RANGER Page 4

  Nicole breathed a sigh of relief and rested against the wall. Her heart was pounding as she looked up at the sky.

  “What the hell just happened,” she whispered as she held a hand up to her chest.

  “You’ve got yourself a deal, that’s what happened.” Sarah beamed. “Now come on, let’s get out of here before he changes his mind.”

  She slipped her hand into Nicole’s and pulled her away from the strip club and toward the front parking lot. It was time for them to get the hell out of Slate Springs.

  Nicole had just made a dangerous deal, and committed herself to an outlaw.

  4.

  The next morning Nicole awoke with the birds. She rolled over in bed and buried her head in the pillows. It all could have been some wild, insane dream but with each second she was awake and coming more into the world, she realized it wasn’t. All of it had happened.

  She and Sarah had travelled across the desert to her home town of Slate Springs. They had met with her frightening brother Ranger, and they had cut a deal for him to help her out.

  “This is fucking crazy,” she whispered to herself as she glanced over at Sarah’s bed to see her sleeping soundly. “What the hell have I gotten myself into?”

  She silently climbed out of bed and wrapped her robe around her shoulders before she crept out into the hallway, making her way to the girl’s bathroom.

  The entire place was deserted. It was a rare sight to behold but Nicole was so grateful for the solitude she felt she could cry. Her life had gone from complicated to fucked up in a matter of hours, and now she had no way out.

  “You’re in too deep,” she whispered. “You know what you want now and it’s right there for the taking. You may as well keep moving forwards and see what happens.”

  When they had driven away from Tanner’s in the dark, she had sat next to Sarah in the car wondering how it was possible for her to have such a badass brother. It was almost as if he were a secret. Sarah had mentioned him often, and yet it was as if Nicole knew nothing about him at all. She certainly had never been under the impression that he was a biker or a criminal. There was a part of her that felt as if maybe Sarah didn’t even truly know the full extent of what he and the others in his brotherhood got up to. Maybe it was better not to know.

  She looked in the mirror and rubbed her tired eyes.

  She looked as if she had been in boxing match and her hair was sticking up in all different directions. There was so much rushing through her mind and yet she didn’t know what to focus on first.

  All she could think about was stepping into a blisteringly hot shower and soaking away all of the drama. It had been hard for her to admit that she was going to have to take such drastic measures when it came to her future, but now she was on the path, there was no turning back.

  With the idea of letting the water somehow clear her mind, she opened up the door to the shower and turned the faucets. The water cascaded down in a thick, heavy stream, as she danced her hand underneath it, letting it catch her skin and waiting until it went from ice cold, to warm, and then to the hottest she could stand.

  With just the sound of the water pounding against the tile her concerns already seemed to be fading a bit. The windows steamed up quickly and she removed her robe. She slipped her top from her shoulders and pulled it down around her waist before ultimately letting it fall to the floor. Her breasts bounced out in front of her and almost surprising herself, she traced a line with her index finger down to her nipple and bit her lip. She was not willing to entertain that there was any particular man’s image in her mind. That would be too much. But every inch of her was suddenly tense and alert. Her skin was prickling with something, something that was rising from deep inside of her and breaking to the surface. Something had been awakened inside of her. Whether it was that club…or all the dangerous men…or just the sense of liberation that was mixed in with her fear, something was definitely stirring. As long as she didn’t think about him. She slipped her hands into her panties and pulled them down, and when she was naked she dipped her leg into the shower, letting the water warm her one inch at a time.

  When she stepped in fully she slid the glass pane closed behind her and closed her eyes as she immersed herself fully underneath the stream. She already knew where this was going. Her body was already beginning to yearn for satisfaction. The water was hot and hard, hitting her skin like bolts of lightning, but it felt so good that she couldn’t help but let a little moan escape her lips. She knew the water was just a tease as she felt it wash over her most sensitive places.

  She hadn’t been touched in a long time… but at this moment, within the water she could almost feel the hands of a man as it stroked at her curves and ran roughly across her lips.

  She ran her fingers through her hair and gasped as the water trickled down her face, across her breasts and off the end of her erect nipples too. Even though the water was hot and steamy, she felt as if she were being woken up, rather than soothed, and she felt the twinge between her legs grow stronger until she knew she couldn’t ignore any longer.

  She reached for the soap and started to lather it up between her hands, bubbles and foam running all down her arms, as she started to spread it up across her naked body. Another moan escaped her lips as she continued to tease herself as the heat built at her core.

  When she finally let her hands travel further, she peaked through the cracks of her eyes, almost as if to ensure that she was alone, even though she knew that the door was securely locked. Slowly, she slipped her fingers between her legs and into her already slippery core.

  All she could think of were rough hands, hands covered in motor oil, hands that had worked hard and could work her even harder. She bit her lip and pressed her back up against the cold of the tiles and shuddered as she dipped a finger inside of herself – deeper this time, imagining a big brute of a man pinning her there as he had his wicked way with her. She fought off the images that were playing in her mind. This whole thing was already crazy enough without going there...

