Tina

T ina Hillen had been all over the tri-state area and still had no clue as to where her troublesome teenage niece was running off to. She had been spotted at school a few times, but by the time got there, her niece had blown off school and was gone. She was about to give up when she overheard two guys talking in the grocery store about a teenage girl who was camped out on the sofa at his biker club. That was the last place her niece should be and the very last place that she would have looked for her. But Chasity always had a flair for the dramatic. Her father had been a biker, and maybe she was just trying to find a way to be closer to him since his death.

James was ’s only brother and Chasity was her only niece. Hell, she was ’s only living family, and losing her wasn’t an option. The problem was that she had no idea what to do with Chasity once she got her back home. Her niece would probably find a reason to run again and chasing her was becoming an issue in her daily life. ’s boss was going to run out of patience with her and sooner or later, he’d give her the boot—not that she wouldn’t be able to find another job as a secretary, but she actually liked her current job. She had been with the same company for almost three years now, and that was more of a commitment than she had ever made to anyone or anything in her life.

Most of her relationships fizzled out after the first few months with a guy. Most guys would become bored with her homebody persona and take off after a few weeks. always thought that it was better to find out these things early in a relationship since she didn’t want to be with someone who didn’t want her. She watched her mother struggle with that truth for years, and didn’t want to be anything like her mom.

Her father took off when she was just a toddler, leaving her mother to raise both her and her brother, James. quickly took on the role of her little brother’s caregiver when her mother would disappear for days at a time, going on what she liked to call “dates”. It was more like her mother was hooking up with men who could help her score the drugs that were destroying her and her kids’ lives.

When her mother wasn’t high or off “dating” men, she was home with and James, in their tiny two-bedroom apartment, but she wasn’t really there. She was usually sleeping off her latest high or trying to figure out her next score. But learned to keep her and her brother safe. She learned how to fly under Child Protective Services radar so that she and James could stay together because that was all that mattered to her—keeping him safe. And now, she wanted to do the same for his daughter, Chasity, if her niece would just give her a chance.

walked up to the two bikers, heavily covered in tattoos, and smiled up at the both of them. “I’m sorry to interrupt,” she said, “but, I overheard you talking about a teenage girl sleeping in your clubhouse.”

The two big guys looked at each other as if silently communicating. “You’re incorrect,” the one guy said, “we don’t know anything about a teenage girl.”

“Of course, you don’t,” she mumbled more to herself. “Listen, I’m not trying to cause you any trouble, and I’m not accusing you of any wrongdoing. I think that girl might be my niece. She ran away two weeks ago, and I haven’t been successful in tracking her down. I’m desperate to find her.”

“Um, give us a second,” the other guy said. He pulled his friend back to the meat section and the two stood whispering like schoolgirls with each other. If she wasn’t so worried about Chasity, she might find the whole scene comical.

The second guy held up a finger, letting her know that they needed another minute, and she nodded her agreement. He pulled out a cell phone and started to talk to someone else, quickly ending the call. He whispered something to his friend again and the two made their way back to where stood by the deli counter.

“We can take you to the clubhouse, but she’s not there right now. She’s only breaking in at night and she’s usually gone before dawn. We have video footage of her. You can check it out to see if it’s your niece.”

“Thank you,” she said. “If you can give me the address, I’ll find the place on my own,” she offered. There was no way that she was getting into a vehicle with two strangers.

“You can follow the two of us back to the clubhouse,” the other guy offered as if catching on to why she wanted to drive herself.

She thought for a second, wanting to make sure that she was going into this with a clear head. didn’t want to end up in the trunk of some guy’s car or chained to a wall in his basement. “Okay,” she agreed, not wanting to give them time to change their minds. “I’ll follow you to your clubhouse.” For better or worse, she needed to do whatever it took to find Chasity. She owed James at least that much.

They pulled up to a brick building in town, and she parked behind the two guys in the pickup truck, leaving herself plenty of room to make a quick escape if needed.

She got out of her car as another biker met them all in the parking lot. “Hey, I’m Hurricane.” He held out his hand to her and she looked him over, trying to decide if she wanted to take it.

“ Hillen,” she said, shaking his hand. “What kind of name is Hurricane?” she asked.

He chuckled, “It’s my biker’s name. I’m a meteorologist, and when the guys found out, they gave me that name. It kind of stuck, and well, it’s my name now.” He released her hand and nodded to the building. “You want to come in. I think that the girl might be your niece, but you should look at the security footage to be sure.” That was a good question—did she want to follow the three bikers into their lair?

