Page 54 of Joyride
“Sketch,” Bull warns.
“I hate the Russos as much as you do. We will do whatever it takes to get your woman back,” Andrei promises. "I, for one, am not a fan of boys who put their hands on women."
33
Wren
I didn’t getout of bed until after ten this morning. Zack hasn’t said a word or even looked at me since last night. He left me bruised and sore beyond belief. He’s been pacing around the house, anxious about something all day. He’s taken a couple phone calls in front of me, but both times, he spoke in Italian. Whatever the conversations were about, they left him feeling some type of way. As long as he leaves me alone, I don’t care what the hell he does.
While I have time to myself, I plan to take advantage of the huge bathtub in the master bathroom. If I tried to use the other bathroom, Zack would throw a fit. Surprisingly, he still has a ton of bath bombs and salts still stocked from before. Including a lavender-infused Epsom salt, which is exactly what I need right now. My mind and body are stressed and tense.
I glance out the window while the bathtub fills. Oddly enough, the bathroom window faces out toward the front of the house. A black SUV with tinted windows catches my eye. That wasn’t there earlier. I wonder if that has anything to do with why Zack is so anxious. I squint my eyes as if that will help me get a better look at it. It’s similar to the SUVs the Savage Menaces MC has. I turn away from the window, ignoring the vehicle. There’s no way they’d be here right now. Right?
Once the tub is filled, I slip out of my clothes and slide into the bath. Instant relaxation. Between the comfort of the hot water and the lavender aroma, I’m in heaven. The moment doesn’t last long when Zack storms into the bathroom.
“You need to get out of the bath now. We have to go.”
“Can’t I have a few more minutes?” I’m pressing my luck, I know, but it’s been so long since I’ve enjoyed a nice bath.
“Now,” he shouts.
Quickly and carefully, I climb out of the bath. He wraps me in a towel, ushering me out of the bathroom. On the bed, there’s an outfit laid out for me. Him being in such a hurry has me concerned. As I get dressed, Zack packs a duffle bag for each of us. When I’m fully dressed and he’s done packing, he rushes me out of the house and into his Mercedes AMG S 65. He tosses the duffle bags in the trunk before climbing in and taking off.
He pulls the car out of the driveway and heads away from the SUV I saw earlier. After we’ve been in the car for a few minutes, I glance in the passenger-side rearview mirror. The black SUV is there. It’s a couple cars behind us, but it’s following us. I move my eyes to Zack. His knuckles are white from gripping the steering wheel so tight and his eyes flick to the rearview mirror every few seconds. He’s nervous about something.
“Son of a bitch!” He speeds up, weaving in and out of cars. He damned near side-swipes a car as we pass them. It’s no use having a fast car if you don’t know how to drive it. I was lucky enough to have Shade teach me how to drive when I was younger. Nothing like learning how to drag race before learning how to drive on the streets with normal people.
After about twenty minutes, he slows the car down to the speed limit. I take another glance in the rearview and don’t see the SUV anywhere. Zack is smirking like a cat who caught a canary. I roll my eyes. Smug bastard. The only reason he was able to lose them is because of all the traffic around us. Another hour later, we drive down a mile-long driveway to a house surrounded by trees. Zack pulls around the circle drive, so his car is off to the left of the house, facing down the driveway as if he’s planning for an easy getaway.
“Get out,” he demands. He climbs out and walks around the car, stopping at the trunk to grab our bags. I follow him up the lawn to the front door. Before Zack can knock, a man opens the door.
“You didn’t waste any time,” the man says in a thick Italian accent. His eyes move over my body, making my stomach turn. “Come on in.”
Zack pushes me through the door, following on my heels.
“Let me show you to your room.” The guy walks past us, down a hallway. I follow him without waiting for Zack to tell me to. I’d rather not do something to piss him off for the moment. The room he brings us to is huge. It’s the size of mine and Sienna’s apartment. The house itself gave off a small, cozy feel. Seeing some of the inside, it’s much larger than it appears.
“This is perfect, Santo,” Zack says to him. “Thank you for opening your home to us.”
Santo says something to Zack in Italian before leaving the room. Zack sets the duffle bags next to the bed and turns to face me.
“Are you hungry? I need to talk to Santo, but I can show you where the kitchen is.”
As if on cue, my stomach growls. “Yeah, I guess I am.”
He moves so he’s standing in front of me. Lifting his hand to my face, he caresses my cheek with his thumb. While Sketch gives me butterflies when he touches me, Zack makes me want to puke.
“You’ll learn to love me in time.” He kisses my forehead then walks out of the room. I wait a beat before following him. I walk into the kitchen and my jaw hits the floor. The kitchen opens to the living room, but each room is equally as big as the room Santo put us in. There’s an island that has a sink and seats five people, a double oven, a gigantic french door refrigerator and a walk-in pantry. This is a kitchen dreams are made of.
“Make yourself at home. I’ll be back once Santo and I are done talking,” Zack tells me. He walks out of the kitchen and I walk into the pantry, in search of something simple to eat.
34
Sketch
“Tech, Sketch,”Bull shouts. I follow Tech into Bull’s office. He has his phone to his ear and gestures to us to sit.
“Hold on. They just walked in,” he says into the phone. He presses a button and sets his phone down. “You’re on speaker, Saint. Tell them what you told me.”
