Just Keep Running (Bulldogs MC #2) [Featured]

1: Of All The Gin Joints

^^ Lenni ^^

Do you ever have those days where you wake up, and somehow you just know that something bad will happen today? It was one of those days for me today. As I was choosing my shoes this morning, something told me to wear flats for once. But me, being the genius that I am, ignored my gut instinct and chose the lace up knee high boots to go with my skinny jeans.

So now, as I'm running down the dark streets - seriously, where are the damn streetlights?! - and listening to the two men's trainers slapping the ground not far behind me, I am seriously kicking myself. Now if I was wearing any of my other heels, I could have slipped them off and ran shoe-less. But no, I chose the boots that take forever to lace up, let alone undo.

As I turn a corner onto yet another dark street lined with houses, I'm quite proud of myself for the amount of multitasking I'm doing right now. Not only am I running away from the two psychos, I'm also trying to remember how the hell to get back to a part of town that actually has some life in it. It's eleven at night, and so far I haven't seen a single light on in any of the houses. Apparently, everyone in this area believes in a good old early night. I'm also listening to the steps behind me and realising that the men may well be playing with me. I'm wearing four-inch heels and they haven't caught me yet. At the same time, I'm giving myself a pat on the back for not being the girl in the horror film who keeps looking back and ends up skidding down the road on her face after tripping over absolutely nothing.

Another corner, onto another street, only this one has streetlights! I may finally be getting somewhere. I hear the rumble of a motorbike somewhere behind me, and on any other day I would've stopped and shamelessly ogled the beautiful machine as it passed, but my thoughts are elsewhere tonight. However, it catches my attention as it speeds past and the rider looks back at me before performing a U-turn and stopping just ahead. As I slow my pace I chance a look back and see the men behind me slow to a walk, looking between me and the biker, who has just motioned with his head for me to get on. I can't see his face, he wears a dark hood that casts a shadow over it. 

Two scenarios pass through my head in this second. Biker Guy could be a friend of the psychos, so if I get on the bike, I'm officially screwed. Or, he could just be a passerby who decided to help the random girl running for her life. Another look back shows the men less than twenty feet away, and in the faint light, I can see the black eye on one of them - that I may or may not have given him - being emphasised by his scowl, as his friend continues flicking his focus between me and Biker Guy. That scowl makes my decision for me, and before I consciously know it, I find myself moving towards the bike and swinging my leg over the seat. Psycho number one's scowl deepens as Biker Guy revs the engine, which reassures me they aren't friends. As the bike moves off, I wrap an arm around the guy's waist and flick my middle finger up at my pursuers as we pass them, grinning as I feel Biker Guy's abs rippling as he chuckles.

Five minutes later and the bike slows down before the guy starts walking it backwards. Looking around I see we're on the high street, pulling up outside a cafe, which is miraculously still open. I was honestly starting to believe that this tiny town only lived and breathed on daylight hours. I step off the bike and move to the side, trying to put my long brown hair back into its ponytail. Clarity suddenly hits me and I realise that I am standing on a street, with a biker who I have never met, after just taking a ride on his Harley. I clear my throat and start backing away slowly.

"So, um, thanks for the ride and everything," I say, looking around for a quick exit. "I'm just going to go now. So uh thanks again-"

I stop talking as he grabs my wrist and points to the cafe. His grip is gentle but I get the feeling that if I fight, he's not going to go so easy on me. I swallow loudly and nod.