The sweet smell of rain-soaked flowers whisked by as we rode down the winding mountain road, twisting and turning farther and farther from town and any section that looked familiar.

Even though it was the middle of May, the night air was chilly even with my jeans and hoodie on. I hugged myself tighter onto Abel as I shrieked a little when he took a sharp corner faster and tighter than I was remotely comfortable with.

He turned off down a dark dirt road in the middle of nowhere, pulling over onto the shoulder. “Babe, there’s something I want to show you.”

I got off the bike. “Where in God’s name are we?”

“Well, we’re technically in Tennessee, and this is known to the locals as Compression Falls.”

He grabbed my hand as the clouds finally parted, revealing a huge full moon. The damp trees sparkled in the moonlight as Abel led me down a steep path.

“It’s not too much farther now.”

We finally made our way down to a riverbank and the sound of a roaring waterfall broke into the calm night air. We rolled up our jeans and took our shoes off, wading out to a large, smooth rock closer to the waterfall.

Abel sat, letting me lean back on his chest. We sat for a few minutes in silence, taking in the beautiful power of the cascading waterfall.

“This is gorgeous.”

Abel kissed my shoulder. “It really is. This is where I come when I need to get away from it all.”

“Thanks for bringing me here. I’ve never seen something like this.”

His arms tightened around me as his chest heaved from a deep breath. “There’s something I have been meaning to ask you.”

From the top of my head to my toes tensed. I was bracing myself. If he popped the question right then I would probably freak, and not in a good way.

“Do you believe in marriage?”

Not exactly what I was expecting.

“I don’t think I do. I feel like if people want to be around each other then a piece of paper shouldn’t define it.”

His body relaxed a little. “I couldn’t agree more.”

“Why are you asking me this?”

“Because you’re the first person, ever, that I felt was worth binding myself to. Not even Raine’s mom had me thinking about wifing her up. I loved her, but it was more because she gave me my daughter. I don’t think we would have stayed together otherwise.”

I pulled away from him, shifting to sit with my legs crossed so I was looking right at him. “What are you getting at, Abel?”

He rubbed the back of his neck, staring past me to look at the falls. “I’m getting at the fact that I have fallen for you, Crickett. I fucking love you. You’re not just some broad or something. You’re special.”

I leaned in, brushing my lips over his. “I love you too.”

“You know…we’re all alone, and that water looks mighty nice.”

“Wont it be cold as shit?”

He shook his head. “This area is all spring fed. It’s pretty much the same temperature all year round.”

“Race ya to the waterfall!” I jumped up, stripped down, and sprinted into the water, Abel hot on my tail.

We swam right up under the falling water, Abel holding me up since the bottom was a little too deep for me to stand comfortably.

Slowly we started a high school make out session like we were two horny kids hiding under the bleachers at a football game.

All of a sudden Abel started busting out laughing.

“What’s so funny?”

He quickly kissed me again. “It’s just so crazy that two months ago you walked into my life, and now here we are.”

“What, making out under a waterfall? Yeah, I wouldn’t have pictured this either.”

“No, I mean that not too long ago, you weren’t in my life, and now I can’t picture not having you in it.”

Wow. Talk about being sappy. That one hit me right in the feels.

Right then I felt my heart start really beating again. The warmth flooded through me. It was like I finally knew what life was about, what love needed to feel like, what I had been looking for. It was the most breathtaking moment of my life, one that I would never forget.

“I didn’t know bikers could be so mushy.”

“You just bring it out of me. I’m never this charming in real life.”

“This is real life, babe. So you better get used to it, because I like this side of you, especially since it’s only for me.”

He kissed from my jaw down to my shoulder. “Everything is only for you babe. You and Raine are my world now.”

A flood of desire came over me. I reached down and started to stroke him gently. “You know one thing I haven’t done?”

He softly breathed into my neck, moaning a little. “What’s that?”

“Had sex under a waterfall. That’s bucket list status shit right there.”

“Well than let’s both check one off the list.”

He bit lightly on my shoulder and I rubbed his head over my folds, slowly inserting him into my tight opening. He gasped quietly, riding his dick farther and farther into me.

We stayed silent, enjoying the calmness and beauty of the moment. For the first time since we’d started whatever it was we were, we weren’t just fucking each other for the pleasure of it. We were making love. It was a night neither of us would ever forget.

The ride back to the house was a little more miserable than the ride there since I was freezing. The temperature continued to drop, and combining that with my wet hair and damp clothes, I was not the happiest of campers. Even so, it was a small price to pay for the amazing time we’d had at Compression Falls.

* * *

I was yawning up a storm the next morning on my way to the bar. Abel had left before I was even out of bed, saying that he had some club business he needed to handle. Raine was fed and off to school, and now it was time to start another eight hour shift.

Of all the days for Abel to not call someone into work for me. I pulled into the parking lot to see two vans I didn’t recognize surrounded by a bunch of the club members’ bikes. I knew better than to let my suspicions start to fly, but it was odd that there were so many people there at that time of day.

I grabbed my sneakers from the trunk while watching two of the younger members rush in through the side door, one of the off limits zones for me.

I unlocked the front door and started setting up like it was just another day at work. I cut limes, filled the ice bins, unwrapped the liquor bottle tops, and counted out my drawer.

The first few hours of the shift were completely dead; not a soul came into the bar or out of the back room. Thank goodness for Tetris and Candy Crush on my phone.

Suddenly the back door swung open and Abel stomped out. His face was twisted into one of the ugliest, most stressed out looks I had ever seen.

“You all right?” I questioned as he stood at the end of the bar staring off out the front window.

“Just give me some whiskey babe. It’s one of those days.”

