Gypsy Read online

  “Now darlin’ I know that’s a lie. You were looking for a way to steal my ride,” he drawled. He couldn’t see her face clearly but what he could see was a fair amount. Her skin was creamy and smooth.

  “But you don’t understand. I’m sorry but I need to get out of here,” she whispered desperately. “I don’t want to end up dead.”

  Gypsy shook his head. “I don’t know what your problem is but I want no part of it. Just go back to the shadows where you came from.”

  She hung her head for a moment. “I can’t, don’t you understand. I just can’t. I don’t have anything left for me there. He took everything I had. I can’t go back and I’m too tired and scared to go forward. I’ve been running so damn long. So, I guess I’ll just wait here and let that fucking bastard come—for me.” Her voice broke while she whispered.

  Gypsy frowned, as he had to strain to hear her words.

  “I’m sorry daddy. I couldn’t do it.” Tears ran down her cheeks. She sat there and sobbed quietly for a moment then slowly got to her feet. She turned to face the biker.

  She had to raise her head up to look at him, as he was so much taller than she was. She could see every plane of his face and upper body. His long dark hair and pale blue eyes. He might have sparked her interest as a man but she was just so tired she wouldn’t let herself feel anything. She had come a long way from home in the last four months but she had a feeling her journey was just about over.

  She reached out her hand and made contact with his chest, she just had to. She wanted one last contact with someone before that man finally got her. She knew he was out there waiting and watching. When her hand met the biker’s chest, she felt a spark of electricity arch between them. Her eyes widened.

  She gasped and her eyes snapped up to look into his. His eyes were wide as well. Then her ears caught the sound of a soft footstep in the alley. The fear inside her was real and her fight or flight reaction kicked in. She turned to run but didn’t get far before a gunshot broke the silence—she staggered for a moment and ducked into the shadows.

  Gypsy halted but when he heard the sound of a bullet whizzing past him he turned and lifted his weapon. Shooting back in the general direction the bullet came from, he heard footsteps running away.

  He turned to look in the general direction the girl had run off to but he couldn’t see her anywhere. He couldn’t even hear her footsteps anymore either. He tucked his weapon into his cut and swung his leg over his ride. Turning the engine over, he took off in the general direction he saw her go in. He didn’t know what kind of trouble she was in but he couldn’t just leave her out here for whoever was after her.

  He drove slowly down the alley. His eyes were searching for any sign of her but he couldn’t find her. A little further, he stopped again, but didn’t see her. Instead, he found droplets of blood glistening in the moonlight.

  His breath froze in his lungs and for a moment, he couldn’t breathe. Blood meant she’d been hit by the bullet. His mind flipped back in time to when his own woman had been hit by a bullet. There had been droplets of blood then too. When he had followed those blood droplets and found her, there had been so much more than mere droplets. He found her laying in a large pool of blood. When he'd gathered her into his arms, she was still alive. She was able to tell him she tried to hang on long enough for him to find her but now she was so tired, so lost. She said she had to go but that she would never forget him, that she would love him forever.

  He had begged her to stay with him. She looked up at him and told him she couldn’t stay. That as much as she wanted to, she couldn’t. Now his mind went blank, he couldn’t force himself to remember her last words before she went to her eternal sleep. He never could remember them—it just hurt too much.

  Now, from the corner of his eye, he caught a movement in the shadows. He kicked his stand down and rushed toward the movement. It was the girl. He did a quick survey but in the dark, it was hard to see. Instead of looking her over any further, he gathered her in his arms and lifted her.

  She groaned as he stood up and carried her back to his bike. “Hang on sweetheart, I got you,” he whispered quietly. He swung his leg over the bike and let out a frustrated breath. He looked down and saw her eyes open. “I can’t drive holding you. You’re gonna have to hold on.”

  She nodded and struggled to face him with both her legs over the top of his. She laid her face on his chest and wrapped her arms around his waist. “Best I can do, big guy.”

