WRECKED: GODS OF CHAOS MC, BOOK FOUR by Honey Palomino Read Free Book Online Page B

bag to my side.
    “Okay, good,” she said, her voice as clear and calm as her eyes. “Here’s what’s going to happen. It’s very simple really. Is that man outside the only person who came with you today?”
    “Yes,” I replied.
    “Good. We’re going to usher you out a back door. There’s a man out back named Ryder. He’s waiting for you. Go with him and he’ll keep you safe. I’ll be right behind you and we’ll talk as soon as we get to a safe place. Sound good?”
    “Yes, thank you so much,” I gushed, trying to push away my nerves.
    “There’s plenty of time for thanking me later. You’re very brave, Vanessa. We’re going to help you,” she said, her pale green eyes staring into mine, full of reassurance and confidence.
    I nodded and tried to smile back, but I’m sure it looked more like a painful grimace. I wanted this so badly - to escape - but I had never been more nervous in my life. Tears stung my eyes.
    “Okay, Vanessa, don’t talk and quietly follow me - let’s go,” she said, opening the door. I followed her down another hallway that led away from the waiting room. She opened a locked door at the end of it, which opened up into another, shorter hallway. We walked down it, our heels echoing off the linoleum floor. She opened one last door and then we were outside in an alley behind the building, the rain falling around us. It was barely past noon, but the clouds overhead were stormy and gray, throwing a dark overcast over the city.
    I looked to my right and right up into a pair of the darkest blue eyes I’d ever seen. This man was even bigger than the guy inside, his long black hair framing a very handsome, very rugged face.
    “Hi, there! I’m Ryder,” the man said, his voice low and gruff. “Come with me.”
    I looked behind me and Grace had disappeared, the door firmly closed behind her. A black SUV was waiting behind him. He opened the door and I slid into the backseat.
    Ryder stayed outside, standing just outside of my door. I turned my head and saw there were two other men in the car. One was sitting behind the wheel and the other was right next to me in the backseat.
    “Hi, Vanessa, I’m Riot,” the one next to me said. I nodded, struck with awe. He was younger than Ryder, his arms slathered in tattoos. A huge black beard was hanging down from his handsome face.
    “H-h-hello,” I said, my eyes darting around quickly with anxiety.
    “Of course you’re nervous,” he said, nodding slowly. “Don’t worry. We’ll be out of here in no time. Grace, Lacey and Slade will be along in just a moment, and then we’ll be off.”
    “Okay, th-thank you, Riot,” I said, looking at him gratefully.
    “And that’s Wreck up there,” he said, gesturing towards the driver.
    Wreck, Riot, Slade, Ryder, I thought, what kind of names are those?
    The driver turned around to greet me and our eyes collided. I gasped out loud when I saw his face. His face was scarred, an angry red line cutting right down his cheek. Worry lines cut deep into his rugged skin. But those eyes - dark gray, the color of the cloudy Oregon sky overhead - I could swear I’d seen them before.
    But it couldn’t be, I thought.
    They couldn’t be the same eyes I’d stared into countless times before, the same eyes that had haunted me for the last ten years, the same eyes that I’d fallen deeply in love with so long ago that it seemed like a dream sometimes.
    “Hey,” he said, lifting his chin, and then turning away. “Nice to meet you.”
    My mind raced, trying to make sense of it all while I stared at the back of his head. Was this even possible? Surely I must be mistaken. There’s no way in hell this could be that big of a coincidence.
    There’s no way in hell that’s Jesse, I thought. That would be absurd. It’s the stress, I’m just overwhelmed.
    I swallowed hard, catching his eye in the rearview mirror. He smiled and my heart flipped. His smile looked just like the same crooked grin I’d kissed a