TANNER Page 2

  “Reid is going to be stoked,” King shouted over to Tanner and the two reached out and bumped fists.

  “The old man will die happily,” Tanner called out.

  And the whole of the convoy cheered.

  As they rode closer to the exit from the highway, they started to approach a lone car out there in the middle of nowhere. It was the dead of night, almost three a.m., and Tanner couldn’t have been more surprised to see a couple of girls driving along with the top down.

  As they had passed by, the passenger looked scared to death, but the girl behind the wheel was brazen and feisty. And she grabbed Tanner’s attention the second he saw her.

  He could tell she was trouble. Especially the way she grinned and bit her lip.

  Naughty, naughty.

  It made him smile in return and stirred something deep within him. Something carnal.

  He powered his bike forward and overtook them, racing ahead with the others. King, Bull, Steel, and Lynx were all well off in the distance already and he wanted to be one of the first to arrive back at the clubhouse. He couldn’t wait to peel off his leathers, light a smoke, and grab a beer. It had been a long night and he needed to unwind.

  But man, that girl…

  She would play on his mind, he knew it. Especially in the small hours of the morning when he finally collapsed into bed and that hunger came for him again. The way she bit her lip, the grin, the way she was driving out there in the middle of the desert in the dead of night as if it was the most natural thing in the world.

  A free spirit.

  Such a turn on for a guy like him.

  All he ever wanted was to meet his match. But being a Forsaken Rider, that was going to be a tough itch to scratch. There weren’t many women who could handle men like him. It took a special kind of personality, a special kind of bravery. It took someone who was willing to risk it all to have the most amazing and exciting experience of their life.

  Tanner veered to the left and pulled sharply off the highway and began the dusty ride out into the desert valleys. He could still make out King and Bull up ahead, and he knew that Ax and Stick weren’t far behind. He may have been riding alone, but it wouldn’t last for long.

  As he bumped over the uneven ground and began to climb up the steep rise that led to the beginnings of their turf, he felt a familiar pull. A pang of how good it felt to belong. To have a family like this was like nothing else. They were all his brothers and he was lucky to have them.

  And now, they were even more deeply bonded.

  They had just done something that would change the course of their club forever.

  As he rode over the rise and began to speed back down into the valley, he could see the lights from the clubhouse and the surrounding garages. It was contained there, right out in the desert wilderness. In the barren terrain no one would happen to come across by accident. They were isolated and secret. There, they were safe to do as they pleased. They lived on their own little island. The Forsaken ruled the desert, and this was their castle over which to preside.

  Tanner’s bike screeched to a halt and as he hit the brakes hard, his back wheel kicked up a huge dust cloud behind him. King and Bull were already on their way inside, and behind him, he could hear the many other bikes and their riders coming in from across the desert.

  Tanner looked up and around. He loved this house. He loved living in it, even if it was overrun with full grown men. But that was what made it so special. They had a strong bond that nothing could break. Brothers in arms. And this was their headquarters.

  He climbed off his bike and crunched across the ground to the rickety wooden steps that led up to the porch. On the inside, he could already hear the chinking of bottles and the flicks of lighters. Someone had put on the stereo and rock music was blaring. Tanner just hoped that Reid was well enough to take it. But hell, Reid was old school and he was hardcore. He would be the first person to say a little party never hurt nobody.

  He shoved open the door and let it bang closed behind him as he stepped into the tall, darkened hallway. The house was alive with chatter, candles had been lit in the small alcoves that were hidden in each and every corner. Tanner couldn’t help but smirk. He knew what that meant. It meant the guys had invited over some of the usual girls who hung around their bar, The Bleeding Bullet, hoping to bag a biker. While they had been out blazing their path through the desert and getting one over on their rival gang The Iron Riders, the girls had been there at the clubhouse, lying in wait… licking their juiced up lips and setting a romantic scene. Little did they know, none of it really mattered. The Forsaken had much bigger things to think about that night.

