His Promise Page 7

  Hailey cleared her throat and used what she hoped sounded like her authoritative voice, “Yes? Who’s there?”

  Rocco’s smooth chuckle floated underneath the door. “Rocco, your highness. Will you unlock the door?”

  Hailey slid off of the couch and unlocked the door. She squinted at the harsh fluorescent lights that spilled into the room. Rocco stepped inside and shut the door behind him.

  “What are you doing in here? I asked Clyde where you were and he didn’t know what to tell me.”

  Hailey shrugged. “I thought that I’d hide in here for a little bit, besides, you knew that I’d be somewhere in the clubhouse.”

  Rocco sighed and grasped Hailey’s wrist. “You’re coming with me.”

  “Okay? Where have you been all day? You just leave me here for most of the day, and I’m not allowed to go anywhere-”

  Rocco opened the door and they stepped out into the hallway. “You’re not allowed to go anywhere because I’m literally still in the middle of committing a felony.” He shook his head and shuffled towards Clyde’s desk.

  Rocco pointed at Clyde and said, “I’m taking Hailey out for a bit. Let Meish know if he asks.”

  Clyde pushed his work to the side and said, “What? You’re taking her out?”

  “Chill. I didn’t say that I was going to drop her off at home, I just said that we’re going to step out for a bit. Hold down the fort here if anyone has questions.”

  “I always do.” Clyde replied.

  Rocco turned around and pointed towards the front door. “Come on, my bike is out front.”

  His bike? I’ve never even sat on top of one of Dad’s bikes. Hailey’s father had an array of motorcycles that he kept locked in his garage. Hailey would remember the feeling of irritation that crawled over her body when she would fall asleep with the roar of a motorcycle coming through her bedroom window.

  Rocco pushed open the doors that led outside and moved past a group of people that were hurrying by on the sidewalk. Hailey’s eyes rested on their blank expressions, she assumed that they were probably functioning on autopilot as they moved throughout their day. I wonder how many times did I just walk right past someone without even realizing that there was a real person left in my dust? She doubted that she walked past many women that were in a predicament like her’s, women that were both being held against their will and choosing to stay in the same place.

  Rocco eased onto his navy colored sport bike. He reached behind him and tossed a smaller helmet towards Hailey.

  She threw her arms out in front of her and barely caught it. She sighed before slipping it over her head. “You know, my Dad never wears a helmet.”

  “I usually don’t, either. But, we can’t risk getting pulled over by the police now, can we?” He winked and patted the space behind him on the bike. Hailey stepped onto the asphalt and winced at the sound her joints made as she threw one of her legs over the bike. She scooted up on the bike until her breasts were firmly pressed against Rocco’s back. The skin on her neck was bright red as she wrapped her arms around his waist. She could feel the way the muscles in Rocco’s back flexed as he adjusted himself at the front of the bike.

  He backed out and said, “Hold on tight.”

  They started off slow, keeping up with the cars beside them. Within minutes, the horns and business of the city faded away, and Rocco steered the bike down winding roads that led to a more spacious highway.

  Hailey tightened her arms around Rocco until her they dug into his ribs. While the wind tossed her hair about, she focused on the words coming out Rocco’s mouth.

  “You’re holding on awful tight! You’ve been on a bike before, right?”

  He really had a different idea of me. “No!” she shouted. Hailey spat out a piece of hair that had been blown into her open mouth. They curved to the right as Rocco headed down a path that led to a local campsite.

  “Where are we?!” She yelled.

  “Just outside of the city!” Rocco replied, and Hailey breathed a sigh of relief as Rocco pulled the bike to a stop near a couple of picnic tables.

  Hailey hopped off of the back of the bike without waiting for Rocco’s help. The insides of her thighs were hot and sore, she worked her fingertips into her skin while Rocco placed the helmets on the back of the bike.

  He grinned and gestured towards the bike, “Did you have fun?”

  Hailey shrugged, “I don’t know if that means I’ll be unqualified to be an Old Lady if I say no.”

  Rocco laughed and Hailey smiled at the way the parentheses around his mouth spread when he smiled. His dark eyes had a light to them that she hadn’t noticed before, and the mid afternoon sun that hung in the background created the perfect picture.

  Hailey ran her eyes up his tall frame, and her mind wandered to how much trouble they could get into before the sun went down. She grinned and said, “So, what are we here for?”

  Rocco smirked and reached into the left pocket of his jacket. He pulled out a black pistol and Hailey threw her hands out in front of her. “Holy shit! What are you doing?”

  Rocco held it out towards her and said, “We’re going to do a little practice.”

  “Practice?”

  He sighed and tucked the gun back into his pocket. “Just in case someone ever steps out of line like Emmett did before, I want you to know how to protect yourself.”

  Rocco shuffled across the dirt and moved past her. Hailey whipped her head in the direction that Rocco was heading and said, “You want me to threaten your guys with a gun?”

