(unedited)
Bikers, Chains and Bad Boys: Chapter 19
The town fair was booming when we arrived. Tyson had suggested we ride together, so I slid carefully off the back of his sleek black Triumph. The bright lights made my eyes water for a moment before they adjusted and the sound of laughter filled the air as people strolled through the fair, clambering on and off the large rides. A little girl squealed as a game operator handed her a stuffed pink bear. I smiled as she hugged it to her chest and spun around, a huge smile on her face.
"We're attempting to get Paul laid." Corey smiled humorously as we strolled up to them a few minutes later. My brows shot up in surprise and I laughed at the scowl on Paul's face.
"Ooh," I scanned the area around us, looking for any potential. "I'm game." Paul rolled his eyes and Tyson chuckled, bumping his shoulder.
"You don't have to be so shy about losing your virginity, dude." I swung my head around to look at them so quickly, I heard my neck pop. My jaw fell and my lips parted in surprise, until Paul glared at Tyson and shoved him roughly away from him.
"I'm not a fucking virgin, asshole." Tyson laughed.
"You don't have to get all butthurt about it, man. It's nothing to be ashamed of!" He continued. Paul tossed his drink down to the ground next to him and charged at Tyson. My eyes widened in shock and I went to take a step forward, but Corey grabbed my arm and held me back.
"It's alright." He smiled at the two boys who'd fallen to the ground as they wrestled, causing a few adults that got bumped into to scowl at them and shuffle away. Tyson laughed loudly as Paul shouted things at him, throwing a few punches at his stomach. I could tell they didn't hurt as Tyson kept up his raucous laughter.
A few hours later, I was taunting Tyson about the same ball game I'd seen Dustin getting scammed on at the Independence Day parade. I laughed as, for the seventh time, he missed and only took down the top bottle.
"I told you; you're wasting your money. It's rigged!"
"And I told you I'm not going to let some little game best me! I'll show you, just watch!" He huffed. I laughed at his stubbornness and tossed my hands up in surrender. As he slid another five dollars to the attendant, I scanned the area curiously. Dustin was up against the French fry truck, talking to a pretty girl who seemed quite interested. Corey and Paul were battling against each other at the hook-a-ring booth. Jeb and Rachel were standing in line for the Ferris wheel.
I was glad all my friends were having fun. I continued scanning the crowds as Tyson missed for the umpteenth time. My smile slowly slipped from my face, though, as I realized someone was staring at us. Not us, but me. Then, I frowned, realizing there were multiple people staring—watching.
"Tyson." I said quietly, but he couldn't hear me over the tinny game music coming from the speaker above our heads. I tugged on his shirt, starting to panic as the people all seemed to move simultaneously, heading toward us. "Tyson." I said louder, as I grabbed his arm and shook him. He finally looked at me, then to the men currently striding our way.
What? Did they think they could just casually walk up and invite me into their van and I would just calmly accept being adult-napped? My mind raced as I turned my head back and forth, scanning the fairgrounds. They were coming from multiple directions. My heart began to race in my chest as the first ones I'd seen made it through the small crowd of people and were only fifty or so feet away now. So, I did the first thing that came to mind; I grabbed Tyson's hand and took off between the booths.
I heard shouts; some from the booth operators and some from the men now chasing us. It was a good thing I chose to dive through the booths, because it held the rest of them up trying to find a way around the crowds to look for us. The two that had a clear line of sight took off right after us, shoving a teenager that had tried to block them from tearing between the booths like we had. I only had time to feel bad for a second, though, because they made it through and were gaining on us quickly.
We carefully avoided being snared by the plethora of extension cords strewn through the grass and hopped over coolers. Ungracefully, I kicked a lawn chair out of my way as Tyson hurdled a generator. Before long we made it around the last booth and onto the wide gravel paths leading around the fairgrounds.
Luckily, Tyson knew this area far better than I, so he took the lead and we sprinted around corners and through crowds of people, all the while hearing those two not far behind. Suddenly, Tyson took off across a dim street, narrowly avoiding being hit by a passing car. The car honked aggressively as it swerved to miss us, the driver shouting obscenities out the open window.
I could hear the men shouting behind us, trying to figure out where we went in the dark. I could hear their feet kicking up the gravel as they ran behind us. By some kind of grace, the streetlamp was out where we were, so they hadn't seen us. My heart beat frantically, and my breathing picked up out of fear. I hadn't expected them to be so obvious in their attack. Did they not think it would draw suspicion to try to attack someone in a crowded fair?
Tyson pulled me into an alley behind a small boutique, filled with boxes that spilled into the walkway and pallets leant against the brick wall. He ushered me past the large dumpster to the darkest end, before the alley curved toward the street over. The light shined down that way, but we stopped next to a precarious stack of wooden pallets and shoved ourselves against the wall as close as we could.