“Um, sure,” she squeaked. “As long as you promise not to chain me to a wall or anything.”

Hurricane looked her over, cocking one eyebrow at her. “Why would we chain you to a wall?” he asked.

“Never mind,” she breathed, suddenly feeling very self-conscious. “Forget I even said that.”

“Done,” Hurricane agreed. “We can sit back in my office, and you can look over the footage,” he offered. “She wouldn’t tell me her name or your name. All she said was she didn’t want to go back to her aunt’s house and although I threatened to call the cops on her, I just couldn’t do it. She seemed determined not to go back to your place, and I didn’t want her taking off and landing someplace dangerous.”

“Someplace dangerous—like a biker club?” challenged.

“Believe it or not, we’re tame compared to other clubs out there,” Hurricane admitted. “Your niece is safe here and she must know that since she keeps coming back night after night.”

“Where is she going during the day?” asked. She knew that Chasity had shown up to school a few times, but not every day.

“Not sure,” Hurricane said. “But she’s here at night, and she’s safe.” Knowing that much gave some comfort, but she still wanted Chasity back home with her where she knew that her niece would be safe.

“Why did she run away?” Hurricane asked.

“It’s silly, really,” admitted. “Her parents died a few months ago and I was named Chasity’s guardian. Her dad is—well, was my brother. She was such a sweet girl before losing her parents, but since moving in with me, she’s given me a challenge at every turn. I simply asked her to clean her very messy room, and she shouted something about me not being her mother, and the next day, she was gone.”

“I had two younger sisters, and I remember their teenage years. I can’t imagine having to raise a teenage girl on my own,” Hurricane said.

“It’s not easy,” agreed, “but, I made my brother a promise, when Chasity was born, that I’d take care of her if anything happened to him or my sister-in-law. I never imagined that something would happen to either of them, let alone both of them.”

“I’m sorry for your loss,” Hurricane said. He offered her the chair behind his desk, and she sat down. It felt as though her heart might have beat out of her chest as she waited for him to pull up the camera feed on his laptop that looked as though it had seen better days.

As soon as Chasity’s face popped onto the screen, gasped. “That’s her,” she breathed.

“I thought it might be her when you told my guys that your niece had been missing,” Hurricane said.

“Your guys?” she questioned.

“Yeah, this is my club. I’m the president of the Yonker’s chapter of the Royal Bastards,” he said.

“I thought that you were a meteorologist,” she said.

“That’s my day job that pays the bills,” he said. “I run the club in my spare time.” She was sure that a guy like him wouldn’t have much spare time, but she didn’t want to ask him any personal questions.

“I’d like to take Chasity home with me,” said. “Do you mind if I wait around for her to show up tonight?”

“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” Hurricane said.

“Why not?” she spat.

“Because she thinks of you as the enemy for some reason,” Hurricane said. “She’ll just take off on you again, and then, you might not be able to find her. Why not let her stay here at night, where she’s safe, and I can talk to her? She’s starting to trust me, I think,” he said.

“You told me that she wouldn’t tell you her name or mine,” she reminded.

“Right, but she’s been telling me bits and pieces about her childhood and stuff about her parents. Maybe she just needs someone that she can talk to; someone she can trust.” He was right, Chasity needed someone to talk to, and if it couldn’t be , then she’d have to be happy with just knowing that her niece was safe.

“Okay, as long as you don’t mind giving me daily reports,” she insisted.

“Not at all,” he said. “In fact, how about we meet every morning for breakfast at the little diner on Sawmill River Road,” he said.

“You mean, Yonkers Diner?” she asked.

“Yeah, that’s the place,” Hurricane said.

“I love that place,” she agreed, “but, it will have to be early. I have to work at nine. Can we meet at seven-thirty?”

“Seven thirty works for me,” he agreed. “I’m sure we’ll get Chasity back to you, ,” he assured.

“I hope so,” she whispered. “She’s all the family I have left.” stood and took his offered hand, ignoring the way that he looked at her. It had been a long time since any man looked at her that way. She was just being overly sensitive right now, and reading way too much into the way that the sexy biker held her hand and looked into her eyes. He was a distraction, and that wasn’t something that needed right now. She needed to concentrate on getting Chasity back—that was all that mattered.

Hurricane’s House Universal Link- https://books2read.com/u/49RN7k

If you enjoyed Insatiable and want more MFM from K.L. Ramsey, check out The Last First Kiss Series! Here is a sneak peek at the first few chapters in book one!