  Rocco laughed and said, “Not necessarily. Sometimes we get into conflicts with other clubs, and I need to know that you’ll be able to fight someone off until I can get there.” He pushed the long branch of a pine tree out of his way and strolled into a densely covered area. Hailey trailed behind him at a slower pace, her eyes were focused on the pocket that the gun had been tucked into.

  A chill ran up her spine and she twisted her head around to take in her surroundings. There was nothing but dense woods for miles, the branches of pine trees covered any line of sight into the woods. Hailey turned to Rocco and said, “Why do we have to go so far into the forest? Can’t we practice shooting in the clearing?”

  Rocco shook his head, “Gunshots will draw the attention of rangers and police if we shoot out in the open. If we’re in the middle of the woods, there’s a chance that we won’t be heard.”

  If a girl is shot in the middle of the woods, will her murder be loud enough for the cops to hear? Hailey chewed on her lower lip, and pushed a tree branch out of her way as she followed Rocco into the woods.

  Rocco stopped in a clearing that was at least a mile into the forest. Hailey’s heels ached, the shoes that she’d been taken in weren’t comfortable enough to go trekking it in the wilderness.

  Rocco pointed at a tree trunk and said, “Alright, we’re going to be shooting into that tree. Have you ever shot a gun before?”

  Hailey shook her head. “I’ve never shot one—I don’t think that my Dad owned any either.”

  Rocco scoffed and said, “Trust me, he has a few guns.” He pulled the pistol out of his pocket and Hailey flinched as he held it out towards her. “Come on, I don’t have all day.”

  Hailey shook out her left hand, then her right hand. She stepped forward and lifted the gun out of Rocco’s hand. The gun was heavy in the middle of her palm, and despite having been tucked away in Rocco’s pocket all of this time, it was still cool to the touch. She held it the way that she’d seen actors do on TV, and slipped her index finger behind the trigger.

  Rocco’s eyes widened and said, “No, no, all wrong. You’re going to break your fucking arm if you do it like that.”

  Hailey scowled and said, “I don’t know how else I’m supposed to do it, I’m not used to shooting at people.”

  Rocco sighed and came up behind Hailey. He stretched his long arms out, and set his hands onto her shoulders. Hailey’s legs trembled as Rocco slid his hands down either of her
arms, his fingers caressed the creamy skin on her arms and came to a stop at her hands. He placed his hands on the outside of hers and said, “Now, raise your gun.” His breath was hot against her earlobe, the hairs on the back of her neck stood at attention as he rested his chin on top of her shoulder.

  Hailey took a deep breath and raised the gun. Rocco lifted one of her hands off of the barrel of the gun and placed it on the bottom. “Now, you’ll want to square your shoulders.” His hands left hers and he pressed his palms against her shoulders. From there, his hands traveled down her back, trailed down her spine, and came to a rest on her hips.

  “You’ll want to stand up straight.” He pulled her hips against his groin, and Hailey could hardly suppress the yelp that escaped her as her bottom connected with his lower half. Rocco’s hand were sent back the opposite way, and they began a new adventure of snaking their way up her body and back to her gun.

  Rocco smirked and said, “Aim at that tree. Pretend it’s an asshole.”

  “An asshole?” Hailey repeated.

  “Yeah,” he whispered, “Pretend it’s Emmett. Think of how it made you feel when he climbed on top of you, the way that his big gut pressed into your belly.” He set his hand on top of her stomach and pulled her towards him.

  “It made me feel dirty.”

  “I bet. Now, think of how his breath felt on your skin.”

  Nothing like this. Hailey clenched her fingers tighter around the gun and nodded. “Okay.”

  “Does that make you want to kill someone?” Rocco’s question hung in the air like the admission to a great crime. Hailey stood there, with sweat gathering in her palms and spreading to the metal of the gun. She rolled his question over in her mind, and considered the taste that it left in her mouth.

  “I don’t know,” she admitted.

  “Then, let’s say he gets your shorts off of you again. Let’s say that,” Rocco set his hands on her hips and hooked his fingers into the sides of her denim shorts. His fingertips grazed against the top of her underwear, and he said, “Imagine he’s touching you like this. He feels like he can stick his hand in here, do whatever he wants.”

  Hailey writhed underneath his touch. She inhaled and narrowed her eyes. She focused on a frayed piece of bark on the massive tree ahead.

  “Would you kill a man for that?”

  Their bodies vibrated with the impact of the gun, the bullet whistled through the air and landed a couple of inches from the loose piece of bark. The bullet landed in the hard trunk of the tree. Hailey’s chest rose and fell rapidly, and she turned her stunned gaze to Rocco.

  Rocco stared back at her with an air of affection in his eyes. “Good job.”

  Hailey pursed her lips and loosened both of her legs. Her chest rose and fell, and she pointed the gun at the same piece of bark. She pulled the trigger, and another bullet soared through the air, and landed just underneath the tree. If that were a wide set, six foot tall man, that’d be two bullets in his abdomen.

  Hailey grit her teeth and fired the gun until she got to her last round. She gasped at the telling trick of the trigger. Rocco reached around her and plucked the gun out of her hands.

