Never by Blue Saffire
Chapter 26
We Got Company
Sal
Something is different with Gutter this morning. It’s more than his clean-shaven jaw. I was surprised to wake to the sight of his smooth skin.
I was also surprised I slept through him bringing me into the hotel room as well as all through the night. Better yet, I slept peacefully. I can’t remember the last time that happened. I never sleep soundly through the night.
Gutter has seemed distant and distracted since I woke. Something is definitely going on with him. He’s even a little more gruff than usual.
I thought we connected on a deeper level yesterday. This change has me on edge. I can’t help but wonder if I’ve done something wrong. Maybe my sobbing in his arms was too much. Perhaps he realizes how damaged I am and doesn’t want to deal with so much baggage.
I chew on my lip, trying to figure out where things went wrong. I’m frustrated, and the silence is enough to kill. I brush imaginary lent from my skirt, frowning down at the fabric.
Stormy could’ve traded this one out along with the leather one. The flirty yellow skirt is totally not my thing. I smirk at my black riding boots, now those are all me.
“It has nothing to do with you,” Gutter mutters into the silence.
I look up to find him watching me out the corner of his eye. I blink a few times to make sure he’s talking to me. He reaches to place a warm hand on my thigh.
I feel like one of these silly girls I went to boarding school with. The ones who teased me for being a bookworm. The ones who fell all over themselves when boys gave them attention.
I melt under his touch before I can think better of it. I slide across the seat to be closer to his warmth. He moves his hand from my thigh and wraps his arm around me, pulling me into his side.
“Then what is it?” I ask.
He kisses the top of my head. A long silence stretches out between us. So long, I don’t think he’s going to answer me.
“You have enough of my burdens in your head. Leave this one be.”
I purse my lips to keep from opening my mouth to pry. This change in him is huge. Not like when his dominant side came out yesterday. This is something different.
His eyes seem to carry darker shadows. His energy is off. He’s more guarded, all while anger, frustration, sadness, and—dare I say—fear oozes off of him.
I want to reach for the thin thread that’s hanging between us and pull, but I fear what it will do to the trust we’ve given each other and started to build our relationship on. It takes just as much trust to know when to let things be as it does to be willing to share. I think this is a time I need to let things be.
As if reading my thoughts as he seems to do so often, he gives a gentle squeeze to my side and kisses the top of my head. “One thing at a time, darlin’. We have a ton of shit flying at us. When we clear our plate, I’ll open up as best I can.” He heaves a heavy breath.
“Okay.” I nod. “I can give you that.”
I reach for the radio to turn it on for a distraction from the silence. I frown at the somber country song that’s playing. The mood in the truck is already quite depressing, but the song comes to an end and the song Gutter had sung yesterday comes on.
I smile, turning my head up to look at him. His lips draw into a frown. I know he can sense I’m about to ask him to sing for me.
I run the backs of my fingers over his lightly stubbled face. God, the man is beautiful. Reaching up higher, I run my fingers through his dark waves. His hair is a sexy mess today. He looks like he hasn’t slept.
“Please.” I pout.
He shifts his gaze to mine. I give him my version of puppy eyes. The light crinkles in the corners of his eyes when he smiles back at me takes my breath away. His lips turn up into a crooked half smile that makes his full mouth so sensual and alluring.
I can’t resist leaning up to peck them. That seems to do the trick. Gutter starts to croon to me while returning his attention to the road. His voice is simply amazing, like a velvety smooth, sweetest chocolate ever.
I don’t know the song, but I know he’s doing a damn amazing job singing it. I could totally see him with a guitar in his hands, singing while training those intense eyes on me.
I feel safe and warm in his arms, but I need to see this. I want to watch him sing for me. I’m still in awe that this voice is coming from this gruff man. I’m learning that there are so many layers to Gutter. The more I peel, the more I learn.
I scoot back over to my side of the truck and just watch. I think I fall in love with him a bit more when he turns toward me and winks as he belts out the lyrics. It’s in this very moment it dawns on me that I’m happy. Despite all the shit coming my way and going on all around us, I’ve never been this happy.
In the blink of an eye, that all changes. I don’t even have time to relish in the joy I feel before it’s taken right from my hands. It all happens so fast.
Gutter
I love that pretty smile on her face. If me singing a song puts that smile on her sweet face, I’ll sing to her for the rest of our lives. Salalia has crawled deep into my darkness and turned on the lights.
The song pours from the speakers as I croon it out for her. I turn to wink at her and get a glimpse of that beautiful smile. My heart does that thing it’s been doing since I first saw her at that bus station.
