CHAPTER THIRTEEN

“You fucking got to be kidding me! You really expect me to give you my blessing?” Red faced, saliva spraying with each word, Hector glared at Sofia. “So you were with him the whole time? You lied to me.”

Why did she think it was a good idea to go ahead and tell her cousin she was moving out? Wolf had asked her to wait, and they would find a way to get Hector alone and do it together.

The deadly look Hector shot her sent a chill down her back. How often had people told her to tread lightly around him? She hadn’t needed to before. Of course, she’d always done everything expected of her. The good daughter, sister, and cousin. That was until she left and divorced Ramon.

Hector was more of a brother to her than her real brother. Actually, half brother. Their father had divorced Angel’s mom and moved in with Sofia’s mom. Angel had lived with his mom for several years until she remarried. When Sofia’s mom had died, their dad had stayed around until she was fourteen and then moved to Florida, and Angel had left with him. Sofia hadn’t wanted to leave Hector and her friends behind. So Hector had told her to move in with him. She had, taking care of his house and finishing school. While her brother had returned about four years ago, they were more strangers than anything. She’d tried to become closer, but he kept her at arm’s length.

Even with the kindness of her cousin and other distant relatives, she always felt alone. Even her father never bothered to stay in contact.

“How ironic that you say that. I told you the truth about Ramon over and over again, but you never believed me.” She swallowed her next words about her abusive, lying ex-husband, because it wouldn’t make her case after lying about her whereabouts.

“You’re not going with that fucking biker trash.” He crossed his arms over his chest. “I don’t want to find your body in the ditch.”

“Cousin.” She lightly placed her fingers on his forearm. “I love you. That’s why I willingly married Ramon. That was what you wanted, and I wanted you to be happy.” She held up her hand when he opened his mouth. “And I thought I was in love with him. I tried so hard to make a go at it, but he didn’t love me, he loved power.” Lifting to her tiptoes, she pressed a kiss to his cheek. “I’ve fallen for Wolf. He’s proven to me many times that he loves me,” she pointed at her chest, “and that he’d do anything to keep me safe.”

She caught the softening in his eyes she’d hoped to see.

He shook his head. “If he was the kind of man that you need and deserve, he’d be standing by you at this moment telling me that.”

Before she could explain that he’d planned to be, feet shuffled in the foyer as two of Hector’s men walked in. Wolf stood between the men. His tee shirt torn and disheveled, and one cheek bruised. Head held up and shoulders squared, he stayed on his feet when one of the men shoved him hard in the back. The men sported bruises and torn clothing too. One even bled from a busted lip.

“Hey, Sofia sweetheart.” Wolf turned toward her cousin. “How’s it going, Toro? Why do I have a feeling that you two have been talking about me?”

“What did they do to you?” She reached out to touch his bruised cheek, but Hector held her back by the elbow.

“They caught me climbing into your window.” His grin tipped up one end of his mouth as the swelling wouldn’t let the other end move.

“You lousy son-of-a-bitch.” Her cousin slammed a fist into the side of his face.

“No!” Sofia screamed.

Wolf stayed on his feet and shook his head as if to clear the blow. Blood trickled out of his nose. Poor baby, it would be swelling too. The men grabbed his arms as he tried to step forward.

“You get one free hit. For Sofia. But next time, I hit back,” Wolf growled.

Moving between Wolf and Hector, she placed hands flat on each chest to keep them apart. It was a dangerous move, but no way would she let two people she loved beat each other to a pulp.

“Stop it! What happened to the truce our gangs have?” She needed them to look beyond their stupid petty differences.

“The Brothers of Mayhem Motorcycle Club, not a fucking gang,” Wolf muttered as his hurt gaze met hers. “Why didn’t you wait?” His look cautioned her that she would pay for her impatience.

She mouthed, “I’m sorry.”

He actually rolled his eyes at her.

Even for such a serious moment, she had a hard time biting back a giggle.