  He walked through the hallway and made his way into the big, sprawling kitchen. In the center of the room was a big, square table which was already covered in empty, tipped over bottles and full ashtrays. The room reeked of smoke and booze, it smelled like home. Tanner was instantly passed a beer by Lynx and the two smiled at each other and chinked the heads of their bottles together.

  “To a good fucking night,” Tanner said.

  He sipped the ice cold beer and smiled. It felt good to be him in that moment. It really did. Things were looking up and he couldn’t have been a prouder member of this motorcycle club. He loved it more than life itself. The remaining members were trickling in one by one, grabbing beers, kicking off their boots, lighting up smokes and slapping each other on the back as they settled in for the night. Ready to celebrate.

  “So,” King said as he looked around the room. “Tonight was a good fucking night.”

  Tanner felt the smile creep back across his face. He felt a swell of pride.

  “Tonight marked a huge change in our history; tonight, we set the wheels truly in motion for what should be the biggest takeover we have ever seen.”

  Some of the guys whooped, and all of them nodded their heads in agreement. Some of them, Tanner could see, had a look of sheer glee.

  “And we have to thank Tanner,” King said as he turned to look at him. “If it hadn’t been for him, we never would have had the tip off. So thank you, brother. Thank you for being such a dedicated and important member of our charter. Without you, tonight wouldn’t have been possible.”

  “To Tanner,” Steel said as he raised his whiskey in the air.

  Everyone else around him followed suit and Tanner nodded humbly. He had to accept their praise, but he also didn’t feel as if it was all just down to him. They had all travelled Ironhill and put their necks on the line for the sake of the club. They had all taken the risk. It was just a good thing it had paid off.

  Tanner had heard of the deal through the grapevine. Some dumb drunk trucker had been in Red X, the local strip club, bragging about how he was meeting up with one of the big bike gangs out in the desert to trade. The Iron Riders and him were tight, apparently. As soon as Tanner had heard he had moved a seat closer, ordered another drink and listened to every word. The trucker had been so drunk he had no idea he was even there taking it all in, or that he was in one of the dens of a rival gang. Tanner listened to the details of the shipments that were coming in from the coast. The way the trucker would be delivering everything to Ironhill. He quoted values and said how crazy it was these bikers had so much goddam money. And he didn’t even want to know what they were going to do with the stolen goods after he’d delivered them. All he wanted was his cut and to get the hell out of there. Lexi, the girl that had been dancing that night, had listened to him with glazed over eyes. She clearly couldn’t have cared less about anything he had to say, and all the trucker was trying to do was impress her. In his drunken state, he seemed to think it would entice her into leaving with him, maybe going back to his motel and giving him a private dance. But Tanner knew the girls at Red X were far too classy to do anything like that, and he watched with amusement as Lexi rebuffed his advances. But it had served its purpose. This trucker had just given up some major information about their rival gang The Iron Riders, and Tanner made his way straight back to
the clubhouse and told King and the boys all about it.

  And this night had been the culmination. They had intercepted that shipment and taken it from right under their noses. The Iron Riders would suffer massive losses, and they would have no idea who had been the cause of their downfall. It was all just far too good. Tanner took another sip of his beer and looked around. All of the guys were a family to him and he loved them all equally. It had been a great night. One of the best he had ever had with his brotherhood. Spirits were high and everyone was enjoying themselves. And they were all thanking Tanner. They all held him responsible for their newest round of good luck.

  As King finished speaking and the rest of the bikers finished toasting Tanner, he noticed how the women who had been waiting in the wings came snaking their way in. They all wore tiny ripped denim skirts, high heels and had their hair backcombed and lips thick with gloss. They draped themselves around the men one by one, nuzzling into their necks and pushing their breasts together to illicit approving grunts from their chosen prey.

