Shifter Legends (9 page)

“Only one way to find out if she will break, Boss. And it sure as hell ain’t sittin’ around knittin’.” Grant slammed his beer down and stood up. “Anyone here object?”

No one said a word.

“Yeah, that’s what I thought. I’m riding out of here this afternoon. You want to come along and try to stop me, that’s fine. Otherwise, I’m takin’ the recruits.”

***

“Which of you know how to drive a Hog?” Grant asked as he looked over the group of recruits. Briana’s group. Unsurprisingly Luke raised his hand. He couldn’t help but feel a little surprised that Lauren, too, had her hand up. 

“Whatever, you two fight over who gets to drive. Briana, you are on mine.” Grant had two bikes brought out, his and a spare.

He hopped on his and scooted back. “In the front, baby girl. I want you to feel what I feel. See what I see.”

“But I, I can’t drive.”

“You don’t have to. I’ll be the one to drive, you just experience it.” He grabbed her by the waist and put her in front of him. “Put your feet over mine while I shift gears, but don’t press down baby.”

He could feel her body pressed into his crotch, her ass pressed tight against him. He couldn’t help it, the way she was so close to him, the smell of her hair as it hit them before they took off down the road, it was too much. It sent him into another level of arousal. He let off the clutch and hit the ignition, bringing the bike roaring to life, he kicked it into gear and took off down the road.  Gravel flew up on his way out, scattering across the road as it met the pavement. Behind him he heard Luke and Lauren, their sleek motorcycle coming to life as they followed him down to the city.

He couldn’t be bothered with the motorcycle club’s objectives, at least not at the moment. All he wanted was to feel that sweet little feline between his legs, purring as she experienced the highway in the seat of a driver. The feel of his hands next to hers on the bars, it was almost too much. He envisioned what it would be like to pull over, bend her over his bike, and fuck her right there. Where anyone could see.

It was too much. Too wild. He knew that.

But Grant enjoyed his fantasies.

☼ ☼ ☼ ☼ ☼ ☼

The wind hit her face through the exposed area in the helmet, just under the visor that let her see without the wind blocking her vision. The Cougar in her wanted more as she let the euphoria of the scenery surround her. She wanted to experience it all, everything that Grant had to offer her. Everything he wanted to show her.

Some things were unsettling, like the entire idea of being part of a society that had a Motorcycle Club, it felt almost wrong somehow. After all, weren’t they all bikers and gangsters? He said they did good, but she wasn’t so sure. Especially because he had hinted that this little jaunt down town was going to include violence. She had had enough of that in her short life, and she wasn’t sure she wanted to be involved with anything that brought more of it to her door. Enough foster “fathers” had given her too much exposure to that, thank you very much.

Pushing it out of her mind Briana focused on the scenery in front of her. It was absolutely beautiful, like nothing she had ever seen before. Each background flew away as they took off down the road, in front of her for just a moment, reminding her how quickly beauty could pass. How fast a moment was. How fast a life was.

She gripped ahold of those handle bars, just a little tighter and pressed her ass into Grant’s crotch. It wasn’t anything other than obvious. His arousal. She could feel it, and she wanted to make him suffer. Just a little bit. Remind him of who she was, and that she could be feisty. Even in public. She knew it must have been driving him wild, the way she pressed against his hard, throbbing package. But he had a job to do. A guy to “rough up.” Supposedly for selling drugs in the area.

Well, if there was any way she would approve of violence that was it.  Drugs were what took her parents away, at least that was what she was told. It was also what landed her in the arms of way too many abusive foster fathers, and brothers. It led to so many scars in her life. She couldn’t deny the urge to smack around some dealers. It was a darker part of her that she wanted to deny. That she wanted to push away, back into the corners and recesses of her mind.

Suddenly the serene country landscape fell away, bringing her to a much more urban setting. Cars and side streets got more frequent, and the buildings started to bunch together, unlike the spaced out homes of the country. It was dark, and grey, the sidewalk choking the natural landscape. These were all things she never would have noticed, before the change, but she noticed them now. She noticed, and she felt the pangs of claustrophobia coming down on her as she longed to be back out on the open road.

They came to a stop at a red light, Lauren and Luke beside them. Looking over she noticed that Lauren had taken control, driving the bike. Which left Luke hanging onto her a little too tight. She didn’t know them well, not yet. But she did know that Luke was a good man to have on your side. An even better man to be entangled with. By the little bit of irritation she could see on Lauren’s face she knew his obvious crush was not reciprocated.

The things she could tell from just a look.

Grant turned left down a street that started with a P, she didn’t catch the name, but after a few more turns she knew exactly where they were. In the heart of nowhere good. Homes looked like they needed a new paint job, ten years ago. Some of the windows were covered in plastic from the outside. Because they had holes, or even cracks. This was not the kind of place you wanted to be caught in after dark. Not if you couldn’t fight. Not if you were innocent.

She knew these kinds of places by heart. They were her home. They were where she used to rest her head, in the broken foster homes that so many kids went in and out of. Like the one she spotted as they parked, kids just sitting out on the porch, five or ten of them, just staring out at nothing. Hoping someone will come and get them.

 Her eyes connected with one little girl, who was sitting on the porch stoop, her rag doll wrapped tightly in her arms. The most haunting thing about this girl was the look in her eyes. She knew that look. Briana lost that soul searching gaze before she even became a teenager. What was the point? She knew no one was going to get her. No one was ever going to get her.

