Handsome Bikers and Secret Babies Romance

Chapter 6

“I know you didn’t mean it, babe. So, do you wanna help me help me catch this asshole I’m after? I got a tip, and it might pan out.” Confidence rang in my voice- not that Devon’s tip would give me anything, but that Cat would want to come with me. She was chasing a high, and her metamorphosis wouldn’t end just because she cussed out her cousin. Against my back, she shifted slightly in her seat, and I took a wide turn out of the driveway towards the west end before she spoke up.

“Is that okay? For me to come with you, I mean- I need some sort of license, don’t I?”

“Nah- you don’t for what I want to do. I just think it’ll give you what you need. I was right, wasn’t I- about being a speed demon? How fast were you going? You didn’t even notice me when you zoomed by.” Cat’s surprised grunt as I leveled out on the street and jacked the throttle only pulled a chuckle from my chest, and I grabbed the handlebar again before continuing. “I knew you’d like going fast. Those bitches in your gang only ride because it’s cool- not because they have to… like us.”

“So- uh... what do I need to do?” The plan that had formulated in my head caused a huge smirk to c**k my lips at Cat’s question. She didn’t even acknowledge what I’d said about her pushing 110 or the other girls in her gang. Because it was hard for her to acknowledge the bad in people or how toxic they were to her if they were all-around okay.

“We’re going to lunch. There’s a few places on the west end with patios, right? Any good?”

“Lunch? Like- like, to do… recon, or something? I mean, there’s a couple of pizza places over there, but…” Surprise colored Cat’s voice as it filtered through the speaker in my headgear, and I nodded firmly. Jacking the throttle, my heart began to race as my speedometer needle jerked to the right, and her arms tightened around me.

Chapter Seven: Cathleen

“So… we just… sit here and eat pizza?” Without glancing up from his phone, Roy nodded with a grunt, and I frowned under shallowly creased eyebrows. “That’s boring.”

“It’s not when you realize that the woman that served us has an outstanding warrant out for her arrest for missing a court date. She’s also strung out, so that’ll be interesting.” Surprise widened my eyes, and my breath caught in my throat as my gaze flew to the window we sat in under. The woman behind the counter tapped her fingers hard, but there was no other real indication that I could see that she’d been doing drugs. As if sensing my bubbling questions, Roy tapped his phone flat against his palm before speaking up to draw my attention. “She smells like meth. Also, I can just search a database for people in the area or zip code with warrants.”

“Oh.” I’d done very little research on bounty hunting- right after I first met Roy- and I blushed fiercely at my lack of knowledge. Finally tearing his eyes off his phone, he smirked broadly even as I trained my gaze on my pizza. My fingertips burned slightly as they slipped under the crust, but I ignored it to cater to my watering mouth. Despite being on the bad side of town, this pizza place wasn’t all that bad, and they delivered.

“So, for things like this guy I’m after, I usually connect with the police before going out and doing anything. It’s just common courtesy. For this woman here, I’ll call them- let them know what’s going on- and I’ll arrest her and wait for them to show up. It’s pretty nice, too, because she’s got a big bounty on her. She was on bail after getting busted for dealing crystal meth- it says, like, a pound of the stuff was found on her at the time. It’ll be interesting to see what she does.”

“Are these situations dangerous?” Taking a large bite of my pizza only after I posed my question, I hummed at the greasy, surprisingly delicious glob that clung to the roof of my mouth. It’s even better than it smells.

“I mean, it depends on your definition of ‘dangerous’, Cat. I’ve got a gun- I’m pretty good at beating ass. So, for me, I guess, it’s not that dangerous. How ‘bout you? Can you kick someone’s ass if you had to?” Narrowing my eyes on Roy’s s**t-eating smirk, I chewed and swallowed roughly to shrug. I’d never hit anyone before, but I’d also never been hit myself, either. I couldn’t even remember a time when I got into a violent verbal altercation with someone, and a frown dragged down the corners of my lips.

“I’ve never had to. But- I did take karate lessons when I was little.” Giggling at Roy’s harsh snort of laughter, I leaned over my plate to take another, smaller bite. “I can usually just talk my way out of situations. I didn’t know you have a gun?”

“I have several.” The nonchalant answer jacked up my eyebrows, and he tossed me a fiendish grin. “Do guns scare you?”

“No.” My response was instant, and Roy cast me a pointed look before glancing over my shoulder. Hunkering down with my slice, I tore off another bite while the comfortable silence between us stretched. Staring at him openly, I licked my lips heavily as a different kind of hunger nibbled at my gut. In the bright sunlight of mid-afternoon, cut by a soft breeze that flowed through his short hair, he looked good.

“Are you happy?” The question flew from my mouth, and my cheeks burned when Roy locked his gaze on mine. His expression twisted in thoughtfulness, and I held my breath even as he inhaled deeply in preparation.

“I could be happier, I guess.” Intensity hardened his stare, his voice roughened by layers and layers of undertone, and I pursed my lips into a thin line. “Are you happy, Cat?”

