Page 2 of Huge Dynamite
Turning away from the men, I rush back to my bedroom and jump into the jeans that I wore earlier today. There’s no time to rifle around looking for clean clothes. The men are on my heels.
“Seth, you’ve got to cool down,” Harry tells me. “Checking on her is one thing. But you can’t go barging in and risk a fight with the Dogs to save a woman you’ve only just met.”
Turning to him, I ask, “Can’t I?”
“Fine. Then we’ll ride with you.” Harry sighs deeply.
“I’ll get the Knights.” Avery picks up his phone to text. “We’ll make a united front. The damned Dogs won’t make a move on her if we’re there in colors. They won’t admit it, but they’re still scared after the beating they took from us when they tried to ambush us at Hoppa’s Taphouse.”
“No.” Pulling open a drawer in my dresser, I grab a clean T-shirt. Tossing it on, I turn to Harry and Avery as I try to push away the thought of beautiful Holly caught in the middle of a biker fight. “No, not the Knights. That’s the last thing we need. If the damned Dogs catch a glimpse of us there in our colors…” Shaking my head, I let a shiver of fear pass through me. “Then, we’ve brought all-out war to Holly’s doorstep.”
Harry steps closer to me. “You can’t do this alone. Think this through.”
“I don’t have time to think. I know what you’re worried about, that I’ll do something impulsive—”
“We do call you Dynamite for a reason,” Harry mumbles.
Looking him square in the eye, I ask, “What would you do to save Celia, huh? I’ll bet you’d face an entire army of Dogs if you had to.” Turning to Avery, I nod. “You, Bullseye, you left all of us behind to save Seneca. So, don’t tell me you wouldn’t do the exact same thing. You already have.”
“But, Seth, Celia and Seneca are our girlfriends,” Harry counters.
Ignoring Harry and rushing into the living area of my apartment, I grab my wallet and keys. Picking up my Knights jacket, I hold it in my hand and stall. I can’t wear this. Everything I do tonight has to be on the down-low, and I need to go. Now.
Sprinting past the men, I make it to the front door. My heart is thumping too fast; I take deep breaths to control it. If I go now and push hard, I may make it there before any of the Dogs or Vipers make it to the hospital. Then, who the hell knows?
“Seth?” It’s Avery, standing behind me. “What are you going to do when you get there?”
Wheeling around, I look from man to man. “Protect her. What else?” Turning back, I hustle down the stairs of the apartment building two at a time.
“Seth!” Harry calls after me. “We’re begging you. Stay out of sight. If the Dogs see you, they’ll think you’re a spy. For the sake of the Knights, be cool about this…”
Harry’s words fade away as I push through the front door and catch myself just before I stumble onto the street. Running up to my bike, I toss my leg over and mount it, revving the engine like a rocket between my legs. There is no way in hell I am going to let those bastard Dogs anywhere near her. I know what they think of women—how they pass their WAGs around from member to member like they’re nothing more than club property. The whole idea makes me sick. Forcing down the bile, I turn and spit on the gravel next to my bike, trying to get rid of the bitter taste in my mouth.
When the damned Dogs get to the hospital and see a female doctor… Christ. How will they react to that? They’ll try to destroy her, for sure. Maybe, if they can’t do it physically—although some of them may try—they’ll harass her and taunt her, try to break her. A female doctor is a direct threat to their manhood, the bunch of assholes. But no, they won’t do anything to her, because I will be there to stop them. If it’s the last thing I do, I will protect her from those damned Dogs.
Peeling out, I balance my weight expertly, so I don’t wipe out on the hairpin turn. Racing down the road from my apartment building, I turn onto the side street that runs parallel to the expressway. I’m forced to slow as I near the entrance to the expressway, and looking around, I notice how run-down my neighborhood is. The street is lined with old, faded billboards and chain-link fences. There’s trash tossed everywhere, littering the small patches of burnt grass that pop up along the sides of the broken asphalt. Slowing my bike even more, my mind starts racing.
What am I doing? How could I possibly think this beautiful, classy woman would ever want anything to do with me? Pulling over and gliding to a stop along the side of the road, I breathe heavily. The cars stacking up along the entrance to the on-ramp honk at me.
What can I offer a woman like her? Closing my eyes, I see her standing before me the night that we met in the ER. In her white coat, she had to be five-seven or five-eight and thin. With gorgeous dark brown skin and deep brown eyes, she was absolutely stunning. This is a woman who probably has her entire life worked out and her whole world running exactly as she wants it. So, whatcana man like me offer her? Then, I see it in my imagination: the Dogs riding up to the hospital with colors raised, demanding medical treatment when they’re greeted by Dr. Holly Boling.
Fuck.
What can a man like me offer her? Protection. Which means I need to get to the hospital. Fast.
Shaking my head, I calm my racing mind and pull myself together. Leaning forward, I rev my bike. Glancing over my shoulder and finding my opening, I race forward, dodging the traffic as I merge onto the expressway heading toward Phoenix. Once I’m free of the merging traffic, I let my bike out to its full capability. I must be running eighty or ninety miles an hour, but I don’t dare take my eyes off of the road to check the speedometer.
“Come on, come on,” I mumble to the traffic that’s backing up just ahead. Damn, this area between Hoppa and Phoenix is getting busier by the day. Slowing to veer around a large truck that’s spewing black soot and doesn’t belong on the damned expressway, I get clear of him and open up my bike again. No, I don’t want to drive so fast and so erratically that I get nabbed by a cop, but this area outside Hoppa is rarely patrolled. If I do get caught, I will learn from my mistakes and play nice.
The last time a cop tried to arrest me, I fought back, and it cost me an extra two years in juvie and my relationship with Colt. I can’t make the same mistake again. If I get pulled over for driving like a madman, I’ll have to hold my temper and do better this time.
Except Holly’s life may be at stake. Which means I’m sorry in advance to any cop who tries to catch me—but I won’t stop, and I won’t get caught. Because when it comes to keeping a woman like Dr. Holly Boling safe, anything goes. Anything.
Accelerating, I blow past some expensive model sports car. Suppressing a chuckle, I know this guy’s car cost a hundred grand, and he probably bought it to race down open highways just like this one, blowing past every other car out here. Thing is, it can’t outrun my bike. Holding the clutch and giving it full-throttle, I rev my engine just to let the sports car guy know I’m here and I’m passing. I can’t help it. As I catch a glimpse of the car in my rearview and the scowl on the dude’s face, a little thrill rips up through me from my head to my toes and, despite everything, a grin spreads across my face. As much of a loner as I am, I do get a high off of fucking with certain people. I guess that’s all part of my impulsive “Dynamite” behavior. But a car like that and its douchebag driver are good news—it means I’ve come so far that I’ve left the small-town rural areas and am getting closer to the city.
Leaving the sports car in my dust, I open up and race down the highway. Finally, I see the exit for Holly’s hospital, and I slow enough to take the exit without killing myself.
Downshifting, I glide through the off-ramp. Thankfully, there’s no traffic at this hour. Pulling out onto a side street, I’m caught by how different this road is from the one near my apartment. This street is clean, and the only things littering it are expensive office buildings and high-end grocery stores. It’s too dark to really see, but I’m confident the grass lining the sidewalk is green.
