Page 6 of The Fire and the Roar

The Flame with the knife rushed at Wreck.

“No!” I screamed, springing forward.

Wreck turned the scarred Flame in his clutches to face the charge of the oncoming knife. The Flame in Wreck’s chokehold kicked a leg up, shoving his brother to the ground, saving himself.

“Oh my God,” I murmured. “Wreck!”

Wreck released the scarred Flame, and he shoved at Wreck, pivoting to face us. “I don’t have a problem with you, man. Your old lady here is one gutsy chick.” The Flame gestured at me. “She created a distraction, so she could get her buddy free from being maimed and killed by my bros. I was going to keep her out of trouble any more than she was already in.”

“Oh, I’ll fucking bet you were.” Wreck got in the Flame’s face.

The Flame wiped his hands on the backside of his leather chaps. His dark gaze slid to me. “I don’t take advantage of women who don’t want me to.”

His tone was serious. I believed him.

“And I didn’t want to see Isi unable to sing another tune onstage one day.”

Wreck let out a snarl at the sound of my name uttered by this guy. My gaze fell to his patch. “Finger.” Oh boy.

Finger continued, “Isi and the Silver Tongues played a Flames party years ago. I still remember it.” He turned to me with a dark grin. Was it a grin? I wasn’t sure.

“Yes, we did,” I murmured, glancing at Wreck. At that Flames party, Wreck and I had finally….I swallowed down the precious memory of our first time that night in the throb of animosity heaving between the two men right now.

“I remember your voice,” Finger said. “Your shows were good. Sorry I missed your show tonight.”

“Oh. Thank you,” I managed. My voice came out soft and even, but my veins shrank under the man’s hard, impenetrable gaze. My hand curled around Wreck’s solid forearm.

“You done now?” Wreck spit out.

Finger dipped his head, a smile fit for the devil himself, brandishing his lips. “Don’t go flashing angry bikers no more, Isi. And the things you say—”

“I won’t.” I pulled Eric’s jacket tightly around me, my teeth chattering, legs glued together. Hopefully, Wreck hadn’t heard what I’d shouted out loud.

“Name’s Finger, by the way. At the Elk chapter. Not far from Meager.”

“Not far at all,” said Wreck, holding his gaze.

They’d reached a detente.

“You all staying at this motel tonight?”

“That was the plan,” I said. “Leaving tomorrow.”

“Any more of you Jacks around?”

“Only me,” said Wreck. “No one knows I’m here, and I want to keep it that way.”

“You got it.” His gravelly voice settled in the pit of my stomach. He and Wreck lifted their chins at each other once more, and Finger stalked into the crowd.

I let out a heavy breath, my shoulders falling, every muscle in my body ringing with adrenaline once more. The crowd had dispersed. The owner of the motel spoke animatedly with Phil at the edge of the lot as the Flames of Hell along with Mary Jane and a couple other girls tore out into the street and into the black night on their blaring chrome dragons.

“Wreck—”

His dark gaze pinned me to the ground. “Do not say a word.”

I pressed my lips together and headed for my room.Shit. I turned and grabbed my blouse and coat from the back of the truck. My room door flapped open and closed in the wind, and I kicked it open. Rick and a girl were bent over the dresser snorting lines of coke.

“Not now, dammit! Get the hell out, would you?” I said. They flinched, both their faces dazed, their eyes unable to focus.

---