The shocked and confused look on Hector’s face brought a burst of laughter from her. Maybe finding humor in the current dangerous situation wasn’t a smart thing to do, but the two men she loved most were standing in front of her acting more like greedy children not wanting to share a toy. She wasn’t anyone’s toy.

“Please listen to me for a minute,” she said in a calm, level tone. “You two will have to learn to get along even if for a few minutes, though I have no idea what we’ll do for the holidays next year.” She looked hard at her cousin. “You have to understand, Wolf and I are going to be a couple. I’ve done everything you ever wanted me to, but this time I have to be selfish. I want Wolf, and I plan to be with him as long as he’ll have me.”

She turned her head and silently pleaded to the man she loved more than life itself. “You have to understand that you mean the world to me.” It wasn’t the time to tell him how she really felt. “But my family is important to me. We have to work this out. We have to find a way to find peace. No matter how you like to pretend, I know family is important to you. I know that’s why you joined the Brothers of Mayhem. After your brother and Trick disappeared, the MC was all the real family you had left. You figured they wouldn’t leave you hanging. And they haven’t. I’ve seen that for myself. I’ll never ask you to leave, but I really need to find a way for the two groups to respect each other. I sure don’t expect them to be friends.”

The two men remained quiet for the longest sixty seconds of her life.

“I never had a problem with the Savalas family.” Hector glanced down at her and then stared at Wolf. “Fine. For Sofia, I’m willing.”

A long sigh exploded from Wolf. “The woman can make you do things you never imagined.” He jerked an arm from one of the men and held out his hand.

“Damn. You got that right.” Hector wasn’t smiling but his eyes gave away the humor he felt from the turn of events. Her cousin hesitated for a few seconds and then shook hands. “We two can work it out, but the two gangs,” he grinned as he needled Wolf, “that’s another matter entirely.”

Wolf laughed and then grabbed his side with a grimace.

The heaviness in her chest lightened. It was a rough beginning, but a good one nevertheless.

––––––––

Sofia pressed her cheek to Wolf’s back the best she could with the bulky helmet in the way. Wrapping her arms around his ribs felt wonderful. He was so male with all the muscles shifting each time they leaned into a curve. The small truck behind them carried most of her personal stuff. The prospect had been nervous as her cousin and his men watched her move out. Hector had muttered several times how he couldn’t believe she was doing this to him. His last remark had been telling.

“I can’t believe I’m letting you do this.”

She’d hugged Hector tight. “Yes, you can. You want me to be happy. I believe Wolf can do that. I’ve never felt this way before. Be happy for me.”

“When is the hijo de puta going to marry you?”

Smiling big, she placed her fingers over his mouth. She glanced down at the ring back on her finger. For the last few days, she’d been wearing it on a chain around her neck.

“Behave. Give us a little while.” She touched his cheek. “I rushed into marriage before and it didn’t end well. I think this go-round, I’ll take my time.” His chin dipped, and he lifted his eyebrows. “I know what you’re thinking. We’re in no hurry to have children, and I plan to be married then for sure.”

She was a little old-fashioned in that sense. Then again, birth control wasn’t one-hundred-percent safe.

He’d hugged her tight. “If you want to come back home, call me, and I’ll pick you up immediately. No questions asked.” His sad gaze nearly broke her heart.

“I promise, but I have a feeling I won’t have to.”

The sun slid behind a cloud and the frosty air cut through the leather jacket Wolf had provided her. It was too big, being his, but she loved the smell of Wolf’s soap and an unidentifiable scent that meant healthy male.

She rubbed her hands beneath his cut and over his chest, her fingers brushing hard nipples. Was it from the chilly air or what she was doing to him? She liked thinking her touch excited him.

They were emerging from the last neighborhood in Brook Hill when she felt Wolf’s back tense. She leaned her upper body a tiny bit to look around his shoulder. A big black Ford sedan heading toward them on the opposite lane slowly passed by. As if in slow motion, she turned her head and looked into the driver’s open window. At the same time, Ramon turned to stare straight into her eyes. The pure hatred in his gaze alerted her that they needed to get the hell out of there.