  The heat wasn’t just around her now. It was inside of her. As she touched herself she knew that it wouldn’t be long before she came crashing over the edge, and she gasped and reached out to tweak her nipple with her free hand as she rubbed her clit and dipped her fingers deeper still inside herself again.

  Finally she came in a rush as she moaned and writhed underneath the water, her whole body vibrating and bucking against her hands. All of the tension that had been building up over the last few weeks just moved through her in a rush as her body allowed the full release. As her body gradually regained stillness she felt completely spent, but also invigorated, and she knew that something had been woken up deep within her…

  She had been alone for so long…

  She needed human touch – she wanted it.

  This time it had been her own. that would have to do for now…

  She rested back against the cold wall of the shower and breathed in and out deeply until she fully caught her breath. Still, she was unable to wipe away the wry little smile that was playing on her lips. Maybe things would work out, she allowed herself to think for just a moment.

  You’re terrible Nicole, she smiled to herself. Absolutely terrible.

  ***

  As she got dressed she though it was going to be a long, drawn out day. Sunday’s were always quiet unless the girls planned to head into the city and get something to eat off campus. Maybe Sarah would be studying. Maybe she should just get out on her own and collect her thoughts.

  When she had finished brushing her teeth and composing herself she headed back along the hallway and into her bedroom.

  Sarah was stirring under the covers and as Nicole clicked the door shut she rolled onto her back, yawned, and then opened her eyes.

  “Morning,” she said as she stretched and moaned.

  Nicole smiled. “Morning.”

  “How did you sleep?” Sarah pushed herself up onto her elbows and looked around.


  “Terrible,” Nicole confessed. “I just couldn’t seem to switch off. My mind was working overtime. But the shower I just took worked miracles” she said with a too bright smile.

  “Well I think you can calm down a bit. There’s really no need for you to be afraid of Ranger. He may come across as intimidating, but he is my brother and you’re not an enemy. He’ll only be good to you.”

  The words were reassuring but at the same time they still roused the slight panic that was resting within her, along with some other confusing thoughts.

  “I just got the impression he hated me,” Nicole finally said.

  “He didn’t hate you.” Sarah smiled sympathetically. “He’s probably just never met anyone like you before.”

  Nicole let that sink in and realized she could say the exact same thing about him. She had never been in the presence of a criminal unless it had been to do with law school or when she had worked for her father on long summer breaks. Choosing to be in the same room with someone like Ranger and his friends, never mind cutting deals with them, was terrifying enough. In that moment she pushed all thoughts of her shower moment from her mind as well. A brief moment of female hormones - that was it.

  “You’ve never really spoken about him much,” Nicole said, treading carefully. “Is it because of what he does?”

  Sarah shrugged and scratched the back of her neck. She was staring off into space as if she were trying to think of the right answer.

  “We’re very different people,” she said finally. “He left home years ago to join the military and we all kind of lost touch with him for a while. When he returned, he’d changed. There was something stronger about him, but also something sad. He said he missed the life, the comradery of having a brotherhood around him, so he approached some old friends in town who were starting out in The Forsaken Riders, and from what I can gather, that pretty much leads up to here.”

  “The Forsaken Riders?” Nicole raised an eyebrow.

  “Yep.” Sarah nodded. “That’s what they call themselves. That’s the motorcycle club they are all a part of.”

  “And do your parents know?” Nicole asked with intrigue. “It all sounds so dangerous.”

  “Ranger is five years older than me and he’s more than capable of deciding what’s best for him,” she said. “Not everyone’s parents insist on having such a strong hold and influence in their kid’s lives.”

  Nicole felt the barb of the comment but let it pass. After all, Sarah was right. It wasn’t as if she didn’t know that her situation with her own folks was forced and strange, but it wasn’t all just down to the money they’d been holding from her, even when she should have come into it by the time she turned twenty-one. It was also because they just didn’t seem like very fair people. They were the kind of people who were used to getting exactly what they wanted, and they didn’t care who they stepped over or on, to get it.

  All Nicole knew for sure was that she never wanted to be like them. She had much more to give the world than a sense of superiority, greed, and overbearing power.

  “I don’t know a whole lot about him and what he gets up to but I know it’s not all bad. The bikers have been a prominent part of my hometown for decades now. Like I told you before, they started something in the middle of the desert and it’s grown, adapted, and thrived. They own a lot of property and businesses around town. That’s what they’re about first and foremost… business. They make money and they acquire collateral.”

  “Am I going to be collateral?” Nicole asked with a nervous swallow.

  “Of course you’re not.” Sarah laughed. “You’re my best friend, do you honestly think I’d turn you over to a criminal gang, whether my brother happens to be in it or not? I’m just trying to help you, and I know these guys have the means to do it. Plus, they’re all good looking so it would be believable, and they won’t ask a whole lot of questions.”