"Shh." He whispered into my ear. But,I couldn't. My chest was heaving, and my heart was pounding a mile a minute.And it didn't exactly help that I had a gorgeous six-foot-something guy pressedup against me.
"Where the hell is she?!" Someone shouted. They sounded so close.
Breathing was getting harder to do. My hands fisted tighter in the sides of his shirt. I could hear their feet crunching the gravel a few feet away. I pressed my face into the front of his chest and squeezed my eyes shut, trying to calm my breathing.
"Shit." He muttered. "I'm in the light." My back was pressed against the brick wall and he was pressed up against me. He stepped impossibly closer and I looked up at him. I really thought I was starting to lose my shit. He looked down at me and placed a hand gently on the side of my neck, trying to soothe me. "You gotta calm down, Harley."
"I can't." I whispered, shaking my head. I looked up at him, my breathing becoming louder. The crunching was probably thirty feet away. We'd literally run from a well-lit, populated area to a dark, desolate alley all by ourselves. Could we have possibly done anything more stupid?
Something flashed in his eyes when we heard the feet coming around the corner and I thought I was going to pass out. My head began to hurt from my self-inflicted hyperventilation. "Tyson,—"
Just as the steps rounded the corner, he pressed so close to me a piece of paper couldn't fit through, and grabbed both sides of my face, pressing his lips against mine. My breath caught in my throat; eyes wide as I froze on the spot, before relaxing a fraction and kissing him back. The hands I'd fisted in his shirt pulled him closer to me, even though that was impossible at this point.
The shouting drowned away as I focused only on Tyson and his lips working against mine. He flicked his tongue out to swipe against my bottom lip and I opened them willingly. I didn't think about whether I was doing this right or not. I forgot about who could come up on us any second. I was just focused on following his lead. His hands slid down my neck and shoulders and settled on my waist, and I slid mine up his chest and around his neck, tilting my head to kiss him deeper.
I don't know how long we stood there in each other's arms, kissing like nothing else mattered in the world, but eventually I let my head fall back against the brick wall, breathing deeply. His lips were flushed and slightly swollen, eyes bright and chest rising and falling quickly with his breathing. His eyes darted around my face before a slow smile spread across his lips.
"You have no idea how long I've been waiting to do that." He rasped, and I chuckled breathlessly. He leaned back in to peck my lips again. And again. And again. I laughed at him this time and he smiled brightly, grabbing my hand. We stared at each other for a minute before reality set back in. The smile slowly slipped from my face as I turned to look down the alley.
"Do you think they're gone?" I whispered unnecessarily. If they weren't, then I would've already given us away by laughing at him.
"Only one way to find out." He sighed.
We crept carefully toward the mouth of the alley. I pressed my back against the bricks as Tyson peeked around the corner, looking for any sign of a biker. When the coast was clear, we quickly made our way back to the fair. I kept my eyes peeled and darted them back and forth as we got closer, looking for any sign of a DH member.
Finally, as we made our way the throngs of people shuffling around, I spotted the guys and pointed them out to Tyson. When we made it to them, the look on my face must have said something, because Corey and Paul both went serious and questioned me.
"What's wrong?" Corey's brows knitted together as he took a step in my direction,
"You need to call Warren." I rasped. "They're here."
"What do you mean?" Paul said as Corey dug his phone out of his pocket.
"What the fuck do you think it means Paul?" I snapped. I hadn't meant to be rude, but the adrenaline rushing through my system was making me jumpy and the situation itself had me on edge. Corey spoke quickly into his phone, then listened for a second, then hung up abruptly. He took hold of my hand and quickly pulled us toward the street Tyson and I had run across earlier.
My head swiveled back to make sure Tyson was following me. When we broke free of the crowds and stepped onto the quiet, dark sidewalk a few feet from his bike, Corey let go of my hand and I saw something glint in his. My eyes widened to the size of saucers as I sucked in a quick breath. When he saw what I was focused on, Corey drew his brows together in confusion.
"What?"
"You have a gun." I stated dumbly. He frowned.
"Of course, I have a gun. A pack of crazy freaks is after my best friend and you expect me not to prepare myself to protect her?" My lips parted and a misty sheen glazed my eyes at the unexpected heartfelt words. I was touched by the gesture and hugged him fiercely. He chuckled at me.
"Alright," He started when I drew back. "A few brothers that were close by will be here in a few minutes. Warren said to lay low and they'd be headed to us soon. Where are your bikes?" Paul nodded toward the parking lot and Tyson pointed down the street where we'd luckily found a four-foot gap between two cars when we showed up earlier. Corey nodded. "Go get them quickly and quietly and meet us back here as quick as you can. As soon as the Reapers show, we're taking off whether you're back or not." Corey and Paul turned to talk quietly amongst themselves for a moment and I frowned as Tyson turned to stride away. I caught his hand.
