Spike’s Perdition (Saints Purgatory MC #7)

1. Ivory

CHAPTER 1

IVORY

PRESENT DAY…

“I don’t think I can do this.”

The rumble of the turboprop engines vibrates through my body. The plane is filled with eight jumpers, but the one standing next to me is having a typical first-timer’s reaction.

“You’ll be fine.” I squeeze her hand. “I promise, I’ll be right there with you to signal when to pull the ripcord.”

Kiera came in a couple of weeks ago with her entourage to celebrate her upcoming divorce. Her best friends convinced her that skydiving would be the perfect way to cleanse herself of her old life and jump into her new one. I, for one, wholeheartedly agree; however, I live for the adrenaline rush. From what her friends told me, Kiera is an introvert who prefers tranquil nights at home, curled up with a good book. I was shocked when she agreed to take the plunge.

Jenny, Kiera’s best friend, slides up next to her. “Come on Kiera,” she encourages. “I promise, you’re going to feel so free.”

I nod. “She’s right. Plus, you can cuss the bastard all the way down.”

Kiera chuckles before taking a deep breath. “Okay, I can do this.”

“Damn right, you can.”

“Five minutes out, Ivory,” Milton, our pilot, announces over the speakers.

“Alright ladies, we’re almost ready!” A chorus of ‘Hell Yeah!’ fills the air. “Remember, I’ll point to you when it’s your turn to jump.” I adjust the GoPro camera on my helmet. I enjoy recording first-time jumpers because it’s a great reminder for the customers of what they did and that they were brave enough to take that leap. “I’ll be jumping with Kiera so I can get the footage you all want.”

I quickly double-check everyone’s harnesses, straps, and helmets. Then I pull my own harness as music fills the cabin. Danger Zone by Kenny Loggins is our signal that we’re at the proper altitude to jump and we’re clear to go.

“Here we go!” I yell and start pointing at Kiera’s friends who give her a pat on the shoulder as they wait for their turn to jump.

Finally, it’s our turn.

“I’m ready!” Kiera shouts over the music, her face no longer showing signs of doubt. Instead, her eyes narrow with determination, and her smile is contagious.

“Go!”

Kiera’s screams fill the air when she jumps out. I count to three and follow her. Her head snaps up to look in my direction.

“Fuck you, Derek!” Kiera flips off the camera, and I chuckle.

I had a feeling that there was a little daredevil hiding inside of her, and I was right. I glance around quickly and see everyone else has pulled their cords and parachutes are littering the sky. I toss two fingers up in the air, signaling to Kiera that it’s time to pull her rip cord. Kiera pulls her ripcord, and her body jerks as the parachute releases. I tug on my own cord, and we start the slower descent to the ground. Landings can be rough if you don’t know what you are doing, but we aren’t one of those mediocre companies that doesn’t prepare clients. We give lessons and teach different methods of how to land without hurting yourself and absolutely will not take anyone up until they show they can follow our instructions and do things safely.

Kiera’s friends rush her as she hits the ground. I land ten feet away and watch as they circle her, cheering and screaming simultaneously.

“That was fucking awesome!”

“We are so doing that again.”

“This is definitely the best way to get over an ex.”

I roll up my chute and walk over to the celebration. “How’d you like it, Kiera?”

“Best. Day. Ever!” she hollers. “Let’s do it again.”

I toss my head back and laugh. “Great, I created another adrenaline junkie.”

A horn blares behind us, breaking up the group. I wave at Megan as she hops out of the Chase the High van. We built this business from the ground up and have a lot of activities for anyone looking for dare-devil experiences.

“Did you ladies have a good time?” Megan asks as she starts helping me roll up the parachutes.

“Omigod, my heart is still pounding.” Kiera bounces from foot to foot. “I had no idea what a thrill that’d be. What can we do next?”

“I think we corrupted her.” I grin.

Megan gives her a thumbs up. “Welcome to the club.”

After an hour of rolling up parachutes, we finally climb into the van and make our way back to headquarters. I close my eyes and bask in the joy of everyone retelling their experience of their first jump.

“Do you offer any other excursions?” Kiera asks.

I open my eyes and turn in my seat. “We have a wide range of activities if you’re interested.”

“Like what?” Jenny asks.

“We have rock climbing, hiking, skydiving, of cour?—”

“Don’t forget about our big white water rafting trip coming up,” Megan adds.

Kiera’s head snaps in Megan’s direction “White water rafting?”

“Yep,” I say, popping the ‘p’. “Twice a year we take about ten to fifteen people with us to the Grand Canyon. We camp at night and battle the rapids of the Upper Colorado River during the day.”

“In fact,” Megan inserts. “We have a trip coming up in eight weeks. This’ll be the last trip for the year out there.”

“I could do that,” Kiera claims.

Jenny rolls her eyes. “Girl, you hate camping. Remember the last time I tried to get you to go with me?”

“Derek said coyotes would get me. I was scared,” Kiera mumbles, and everyone groans. “But I’ve gotten rid of the extra dead weight, and I know I can do it.”

I smirk. “Fuck yeah, you can. Never let a man hold you back. You’re strong, independent, and hella smart. You can do whatever you want.”

“Do you have any more vacancies for the trip?” Jenny inquires.

I shrug. “I’ll have to check the reservations once we get back, and I can let you know then.”

“If you do, count me and Jenny in,” Kiera says confidently. “No more holding back. I’m going to live my life.”

“Thatta girl!”

We pull into the parking lot thirty minutes later and file into the office where our employee, Jeremy, is waiting.

“Who’s ready to jump again?” he asks.

“We will definitely be signing up to do more.” Kiera moves toward the desk. “Do you have any more room on the rafting trip?”

Jeremy’s fingers pound away on the keyboard as he pulls up the reservation list. “We do. I have room for a couple more.”

“Jeremy, go ahead and sign up Kiera and Jenny,” I instruct.

Jeremy wags his brows. “Corrupted a couple more today, did ya?”

“You know it!” I hand Kiera and Jenny the itinerary and a packing list for the trip so they know what to expect and can be prepared. “This is all the information you should need, but feel free to call if you have any questions or concerns.”

After everyone is stripped out of their jumpsuits and personal belongings are collected, they thank us again before heading out.

I throw myself into my chair and let out a huge sigh. “I’ll never get over the rush I feel when I jump.”

“Do you think they’ll actually show up for the trip?” Megan sits across from me at her desk.

I nod. “Absolutely, the look on her face when she jumped said it all. It was like watching a literal weight being lifted off her.”

“How about we grab the girls and go do something dangerous ourselves?”

“Like what?”

“Biker bar.”

“Biker bar?” I ask, confused.

“Let’s go to a biker bar tonight.”

“You’re kidding me, right?”

“Come on, you like living on the edge.”

“True, but I also like the land of the living.”

Megan laughs. “Nothing bad is going to happen.

“Obviously you’ve never read a book or watched a movie. Bikers have danger written all over them.”

“Exactly… this is what we live for.”

I stand. “Why not? I’ve already taken my life in my own hands today by jumping out of a plane. What’s a couple of bikers?”