“… Right now, I am.” Roy smiled tenderly, a pleased glint brightening in his eyes, and my heart trilled with affection as butterflies replaced my physical hunger. “I am really sorry, Roy- really, really sorry.”

“You mentioned…” Dropping his crust, Roy leaned in to prop his elbows on the wire table, and his face portrayed nothing of how uncomfortable it must’ve been. Rubbing my legs together, my thighs tingled from the phantom memory of his touch, and I closed my eyes to listen to what he was about to say as intently as I could. “Cat- I want you to break out of the box you put yourself in, baby. You shouldn’t settle because you’re afraid to put yourself out there.”

“I-“ Cut off by a shrill chirp, I gasped as my eyelids popped open, and I set down my pizza to fish my phone out of my jacket pocket. “It’s Jared.”

“Hello?” Holding the speaker to my ear, I leaned back in my chair to heave a sigh, and Jared’s aged, hoarse voice tickled the fine hairs on my cheek.

“Cat. Hey- listen- are you with Roy right now? I want to speak with him.” There wasn’t the slightest bit of urgency in Jared’s voice, and my brows furrowed sharply as I stared at the man in question.

“Yeah, but don’t you have his number? You couldn’t call him?” Jared’s answer didn’t really matter when Roy nodded in confirmation, and I nibbled my bottom lip furiously. Grease and the taste of sauce slicked my tongue, and Jared was quiet for a moment before speaking up.

“Can you two come to the bar? It’s important.”

“It doesn’t sound important, Jared- why didn’t you call Roy if he was the one you wanted to talk to?” Reiterating my question, annoyance seeped into my tone, and Jared didn’t answer me- again- before hanging up. Scowling at my phone, I set the object roughly on the table top to sigh hotly. “If he just thinks we’re going to the bar because he said so without a reason- he’s wrong. Why didn’t he just call you, Roy?”

“Because it’s not about business. It’s about us.” Tensing at the clarification, I pushed my plate closer to the center of the table with a scoff. My appetite fled, and Roy reached to grab my wrist, rubbing the thin flesh soothingly with his thumb. “You don’t like that he’s protective of you?”

“It’s none of his damn business who I’m with. I’m not his daughter. My dad protected me by giving me high standards- not by trying to intimidate a man I’m with.” Snapping irritably, I huffed another short sigh, but Roy didn’t reply before pushing himself to his feet. Urging me up, he gave me enough time to snatch up my phone before leading me back into the pizza shop. The smell curled the hairs in my nose, and I released his hand to cross my arms over my chest indignantly. “I hate it when people stick their noses where it doesn’t belong. It’s not like he’s going to worry about me unless I’m right in front of his face, anyway.”

“Come on, baby- don’t talk like that. No matter how superficial, most people do care genuinely.” That was a curious thing to say, but Roy didn’t expand on it as we came up on the counter. The woman behind it, with the warrant, smiled disarmingly at us, clasping her hands as she leaned on her elbows, and I frowned deeply. “Hey- can I talk to the manager? The pizza was great.”

“Sure! Just give me a sec’ to go get him.” Bouncing off towards the back, the woman left Roy and I to linger, and my frown twisted into a grimace.

“But the pizza wasn’t all that good, Roy…” Trailing off as he turned to me to lean on the counter, I fisted my tank top as he fiddled with his cell phone. Glancing up at me, he only shrugged, and his earlier words floated up into my mind’s eye.

It’s just common courtesy. As if sensing my thought, he shot me a small smirk, waving his phone to show me the number to the nearest police station.

“That guy probably doesn’t know and is paying her pennies under the table. He’s not a bad guy, and I don’t want to cause him any trouble. Besides, the pizza might not be great, but it’s cheap. I’ve never seen anyone sell a slice for a dollar. He probably makes all his money on junkies and potheads. I looked him up- he’s had this place for over 10 years. There’s no point in ruining it over one tweaker.”

“… I guess you have a point. What about me? What do I do?” Narrowing my eyes as Roy’s smirk turned s**t-eating, my lips thinned as my heart started to thud hard against my ribs. Sauntering over to me, he cupped the side of my neck to rub his thumb under my ear, and I released a shaky breath as desire shot down to coil in my belly. It’d been so long- too long- and guilt closed my throat even as he hummed softly.

“What about you, huh? Well… if she runs, you can chase her down… put those gorgeous legs to work… Cat-“ Thrill replaced the desire coursing through my veins, and my blood jumped in my veins when Roy locked my neck and jaw between his large, warm palms. “I brought you here because I wanted you to get a taste. If you like it, you can come with me when I leave. I’m not saying it’ll be easy, or promising we’ll be together until we go down in a blazing glory- but it’s an option. Alright?”

“Alright.” Nodding slightly just as the sound of rubber soles on laminate echoed in my ears, I smiled before Roy released my jaw. Catching sight of the woman, adrenaline surged through my veins at the idea of doing something- something to help society- something to excite me- something to put my physique to good use rather than just being pretty. She grinned with satisfaction, and I sniffed her unabashed as she breezed by to slip behind the counter again.