  “It’ll do.” He started his engine again. Slowly rolling to the end of the driveway then seeing no one coming, he took off slowly. When he was sure she had a hold on him, he opened up the engine a little and drove to the edge of town. Then holding her loosely in his arms he punched the gate code in and drove to the compound as quickly as he could get there.

  When he turned to go into the driveway, he felt her grip tighten slightly but she stayed with him and when he pulled up in front of the clubhouse, he balanced them as he kicked the stand down.

  He attempted to turn her around again but she cried out, “No please don’t move me. It hurts too bad!”

  “Well hell, how am I going to get you inside then?” he wanted to know.

  “Just let me be. I can breathe in this position.” She faded out.

  Gypsy lifted her ass and snuggled her closer, her legs were hooked around his waist as he got up and carried her into the clubhouse that way. Kicking the door open, he saw some of the brothers staring at him.

  He found Patriot in the crowd and told him, “She needs you man.”

  Patriot nodded and got to his feet. He hurried down the hall to the infirmary and opened the door.

  Then Gypsy arrived with the girl still in his arms.

  He tried to lay her on the bed but she wouldn’t let him go. She wriggled her arms tighter around his waist and refused to unhook her legs. Finally, Gypsy just turned around and sat down. Looking up at Patriot, he told him, “I think she took a bullet in the back.”

  Patriot nodded and grabbed a pair of scissors. He cut the bottom hem of her sweatshirt and grabbing both sides, he ripped the material all the way to the top of the hood.

  She screamed then and finally passed out as the pain got the better of her.

  Going limp in his arms, Gypsy just held her. When Patriot separated the two halves of her shirt and pushed it open, Gypsy could finally see his little bike thief.

  She was just a little bitty thing with her dark hair pulled back into a long thick braid. The braid went all the way down to her very round ass.

  He tightened his hold on her.

  Patriot flipped the braid over her shoulder and it hit Gypsy in the face.

  Then Patriot grumbled at the amount of blood he found on her shoulder. He gripped her shoulder and tipped her back to see if the bullet had come out the other side and there was blood there as well. “Well, I don’t think the bullet is still in her. It looks like a through and through.”

  Gunner and Boone walked in.

  “What’s all this about Gypsy? Who is she and why is she bleeding all over the floor?” Gunner wanted to know.

  “That’s a very good question boss.” Gypsy nodded. “I wish I could tell you what you want to know but unfortunately, I don’t have any answers for you.”

  “What the fuck?” Boone growled. “What have you got yourself into now?”

  “I’m not sure Boone, but I couldn’t just leave her out there to bleed out, now could I?”

  Chapter Two

  Patriot poked and prodded until he was satisfied there was no bullet still in her, then he packed the wound. He gave her some sutures front and back then bandaged her up.

  Gunner watched for a moment then turned to Gypsy and asked, “How did you become involved with her?”

  “I was sitting behind Scruffy’s, minding my own business when she came out of nowhere. I watched her go over to my ride and she was kneeling there trying to fiddle with the wiring. I walked over to her and told her not to mess with the wir
ing and she told me she wasn’t doing anything but that she had to get away from somebody.” He shrugged and went on, “Next thing we knew, there were footsteps behind is. She turned to run and a shot rang out. I returned fire but when I turned back to her, she was gone. I couldn’t leave her out there, so I hunted her down and found her, then I brought her here.”

  “Do you know her name?” Boone asked.

  Gypsy shook his head. “No... I don’t know her at all, but I couldn’t just leave her bleeding on the ground.”

  Gunner shook his head. “I’m not saying you could. You did the right thing bringing her in. I guess we’ll have to wait until she wakes up to get any answers from her.” Looking over at Patriot he asked, “How bad is she hurt?”

  “Straight up through and through,” Patriot told them. “But he’s right about one thing, whoever shot her put the bullet through her back. What the hell kind of person shoots an unarmed woman in the fucking back?”