  Tanner drained the rest of his bottle and threw it down onto the counter. He could see one of the girls, a petite blonde with brown eyes and a serious set of blowjob lips grinning coyly and working her way over. He had seen her hanging around The Bleeding Bullet, and he knew what she wanted. It was just a shame for her he didn’t want the same thing.

  “Hey baby,” she breathed as she sidled up next to him and purred sweetly like a kitten.

  Tanner smiled and rubbed his temples. He was so sick of this shit. The women that hung around were never the right kind.

  “Sorry,” he said sincerely and moved away from her.

  He noticed King’s eyes on him and knew he was thinking the same. Tanner bowed out of the kitchen and walked slowly to the foot of the stairs where he stopped and took a deep breath. He loved his life there in the clubhouse, but he was sick of these hang-on women. He was sick of how they slutted their way around and expected to be loved. If he was going to share himself with someone, he wanted that person to have class. He wanted them to have a brain. He wanted them to have something more about them than the desperation of trying to bag a biker, no matter who it was. Just so they could say they were a biker’s woman. No, he had no interest in that kind of girl.

  He walked slowly up the stairs, dragging his feet. When he reached the middle floor, he could see that Reid’s door was half open and could hear the labored breathing of the old man inside. He made his way quietly closer and looked in, not wanting to disturb him. Reid was fast asleep, his chest rising slowly and the rattle from his lungs sounding out around the room. It was so very sad to see him in this state. He had been such a strong, prominent member of The Forsaken Riders, but old age had come for him, and so had illness. Tanner closed the door quietly and walked away.

  His room was on the middle floor of the clubhouse in one of the farthest corners. It was perfect for him because it was quiet and meant he could zone out and keep a clear head. Sometimes, the noise around him seemed unbearable and he had often thought what it would be like to leave. If he packed up his things and found a place of his own, but he didn’t want to leave his brothers behind. The Forsaken owned a lot of the property in Slate Springs, and he could have his pick of a whole host of houses, but there was something special about being out there in their secret headquarters. It meant they were always on duty, and they were always a solid unit.

  He closed the door behind him and turned the lock. He didn’t want to risk the skank from downstairs following him up there and creeping into his bed. He kicked off his boots, pulled off his jacket and threw it down on the floor before he pulled his ripped vest up and over his shoulders, exposing his big, fire-breathing dragon tattoos. His muscles bulged and his tanned skin glistened with sweat. The night was hot and the air was balmy. Tanner crossed the room and threw open his window before collapsing down onto his bed, reaching into his jean pocket and pulling out a packet of smokes.

  He lit one and inhaled deeply. He felt tense, even after everything they had achieved. He had had a damned good night but something was missing. He craved someone in his life. Someone to lie next to. Someone to love. He had never thought he would get to this point, he had always imagined being a lone-wolf. Someone who walked the earth only for themselves and his brotherhood, but now the pull of tenderness had worked its way into his psyche. And he found himself thinking about her.

  The girl with the wicked grin driving out there late at night. He had loved the way her hair had whipped freely around her shoulders as she drove with wild abandon. The way she had looked at him was naughty, so very naughty. But he could tell there was more to her. She was beautiful. A real understated beauty. She hadn’t been overdone with make-up and she hadn’t been wearing trashy, revealing clothes. She had let her natural glamour shine through and it had worked. It all worked. Every last bit of her.

  But now she was gone.

  She’d driven away. But he knew she would play on his mind. He wouldn’t be able to stop thinking about that naughty little smile.

  He exhaled a plume of smoke into the air around him and watched as it danced its way over to the window and out into the night. It reminded him or her, and he found himself smiling.

  When he finished his cigarette, he rolled over and turned out the light. It had been a fucking good night for him and his brothers, and he had a lot to be thankful for. Tanner was sure this was a turning point that would be remembered for a long time to come.

  The Forsaken Riders were rising.

  3.

  The sun shone through the crack in the curtains and beamed straight into Jo’s eyes. She reached up and tried to cover them with her palm and found herself squinting, not fully conscious and not fully understanding where she was.