Wolf gassed the motorcycle, and she luckily had already tightened her hold. She looked behind her, and the truck was struggling to keep up. At the same time, she heard tires squealing.

The sedan had turned around and was bearing down on them.

Without letting up his speed, Wolf signaled to the prospect to turn off the road and go a different route. There was no doubt in Sofia’s mind that Ramon would ignore the truck. The prospect headed toward the highway. Motorcycles normally could outrun most automobiles on the long stretch of pavement. But Wolf probably knew under the hood of a Thirty-Second sedan was more horsepower than most people needed. A curvy road with many exits would be better.

She looked back. All of the air left her lungs.

The car’s grille was less than two feet from the bike’s rear tire.

She turned away and squeezed her body to Wolf. The roar of the large engine behind the bike and the one beneath them would drown out any sound she could make, so she began to pray.

At that moment, Wolf changed to the wrong side of the road and quickly shifted the gears, and the car shot past them. He then turned onto a smaller road. The perfect kind with a hairpin curve and many zigs and zags that made it difficult for a big car to keep an even speed, but no problem for a small two-wheeled vehicle.

Her eyes squeezed shut, Sofia continued her prayer that Wolf knew what he was doing.

When Wolf took another road with more twists and turns, she was thankful he knew so many back roads. At the rate they were going, she figured Ramon would lose his way, and it might be hours before he found his way out.

Scared to check behind her, but needing to know if their wild ride had been worth it, she opened one eye, barely, and looked over her shoulder. No black sedan.

The motorcycle slowed down and bumped and slid a little off the road into a small path into the woods. He came to a stop with a spray of rocks, twigs, and pine needles. He swiveled his head around, searching for something. With careful precision, he guided the bike behind some tall bushes and spread his legs, holding up the bike.

“You okay?” His voice came out low, breathy.

Her whole body began to tremble. “Yes. Just scared and I’m surprised I didn’t have a heart attack.”

He gave her a crooked grin. “You did great. I wasn’t sure if we could make it with two of us on the bike.”

“You really didn’t have a choice.”

His hand cupped the side of her neck. “I’d kiss you right now, but I’m not sure if my legs could hold up the bike like that.”

That was when she felt the tremor in his hands. Was he afraid? Or was his body reacting to the burst of adrenaline from the chase?

She didn’t care. They were safe.

At that moment, she heard the roar.

“Let’s get out of here before he sees us,” she said.

“Don’t move. We’re okay.”

The sedan came around the curve and zoomed by. The bushes had hidden them from the road as Ramon drove past.

“Now?” Her mind skittered in every direction. Stay. Go. Hide deeper in the woods. Find another road back home.

He shifted in his seat, somehow keeping the bike up and reached for her again. His mouth covered hers. His tongue thrust in. Excitement zinged in every direction. She wished they had a blanket to cover the ground, and she could feel him over her body, soothing her frayed nerves. The man knew how to kiss.

When he pulled back, their helmets knocked into each other. He chuckled. She smiled big. Before she could ask what next, the roar was coming back, but this time not as fast.

“Hold on.” Instead of leaving like she expected, he duck-walked the bike deeper into the bushes until she had to fight to keep the scratchy branches out of her face.

The sedan drove by slowly.

That was when she noticed the tall grass near the road bent over pointing in their direction.

Please don’t see it. She chanted in her thoughts.

Ramon didn’t stop.

They stayed there for another fifteen minutes or more. When she began slapping bugs and knocking little crawly things off her—eek!—he cranked the bike, and carefully drove back onto the road.

Unsure if he returned back the way they came, after a few more mind-boggling turns, they emerged onto a side street running along the interstate. After another mile, they travelled down I-65 to Sand City. No threatening sedans in sight.

What had she gotten Wolf involved in? Her cousin—despite the handshake—and her ex-husband would love to see him dead. Nothing else to it, she needed to think of something to stop that from happening.