Chapter 11

Eleven

Regan

I didn't know what I was doing. What had I been thinking?

I held on tighter to Jake, my stomach churning at how stupid of an idea this had been. This felt nothing like riding with Rook. Rook had been a wild driver, but I hadn't felt like I was about to fall off every second.

Jake, on the other hand, was currently making me wonder if jumping off the back of the bike would be safer.

Every turn made me cling to him, the bike wobbling a little too much, and then he would immediately hit the gas, lurching us forward in an unsettling way.

After I found out Rook was stalking me, I had reached out to a few people, hunting down anyone who knew where bikers would be hanging out until someone connected me with Jake. He seemed to know all about what he called Syndicate, a place where bikers around town would meet up for racing and hanging out every week. He told me he would be happy to take me if I agreed to go out to dinner with him.

And I had agreed, which seemed to be the stupidest thing I had done this month, which included going with Rook.

I held on, my mind fighting me on the conflicting emotions. It wasn't like I could deny I had an interest in Rook, even though he was obviously trouble.

He was everything I wasn't—wild, unpredictable, and dangerous. I had always been the good girl, the one who followed the rules and stayed within the lines. My life had been predictable, boring even, until now. I didn't do anything in college except study and push to graduate with honors to show my dad how serious I was, and then once I left, I was immediately faced with how short life was. I knew my dad just wanted to keep me safe, but I couldn't live my entire life locked up.

Rook represented everything wrong for me, yet I couldn't stay away. The sensible part of me screamed to walk away, to return to the safety of my predictable life, but I had already started down this path. But honestly, I didn't want to go back to that. I liked the thrill I felt when he came around.

What's wrong with me? Why would I be so attracted to someone covered in tattoos, had threatened to not only kidnap me but nearly kill me, and loved stalking people? I felt like I was betraying my dad, and maybe even myself, but somehow I liked it?

The ride only lasted another five minutes before he pulled off into an old, abandoned parking lot. The place was already chaos, the sound of revving engines and the flash of headlights making everything one big mess. Motorcycles were parked in nearly every open area, the lights reflecting off chrome and steel, making it all blend together. A few bikers sped down the middle of the lot as they raced each other. In another area, someone spun in constant circles. The scent of burning rubber filled the air, and I wondered if they would even have a tire left after they were done. I scanned the crowd, the pulse of it all and the music making me realize just how difficult it would be to find Rook in this mess.

He had a black bike, and he was pretty much always dressed head to toe in black. I assumed to make stalking easier. Then the mask and the face paint. Until a few days ago at the window, I hadn't seen his face clearly. Now I remembered it perfectly. His blue eyes, the perfect angle of his jaw, the way his dark hair would fall across his forehead, and even the way he smirked like he could kill me and be happy about it.

But I really tried not to focus on that last part.

Jake weaved through the bikes, and I looked at each face I could focus on. We parked, and I jumped off, happy to be back on solid ground.

"I'll be back in a few minutes," I yelled to Jake, running off before he could respond.

I weaved through the slightly terrifying crowd to look at bike after bike, guy after guy, and I still couldn't find him. Then I came up to four bikes surrounded by people, the night not letting me see their faces well enough until they lit up by passing headlights.

"Rook," I breathed, taking note of the women surrounding him.

And the one currently sitting on the back of his parked bike.

I took a few more steps towards him until I broke through the small crowd.

His face fell when his eyes met mine, and my heart stopped.

He didn't look happy to see me, which shouldn't have been a surprise. I wasn't sure why he was stalking me or spending time chasing me down just to learn my name, so why had I felt so sure he would be happily surprised to see me here?

I stepped in front of him, my chin tilting up as I pulled back my shoulders. "I see you found another backpack."

"I see you learned what a backpack is," he said with a rude grin.

"You work quick. You've already found yourself a new girl to put on the back of your bike when you were stalking me a day ago."

With what felt like nothing more than a flick of his wrist, the crowd dispersed and the girl on the back was gone. In less than a minute, we were basically alone.

"It almost sounds like you are jealous of me having another girl here. Do you suddenly think you have a claim over me or my bike?"

"No, not at all. Just surprised."

"How sad. I would love to see you stake your claim. What are you doing here?"

"I came to hang out. Is that a problem?"

"Not if it's the truth. Did you come here to find me?" The edge to his tone made me wince, but I still couldn't understand if he was happy about this or not.

"No," I said, putting my hands on my hips as I pulled my shoulders back. "I'm not interested in creeps who stalk people."

"Only the ones who hold you at gunpoint and let you feel them up?"

I fought to keep my face straight. "Something like that."

"I didn't bring a gun tonight, but I have a knife. Want me to threaten you with that?"

"No need. I'm here with someone, too."

The brief furrow of his eyebrows made me want to smile, but I held it back.

"No, you aren't."

"I am, actually. And I have to get back, so have a good night." I spun on my boot heel, angling myself in Jake's direction, when a hand wrapped around my wrist, ripping me back. A thrill went through me, my wrist burning where his hand held it.

