Page 44 of Property of Raider
“Let’s get you back to the clubhouse so you can rest,” I whisper to her.
“I really like that idea.”She sighs.
“Have you ever ridden a motorcycle before?”I ask the question that tastes like acid on my tongue.
“Nope.You’ll be my first,” she ends on a whisper.
“Your first … hmm,” I lean forward, placing a feather-light kiss on her lips.“I see myself providing many firsts for you, Tasia.”
She smirks at me.“We’ll see about that.Now are you taking me to my boy or are we going to hang out in the dark all night?”
“Our boy,” I snap harsher than I intended.
Her eyes go sad, and she pulls away from me.“Can you just take me back?I’m tired, my leg hurts, and I’m just ready for some meds and bed.”
Knowing her the way I do, I know pushing will not get me anything but further shut out.I let her go, turning back to my brothers standing close by.“Let’s load up.Twitch, I want you to stay with the others.Let them know I’ll be back and to make sure he can still answer questions when I do.”
“You got it, Prez.”He nods, turning to jog towards the slaughterhouse.
“You’re an asshole, Raider.The psycho twins might beat his ass for putting a halt to their fun,” Terro calls from his bike.
“The way he handled them earlier, I think he’ll be okay, and if not, I guess we’ll just have to recruit some new men,” I toss back to him.
Terro just shakes his head, sliding on his helmet and starting his bike.I spend a few minutes giving Anastasia some instructions about riding before sliding on in front of her and starting my own.She leaves too much space between us.I reach back, hooking her behind her knees, making certain that I’m gentle as I don’t know where the injury on her leg is, and pull her forward, so she is pressed flat to my back.She grumbles but doesn’t move back, instead just wrapping her arms around my waist, laying her head between my shoulder blades.When I’m sure she is settled and sturdy, I shift my bike into gear, pulling out of line and turning it towards the clubhouse.
We pull onto the road, and I open the throttle, taking the first deep, centering breath since she stepped into that SUV four days ago.I lay my hand on hers, squeezing gently, just needing to feel her skin beneath mine.The ride takes longer than it normally would, but I’m not ready to share her yet.When I can’t drag the ride out any longer, I pull up to the gate at the clubhouse, thankful that Hermes had us all put gate openers on our bikes.Pulling into the parking lot, I get my bike parked in its spot and kill the engine, stepping off holding my hand out for Anastasia to climb off.With very little to no grace, she stumbles off the bike, hissing in pain as she puts weight on her injured leg.
Scooping her up, I carry her bridal style into the clubhouse, sitting on the couch with her in my lap.To my complete surprise, she doesn’t fight me or argue about my holding her.Remedy shows up in a flash with his medic bag in tow, squatting down beside us.
He looks first at her and then at me.“I need to wake her so she can tell me which leg it is or I’m going to have to cut her pants legs.”
“Just cut them.She needs to rest, and if she likes them that much, I can get her some new ones,” I whisper, dropping my forehead onto the top of her head just taking in the fact she is here with me.
“You got it,” he nods, grabbing his shears from his bag and starting on her right pant leg.
He makes to about a quarter of the way up her calf, cussing up a storm as he continues.Lifting my head, I look at her leg, and all I see is red.Her leg is bright red and angry, and my vision is coated in red too.My body vibrates with the need to destroy someone or something.Remedy looks up at me with wide eyes before getting to work, being as gentle as he can be, but she still tenses in her sleep.I hold her tighter to me, whispering softly about old memories, attempting to ease not only her but myself as well.
“That should be good for tonight,” Remedy stands, grabbing his bag.“We’ll check again in the morning, and I’ll see if I can get us something to make sure she doesn’t get sick again.”
“What about her hand?”I whisper, trying not to wake her as I gently twist her palm for him to see.
He shifts, picking it up, looking at it closely, “It’s closed up, which is good.I’ll put some stuff on it, but I think it’s already pretty good to go.”
Looking up at one of my oldest friends, I see concern etched across his face.“Thank you, brother.”
“Anything for you.You know that,” he nods before turning to leave the room.
I sit there on the couch and hold Anastasia close, gazing around the club that has been my entire world since I was nineteen, angry, and ready to take on the world.It’s still home, and as always with Anastasia in my lap, I finally feel centered.My world is right on its axis and spinning like it should.A beer appears in my line of vision, and I look over to see Ainsley holding it with a soft smile on her lips.
“That’s a good look on you, Raider,” she says softly when I take the beer from her.
“What exactly is it you’re talking about?”I wonder, taking a long drink.
“Ever since the day I showed up here, I could tell that behind the calm you showed the world, there was always a storm brewing.”She swallows hard, eyes dropping to her hands.“After everything with Relic, that storm no longer hid.It was all I could see.But now …” she hesitates, a small breath escaping her lips.“Now there is a real calm.Don’t get me wrong, the storm is there.Always able to be violently devastating if need be.It just doesn’t define you anymore.”
I’m taken aback by her words.No one has so rightly put the chaos in my brain into such simple words.
“Thank you, Ainsley,” I say quietly.
