Page 29 of Brood

Chapter Twenty-Four

My feet pound hard on the pavement as I dart across town. It’s dark out; my path only illuminated by street lamps and the businesses that are still open. I don’t know where to stop, where Brood might find me, but when I hear the rumble of motorcycles, I slow down and start looking. The sound gets louder and louder until Show drives past me then comes to a stop. “Shit, I didn’t know if we would find you at all,” he says with a relieved smile. I wince when I get closer and see his face has a big purple bruise on it. He takes out his phone and brings it to his ear. “Hey. Found her. Yeah.” He looks around us, eyes landing on the street signs. “Riley and Third. Yep.” He hangs up and looks me over. “They’ll be here in a minute. You have gotten yourself in some shit, haven’t you?”

“I’m sorry about the—” I reach up and point to his face.

“Ah. Been hit worse by my ex. Bitch loved to come at me with a frying pan. Can’t say I didn’t deserve it, though.” He chuckles, and I flinch at the thought of someone hitting another person with a frying pan. Before I can say anything else, another rumble draws closer this one louder than when Show pulled up. It’s both Brood and Roman. I take off for Brood before he even has a chance to stop and turn off his bike. I lunge forward and wrap my arms around him for the third time tonight, surprising myself again—for the third time tonight. His hands come to my cheeks, clasping onto my face. He looks me over as if to assess that I’m okay before bringing his mouth to mine. Hard. He is forceful with the kiss claiming my mouth and delving in deep with his tongue when I open on a gasp.

When he pulls away, his words barely register in my dazed state. “No more running off from now on, got it?” he demands. It must take me a whole minute to slowly move my head up and down, eyes wide and staring into his. We continue to stare at each other before someone clears their throat.

“This is all sweet and everything, but I think we should get our asses moving. Them fuckers are probably combing the town too,” Roman expresses his concern somewhere behind us. I suck in a deep breath when Brood pulls away.

“He’s right. Here.” Brood produces a helmet from his saddlebag and places it on my head, strapping it tight under my chin before guiding me to sit behind him. “Hold on tight, Jor. We have a long way to go and will need to ride hard and fast.” His words, meant only to warn me, send a trickle of heat through me, and I catch myself clenching my things. It makes him groan in return, but he doesn’t do more than that. We push off and are heading out of town, moonlight, and headlights to guide our way.

* * *

Hours pass before we are pulling up to a tall gate with two men standing behind it. Their cuts say Siberians. With the numbness in my hind end and my toes so cold I can barely feel them anymore, I’m more than ready to get off the bike, no matter where we are. “Stay by me babe, this is Siberian territory, not the clubhouse,” Brood instructs before helping me off of the bike after we are let through the gate.

“Brood.” A man comes up to us, extending his hand in greeting toward Brood, then to Roman and Show. “I didn’t think I would see you back so soon.”

“Couldn’t stay away. Thanks for the aid, Premo. Wasn’t sure if we had a tail or not,” Brood explains, glancing back at the gate we came through.

“You did. Followed all the way to town. Our guys cut ‘em off,” Premo responds, allowing me to take a relaxing breath. “Nice to have ties to the police force,” he states with a smirk. “You can stay the night. Should have them detained for at least twenty-four. Plenty of time to get back out and home before they figure out where you went.” Brood nods his thanks and follows Premo over to a huge building. “My bunk is free for you and your woman,” Premo tells Brood then turns to Roman and Show. “I trust you two know your way around?” They both nod in answer. “Good. Now I need to get my ass back home. I don’t want Vera waking up to an empty bed.” Then he leaves us. Walking toward a bike he takes off in a hurry on.

“Well, I’m going to find something to keep me warm for the night.” Show makes a production of giving a shiver. “That ride has my ass freezing.” He smiles and takes off into the big building.

“Stay sober. We ride in a few hours,” Brood calls out, making Show wave his arm, clearly uncaring what Brood said.

“Suppose I will catch a few hours. Let you two alone,” Roman says, walking away, leaving Brood and I by ourselves.

“Come on. Let’s get some sleep before we need to get back on the road.” I nod and follow him past what I assume to be the Siberian’s clubhouse, to a row of small trailer looking houses.

“Those are interesting,” I muse as he guides me to one and opens the door. It’s a small space inside complete with everything a home would need. Table, chairs, kitchen. Brood goes toward a small set of steps that lead to the loft area, shedding his cut along the way. I’m surprised he doesn’t have to duck at all when he reaches the top. Though if he were to jump he would most likely punch a hole in the ceiling. I find myself smiling at the mental image.

“Get up here and sleep, Jor. I’m too tired and mad at you to even try to figure out why you are about to laugh.” My heart sinks because I knew he would be mad. He should be. I agreed to let him and the club help me, only to bail when I couldn’t handle the pressure. I take the stairs quickly. Brood already has his shirt and boots off, lying on the bed in only his jeans. I pause at the top, unsure of what to do next. “We are sharing a bed. Plan to do so until further notice. I’m not letting you get away again,” he grumbles from under his arm. I don’t respond. Instead, I do as he says and gingerly lay down on the bed. The space between us is quickly eaten up when Brood rolls to his side and pulls me into his strong arms. At first, I freeze. “Sleep Jor,” he whispers into my ear, and I find myself listening, relaxing into his embrace and drifting off into a peaceful sleep.

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