Page 8 of Knuckles (Dragon Riders MC 4)
Keep it together, dude.
Her clinging to me reminded me of so many memories. Nights where she’d sneak into my room and need to be held after a nightmare. Mornings where our foster parents would get done yelling at her and she’d need my shoulder. Even random afternoons where she came into my room just to sit next to me and lay her head on my shoulder for comfort. Feeling her against my body once more felt like a damn dream come true.
I ended up taking the long way to the motel. But even after an hour-long trip, I still regretted when she let me go so I could head into the lobby to check-in.
And I wondered if she’d curl up against me in bed every night once we went to sleep.4SimoneIt felt like old times. Well, not quite. But hanging onto Justin felt like old times. The warmth and comfort of his body; always rock solid and sturdy for when I couldn't hold myself up on my own. His voice, smooth as silk and unwavering, as if his words could prop me up once his body couldn’t. I pressed my helmeted head against his shoulder and closed my eyes. I hung on tightly as we cruised through town, but the ride was definitely longer than forty minutes. Still, I didn’t mind. The longer we rode, the longer I got to be close to him.
Though, I was very curious about this recon work he was doing.
I knew if I asked him questions about it, he wouldn't answer. That was one of the many things I came to love about Justin over the years. One, the man was a rock when it came to helping out others. And two, he was a vault when it came to secrets. I knew he had already told me everything he could about this job he was on, but it didn’t stop me from speculating. Was this Skeleton guy some kind of enemy of their crew? Was this a crew-on-crew hit kind of deal like those true crime television shows I watched all the time in my apartment?
Being with him on official crew business got my mind off my own troubles for the first time in a while. But the more I thought about things, the more I wanted to poke and prod. It took a lot to keep my mouth shut on the ride over to the motel. However, when we pulled into the parking lot, I could no longer contain myself.
“Is this Skeleton guy part of another crew?” I asked quickly.
JayJay eased off the bike. “Need to go check us in, then we’ll see about getting some food.”
“So, no more talk about what you’re doing with work?”
“None at all.”
I nodded slowly. “Figured I’d give it my best shot, though.”
He chuckled. “Wait here. It’ll only take me a couple of minutes to get the keys to the room.”
I wanted to reach out for him. Like at the bar, I wanted to grab onto him and pull him back to my side. But I resisted the urge. It didn’t stop me from sliding my helmet off and looking around, though. And my head was on a constant swivel. I clocked every shadow, every car, every person walking in and out of their rooms. I watched them all like a hawk, making sure none of them were trying to actively watch me. A shiver ran down my spine. I needed to get inside somewhere. I needed to get away from all of these people and the moving cars driving down the road and all of the restaurants that surrounded us.
“All right! Got the keys,” JayJay said.
I jumped at the sound of his voice. “Hey! That’s great. What room?”
He eyed me carefully. “You’ve been pretty jumpy.”
I shrugged. “So?”
He furrowed his brow tightly. “Right. You hungry?”
“Starving.”
“I saw a diner a few miles back that—”
“Could we order in something?” I interrupted anxiously.
He cocked his head. “You don’t want to be out in the open. Why?”
I shrugged. “Just a bit tired from the ride. Being on the back of this bike really takes it out of you. My legs have been shaking since you left.”
“Right.”
I swallowed hard. “So, maybe pizza? Or Door Dash or something?”
“No Door Dash. We’ll order pizza. I can stand outside and pay for cash. No one will have to know you’re even with me.”
“JayJay, it’s not like that.”
He leveled his eyes with me. “If I’m going to help you, Simone, then you have to cut the act. I know you’re used to be the mysterious girl, but right now? It’s very obvious to me that you’re scared and have been for a while. So, cut the shit and let’s get settled in our room. All right?”
I nodded slowly. “I’m sorry. All right.”
He paused. “Since when the hell do you apologize for anything?”
