Page 25 of Desert Wind

“Would you be willing to allow us to take you somewhere on the property to show you something?” asked Ghost.

“Of course. I trust all of you.”

Ghost nodded, leading her out to the ATVs. Nash looked at the others and frowned.

“Let’s hope she still feels that way after this.”

Jenna had no idea what building they were entering. When you entered the businesses from the property side, the doors were numbered, not labeled. Ghost turned to her and smiled with his hand on the door.

“Trust us, okay? We know every person in this building.” She frowned at him but nodded.

The moment they entered the mechanic and build area, Jenna froze. She spotted the shining chrome, the beautifully painted tanks, and the bikes lifted on the racks.

“Th-they’re motorcycles,” she whispered.

“That’s right. We make custom motorcycles right here on our property. Remember? That’s how we knew what happened to you. The Flaming Skulls were trying to buy our motorcycles, and we refused them.”

“You refused? Why?” she asked innocently.

“Because we don’t do business with men like that. We own this business, so we choose who we do business with. Our motorcycles are highly desirable because they’re all custom-made. We ask the height, arm and leg length, and weight of the biker to ensure that their ride is as comfortable as possible.”

“I see. And-and do you all ride those things?” she asked.

“We do,” nodded Kane. “It’s a wonderful feeling of freedom. The wind in your hair kind of thing. For veterans, we often don’t like closed spaces. I don’t think I’ve ever known a veteran who drives a small car.” The others smiled, nodding.

“I can understand that. If it’s bigger, it doesn’t feel as claustrophobic. It makes sense to me. Were you part of a gang?” she asked tentatively.

“No,” said Ghost. “We had a club, which is something very different. When we left the military, we decided that we wanted to continue to serve. We funded our business by building these bikes. We never thought it would take off the way it did. Skull and some of the other guys are the absolute best at what they do.”

Jenna walked slowly around the bikes, giving a wide berth to the very large men working on them. She spotted Trevon, whom she’d met several weeks before, and smiled at him. The gentle giant stood slowly, his hands folded in front of him.

“Hi, Miss Jenna. How are you feeling?” he asked. The older men grinned at the sweet man.

“Trevon, you don’t have to call me Miss Jenna. Jenna is fine. But thank you for asking. I’m getting there. A little better every day.”

“That’s good. That’s real good. I know you’ll be your old self in no time.” She gave a wry smile and nodded.

“My old self. I’m not sure I want to be my old self.” Trevon looked panicked for a moment, staring from her to Nash and then Ghost. “It’s not a bad thing, Trevon. You just reminded me that I can’t decide to leave the convent behind and not leave most of who I was behind. I have to re-invent myself.”

“If you don’t mind me sayin’ so, ma’am. There’s nothin’ about you that needs reinventing. You’re pretty awesome, just like you are.” Jenna laughed, shaking her head.

“You know, if you were thirty years older, I’d say you were flirting.”

“No, ma’am. I respect Mr. Nash too much to do that,” he grinned. He turned and started to work on the bike again, Nash blushing from the comment.

“Come on, Jenna,” said Ghost, holding out his arm. “There are bikes up front completed that you should see.”

The entire visit was liberating for Jenna. She asked a million questions about motorcycles and how they’re made, why they paint the tanks, why does it make such a loud noise, anything and everything. She was like a curious child, and the wonder and excitement grew the more they spoke.

When they left the building, she chatted non-stop with the men and then waved goodbye, running toward the small group of women headed into the cafeteria for dinner.

“Thank you for doing that, Ghost. It was like a light switch went on for her,” said Nash.

“It was my pleasure. Maybe now it will be one less monster under the bed for her.”

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

“Where is she?” asked Lydia, staring at the four men in front of her. They were her most trusted men and the only ones who understood the importance of finding the woman.

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