I took the hint, poured him some Jack on the rocks, and watched him chug the double shot like it was water.

“Do you have your gun?”

My heart started racing. Why the hell would he be asking me something like that?

I nodded. “It’s in the car.”

He held out his hand. “Keys.”

I threw them to him from my purse under the register. “Should I be worried?”

“No. I just want you to keep it with you while you’re working. That’s all.”

He went and grabbed my gun from the glove box, put it on the bar, and without another word he was back with the rest of them doing God-knows-what. Needless to say I was freaking out. I put my gun in my hip holster. It had been so long since I had even shot my gun, having it on me felt so wrong.

Another hour or so passed by with me trying to occupy my time with silly YouTube videos and scrolling through ideas for another tattoo.

When the front door swung open, I almost jumped out of my skin. A biker wearing a cut that I didn’t recognize bellied up to the bar. He had a sweet smile and kind, light brown eyes. He sat down in front of me and sighed as he set his gun on the bar.

I was frozen. I put my hand on my hip, ready to rip my gun from its holster, but he shook his head. “That would be a stupid move, sweetheart.” His sweet smile turned into a stoic frown as he eyed me up and down. “You’re a pretty little thing aren’t you? What’s your name?”

I faked a smile. “I’m Crickett. Haven’t seen you in here before. What’s your name?”

He grabbed the gun and started eyeing it, playfully pointing it just past me. He was trying to freak me out and it was working, but I knew I couldn’t let him see that.

“Are you going to order something?”

I stood there with my hands on my hips, begging my knees to stop shaking as I sweetly smiled and glared into his hollow eyes. “Why don’t you grab me a Miller Lite.”

I poured his draft and set his beer down on a coaster. “That’ll be three bucks.”

He handed me a five. “Keep the change.” He proceeded to chug the entire sixteen ounces.

I was begging for Abel to come back, for any of the guys to walk through the back door, but they never came.

The stranger picked the gun up and pointed it straight at me. “Play time is over. You’re going to do everything I tell you or I will blow your brains out.”

I nodded. I knew that there was no way I could pull my gun out, turn off the safety, pull the slide back, and shoot him before he shot me, so I had to play by his rules. I was just so thankful that Raine was safely in school.

“First, put your gun on the counter.”

I did as I was told and surprisingly he left it where I set it down.

“Now you’re going to show me where they’re keeping Reggie.”

At first I thought he was talking about weed, but it quickly sunk in that he thought I knew where one of his friends was being kept captive.

What that fuck is going on?

My throat was dry and my hands were shaking. “I have no idea who you’re talking about.”

He jumped off the stool and came around to the inside of the bar. “Don’t play fucking dumb with me you little cunt. Now show me where they are.”

I had to take him somewhere and I was hoping that he was completely wrong and no one was being held hostage in the back room of the bar. In my mind, I was about to lead him right to a big round table where Abel would pull a gun out and rescue me from this terrible person and his fucked up misunderstanding.

Slowly I shuffled my quivering legs to the back door, gripping the handle. I felt him press the barrel of the gun into the middle of my back.

“What are you waiting for? Open the damn door.” His voice was low and level.

I turned the handle to reveal a scene that was so far from the picture I’d had in my mind. There was a large round table shoved off to the left to make room for the group of guys circling a gagged and tied up man who was badly beaten. His face was bloody and swollen.

Abel was standing behind him with a gun to his head, yelling at the guy. “Don’t think I won’t pull the damn trigger. Now tell me where it is.”

I choked out, “Abel!” as the stranger’s grip tightened around my body and the barrel pressed to my temple.

His face went white as his eyes locked onto mine. The hostage’s head hung while he moaned in pain, spitting blood onto the floor.

“Let her go or your buddy here gets it.” Abel seethed.

The Unacceptables that were there were standing frozen, their eyes darting from mine to Abel’s.

“Don’t think I won’t kill her.” He breathed in close to my neck. “It’s a shame to waist such a fine rack though.” I heard the hammer pull back and the bullet move into the chamber. I braced myself, taking in a slow deep breath.

Abel’s nostrils flared and he slammed the back of the gun into his hostage’s temple. “Don’t be a fucking idiot. Let the girl go, she has nothing to do with this.”

All of a sudden the sound of a gun firing, someone gasping for air, and the feeling of hot wetness being splattered all over me happened within seconds. It took me a minute to realize what had happened as the grip on my body loosened and the gun was no longer pressed against my head.

I could feel myself screaming as I looked down to see blood covering my body and my attacker lying at my feet motionless. Holt was holding one of the bar knives in his bloody hand. He grabbed me and pulled me into the main area of the bar as my eyes locked onto the man strapped to the chair, half of his head missing and splattered all over the floor in front of him and Abel running toward me.

My attacker was sprawled on the floor in the doorway, blood gushing from his sliced neck as gurgling noises rang out into the air.

I started to fight and struggle in Holt’s arms. “Let go of me.”

“No. Crickett you have to calm down.” He was pulling me behind the bar. “Let me clean you up a bit.”

Abel was right behind us, trying to reach out to me. “Both of you get the fuck away from me. You’re a fucking monster Abel!”

I stomped on Holt’s foot, making his grip on me loosen. I grabbed my gun and my bag and started to run for the door. Abel bolted after me, grabbing my arm right as I was about to shove the heavy wooden door open.

“Crickett. Wait. Don’t leave like this.”

“Fuck you, Abel. You just killed a man and I almost died.” I pulled the hammer back on my gun, keeping it pointed at the ground. “So help me God, Abel. Let go of my fucking arm. I need a little bit of time to process things.”

His face twisted and his jaw clenched. “Fine.” He let me go and I bolted to my car.