Page 34 of Sly (Dragon Riders MC 5)
Where the trees met the yard.
Link patted my shoulder. “Guys, I’m heading with Sly. The rest of you keep an eye out.”
We didn’t even make a move, though, before we heard his voice.
“Sly! Link! Is that you guys!?”
Chains’ voice filtered out of the storage container, filling the expanse of the backyard. I took off running, my eyes clocking everything and making sure we weren’t running into a trap. I checked for wires and connections that signaled a bomb in the area. I checked for cameras that might be watching or voice recorders that might be remotely activated. And as Link and myself cleared the small building at the corner of the property, we each reached for a door.
Before throwing it wide open.
“Holy fuck, I thought I was going to be out here all night,” Chains said breathlessly.
I quirked an eyebrow. “Odd, for a Fed.”
Chains face paled and Link elbowed me.
“Nice going, hot shot,” he murmured.
I shrugged. “Whatever. Let’s get him out of here and get him back to Tara. I know she’s worried sick.”
However, as we looked around for a key to the handcuffs that kept him adhered to a chair in the middle of the storage container, the smallest voice crossed my mind. One that made my gut jump and my heart clench with what was to come.
Finding Chains had been much too easy.
So easy, in fact, that it almost felt like a…
Distraction.14TaraDespite the girls’ night raging around me, I couldn't focus. I engaged the girls whenever they asked me a question and I giggled whenever something was funny. But that was all I had in me. Every time I got up, I made my way to the front door to listen. Every time I went to the bathroom, I allowed myself some time to shed a few tears just to relieve the pressure of worry building against my chest. It grew hard to breathe. Hard to focus. Hard to think about anything except my brother and what had been done to him.
And what Sly had to do in order to get him back.
“Tara?” Joanna asked.
I turned around as I stood in the middle of the kitchen, staring aimlessly at the fridge.
“Yes?” I asked.
She nodded to the refrigerator. “You, uh, gonna get us those drinks you asked about?”
I shook my head softly. “Oh, yes. Sorry. My apologies.”
As I reached for the fridge, though, I heard it. That soft rumbling in the distance that slowly grew in sound. My heart stopped in my chest as I turned to face the girls with my hand hovering in mid-air. I saw their eyes widen as they leapt up from the floor and flung themselves over the couch to get to the front door. I mean, even Joanna seemed to be moving at a frantic pace, even though she didn’t look like the kind of person that had the capability of seeming frantic in the first place. Especially with the confidence in which she carried herself.
“That has to be them, right?” I asked.
The sound grew closer and the dull roar grew to a mighty one. Tears lined my eyes as I opened the front door and led the women out onto the porch. I cupped my hands over my mouth as tears rushed my cheeks. Were they all right? Had they found my brother? Was he going to be okay?
I panicked when the guys rode up the driveway and I didn’t see my brother in tow.
But when my eyes met Sly’s, I knew from the grin on his face they had succeeded.
“Oh, my gosh,” I whispered.
Sly walked up to me, his eyes never deviating. “Your brother’s safe. We just got back from dropping him at the apartment.”
My knees went weak. “Oh, thank God.”
I collapsed into his arms as the tears flowed freely. Fuck being strong. Fuck the advice the girls gave me. I needed this moment, and I needed Sly to be there for me. Even if he was the one that was out on the front lines.
“I can’t thank you enough,” I said through my tears.
Sly held me close. “Shh-shh-shh-shh. I gotcha. It’s all done. We’re good, I promise.”
I sniffled. “I’m a stress crier, I’m sorry.”
He chuckled. “Never be sorry for being who you are, Tara. Because who you are is perfect.”
I melted against his body as I allowed myself the moment I needed. But once the tears dried up, I looked up into Sly’s face. His eyes danced between mine as his grin grew into a bombastic smile, and I couldn't help myself.
I threw my arms around his neck and pressed myself onto my toes, crashing our lips together without a second thought.
And it felt as if the entire world stilled around us while our lips stayed interlocked.
“Mmmm,” I moaned.
Sly’s arms blanketed my back. “He sent me with a message.”
I kissed his lips softly. “Ben?”