"We aren't done," he said, his voice low and edged with anger.

"We are. You're the one who ran off two times now. I'm here with someone, so you need to let me go."

"Who?"

"What?" I asked, pretending I hadn't heard as I pulled away.

"Who are you here with?" he asked again.

I glanced over my shoulder, my eyes searching the crowd for Jake again until I saw him still by his bike. Jake wasn't exactly my type, and besides the dinner I agreed to, I wasn't planning on spending any extra time with him. And as much as I didn't want to get on a motorcycle with him ever again, I still thought it was nice he brought me.

Rook must have noticed who I was looking at. "Jake? You're here with Jake ?"

"You know him?"

"Yeah, I know him, and there's no fucking way you are leaving with him."

"I can leave with whoever I want. I really did get a taste for you motorcycle guys after meeting the one that held me at gunpoint, you know? But I went and found one who wasn't trying to kill me."

"He wrecks his bike once a fucking week. He is trying to kill you more than I ever did."

"Too bad. I came with him. I'm leaving with him."

I made it another foot before he grabbed me again. His arm snaked around my waist, pulling me hard against him until my body was flush with his. "No, you're not."

I wiggled out of his grasp, heading fast towards Jake, who seemed to notice what was happening now. His eyes went wide, and I knew it meant an angry Rook stalked after me.

Every part of me was on fire. I couldn't believe I found him. I'd been looking, but came up with nothing and had been mad at myself for not learning more than his first name. It should have been a part of our deal when he chased me for mine. I wanted to know why he ran off when he learned my name, and why he would want to suddenly stalk me after.

Now he chased after me again, and I could only wonder if he would keep catching me.

"Stop following me," I said. He reached out again, but this time he caught the back of my neck. His fingers dug in, ripping me back and tipping my head until his mouth crashed onto mine, rough and urgent. I felt a small sting as he bit at my lower lip, forcing me to open more. My lips parted for him, letting his tongue explore every inch of mine.

The only thought running through my mind was how badly I wanted this. Despite his roughness, I have never had someone touch me like they desperately needed it, and I couldn't resist it. He kissed me hard, not caring that my lips would be bruised. If anything, it might be his goal, but I took it. I got lost in it. He hadn't kissed anything except my neck, and it had been enough to make me want more, but this felt all-consuming.

The roar of a motorcycle engine broke through my thoughts, jolting me back to reality. I bit down and pushed against his chest, trying to wiggle out of his grasp again. A metallic taste of blood coated my tongue, and I realized I had bitten down until he bled.

He loosened his grip on me, but his fingers still dug into my arm. His eyes trailed over my face as I stared at the smeared blood on his lips. A wicked grin came over him as he glanced back at Jake, and I realized how badly I had messed up.

"You took my girl on a date, Jake?" He asked, his eyebrows shooting up.

"I'm not your girl," I hissed.

"Say it louder then, Rebel," he whispered. "Tell him you didn't come here just because you wanted to find me."

I didn't say anything. Jake's eyes were wide, and they didn't leave Rook. Apparently, they knew each other well enough that Jake seemed scared of him. I wondered how many other people here were scared of him.

And more importantly, why they were.

"Touch her again, Jake, and I will kill you."

"Enough, Rook," I said through gritted teeth, pushing hard at his chest, but he wouldn't budge. "I can't believe I made a show of that. Let. Me. Go."

"Shh," he whispered, his hot breath sending shivers down my spine. "I will in a second."

My mouth dropped open, my eyes narrowing as I freed one hand enough to pull back and slap him. The sharp sound echoed, and the nearby crowd went silent. But Rook's reaction was a slow, menacing grin that only made me worry I had made a bigger mistake than kissing him.

"Don't shush me," I said, proud the words were only slightly stuttered. I always kept my mouth shut and I rarely talked back, but I didn't want him to walk all over me. I should be scared, but the way he seemed to think he was untouchable only made me want to prove him wrong.

"Cute, Rebel, very cute," Rook mocked, towering over me. "And lucky for you, I like your attitude. But if I let you go and you run right to him, we are going to have issues."

His arms dropped, letting me go, but his eyes promised consequences. As soon as he let me go, I turned, my heart pounding in my chest, as I bolted towards Jake. Every step felt weighed down by the certainty that Rook wasn't going to let this go without repercussions. And that made some twisted part of me excited.

"I'm so sorry. I didn't know this would happen. I didn't know he would be here," I said to Jake.

I technically hadn't known he would be here. I had hoped, but I didn't think that was important right now.

"It's alright," Jake said. "It's really alright. I didn't know you had any connection to him." He looked past me, and I knew Rook had stepped up behind me again. "Sorry, Rook. I really didn't know."

"Wait, so you won't drive me home?"

"Not a chance in fucking hell," Jake said.

"Glad we cleared that up. Come on," Rook said, grabbing my arm to drag me along with him.

"Wait, why wouldn't you drive me home? You drove me here! You would leave me stranded?"

"Pretty sure you have a ride home," Jake said, nodding at Rook.

"I came with you. What if I don't want to leave with him?"