"It's alright." He smiled. "I'll be back. You won't even notice I'm gone."
"Don't say that." I scrunched my nose at him. "The characters always die in the movies when they say that." He chuckled, squeezing my hand as he left a chaste kiss on the side of my head. I turned back to Corey and saw Paul headed in the opposite direction toward the parking lot. I sighed, letting my eyes shift nervously around the dark, quiet street.
"I know this probably really isn't the time for this, but," I started quietly, stepping closer to Corey. He looked at me, brows raised as he waited for me to continue. "Tyson totally kissed me." A smile bloomed across my face as I thought about it and Corey let out a sharp laugh, throwing his head back. He smiled at me; amusement written clear across his face. He threw an arm around my shoulders and drew me into his side. I couldn't help the small laugh that escaped me.
"Oh my god." He shook his head, smiling down at me. "You're something else, you know that?" He chuckled. "I love you." He bumped his hip against mine and I smiled brightly at him.
"I love you, too." I laid my head on his shoulder and slung an arm around his waist.
"Too bad I'm gay as fuck." He sighed. "We coulda had somethin' real good here." I laughed loudly with him. If anything, I could always count on him to take my mind off things. Even if it was only for a moment.
We stood like that a few minutes longer until Tyson and Paul pulled up on their bikes. The fear was settling back in and my hands wouldn't stop fidgeting as I shuffled from one foot to the other. I caught the look on Tyson's face as he eyed the way we were standing together. Corey let go of me as he stepped toward his bike.
"Alright." He straddled his bike and gestured for me to hop on behind Tyson. As soon as I had, a chorus of rumbles made its way up the street. Jack and three men I'd only seen but never met pulled up. As they rode by, Corey gestured to Tyson. He pulled out to follow them and Corey and Paul fell in behind us.
Was it too much to ask to have one simple, normal night without them showing up to ruin everything?
The Reapers led us to the clubhouse, where Warren and Andy were waiting. They'd led us inside and I recounted to them everything that had happened, minus the impromptu make-out session. They'd had a few questions and I answered as best I could, describing the ones I'd had a clearer view of their face than any of the others.
When the interrogation was over, the men left to converse behind the oak double doors across the room from the bar. The Reapers' insignia was carved neatly into each door. I made my way outside. Someone had started a small bonfire and pulled the couches around it. As I slumped onto one of them, I snagged Tyson's hotdog skewer and stole the freshly toasted marshmallow off it, tossing it in my mouth before he could react. He gasped dramatically, staring at me wide-eyed.
"How dare you?" He cried obnoxiously. "Such blasphemy." He mock-glared at me, but I could see the amusement in his eyes and caught the corner of his mouth twitching in an effort not to smile, and I smiled sweetly back at him. Someone sunk down into the couch on the other side of me and I turned to look at them.
"So, I hear you just can't seem to keep yourself out of trouble." Jared chuckled at me. I sighed.
"Apparently not." I shrugged sarcastically and smiled. We sat in silence for a while and I stared into the fire, lost in my thoughts. A sudden gust of wind blew my hair over my shoulder and sent a chill down my spine. Goosebumps covered my skin as I pictured those men coming after me again. Subconsciously, I snuggled into Tyson's side and he threw an arm over my shoulder.
It was a few hours later when Jared suggested he take me home. Corey stood when I did and raised a brow at me when I looked at him funny.
"You really think I'm not staying with you tonight? You're nuts if you do." I shrugged and turned to Jared, ready to tell him he could take the night off and do whatever he wanted, but Corey cut in first. "He still has to come. Warren's orders." I smiled at him apologetically, but he waved me off.
"Don't worry about it, I'm actually starting to enjoy hanging out with you. Crazy, right?" I rolled my eyes at him and turned to say goodnight to Tyson. He stood and I gave him a quick hug. As I pulled away and went to turn, he caught my hand and pulled me back to him, kissing me quickly.
"See you tomorrow." He smiled at me and sent a quick look over my head that was gone before I could read it. I shrugged it off as I blushed and mumbled a quick goodbye. When we were far enough away, Corey nudged me as he chuckled.
"What?" I smiled. He shook his head.
"That, my dear, was a claim." I scrunched my brows in confusion as we stopped next to his bike. "Tyson just claimed you as his in front of all those guys." My face grew warm as I looked back to the fire. Tyson stood, a hand in one pocket and the other sipping his drink as he watched us leave. My face burned as Corey laughed at me, but I just ignored him as we settled onto his bike and took off for home.
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