My chest aches as my mind tries to tell me I’ll fail her. At some point, I won’t be enough. I’ll fail her, just like I did Terry.
Again, those images of Terry soaking in his own blood fill my head. I begin to blink them away as panic tries to seize me. I clench my jaw.
This is why I didn’t want to open Pandora’s box. My level of fucked up will send Sal running before she can get to truly love me. I can’t have that. I shut all that shit down, singing through the madness in my head.
I’m mid-song when I go to turn back to the road. Something catches my eye in the rearview mirror, sending my hackles up. It’s been too quiet. I’ve been watching my mirrors for Grim and Reap. They should be flanking us soon. We are closer to home, but we still have a ways to go.
I pause and narrow my eyes on the mirror. Two bikes and a cage are on our tail. The bikes keep weaving around the cage. I get that feeling something’s off.
“Baby, I’mma need you to reach under that seat,” I grunt to Sal.
Before I can finish my instructions, the back window blows out. I duck and shift my eyes to see if Sal is okay. I tighten my jaw when I see her turning in her seat, placing her back to the dash. Sal uses her booted foot to kick out the remaining glass.
“What the hell are you doing?” I bite out.
She doesn’t answer me with words. Instead, she reaches under the seat, pulling out my shotgun. Sal pumps the shotgun and fires. More fire is returned, flaring my ire. I turn back to focus on the road to get us out of here. Cars in the other two lanes swerve out of the way and speed up.
I’m in the center lane, taking advantage of that fact. I swerve right and then left. Sal fires again, causing her to tilt over from the movement of the truck and the kickback of the gun.
“You okay?” I growl, reaching to hold her down. I’m on the verge of losing my mind. I hadn’t meant for her to use the shotgun. I wanted her to hand it over. “Stay down. I need you safe.”
She’s already reloading. I grab the shotgun, using it to hammer out the driver’s side window. With all the force I have, I hit it once, twice, the third time’s the charm.
I pump the shotgun, then reach out of the window. I look through the side-view mirror and fire. I get the front tire of the rider on the left.
I grin when the bike turns flat on its side before sliding off the road onto the shoulder. This shotgun isn’t what I wanted. I need something a little faster. I reach under the seat for another special something I have hidden.
When my hand touches the cold steel of the semiauto burner, that dark part of my soul awakens with joy. The bloodlust is real. I can taste it on my tongue.
My shoulders lighten as if my wings have unfurled, just as a Lost Soul’s grim reaper would. The Squad member in me lives for this shit.
More fire bounces off the truck. I grit my teeth and aim at one of the three riders behind us. Shit is getting thick, but I know one thing. I’m getting me and my girl the fuck out of here alive.
I drop two more bikes, but two more seem to appear. “Fuck,” I roar, but continue to fire. It’s the sound of movement within the truck that grabs my attention.
“Sal! What the fuck are you doing?” I hiss when I turn to find her body half hanging out of the window. Her brown legs are still halfway in the truck, while her little yellow skirt reveals her panties as it flaps in the wind.
“Your bike,” she yells back. “They’re going to ruin it. I can help, just cover me.”
I honestly don’t know if I want to kiss her or strangle her right now. It’s hot as fuck to see her snap into action like a ride or die chick. My very own badass. However, I have no control over her safety if she jumps into this fight.
I don’t have time to snatch her back into the truck. I hear the gunfire rather than see it. She must have taken one of my pistols from the glove compartment. I shake my head and cover her. It’s the only option I have. A glance in the rearview shows me Sal unhooking my bike as she ducks and fires.
I snap out of it and get to seriously covering her ass. Panic rises as more bikes appear. Fuck this. I need Sal safe. I smash the radio off so she can hear me as I yell out.
“Baby,” I bellow. “Get on the bike and ride. Get the fuck out of here. I’ll catch up.”
“No,” she yells back. “I’m not leaving you.”
“Don’t fucking argue with me. Get the fuck out of here, now.”
I throw the truck in reverse and spin to face the fuckers shooting at us. I shoot out the windshield before fisting it out of my way. The moment Sal starts my bike, I breathe a sigh of relief.
I know that bike like my own body. I listen closely for any sounds that she might be damaged. She purrs perfectly. I’m confident she’ll get Sal far from here.
I bang my fist on the roof. “Go!” It’s an order.
I look in the mirror at Sal’s scrunched-up face of indecision. It would be adorable if shit wasn’t so real at the moment. Suddenly, her features clear.
She nods her head and in a move that makes my heart stop, she rides my bike right off the back of the truck bed. She bounces onto the pavement, turns and takes off in the direction I need her to go. I focus back on the road and see what placed that look on her face.