  “We’d better lock this place down in case he followed you guys back here,” Gunner suggested. “Or at least until we know what’s going on and what kind of trouble she’s bringing with her.” Looking down at Gypsy he said, “She’s your problem now. You brought her in, you’re responsible for her.”

  Gypsy nodded and gazed down at the girl in his arms. For some reason, she fit him. He didn’t understand why but he just couldn’t let her go. He could lay her down anytime and just walk away from her but he didn’t want to. Not because Gunner just made him responsible for her either.

  Something was going on here and he needed to see this through. She was running from something or someone who wanted her dead and he didn’t think that was the right thing to let happen. Only time would tell but until she woke and could answer their questions, she wasn’t going anywhere. For now, wherever she was, he would be too.

  Inez opened her eyes and took a deep breath. She was still alive. And warm, oh so warm. She’d been so cold the last four months she wondered if she’d ever feel warm again. She exhaled softly and breathed in again. This time, she was assailed by the scent of dogwood and like musk along with diesel? Diesel? It was then she noticed she could hear a heartbeat that wasn’t hers. Cracking her eyes open just enough, she could see where she was, she frowned when all she could see was black. Black cotton under black leather.

  What the hell? She opened her eyes wider and stared at the chest under her head. She slowly lifted her head and looked around the room. The room was all in shadows but she could make out a few things.

  She knew they were on a bed and someone was holding her tightly. The only question was who was he? She peeked into his face and relaxed a bit. It was the biker she tried to steal the bike from. She thought she had dreamed that part. But he had come after her and he had brought her here to safety. At least, it wasn’t the man trying to kill her. His eyes were closed and she could only assume it was still nighttime. There was no hurry and for the moment, she felt safe enough to sleep, something she hadn’t done in a while.

  Then she realized her shoulder was killing her, but she ignored it. Laying her head back down on his hard chest Inez closed her eyes again. She snuggled in his arms and allowed sleep to take her.

  A few hours later, a groan woke her from her slumber. She frowned as he seemed to be in great pain but he hadn’t been wounded had he? She leaned up on her elbow and stared down at his face. Then she realized he was caught in a nightmare.

  His arms were crushing her and he was whispering another woman’s name. “Gwen, please don’t leave me sweetheart. I can’t make it without you,” he whispered over and over.

  The pain in his voice broke her heart. She knew that kind of pain. She had lived with it for four months now. “Hush now, I got you,” she whispered and cupped his jaw. “It’s gonna be okay. I got you.” She leaned into the crook of his neck and pressed her lips against his sweaty skin.

  He froze and his eyes snapped open. He grabbed the hair at the back of her head and tipped it back, so he could see her face. “What the fuck are you doing?” he whispered harshly.

  “You were having a nightmare.” She shrugged. “I know what those are like, so I was trying to wake you up.”

  “By kissing my neck?” He raised an eyebrow.

  “I didn’t want to startle you awake.” Her face flushed with heat by this time. “Sorry, next time I’ll let you suffer through it.” She struggled to get away from him but he wasn’t having it. She stopped to look at him. “Let me go!”

  Smiling, he shook his head. “Not a chance darlin. Gunner put me in charge of you and I have to watch you. You are stuck with me or one of the other guys but personally, I’d rather it was me.”

  “Why?” she wanted to know.

  “Cuz, I found you first. And I’ve decided I’m going to keep you.”

  Inez shook her head “You are huh? Like I’m some bright penny you put in your pocket?” She smiled and shook her head. “Well Mister, sometimes that bright penny can lose its luster, ya know. And what if I can’t stay here?”

  “Where else you got to go?” He frowned.

  Inez bit her lip. She didn’t know if she could trust him or not but tonight had been too close. Dino had almost killed her and she was getting tired. “I’m trying to find a US Marshall named John Crowly. Do you know him?”

  “What do you want with him?” he asked slowly, guardedly.

  “I can’t tell you that but I do need to find him.”

