Page 23 of Lawless
"You'll keep your cock zipped up, G," Reaper snarled at him. "The truth is, she's a medic, but that means nothing at this point. Like I said, we'll see if she fits in."
"And if she doesn't?"
Reaper lifted his eerily bright green eyes to me. "Then we'll return her to where we found her."
Nine
MARIPOSA
Ihad no idea how long I slept. All I knew was this bed wasdamncomfortable.
With a groan, I flopped over, pressing my face into the pillow that perfectly supported my sore neck and shoulders all night. Or all day, rather.
Sunlight peeked through thick curtains and the room was quiet. It even felt peaceful. I couldn't remember the last time I slept that deeply. Traveling on my own kept me on edge. Peace and comfort felt strange and unfamiliar.
I sat up and looked around the simply furnished room. There wasn't much to it besides the bed, a desk, dresser, and an armchair in the corner. Compared to the service station, though, it was downright luxurious.
A set of folded clothes, which I assumed to be Noelle's, sat on top of the dresser. I climbed out of bed and went to get dressed, the strangeness of this room and everything that happened crawling over me like fingers on my skin.
Why was she lending me clothes? Why was this room so nice? This was some kind of biker gang compound. Why wasn't I chained up in a dark, dingy basement?
The questions continued racing through my brain as I pulled on the breezy harem pants and form-fitting tank top. Typical desert dweller clothes, nothing that would suggest I was a prisoner.
Tiptoeing to the bedroom door, I pushed it open with painstaking care to not make a sound. Male voices floated up to my ears from somewhere downstairs. I looked both ways down the hall and saw no sign of Noelle.
I crept toward the balcony overlooking the first floor. A quick peek down showed no one near the stairs, so I began my slow descent down.
The voices grew louder and more clear as I reached the bottom, coming from somewhere near the kitchen.
"...the Sandia Mountains? It's too far out of the way, it'll be murder on the bikes..." That sounded like Jandro.
I glued myself to the wall like a gecko as I made my way closer. If they were planning a ride, maybe I could overhear when and make my escape.
"Horus can scout for us from those high vantage points. Isn't that right, boy?"
A screech echoing off the wall announced Gunner's presence with his falcon. The skin on my neck shivered at the memory of the blonde man's lips touching me, but I couldn't place if the reaction was out of disgust or enjoyment.
He associates with a murderer,I reminded myself.And as a 2A advocate, he's very likely a murderer himself.
"We've got to stay out of Razor Wire territory." The gruffest voice in the room could only be Reaper. "The mountains can give us shelter if we pack accordingly."
"It's a risk, man." Jandro seemed to be the only one hesitant about the idea. "It's a longer ride, big elevation climbs, plus we're going to be carrying heavier loads. Some of the older bikes might not be able to handle it."
"I'm leaving it up to you to ensure the bikes are in the best possible shape. Even if that means scrapping the old ones and putting together new ones."
"Man, you know how attached these guys are to their babies. I can't just—"
"You will."
"So, what, this is a done deal already? Don't we need to vote on this at church?"
I couldn't hear Reaper's answer over the clicking of claws on the tiled floor, growing louder with every second. When a long snout and shiny black eyes came around the corner to greet me, I panicked.
"Shoo!" I whispered at Hades, flinging my hands at him. "Go away!"
The large dog smiled at me instead, wagging his stubby tail as he lifted his front paws to my shoulders to greet me.
"Hades, no!" I groaned under his weight as I tried to shove him off. The damn dog had to weigh at least a hundred pounds and was built out of dense, solid muscle. It was like trying to shove off a person-sized brick that fell on me.