“Hey, you there?” Grant tapped her on the shoulder as he looked her over. “Where did you go?” He asked as her focus came back.

“Oh, uh sorry. Just was having a flashback. Where are we going?”

“Rumor has it, the shifter scum is holed up in this house.” He pointed to a small ramshackle hovel. “Hear he is really selling hard out of it.”

“What is the plan?” Luke asked, next to the two of them. His broad shoulders were puffed out a little, a very scary look on his face. Despite what the other recruits said, he was much less of a “teddy bear” than they thought. She knew those muscles could pack some serious punch.

“Well, I’m going to knock on his door, and ask him nicely.” He smiled, his tone completely sarcastic. “You and Lauren get the back. I really am going to knock on the front door. But it ain’t gonna be so nice.”

“Sure, boss. Why not?” Luke got that face that a man gets when he is about to do something dangerous. He grabbed Lauren by the arm and led her away, towards the back of the small house.

“What am I going to do?”

“You? You are going to watch. Figure out if you are sure that this is the life you want to be in, Briana. It ain’t too late to turn back now, but if you don’t decide for sure, it will be.” His eyes glowed, that little bit of cougar in him coming out.

Briana followed him as he stalked up to the door, and paused, just for a moment. She could see the way he was flexing his muscles and then relaxing them. He was getting ready for a fight.  He banged on the rotten door, and she could have sworn it was going to fall over and land on the other side.

“Are you sure about this? What if he calls the cops? Or has a gun, or something.”

“Stay calm, Briana. The cops don’t care, they already know. Who do you think works there? Shifters. Nothing but a bunch of my Shifters. As for guns, they don’t hurt us. Not permanently anyways.” She could tell he was fighting the urge to roll his eyes. It wasn’t like she knew these things. She was, after all, not a shifter from birth. At least not that she knew of.

“Shh, I hear him coming.” Grant hushed her as he waited next to the door. It creaked open, slowly, but as soon as whoever was behind it saw him, it started to close shut.

“I would not do that, if I were you, Fritzy. Yeah, I saw you. I got the place surrounded. Do you really want to have to fight a bunch of my goons just to talk to me? We could make this quick, and
mostly
painless.” Grant sounded excited, like he hoped that “Fritzy” would resist.

Briana wasn’t sure if that was all part of his game, or if it was a genuine part of him, something he actively looked forward to. She wasn’t sure that she wanted to know the truth.

“Fine, Dixon. I’ll hear you out. But you know it ain’t gonna change nothin’. I got orders from the Boss.”

What she expected to see was some smarmy, lithe guy who looked like he would be easy to beat to a pulp. That was not who came out of that doorway. He was anything but puny, probably a good 6’5”, all muscle. If she had seen him on the street she would have crossed it, especially if he was looking at her the way he was looking at Grant now. With complete and total malice.

How in the world did her Mate have the ability to stand up to him? She was an Alpha herself, but just looking at him gave her pause.

“You and I both know this was going to happen sometime, Fritz. You are on our territory, my boss had to send me down.” Grant wasn’t nearly as imposing as she knew him to be, it was like he was laid back while doing this.
What the hell? He is a drug dealer.

“Gotta say, kind of impressed that I warrant the number two man.” Fritz was cocky alright, his chest puffed out and what little Alpha he had in him going full bore.

“Ain’t like you would listen to anyone else.” Grant grinned, his smile mischievous. He was up to something.

“Damn straight.” Fritz gave a chuckle.

They had a banter that she could not understand. He was selling drugs to the neighborhood, why was her Shifter being friendly to him?

“Look, you got a couple of choices, Fritz. Pack your shit and go, or stay and get your ass beat.”

“Can’t do that man. Got orders.”

“Shove those orders. Go and tell your boss that if he don’t pack up his smack and take it to another town, we are going to have to come down on you. Hard. You know I don’t want to do that, man. I just don’t want you infecting my town with this shit.”

“I’ll tell ‘im, Dix. But you gotta know that ain’t nothin’ gonna change here.”

“Oh, it will change. Even if I have to force it.” Grant growled just a little, his cat eyes coming out. Every time she saw those beautiful green eyes she hesitated.

He was so powerful.

“Like I said. I’ll tell ‘im.” Fritz backed down, any friendly camaraderie was gone. All that was left was testosterone and a grudge. He spit on the floor in front of Grant, who noticed it just as well as the meaning.

“Don’t want you selling that shit to anyone, man. We go back, but fuck if I will let you sell it to the kids,” Grant shouted. “Now, Luke.”

Before she realized what was happening there was a shuffle, a loud crash of glass, and the distinct smell of kerosene before the entire place started to smoke out.

“Shit, man. You know what we got in here?” Fritz and Grant both started running away from the house, Briana following suit, trying to get as far from it before it blew.

And it did. It wasn’t like the movies, where you have a giant explosion and no one looks at it. This was smaller, much smaller, but there was a loud boom, contained in the fragile walls of the house before it went up in flames. Briana didn’t know they could travel so fast. Or be so devastating. She swore the entire block came out just to witness the mess.

It was the exact opportunity that they needed to get away. The four of them used the distraction to hop on their bikes and take off, leaving the mess behind. She didn’t focus on the ride back up to the bar. She didn’t focus on anything. Except the look on the face of the little girl who was playing with her doll right before the house across the street went up in flames.