Rook & Rebel (Mavericks #1)

Chapter 23

Twenty-Three

Rook

I wasted no time grabbing everything I needed and heading to Regan. She had texted me three times, each one demanding to know when I would be there, but I hadn’t told her.

Instead, I pulled up on my bike around six and revved it loud. I knew the echo of the engine would make it into the house and I knew she would be listening. It barely took two minutes before she headed out to me, waving her arms to stop.

“My dad is home,” she yelled. “Don’t do that again or he’s going to come out here and interrogate you.”

My heart raced immediately. Cameron Fletcher was right inside. Not only inside his house, but in a house I now knew well. One I could get in without him knowing and kill him.

I ran my hand along the gun in my side pocket. It would be so easy. It would be over in less than ten minutes, and I wouldn’t have to see Regan or keep up this game anymore.

But I already knew it wouldn’t be enough. I wanted him to suffer. I wanted the last hours of his life to feel like the last ten years of mine had felt. I needed him to know an ounce of the pain I felt at what he did to us.

So instead of stalking in there, I would take Regan out. I would make sure I actually tried to learn everything I could and understand what Cameron cared about, so I could take it away.

Even if I had been failing at learning anything new about him.

I reached behind me, grabbing the pink and black helmet off the seat and handing it to her.

“What’s this?”

“Your helmet.”

“ Mine ?”

“Yes, yours.” I turned it around, showing her the small pink name running along the side. Rebel .

“You put that on there?”

“Technically, Evie did. She has all that computer shit and printed it out.”

“And you told her to? Or she did it for me?”

My palms were hot at her demanding an answer. I didn’t mind doing things for people, but the entire show that came after made me anxious.

“I did,” I said fast, pulling the matching jacket out of the backpack I’d brought. “This, too.”

“Rook,” she whispered as she held it up. It was a simple black leather jacket. We all wore similar ones, and hers wouldn’t stand out any more than ours. Our helmets were all different. I kept most of my favorite ones a plain black, but we all had a variety. “These are actually for me?”

“They are. I was getting pretty annoyed with mine getting taken every time,” I lied. It never bothered me, but I wanted her to have her own that actually fit.

She bit at her lip before stepping forward. Her arms snaked around my neck and her lips found mine. The hot, desperate need to sink into her came over me. Like she could read my thoughts, she deepened the kiss, pushing harder against me as her tongue moved faster against mine. Her hands slipped under my shirt and ran over my stomach, hitting scarred skin, and she hesitated for a second before continuing.

“Better get on the bike,” I whispered, already moving down her sides to reach for the button on her jeans.

She smacked my hand away and pushed the helmet on. I had already hooked up an earpiece in it, but I stayed quiet as she got on.

Her arms wrapped around me, and I took off. The bike rumbling beneath us as I pulled out and headed towards the highway.

“Helmet feel okay?” I asked after I realized she was mumbling something to herself.

Her arms tightened as she leaned down further. “I didn’t know you could hear me. Please tell me you didn’t hear all of that.”

“I didn’t, but now I’m curious about what you said.”

“Nothing. Nothing at all. Where are we going?”

“First,” I said, taking a turn a little faster than she was used to, “we are going to teach you how to ride on the bike the right way. Then, we are going out with the group. Evie planned some night out, and we are going.”

“Where to?”

“You’ll see. For now, just learn how to be on the bike without falling off or killing me.”

We drove for another two hours. I spent plenty of time making her go around curves and turns, speeding up and slowing down. She screamed when I slammed the brakes, the bike tipping forward just enough to make her fall onto me more as she cursed.

“What are you doing?” she yelled, holding me tighter. “ Don’t do that again.”

“Okay, I won’t,” I said, smiling. “You better hold on very, very tight, Rebel. I would hate to put that helmet to use the first day.”

“What—”

Her words cut off as I sped up and pulled the bike onto the back wheel. She screamed again, holding on tighter as I kept it up. I made it another hundred feet down the road before dropping back down. Her hands let me go the second she was steady, smacking at my shoulders.

“Why. Would. You. Do. That?” she yelled, a smack coming with each word.

“Because you did fine. I didn’t think you would fall off. Not completely, at least.”

“You’re the worst.”

“Yet you get on the bike every single time.”

That seemed to shut her up, but her arms held onto me still.

