Rage by Kaylee Song Read Free Book Online Page B

would still be here, looking out for me.  Maybe he wouldn’t’ve take off that night and hung out at home with his sis.  I’d never know, and I had to live with that.
    Cullen signaled and took off down an exit, following the winding path down a sharp hill and over a bridge, the winding and twisting of the Pennsylvania road providing an excellent obstacle tour course for the bike.  I’d forgotten what it was like to ride on the back of a motorcycle holding a man as he took those curves and potholes.
    I knew I was squeezing him too tightly, but I couldn't help it.  Some of my very first experiences on a motorcycle were with Cullen.  I tried to forget about that now, though, and focus on nothing but the ride.
    Gradually, all my pain and suffering and grief ebbed away.  It was just for the moment.  I knew that.  But it was a temporary reprieve.  All I was left with was the ride in the view of the city as we made our way down the South Side slopes to the flats.
    Cullen pulled into a private parking lot and killed the engine.
    “Where are we?" I asked.  I didn't want his bike to get towed.
    “Don’t worry, Lala.  It’s owned by a buddy of mind.  I can park anytime I want.”
    “Buddy, or club contact?”
    “Do you really want to know?”
    I didn’t.  But I waited anyway.
    “The mob.”
    Shit.  I knew they were involved with them.  Hell, I was sure that they were at the funeral.  But the last thing I needed to think about was the Irish Mob.
    The inner workings of the club were never something I ever cared to be a part of.  I knew that when you became part of that inner circle, there was no turning back.  Every dirty detail was a part of your life, something you could never walk away from.  If I knew, I would never sleep again.  And I wouldn’t be able to live with myself.
    I honestly didn’t understand how they could live like that.  Lying and scheming.  Killing.  Involved with the mob.
    I shook my head and tried to block it from my mind.  I was forever intertwined with the club, and there was nothing that I could do to escape it.
    Might as well learn my limits and get comfortable.
    I quickened my pace to catch up with him, following Cullen as he walked down the narrow streets.
    Once a place of industry, this former blue-collar neighborhood had since been revitalized, and filled with college kids and urban professionals.
    I didn’t understand why we were there.
    “Where are we going?”
    “I have a friend who owns a nice little bar.  Figured if I was going to take you out, I’d take you to someplace that you would deem ‘appropriate. ’  ”
    I nodded.  He sure had a lot of contacts.
    We rounded the corner and almost ran smack into a group of giggly college girls who parted while looking Cullen up and down.
    I felt the urge to glare or say something snarky, but I bit back my jealousy.  He wasn’t mine.  I’d lost that chance a long time ago.  A chance that I told myself I didn’t want.
    But the anger and jealousy were bringing up the bile in my throat.
    “Ladies.” He grinned and looked them over before turning his gaze to me.  He grabbed ahold of my hand and pulled me forward.
    “Don’t want you to get lost in the groups,” he said, his breath heavy in my ear as he kept me close.  “Place is filled with college kids, these days.”
    I let him use the excuse.  The feel of his touch against my skin was enough to quiet any jealousy.  He was there with me.  Touching me.  His eyes on me.
    I didn’t need to work to get his attention.  I already had it.
    He tugged me off to the side and into the open door of a small, packed bar filled with the smell of leather cuts and jackets.  It was a biker bar that looked like it served college kids too, and professionals pretending to be hard.  One of those places that looked like it was trying to be a hole in the wall, but it was clearly a bit too upscale.
    “This is your friend’s place?” I asked, looking around.
    “Yeah,