My motherfucking Squad. Grim and Reap have arrived right on time. Grim rides right by one biker, blowing his head wide open.
Reap has her machine guns, one in each hand, arms stretched out, blazing. I throw the truck into drive, moving into head-on traffic and fucking light shit up. I gun the truck, headed for the cage that’s been riding in the middle of it all.
I laugh when I home in on the face of the motherfucker driving. His eyes widen and he looks like he’s seen the devil himself. Fucking right.
I put a bullet in the head of the passenger sitting beside him. From the looks of it, the driver only remains in this game of chicken because he’s in shock. I roar as I floor the gas.
I prepare for impact only to bare my teeth when Reap rides up and blows the driver’s head off. She shoots right through the passenger window. I shift my eyes to hers and her little ass shrugs.
The car swerves out of my path. I slam the brakes and growl. Grim rolls to a stop beside my truck and bangs on the smoking hood. The look in his eyes sends alarms off. Reap pulls to a stop, jumping off her bike and climbs on the back of Grim’s.
“Let’s go. A few slipped by. They’re on Sal’s ass,” Grim roars.
I don’t even think. I throw the door open and head for Reap’s bike. I reload and take off right behind Grim and Reap. My heart is racing out of my chest. How did this happen? I fucked up, just like I knew I would.
Sal
I didn’t want to leave. I saw the fear in Gutter’s eyes for me, but I wasn’t going to leave my man behind to fight by himself. I’m not built that way. I had planned to get the bike down and help.
Once I saw Grim and Reap, it was the only reason I decided to go. With Gutter’s gun in my hand, I took off as fast as his ride would take me. I wish I had time to relish in the way his beast opened up and purred beneath me.
For a moment, I felt a pang of loss for my own stolen bike. Gutter’s custom ride is much sweeter, but my girl was getting there. Just a few more tweaks.
Shoving those thoughts aside, I open the bike and ride the fuck out of it, weaving in and out of traffic. I think I’m in the clear until the first bullet flies by my head. My heart almost tears out of my chest.
I lean in and crank the bike, pushing forward, but they’re on my ass. I ride hard, trying to dip them. I’m not dying today. Not like this. I refuse.
I’m no one’s victim. Never again. Never!
It dawns on me I’m not going to out ride them. I have to fight for my life. Fine, I’m willing this time. I have shit to live for.
I release the bar I’m holding, gun still in hand. Crossing my right arm over my body, reaching under my left, I tuck my arm against my chest and fire. I thank God for my daddy.
Cage taught me more than a kid should know about guns. Hell, I plan to kiss King for teaching me to ride the fuck out of a bike. Yup, I’m getting my ass home.
I lean to the side just as another bullet whizzes by my face. My confidence wanes a little, but a glance in the rearview and my heart soars. Lost Souls always find their own.
I hear King’s voice in my head. We get elbows deep for ours. Relief floods me. Grim is riding hard toward me and Reap is blasting.
You’ve survived. You did it again. Breathe.
Gutter
It is a known fact that Reap can build the hell out of a bike. She built the shit out of her ride, too bad I’m about to run it into the ground to get to my woman. I push this pink and black bike to its limits.
I can taste the bile rising. Sal dips and dodges on the back of my bike. Damn, my girl can ride, but I’m not sure it’s enough. They’re still firing at her.
Grim’s riding as hard as I am. Reap aims around him and starts blazing. My eyes widen and a smile comes to my face when I see Sal firing back behind her. She’s still keeping that bike upright and riding like a fucking pro.
That’s my girl. I’m coming, baby. I chant the words in my head, more for myself.
Grim’s bike is a little more souped up than Reap’s, so I’m not surprised when he pulls away. This is why these two and I click. They get shit done.
I watch with pride as Reap flips her little body around so that she’s facing me, her back to Grim’s. Grim rides past the fuckers shooting at Sal. Reap, with both arms stretched out before her, does what she does best. I watch two of the bikers as their bodies are blown clear off their bikes.
I dodge the fallen bikes, headed for my girl. There’s one more bastard on her tail. Not for long. This bike is either going to give the performance of its life or it's going to die beneath me, but I’m getting to my girl.
I move out to the side. I need to clear Sal of my shot. Finally, I have the angle I need. I lift my gun and take the life that owes me. You don’t fuck with what’s mine. My soul roars when I see the fucker fall. It takes Sal a moment to register she’s not being chased anymore. At least, I think it does. She doesn’t slow for a few.
I ride up beside her and lock eyes with her. Tears are swimming in those beautiful brown eyes, causing me to only want to pull her into my arms, but I just nod.
She did good. She did really good.