Page 16 of Flash (Iron Thunder MC 2)
In my mind, I also said a silent goodbye to Hank who had been so kind to me.We’d been riding for a few hours and I had never experienced anything like this before. Even though I didn’t know these men and barely even knew Flash, it suddenly felt like I belonged to a community.
The sound of the engines roaring together was deafening at first, but very soon became like music to my ears. They raced each other on their bikes, laughed and kicked up dust clouds, skidded dangerously and showed off tricks on their machines. When we passed other cars and vehicles on the highway, I could see the look of fright mixed with that of curiosity and envy.
Who wouldn’t want to live carefree and on the edge if they got a chance to? Who wouldn’t want to spend their time surrounded by friends who were like brothers to each other?
These men evoked a sense of freedom and respect, a buzzing sense of danger and brotherhood. Nobody messed with them because they were afraid of them, but they would have loved to live a slice of their lives too.
I was living it. Even if for a short time. I knew I was on borrowed time with Flash and intended on making the most of it. Through some divine luck, my life had suddenly turned around.
Yesterday, I was alone and scared, running for my life—running from the dark secrets I carried. Today, I was clutching the rugged torso of a hot muscular biker who was going to keep me safe. At least till the next destination. And I had to admit, this was starting to feel like a lot of fun.
The others roared ahead as we entered the city. Flash seemed to slow down and lag behind. He waved at the guys in the front and then took a turn.
“Where are we going?” I shouted over the noise of the engine.
“You’ll see,” he shouted back.
Very soon, we were off the highway and headed down a narrow path alone. We had no choice but to slow down because the path was winding. Up ahead, I could see woodland.
“Do you know this place?” I asked. We could finally speak at a respectable decibel again.
“Yeah, I used to come here all the time when I was younger and had nowhere else to go to escape.”
Flash stopped the bike when we couldn’t go any farther. He jumped off and then helped me down too. I looked at him questioningly, but really, I didn’t care where he was taking me. This felt like an adventure and I was looking forward to it.
“I have something to show you,” he said and started walking into the woods. I hurried after him, my heart racing. Why did he want to show me something? Why did he want to surprise me? I couldn’t help but feel a little excited and anxious. I didn’t know what to expect.
I followed him blindly, surprisingly even myself at the level of trust I had in this man who was practically a stranger. We didn’t stop till we were at a beautiful creek. Flash went right up to the edge and I could see him breathing in a lungful of that clean, crisp air.
The water was crystal clear and I could see right down to its floor that was covered in emerald moss. It was so still around us, with no soul in sight except for the twittering birds that sometimes flew overhead. The thick, lush trees on the other side of the bank stood like strong soldiers, protecting us from view.
I looked up at the blue sky and pressed my eyes close. I was allowing myself to slow down, to regulate my breathing and just enjoy this piece of heaven while I could.
I could feel his eyes on me. When I opened them, he was staring at me. No smile. How long had he been studying me? How closely?
“You looked like you needed to come to this place. When I was younger and needed some peace, this spot always gave me that.”
“Did you come looking for peace a lot when you were younger?” I asked.
Flash swung his backpack around, unzipping it so he could take out a package. I didn’t realize he’d brought packed food with him! It was like he’d thought of everything.
“When I was younger, I didn’t exactly have any stability or peace in my personal life. So, I guess I came looking for it here, in nature, in the outdoors.”
He didn’t look at me while he spoke. Out of the package came two chunky sandwiches. My stomach sank at the thought of that.
I hadn’t eaten something substantial in a long time. I blushed from embarrassment. Could he tell?
“Like most of the other guys in the MC, I didn’t have a fulfilling family life.”