  He nodded. “Ok, well at least tell me why somebody took a shot at you last night.”

  Inez hung her head and shook it slightly. “I can’t.”

  “But you can tell John Crowly right?” he growled.

  Inez laid her hand on his chest. Looking him directly in the eye she said, “My father trusted John. I’ve never met the man, so I don’t know him. All I do know about the man is he works out of Fort Worth, Texas and I made it this far, I have to see this through. It was the last thing my father asked me to do before he died four months ago.”

  He stared at her for a moment then must have read the truth in her eyes because he relaxed and stayed where he was. “So you don’t know John at all?”

  Inez shook her head.

  “And where exactly are you coming from?”

  “West Burke, Vermont.”

  Looking surprised, he shook his head. “You are a long way from home, aren’t you? How long have you been on the road?”

  Inez bit her lip and tried to look away.

  He snagged her chin and brought her face back to his. “I asked how long you’ve been on the road darlin?”

  “I heard you.” She sighed. “Too long really. I left home four months ago. It was the night my father died.” She hung her head. “I didn’t even get to bury him. He told me with his dying breath to run and I’ve been running ever since. I tried calling Mr. Crowly but I kept getting the runaround. I even tried online once at a library and never got an answer from that Marshall’s office. So, I kept on traveling towards Texas. I have to get in touch with this man before the bastard who shot me can find me again, and I have a feeling he won’t stop coming for me.”

  “What does this man want with you?”

  Inez felt tears building in her eyes. “He wants to kill me before I can meet up with John Crowly.”

  He frowned. “What the fuck does Grizzly have to do with all of this?” he growled.

  “Who?” She frowned and looked at him lost.

  “John is a member of our MC, or he was a member of this MC.”

  She reared back in fear. “He’s not a US Marshall?”

  He nodded. “He is but he was also a member here too.”

  “Oh, dear.” She tried to get herself free of him. He wasn’t letting her go however. “I have to go. I can’t stay here anymore!”

  “Why not?” he asked. “You’re safer here than you would be out there.”

  ”I don’t know that.” She tried to reason with him. She stopped struggling, as she knew it was making no difference, he wouldn’t let he
r go. She stared at him and begged him with a whisper, “Please let me go. I have to find this John person. I have to fulfill my father’s last wish. It’s the last thing I can do for him, don’t you understand?”

  “Would it help if you talked to the others here?” he finally asked. “We’ll get John to come here and meet up with you but before we do that, we need to know more about the situation.” He tipped up her head and looked her in the eyes. “I need to know you’re safe.”

  “Why?” she finally asked. “You only met me a few hours ago. I mean I don’t even know your name. Why would I matter to you?”

  He smiled slightly. “They call me Gypsy and normally, you wouldn’t matter, but I know you felt it too, didn’t you? When you first touched me. You felt it too, I know you did.”

  She nodded then let out a deep sigh. It couldn’t matter though. She wished she could just stay and see if this man could be the one for her, but she had no time for that. She could be dead any day now. If only... She shook her head. No use in thinking like that. She was stuck on this path her father put her on. The one where she had to find the man he spoke of before she was dead by Dino’s hand.

  “I had a woman once upon a time,” he admitted quietly. “I loved her with everything I had. When I lost her, I almost lost my damn mind. She was my whole world. But as much as I loved her, I never felt that spark between us.” He paused then looked at her. ‘Then there’s the fact that you seem to fit me.”

  “Fit you?” She was confused.

  “You fit like you were made for me. I don’t know how to explain it. It just...somehow, it felt like I was supposed to hold you in my arms last night.”

  Inez nodded. She knew what he was saying. He had been her lifeline the night before. She hadn’t been able to let him go either. For the first time in a long time, she had felt safe. For the first time in a long time, she felt there was a light at the end of the tunnel. “Ok... I’ll meet your friends but I’m not sure how much I can tell them. I really need to speak to this man John Crowly.”