now. Not sure what changed that he forgot all that.”
“After everything we got going on, he’s just worried about you, that’s all.” He took a single step inside, reaching for the door handle as he moved to one side, pulling it closed behind him. “Chase and everyone else has their own detail. It just worked out that I’m yours.”
“You came in.” She stated the obvious with disbelief in her voice.
“I did,” he responded, struggling to keep his eyes on hers and off her tempting curves. Damn, this woman is the whole package. Sassy and sweet, beautiful and rounded in all the right places. Perfect.
Grey eyes blazing, she reminded him, “But, I just told you I didn’t need security.” When her head tipped to one side, he couldn’t help himself, feeling the corners of his mouth curling up. “Do not do that,” she ordered, her head snapping back upright.
“Do what?” He fought against the smile, knowing he was losing ground with every second that passed. She’s just so fucking cute.
“Laugh at me.” He watched a shadow of some dark emotion chase across her features as she said this, then saw the anger settle back into place, now recognizing it as a defensive maneuver on her part. “Don’t laugh at me.”
Her words had stripped the humor from him, making it easy to answer. “Not laughing at you. I just like what I see, makes me happy.” He shrugged, looking away from her and around the suite. “Pleases me.” Her belongings were strewn across the sitting area and he found himself again struggling against a smile when he saw no fewer than six bras, all different colors—some of which looked familiar—draped across the backs of chairs and the couch. “Oh, yeah, I like what I see,” he muttered, stepping around her and farther into the room. God, this is such a bad idea.
“Fury,” she called. “Did you not hear me tell you that I don’t need you? That I don’t need someone like you?” He rocked to a stop and turned to face her at her words. Someone like me. Thank God, she didn’t know who he really was, or her cuts would be ten times deeper. “I didn’t mean…” She turned her head to look at her purse when her phone went off, then looked at him, because his had started ringing the same moment.
“Yeah,” he answered without looking at the display. Didn’t matter, only club had this number. And Bethy, but that was beside the point since she was standing five feet from him and didn’t have her phone in hand.
“Get on Bethany right now.” Slate spoke the words in a tone that brooked no argument, and it wouldn’t get one from him. He might have been lying five minutes ago when he told her that her brother wanted her covered, and while this gave him a legit excuse to spend time in her space, he was honest enough with himself to know he would have been doing that anyway. Just on the high he got from being in the room with her. In her space was exactly where he wanted to be, and Slate had now granted him permission.
“On it,” he responded, disconnecting the call, carefully watching Bethy as she spoke into her phone. Chin down, she wasn’t paying attention to him, and he took full advantage of the chance this gave him to look his fill. So beautiful and put together. Even surrounded by the chaos of life lived out of suitcases, she was perfect.
“Yeah, I’m safe, Mason,” she reassured her brother. “I promise, honey.” She listened, and then her gaze cut up, locking with Fury’s as she nodded. “Yeah, Fury’s right here.”