in silence for a few minutes before snuffing the cigarette out. I figured now that the evening’s chore was out of the way, he would make his exit and leave me to my own devices until he was ready for a repeat.
Instead, Orion propped two thick pillows up on the bed and pulled me to his chest. I was surprised at the way his arms tenderly circled me and I sank against him gratefully as he stroked my hair. I thought about what Rachel had said about being alive. I was glad to be alive. I knew Crest would be glad I was alive.
“Orion?” I asked sleepily as I listened to the measured thud of his heart.
“Yeah?”
Now that I’d had a taste of this new world I wanted more. “You’ll show me everything?”
He tipped my head back and kissed me passionately but didn’t go any further. “I will, Kira,” he promised, his fingers threading through my hair again. “There’s no stopping that now.”
Chapter Seven
Orion was gone early the next morning. I touched myself gingerly as I slid out of the bed. Deep inside I was sore as hell and the rest of me felt rather stiff.
As I stumbled into the bathroom, I noted the ringing silence throughout the house. As I stood under the hot water I kept thinking about that decisive moment w hen Orion entered me. A warm feeling curled in my belly and traveled between my legs. I wished he was there.
I’d gotten over the strange sensation of wanting him the moment he’d kissed me. Orion Jackson wasn’t one to pour out the contents of his mind and heart but as I remembered the way his arms curled around me it was enough to make me feel somewhat tender about him.
The house was still strangely empty when I emerged from the shower. The kitchen clock told me it was only 7am. There was no note anywhere. I frowned, pouring a bowl of Rice Crispies. At some point Orion or someone else had cleaned up the mess from the macaroni and cheese. I peered out the kitchen window and noted that the bikes which were usually lined up outside Riverbottom were missing. So whatever it was which pulled Orion away involved the rest of the club. I started to feel uneasy.
Rachel had only mentioned that she lived in one of the trailers on the outskirts of the property. She didn’t say which one. The closest dwelling was an old Airstream which appeared to be nicely kept. A row of clay pots containing aloe plants were lined up in the dirt to the left of the door.
“Good morning, Sunshine.” Rachel swung the door open, winking. “You looking for your man? They all took off before the sun came up. Didn’t you hear all those bikes peeling out of here?”
I shook my head. “I’ve been told I sleep like a rock. Besides I’ve been hearing bikes since the cradle. I guess the noise doesn’t make a dent anymore. Where did they go?”
She shrugged. “ Casper doesn’t run his plans by me. Club shit, I guess. Says they’ll be back tomorrow.”
Club shit. The words made me cold. I remembered where I’d heard them before. From Crest as he grimaced under the weight of an unknown burden. Only hours before he was murdered.
I swallowed. “You think it had something to do with me?”
Rachel cocked her head. “I doubt it, hon. You worried about the SF’s? Cops netted a bunch of them and every NoCal club is pretty pissed off over the Warlocks.”
I wanted to know about the man who killed my father. “And Ruger?”
A look of doubt flitted across her face. “I don’t know,” she admitted. She pulled at my arm. “Come in. I’ll make you some coffee and you can tell me about your night.”
I followed Rachel into the tidy interior of the trailer. She motioned to a small table and I sat down, watching her fill the coffee carafe with water. She wore only a bra and a pair of cutoff shorts. I stared at her body with envy, knowing I would never be anywhere near as voluptuous.
“So,”