Ride Me Into Ruin: Iron Reapers MC

First Claim

LEXIE

The next morning came slower than I expected. I was up at six, wide awake even though my body still felt heavy from the long ride. I took a quick bath in the small bathroom inside the room.

The hot water helped wash away some of the tiredness, but it did nothing for the knot of worry in my stomach.

I got dressed in fresh clothes, clean jeans and a simple black top, and stepped out of the room. The hallway was quiet. I walked down the narrow stairs and found the bar mostly empty, just a few morning rays of sunlight coming through the windows.

Chaos stood behind the bar, talking in a low voice with Brick. Both men looked up the second I reached the bottom step. Chaos’s storm-gray eyes locked on me right away.

I walked over, trying to look more confident than I felt. “Morning. I was hoping to talk to the guy who fixes bikes. Crow, right?”

Chaos gave a small nod. “He left early this morning. Needed more tools from his workshop.”

I blinked. “When will he be back?”

“A day or two.”

My voice came out louder than I expected. “A day or two?”

*Great. Just fantastic. My life was already hanging by a thread, and now my only way out was stuck waiting for some guy to finish shopping for tools.*

I felt my chest tighten. Drake would find me before then. I was sure of it, or maybe I was just being paranoid.

But I couldn’t even leave this town without my bike. My hands curled into fists at my sides. What was I supposed to do now? Walk? Hitchhike? That was a quick way to end up right back in Drake’s hands.

“Are you okay?” Chaos asked, his voice was calm, but his eyes watched me closely, like he could see the storm inside my head.

I forced a quick smile. “Yes. I’m fine.”

Before he could say anything else, I turned and walked back up the stairs. My legs felt heavy with every step. Once I was inside the room again, I shut the door and leaned against it for a second.

I pulled my duffel bag out from under the bed and dumped all the clothes onto the mattress. At the very bottom, I found my main phone, the one I had turned off days ago. My hands shook as I powered it on.

The screen lit up, one new message from Drake. My stomach dropped but I opened it anyway.

Drake: I reported you missing, baby. The police are looking for you now. You won’t get far. I have friends everywhere. Come home yourself before this gets worse.

My hands shook so badly I almost dropped the phone. I deleted the message fast, turned the phone off, and shoved everything back into the bag. My heart was pounding so loud I could hear it in my ears.

*He had police on his side too? Of course he did. The man had fingers in every dirty pie. Now I really couldn’t leave... not without a real plan.*

I sat on the edge of the bed, trying to breathe through the panic. Just then, a knock sounded on the door and I flinched.

I quickly zipped the bag and pushed it under the bed. “Come in.”

The door opened. Chaos stood there, filling the frame with his broad shoulders. He didn’t step inside, he just leaned one arm against the doorframe and looked at me.

“I understand that you’re frustrated about your bike,” he said, his voice low and steady. “But you can stay here for as long as you want. It’s safe. If that’s what you’re worried about.”

I stared at him. I hoped he wouldn’t notice how my hands were shaking on my lap, fear from Drake’s message still sat cold in my chest.

I thought about saying no, about packing up and trying to figure something out on foot. But where would I go? I didn’t have a clear plan for running from the police now too. Drake had people everywhere.

So I found myself nodding slowly. “I’ll stay until I figure things out,” I said. My voice came out louder than I intended.

*Look at me. Actually agreeing to stay in a town full of men who looked like walking trouble. Smart move, Lexie. Really top-tier decision making.*

Chaos watched me for a long moment, something in his expression softened just a little.

“Why?” I suddenly asked.

He raised an eyebrow. “Why are you helping me?” I pressed, my voice stronger now. “You don’t know me. I could be anyone.”

He stayed quiet for a second, then answered simply, “Cause it looks like you need it.”

I let out a short, dry laugh. “Is that how you help every single girl that comes into this town looking like this? Lost, tired, clearly running from something?”

Chaos shook his head slowly. “No. Just you.”

The words hung in the air between us. I searched his face, looking for the catch, the joke, the lie. But those storm-gray eyes didn’t waver. He meant it.

*Just me. Of course. Because my luck clearly wasn’t complicated enough already.*

I crossed my arms and leaned back a little on the bed. “That’s a dangerous habit, Chaos. Picking up strays. One day you might pick up one that bites back.”

A small smirk tugged at the corner of his mouth. It was the first real almost-smile I’d seen from him. “I’ll take my chances.”

We looked at each other for a long beat. I broke the silence first. “I’m not good at staying still. Or trusting people. Especially not men who wear President patches and act like they own the whole town.”

“I don’t act like it,” he said, his voice calm. “I do own it.”

I raised an eyebrow. “Bold. I like that. Terrible life choice on my part, but I like it.”

He pushed off the doorframe and took one step into the room. Not close enough to crowd me, but close enough that I felt the shift in energy. “You’re safe here, Sara. Nobody touches what’s under my roof unless they want problems with me.”

The way he said it sent a strange mix of warmth and warning through me. I wanted to make another smart comment, but the fear from Drake’s message was still sitting heavy in my chest.

Instead I just nodded. “Okay. I’ll stay, for now.”

Chaos gave me one last long look, like he was trying to read everything I wasn’t saying, then he stepped back into the hallway.

“Breakfast is downstairs if you’re hungry,” he said. “Mia makes good coffee.”

He turned to leave, but paused. “And Sara?”

“Yeah?”

“Whatever you’re running from… it won’t find you here. Not while I’m around.”

Then he was gone, his heavy boots quiet on the stairs. I sat there on the bed for a long time after he left, staring at the closed door. My hands had finally stopped shaking, but my mind was racing.

I was really doing this. Staying in a town full of bikers, accepting help from a man who looked like he could break the world in half if he wanted to.

And the craziest part? A small, tired, stupid part of me actually believed him when he said I was safe.