I stayed on the winding road, leaning the bike back and forth until she finally leaned with me and relaxed. Soon, her arms weren’t grabbing me in death grips and her body wasn’t a board behind me. We kept going deeper into the forest, the trees thickening as we made it to the next town and made our way up the small mountain.

“Are we going somewhere specific?” she asked, her hands moving from the tank to my legs as the road straightened out.

“Yes. Like I said, something Evie set up.”Her hands moved higher up my thighs, reaching my groin.“Rebel,” I said, trying to hide my groan as her hand moved over me.

“Yes?”

The bike slowed as she continued her exploration. Soft hands slipped under my shirt, my stomach clenching at the touch. She moved over the scars, her fingers trailing over them with a softer touch before going up and over my chest. I was glad the bike would hide the shiver that ran through me. Her nails glided down. The light scratch over my stomach to the top of my jeans made me want to lose my mind.

I sat up more, and she took the invitation. Once again, she surprised me. Every time I thought she would retreat, Regan pushed forward and acted like the rebel I knew she wanted to be. Ever since the first night, she had taken every challenge to do whatever I asked of her. I should have known she would push this, too.

Her hands ran over my jeans, my cock already hard from being felt up by her. I rarely had anyone ride with me. It wasn’t that I was uncomfortable with someone on with me, I just didn’t prefer it. Regan, though, was finally getting the hang of it. She was also getting the hang of feeling me up when I sat defenseless to her hands.

It was a blissful torture, and I didn’t want it to stop.

She ran over my length again, a small appreciative moan echoing through my helmet and turning me on more.

“Is this because of me or do you just really like riding your bike?” she asked, almost laughing.

“I do like my bike, but I promise that’s not what I’m currently thinking about fucking.”

She froze, her hand resting on my cock before she pressed the slightest bit harder. I groaned, wanting to press into it, but I couldn’t in this position.

“You are going to hate the moment I stop this bike.”

“And why’s that?”

I swerved the bike back and forth between the lines. Night had fallen, the moon already coming up now.

“Because I’m going to catch you, Rebel,” I said as her other arm draped over my shoulder, her fingers brushing along my neck. “And I’m putting every damn inch of this to use when I do.”

The abandoned house finally rose in the night, the darkened windows and sagging porch looking as bad as I remembered it. We came here once in a while. It used to be more for partying. Now it was when Evie wanted to change things up for whatever event she needed us to celebrate.

The cool night rushed over me as I pulled off my helmet, the scent of decay and damp ground making me relax. I liked it here, the calm, quiet making me feel at home.

“ This is where we are going?” Regan asked, swinging off the bike.

“It is.”

“Why? This is…creepy.”

“I’m pretty sure that’s the point. Scary movie, scary place.”

“You brought me all the way out here to watch a scary movie in a place where scary movies take place? And you somehow thought I would stay?”

“Where would you go, Rebel? You’re here all alone without a ride home. You are stuck, miles from another house, and miles from anyone who could help you.”

“Stop it,” she said, backing up and putting her hands on her hips, but I could hear the small shiver of fear in her tone.

I swung off, setting my helmet down. “They say a deranged doctor lived up here and did experiments on humans. That there is even one of them still living up here today. Do you think he’s in the house? Or maybe the woods?”

“Okay, what if I’m too freaked out for this?”

“I thought I was the monster? Who else would come grab you besides me?”

“I don’t know. Maybe the half-human monster thing. At least you are all human.”

“Then you better let me be the one to catch you. Run, run, Rebel.”

I stalked towards her as her eyes went wide. I knew she wasn’t that scared of me anymore. She wouldn’t have gotten on the bike if she had been, but I still liked the way she took a deep breath, the way her nostrils flared and chest heaved. Her hand pushed at her hair, tucking it behind her ears.

“Rook,” she breathed, taking a step back towards the woods. The clear line of trees surrounded the house and as soon as she disappeared into it, I could run after her.

A gust of wind came. The old door on the front of the house opened and slammed back shut, echoing around us.

She jumped and took off, disappearing into the woods.

My stomach flipped, my heart already racing. The thrill of catching her pulsed through me, but I tried to tamp it down just long enough to let her get a head start.

She was mine, and there was no chance I wouldn’t catch her.

I would always catch her.