  “What…?” she stammered as she began to focus. “Where am I?” she whispered.

  She rolled over, away from the bright light and saw Kirsten sleeping soundly in the bed next to her. And everything slowly came flooding back.

  The desert. The motel. The bikers.

  They had stopped in a small town called Slate Springs and now they were waking up on the first proper day of their adventure and going to have to decide what to do.

  Should they stay or should they go?

  Jo knew what she would rather do, but she had the feeling Kirsten wasn’t going to be as amiable.

  “Morning,” Jo said softly as she stretched and yawned. Hoping her movement would wake her friend.

  Kirsten’s eyes were sealed tightly closed, but Jo could tell she was listening, and she was slowly waking. She sat up and leaned her back against the headboard. In the daylight, the motel room looked even more uninviting than it had when they had arrived. They had checked in quickly, sleep overpowering them both, and she had been so, so tired that Jo really hadn’t cared where she lay her head as long as she got it down. Now she wasn’t so sure.

  “Eww,” she said as she curled up her lip and looked down at the bedsheets. They were clean but the color of them were faded brown and totally unsightly. “Gross, who decorates these places?”

  “I’m sure they don’t have interior designers,” Kirsten laughed with a yawn as she rubbed her eyes.

  “Well, they should probably think about investing in somebody,” Jo joked.

  “We are literally in the middle of nowhere,” Kirsten said as she sat up and kicked her legs over the side of the bed. “Who would bother?”

  “This road is a busy one, it runs right through the desert. I bet they get a ton of truckers and people passing through on their way to vacation,” Jo said with authority.

  Kirsten nodded, admitting defeat. Even she couldn’t argue with that one. Slate Springs may be a small desert town, but by the looks of things, they sure had some kind of bustling industry. And they had both heard the trucks thundering past throughout the night and early morning.

  “So, what’s the plan for today?” Kirsten asked. “We gonna get some breakfast from that diner down the road and then get the fuck ou
t of here?”

  Jo felt her stomach sink.

  “Well, I mean, I guess…” she said slowly. “Or we could hang around and check it out… I mean, we are on an adventure, aren’t we? What’s the rush?”

  Kirsten looked at her as if she was mad.

  “The rush?” she said and shrugged. “I don’t know, I just thought you may want to head on to the next city. Actually find somewhere worth staying. Not just give up and stop in the first town we come across.”

  Jo felt the hairs on the back of her neck bristle. She could tell they were about to walk head on into an argument.

  “This wasn’t the first town we came to,” she said sternly. “And how do you know this place isn’t worth sticking around in? You’re such a snob sometimes.”

  Jo jumped out of bed and walked into the bathroom and slammed the door behind her. They had only been traveling twenty-four hours and already Kirsten was driving her insane with her high and mighty attitude. The girls had been friends for such a long time, but every year when they got together properly and headed off on their trips, the tension always bubbled to the surface. Kirsten was just looking for a few weeks of escapism. What she didn’t know was that Jo was looking for a new life.

  She stared at herself in the mirror and rubbed her eyes. She looked tired and worn out, the bags dark and heavy underneath. She reached behind her and turned on the shower. The water powered out and splashed against the tiles around the side of the wall. She undressed quickly and breathed slowly to try and calm herself down. She didn’t want things to start like this. She loved Kirsten like a sister, and even though they both had their differences, she was determined they would work through them and stay BFF’s for life.

  When she stepped into the shower and let the water cascade down her body, Jo couldn’t help but massage her own skin, lathering it up with the soap and feeling every inch of her soft, undulating curves. It had been such a long time since anyone else had touched her, sometimes, she liked to close her eyes and imagine that her hands were that of a man’s. Big, rough hands, ready to hold onto her tight, grip her by the throat and pin her against the wall. She felt a rush of desire deep between her thighs and she bit her lip. She remembered the feeling she had felt the previous evening, the way the bikers had all ignited her lust all over again.