  Nicole nodded. Of that, she could see Sarah was most certainly right.

  “I wonder when I’ll hear more,” she pondered as she looked out of the window. “I want to get things moving as soon as possible.”

  She bit her lip and looked out over the sun rising over the quad.

  “He’ll be in touch, I’m sure,” Sarah said as she stifled another yawn and flopped back down into the covers. She pulled them up around herself and closed her eyes.

  Nicole walked over to her closet and began to flick through it, looking for an outfit. By the looks of the sun and the way it was shining outside it was going to be another scorching day.

  “I’m going to get ready and go out for some food and a window shop,” she said as she pulled out a pair of cut off denim shorts and a baby pink t-shirt. “Want to come with me?”

  Sarah groaned. “I would love to do nothing more but some of us are planning on finishing our finals, and I have a ton of study to do.”

  She pouted and then it was Nicole’s turn to smile sympathetically.

  “Oh well,” she said. “I’ll bring you back some cake to cheer you up.”

  “Please!” Sarah grinned as she reached for her cellphone and started to check her notifications.

  Nicole slipped into her outfit then turned to the mirror and started brushing her long dark hair.

  How was she going to convince her parents she was supposed to be marrying Ranger?

  She picked up a notebook and pen and slipped it into her purse before slicking on some mascara and lip gloss, then spritzed on some perfume.

  “Right,” she called over to Sarah. “I’m going out. Enjoy your study.”

  “Thanks, Doll.” Sarah smiled as she rolled onto her side and watched her leave. “If my brother contacts me, I’ll let you know.”

  Nicole nodded and smiled.

  It was still insane to believe Ranger and Sarah were related. They didn’t even look anything like each other and their personalities were certainly a lot different. Sarah was all blonde hair and bubbly personality, whereas Ranger seemed to exude darkness.

  Nicole didn’t want to admit it, but he had played on her mind completely since she had met with him. She had found herself thinking of the way his dark eyes focused in on her; the way he held her there, and she seemed paralyzed by the small pang of fear he sent through her and her desire to please him.

  He hadn’t liked her though, she was sure of it.

  He seemed to think she was some kind of spoiled brat and when it came down to it, who could blame him? She had arrived at his strip club dressed like a tourist with his little sister, bemoaning her life as a law student and saying that she wanted the money her grandfather had promised her. For a man who had served time in the military and now was a professional outlaw, she couldn’t imagine herself enticing much sympathy.

  She felt herself cringe as she walked out the front door off her building and started to make her way towards the edge of campus and into the city. The city was always so alive on a morning, it always reassured Nicole that she wasn’t alone.

  Men and women bustled on every corner, people congregated outside churches on the sidewalks, and she could smell freshly baked bread from the street vendors. She said hello to a man who worked the newsstand then crossed the street to the other side where she weaved in and out of the crowd, looking for a nice coffee shop she could stop by and think about her plan.

  She saw a clearing in the crowd up ahead and she slipped through. Her stomach was growling and all she could think about was warm pastries and a large coffee. When she reached the intersection, she saw a relatively empty coffee house. She smiled and started to cross with the rest of the crowd.

  She made her way inside, being careful not to lose her footing on the broken tiles. It was clear the place had been decorated to look rustic and hipstery, but it was actually kind of a health hazard. She stubbed her toe and winced.

  “Morning,” the barista smiled. “What can I get you?”

  She let her eyes flicker over the menu even though she already knew what she was going to order.

 
; She smiled. “A large mocha and a croissant.”

  “Sure.” He turned and began to busy himself with her order.

  She placed a ten on the counter. “Keep the change,” she said as she motioned to the tip tray. The barista smiled and thanked her.

  She walked with her things over to the quietest corner and sat down on a low couch, facing out of the window so she had a good view of the street. She pulled out her notepad and pen, opened it to a blank page and rested the end of the pen between her teeth.

  “Now think,” she whispered to herself. “How are you going to do this?”

  She reached for her coffee when she saw her cellphone light up from within her bag. She pulled it free and saw that Sarah sent message.

  Sarah: Ranger is going to call you. I’ve given him your number x

  As soon as Nicole saw his name written down in front of her, her stomach dipped and her heartrate rose.

  Ranger.

  The lawless biker. Her new fake fiancé. He was going to call her.

  She gulped.

  Suddenly she didn’t feel so hungry anymore. She certainly couldn’t think about writing down any notes in her book on how she was going to plan to convince her parents. When it came down to it, she didn’t have a goddam clue what she was doing.

  She chewed her lip and sighed. She was about to pick up her coffee again and take a sip when suddenly her phone sprang to life. When she looked at the screen she could see that it was an unknown number.

  “That was fast,” she whispered, and she caught her breath.

  She hovered her finger over the answer button and then, trying not to let her hands shake, she answered.

  “Hello?” she said almost in a whisper into the receiver.

  “Hi Nicole,” the deep, gruff voice said on the other end. “It’s me, Ranger”

  5.