Ryder

 

Ryder’s mind raced as he rode. He thought about what lay ahead now that his biggest rival in the city was gone. His mind was one that was always calculating, always plotting, always thinking five moves ahead. He went through the distribution lanes of the city, trying to figure out where he could now start moving his products now that the Gremlins weren’t around trying to horn in on his turf. Numbers raced through his thoughts as he tried to calculate what new profits and expenses he could look forward to. Then faces appeared in his mind’s eye one after another, the men who remained in what was left of the Gremlins, trying to figure out if any of them had what it took to become the new Franco.

 

But more than anything, he thought about the girl on his back, the girl he’d saved, the one with her arms wrapped around him and holding him tight as he raced down the still-frosty streets of the city. He was relieved beyond compare, his heart only now starting to slow since he’d realized she’d been taken.

 

“Where to now?” asked Kara.

 

“We’re going for a ride. Then we’re going to celebrate.”

 

Kara didn’t say a word. Instead, she placed her head on Ryder’s back and squeezed him tighter. That was just Ryder wanted in response.

 

Eventually, the rest of the MC peeled away from Ryder as he continued on. The two of them drove for a long while, heading north through the downtown area and reaching sparser parts of the city. Ryder knew that after what he’d been through he needed to clear his head, not to mention savor the feeling of Kara holding him close. After a time, he turned back towards the city and soon arrived at Marco’s, one of the Hunter’s usual haunts. His place was nearby, so Ryder was ready to tie one off with his boys.

 

“Never been to a biker bar like this before,” said Kara as they stepped off of the motorcycle.

 

“Bet you’ve never been held hostage by a psycho criminal either. First time for everything.”

 

Kara scrunched her face up and looked at Ryder for a moment before standing on her tiptoes and planting a kiss on his lips.

 

“This has all been so ... strange and scary,” she said. “If you would’ve told me a month ago that I was going to be in a situation like this ... with a man like you, I don’t even know what I would’ve said.”

 

“And here you are,” said Ryder, wrapping his arms around Kara’s shoulders and looking down into her big, wide-open eyes. “And gotta give credit where credit’s due—I couldn’t have made my move if you hadn’t given that fucker the elbow to the gut that he deserved.”

 

Kara shook her head. “I don’t think I’ve ever hit anyone like that before. I didn’t know I had it in me.”

 

“You’ve got moxie, kid,” said Ryder. “Maybe I oughta get you a leather jacket and a bike of your own. The Hunters could use a woman’s touch.”

 

Kara laughed. “I think I’ll stick to being a sidekick for now.”

 

Ryder nodded towards the neon-strewn bar. “All right,” he said. “I’m about ready for some whiskey. And I think I owe you a shot.”

 

“Deal,” said Kara, flashing Ryder a smile that damn near melted his heart right then and there.

 

“There’s the fuckin’ man of the hour!” called out Crunch as Ryder and Kara entered.

 

A cheer sounded out from the Hunters in the bar.

 

“Fuckin’ Gremlins are done!” shouted Horse, one of the newer additions to the gang. “We run this town!”

 

One of the men handed Ryder a glass of whiskey and he took his place, leaning against the bar. Rock music blared, the men carried on, and plenty of girls were there to help the crew in their celebrating.

 

“You look like you’ve got something on your mind,” said Kara, sipping delicately on her gin and tonic.

 

“Just thinking about what’s next,” said Ryder. “Franco’s done, and that means there’s a power vacuum in the city. Every pissant biker crew in Chicago’s gonna be wanting a piece of the scraps he’s leaving behind, and that means I’m gonna have plenty of goddamn ankle biters to deal with.”

 

He shook his head, realizing that he was filling Kara’s head with details she didn’t need to know about.

 

“And I’m guessing you’re gonna be wanting to get back to your normal life, whatever that is anymore.”

 

“I don’t know,” said Kara. “I’m thinking I’m getting a little hooked on this kind of excitement.”

 

Ryder watched as Kara’s eyes swept around the bar.

 

“No shit?” he said. “You think you’ve got what it takes to hang with our crew?”

 

“Hey!” said Kara. “I think I did all right today, considering I got taken hostage. If that’s not a glowing reference to my ability to ride with you guys, then I don’t know what is.”

 

Ryder let out a dry laugh; he couldn’t believe what he was hearing. But he knew that there was something to what she was saying. Not to mention the fact that he didn’t mind the idea of Kara being his girl one bit.

 

Reaching around behind her, Ryder placed his hand on Kara’s ass and gave it a secret, tight squeeze. Kara took in a gasp, her eyes going wide.

 

“There’s more to hangin’ with me than just knowing how to ride a bike,” he said, speaking low and deep in Kara’s ear.

 

“Oh, yeah?” she asked. “You got something else in mind that I can ride?”

 

Ryder killed the rest of his whiskey and set his glass on the bar.

 

“I sure do,” he said.

 

With that, he wrapped his arm around Kara’s waist and led her towards the exit. The boys around him spotted him leaving, but once they laid eyes on Kara at his side, they knew just what sort of celebrating their boss was looking to get into.

 

Ryder led Kara down the block towards the loft apartment where he lived. The home was a tall-ceilinged, wide-open space with plenty of room for him to work on his bikes. But right now, there was only one thing that he was interested in working on.

 

“Nice place,” said Kara, looking around.

 

Then her eyes landed on Ryder’s crotch, at the full outline of his hardening prick. Her tongue moved slowly and sensually across her lips.

 

“I think I’m ready for what you had in mind earlier,” said Ryder.

 

“That makes two of us.”

 

Then he sealed her lips with a kiss.