Page 73 of It's Always Been You

“Caitlin!” Travis yelled, fear spiking in his throat.

He was about to barge into the ladies room when one of the hipster women said, “If you’re looking for the blonde in a dress, a biker just hauled her outside.” She pointed to the rear exit.

Pure fury flooded his system, not only at the idea that someone was once again stealing his woman, but also because of the possibility Caitlin was hurt.

Bursting out the exit, he heard the sounds of a scuffle and a screech that was clearly Caitlin’s voice.

He made it to the parking area where a group of bikes was huddled. A behemoth of a man, maybe two inches taller than Travis and twice as wide, had Caitlin by the shoulders and was shaking her.

Travis’s killer instinct broke free.

12

Caitlin didn’t thinkshe’d be seeingscaryTravis any time soon, and yet, here he was again. Even the big guy who held her turned rock solid. His one mistake—he didn’t release her immediately.

Duke was picking himself off the ground, not having learned his lesson, and the words out of his mouth only made matters worse. “He’s lying. Doll face over here is not his wife.” His voice was raspy after that blow she delivered to his throat. “Back of my bike, girl. Stop fighting me.”

He tried to wrench her away from his cohort.

“Hold on, Duke,” the big guy snapped. Caitlin was in the middle of a tug o’ war.

An angry growl from Travis indicated that he had lost patience. The bikers never saw him coming. Travis struck the big man first with a solid elbow to the jaw. The man howled in pain, releasing Caitlin who was now left with Duke. She rolled her eyes. Duke was a masochist to an idiotic degree. She hauled back and kneed him in the groin. Caitlin didn’t even get to relish her legwork because Travis yanked and shoved her behind him. He slowly backed away with her. His armswere cocked in a fighting stance, daring the gathering crowd of bikers.

“You have a death wish, city boy?” The big guy Travis struck launched straight for him.

Travis pushed her out of the way and quickly planted his shoulder against the oncoming threat, throwing the big man over, forcing him to land flat on his back. A bald biker came at Travis and managed to strike him on the cheek, splitting the skin open with the rings on his finger. Caitlin hated the sound of flesh against flesh.

Travis blocked a second hit and planted a solid punch to the other man’s gut. By this time, the guy on the ground had recovered and rejoined the fray. Travis had his eye on him and was able to block a kidney blow; however, the bald biker kicked him right in the gut. The big guy took advantage of a hunched over Travis and locked him in a full nelson and the bald one was setting up to beat on her guy.

Oh, no, they don’t, Caitlin thought furiously as she did a running jump on top of bald biker’s back, ignoring Travis’s shout to stay out of it. The bald man growled, but she crushed his windpipe with her forearm. She was pried away from him and subdued by yet another biker.

“Caitlin!” Travis yelled furiously. “Don’t fucking touch her!” Travis broke out of the full nelson, twisted and kneed the big guy twice in the gut, and knocked him to his knees by hammering his back with linked hands.

“STOP! What the fuck?” A loud voice boomed and all the bikers froze.

Caitlin was immediately released and she wasted no time flying straight into Travis. Strong arms crushed her in a protective embrace.

“You okay?” he whispered. Though his tone was laden with worry, his face remained harsh, his eyes alert.

Caitlin could only nod, guilt-ridden and flabbergasted at how disaster seemed to follow her every wake.

“Prez,” the big biker acknowledged the newcomer.

“Ashe, what in Jesus Christ is happening here?” A man of about fifty, decked out in a leather cut, faded jeans, and silver chains stepped out of the shadows. “I get a call from the bar that my kids are causing trouble again, and I walk into a parking lot brawl? We’re supposed to be keeping the peace in this town, goddamnit, not breaking it!” His eyes sliced to Travis. “Who are you?”

“The name’s Bennett.”

Irritated at the succinct response, the Prez threw up his hands and said, “Is someone going to tell me what the fuck’s going on?”

“Duke wanted his woman,” the big guy, who Caitlin now knew as Ashe nodded to her and Travis.

“My wife,” Travis snarled.

“Bullshit, she ain’t got no ring,” Duke whined, still hunched over from the knee-to-the-balls Caitlin gave him.

Travis cursed beside her. “Doesn’t mean you can just go grab a woman and take off with her.”

“It was Bella’s idea,” Duke added. “She wanted you for herself.”

---