  “I didn’t think that you’d use all of the bullets in the first lesson.” Rocco grinned and slipped the gun back into the pocket of his jacket. “You’re a hell of a shot.”

  Hailey smiled and said, “Good enough for my first time?”

  “Good enough to get the job done if it came to it.” A sultry smile sat on Rocco’s lips and Hailey delighted in the way the that his eyes rolled over her. With her feet firmly planted in the ground, and the pressure of the gun still feeling fresh on her palm, she felt alive.

  She grasped the ends of her hair and twisted them into a bun. “What else do you have to teach me?”

  Rocco raised one of his eyebrows and said, “You might need to learn how to defend yourself in close quarters. Did your Dad ever pay for self defense classes?”

  Hailey chuckled and said, “Just the kind where you fall into the dirt and kick your assailant in the lower abdomen.”

  “That’s no good,” Rocco said, “it’d be too easy to take your skinny little legs and turn you flat on your belly. Come here,” he said. He led her out of the clearing and into an area with even more densely packed trees. Tree branches rustled with the sound of birds settling into their nests.

  Rocco tossed his jacket to the ground and slapped his hands against his thighs. “Okay, I’m going to come at you. You show me what you’d do if I got that close as an attacker.”

  Hailey nodded and held her hands out in front of her. Did the instructor say to bend your knees? She bent her knees and said, “Alright, come at-”

  The wind was briefly expelled from her lungs and she was sent flying into the dirt. Rocco landed on the ground beside her, and he propped himself up on his elbow. His fingers toyed with the loose, black strands of hair on his head. “Okay. This time, throw your arm out but aim for my nose. That’ll stun him. Then, while he’s distracted, launch your scrawny little knee into my crotch.”

  Hailey gasped and rubbed her fingers into her chest. “Did you have to actually send me flying?”

  “It's good practice,” Rocco said, and extended his hands towards her. He pulled her on her feet and said, “Alright. Again, let’s go.”

  He took a couple of steps back and bent his knees. Rocco launched himself into Hailey and her left hand shot out and grazed the underside of his nostrils. He grinned as he caught her leg in between his knees, and a low whistle slid out from between his lips.

  “Much better. I’m not going to let you actually kick me in the nads, though. Again, see if you can knock me down.”

  Hailey took a deep breath and tensed as Rocco came sprinting towards her. She threw her fist into the air and connected with his jaw, her right knee barreled towards his groin. Rocco grabbed her thigh and flipped her onto her back.

  Hailey gasped as her back connected with the ground. Rocco rolled on the dirt beside her, and his chest rose and fell with each breath that he took.

  “Much better.”

  “If it was so much better, then why am I on the ground too?”

  “I didn’t say that it was better than something I could do.” Rocco smirked and pulled himself across the dirt until their shoulders were touching. He threw his arms around her waist, and Hailey yelped, as he pulled her on top of him.

  Rocco grinned and said, “See? I let you win once.”

  Heat spread throughout Hailey’s neck and shoulders. She wrapped her arms around his neck, and rested against him. Her lips grazed his skin, and she embraced the warmth that flooded her body.

  Who would have thought that a rider could make me feel more safe than anyone? Hailey raised her head out of the crook of Rocco’s neck and placed a kiss on his lips.

  Rocco’s tongue slid along the edge of her lips, and his fingers curled around the underside of her bottom. He cupped her cheeks, and squeezed them until he thought they might be bright red.

  Hailey groaned and sank her teeth into his lips, her hands flew all over his neck and shoulders. Her hand tugged at the collar of his shirt, and her tongue traveled from the base of his neck to the soft patch of skin on his earlobe.

  A low moan that began in Rocco’s chest vibrated against Hailey’s breasts, and he urgently clawed at the ends of her shorts. Rocco positioned his neck out her grasp and leaned to the side. He flipped her over onto her back and grinned. One of his fingers traced the outline of her cheek, and the curve of her lips.

  He lowered his lips to hers and slipped a hand underneath her neck. Hailey arched her back and moved into him. Her eyes flew open as a crackle of thunder snapped above them.

  She blinked, and a raindrop fell into her eyes. Rain poured down onto Rocco’s back, and he jumped to his feet. He cupped his hands around his mouth and said, “We’ve got to find some place to wait out the storm!”

  Hailey’s hair whipped around her and the wind battered the thickest branches of the tre
es around them. She threw her arms over her head and followed Rocco deeper into the forest.

  Her clothes hung heavily on her arms and legs as Rocco moved forward. He stopped to push branches out of the way to allow her to pass through. As the winds picked up, Rocco darted to the right of a clearing that they’d entered. Hailey narrowed her eyes and spotted the small cave that he’d darted into.

  A cave? Does that mean that there’s a bear that might return to this later?

  Lightning lit up the sky, and struck a nearby tree branch. A blood curdling scream was ripped from Hailey’s throat as the branch came crashing down beside her. She dug her heels in the mud, and sprinted towards the cave.