It wasn't actually how I felt. I wanted to leave with Rook. It was almost the entire reason I came here tonight. I wasn't sure what I wanted to happen after that, but I definitely didn't want to get on the back of Jake's bike again.

I pulled at Rook, trying to slip out of his grip, but he picked me up instead, throwing me over his shoulder.

"You are such a brat. What were you doing here tonight, Rebel? Looking for me?"

"Put me down."

"Tell me the truth. If you didn't even know what a backpack was, I know you weren't riding with other guys before. So tell me, were you looking for me?"

"Maybe."

"I like that, Rebel," he groaned, the rumble of it reverberating through me. "I like that a lot."

We made it to his bike before he finally set me down.

"Looks like I'm your only ride home now tonight. Going to take me to the wrong house again or are we past that?"

"You know where I live now. Stalker."

"You know where I hang out now," he said, leaning down onto the bike. His face was inches from mine now, and the thought of his lips on me again made my heart race. " Stalker ."

"I'm not stalking."

"You are too, Rebel," he said, running his lips up my neck. "You run around here looking for me all night and the moment you find me, you act like the rich, stuck up brat you are. Like you are too good for me and this place when you're here hunting me down."

"I am not," I snapped.

I knew I was a little. And I kind of did stalk him, but it wasn't the same way he had stalked me. Every logical part of me screamed to not seek him out, but I did anyway.

"Are too."

"What about the girl you came with?"

"A girlfriend of one of my friends. She needed a ride here, but is leaving with him."

"Oh."

"What? Disappointed you went feral for me for no reason?"

"I did not go feral."

"Maybe not entirely, but you were so, so close. Now I have to figure out what is going to push you over the edge." His lips pressed against my neck, his kiss sending a shock of heat to my core.

A bike pulled in, catching Rook's attention.

Then there was an entire line of them, their engines revving until the ground shook beneath me. I watched as Rook's friends headed to their bikes, everyone slipping on helmets and getting on.

The first newcomer drove past without a helmet, cocking an eyebrow as his eyes raked over us.

"Get on the bike," Rook said through gritted teeth.

"What. Why?"

"We have to go."

"I just got here."

"Too bad," he said, shrugging off his jacket to hand to me and then grabbing his helmet. "Put these on."

"Why?"

"Because I'm about to speed and if you fall off, maybe you'll survive with these. Put them on, now."

"Rook!" I yelled, shoving them back at him. "If those are my choices, then I won't go with you."

"They already saw you with me, and I promise, they will grab you if they think it will get me to come back for you."

"Would you come get me?"

"When you have the option of getting on the bike right now? No. Either get on the bike or be fucking bait if you think that's a better option than going with me."

"You really wouldn't?—"

"Fucking hell, Regan," he said, shoving one of my arms into his jacket. "Now is not the time to work out if I care about you dying or not." He forced my other arm in and zipped the jacket up before slamming the helmet on my head.

"Ouch!" I yelled.

Aiden's bike screamed as it passed us. The blonde girl was on the back again, holding on to him as he lifted the bike up onto one wheel. She made it look so easy, but I was already terrified.

Rook wasn't wasting any time.

"The second I tap your hand twice, hold on tight because your life literally depends on it," he said, getting on the bike and waiting for me to climb up behind him.

Before I could ask any more questions, chaos erupted. The new group of bikers had parked, half of them getting off their bikes and throwing punches at anyone who stood too close, while the other half spun their bikes until smoke clouded my vision. The scene had turned into a frenzied blur of screaming bikes and burning rubber.

By the time I wrapped my arms around Rook, pushing against the tank to hold myself up, he was already pulling out. The rest of his group came down the road with us, six bikes surrounding us as he headed for the highway.

He tapped my hand, reminding me to hold on tight, and I clung to him, trying to suppress a scream as the bike jumped forward. The helmet made a noise trying to connect it, and I tapped the side like I had last time.

"How's it going?" a girl asked. I turned my head, seeing the blonde waving at me from the bike next to us.

"I'm Evie, Rook's sister. Doing okay?"

"Rook has a sister? And yeah, I think so. How long does this go on for?"

"A few miles. Aiden said some of them are following us, though. You might want to let go of Rook a little," she said with a laugh. "He might not be able to breathe."

"Well, he's trying to kill me going this fast."

"Right now they are trying to get us not killed. Rook's good. He won't wreck or anything unless someone else majorly fucks up."

The bikes slowed a bit, enough I could sit up and catch my breath, but I apparently wasn't supposed to because Rook smacked frantically at my hands again.

"Get down," Evie said. "I think they are going to try and lose them before we… You know." Evie moved her thumb across her throat, insinuating they would be cutting their throats. "Just hold on and don't let go until Rook tells you to. And I'm getting off because I don't want to hear you scream."

"What do you—" The click echoed at the same time Rook took off. I did scream.

I squeezed my eyes shut, not wanting to see the speeds we were going as the wind whipped against us. Then I realized I had on Rook's helmet. He had nothing, and we were going faster than I think I had ever gone.

So I screamed again.