Page 24 of Ruthless Salvation

I kept us moving, not interested in Micky’s reply.

I’d owned motorcycles my entire adult life and had never felt the need to own a helmet until now. I was equally torn between having Storm unprotected on my bike and sending her home with someone else. It may have been selfish, but I trusted my skills on a bike more than turning her over to some other asshole. Tomorrow, I’d buy a goddamn helmet.

“You ever been on a bike?”

“I’ve been on a Harley, but nothing like this. Is there even room for me?”

It was technically outfitted to carry a passenger, though not comfortably. And not that I let anyone on the back of my bike. No rides outside of family or emergencies.

Until now.

That was going to be my new goddamn mantra.

Storm was shredding every ounce of structure I’d painstakingly crafted in my life. All in a matter of days.

You could end it. Walk away and let life fall back into its routine.

Fuck that.

I threw my leg over the bike and positioned my duffel across my chest. “Step here on this peg and hold my shoulders.” Once she was seated, I revved the motor to life. Storm wound her arms around my middle, overcoming her hesitancy, andChristdid it feel good.

“It’s 55thand Michigan,” she called over the rumbling pipes.

Hell, I’d almost forgotten to ask. That would have been an interesting conversation when I pulled up at her building. I chided myself to get my head out of my ass.

The drive was just long enough for reality to set in. I’d fucked Stormy. The woman I’d been borderline obsessed with for months. My employee.

I couldn’t even imagine how complicated this could get.

I couldn’t bring myself to regret being with her, but I knew it had been a mistake. Who knew what expectations she’d have now? No matter what they were, I was bound to disappoint. My issues had issues. She’d never understand, nor would I expect her to without a glimpse into my past that she was never going to get. That was exactly why I’d always insisted I was better off alone. My fixation on Storm shouldn’t change that fact.

When we arrived, I steeled myself for her to linger at the bike or ask me upstairs. It would have played out like that with most women, but Storm wasn’t most women. I should have known that by now.

I’d barely stopped the bike when she hopped off, murmured thanks for the ride, and disappeared inside. I should have been relieved.

Spoiler alert.

I wasn’t. Not even a little.

Past

Where the heckhad my phone gone? I’d looked everywhere. And since we hadn’t gone out much in the two months since I’d moved in with Damyon, I was sure it had to be in the house.

I got off my knees from where I’d been searching under the bed again and made my way to Damyon’s office. We’d settled into a new normal. A two-week extension had morphed into four, then a decision to leave my return open-ended. I was glad I’d stayed, but I was starting to get a little homesick, especially now that winter had set in.

“Hey, sugar. Have you seen my phone lying around anywhere?”

He took a second to respond, his eyes locked on the computer screen. “No, I haven’t,” he murmured distractedly.

“I’ve looked everywhere and can’t figure out what happened to the darn thing.”

He finally looked at me, a touch of annoyance lining his face. I’d noticed the change in the past weeks and was pretty sure it was work, though I couldn’t help but worry that I was the source of his irritation. Without any friends or a job here in Moscow, I had no social outlet besides him. He tried to balance it all but was so busy all the time.

“We’ll go in the morning and get you a new one, angel. For now, I have work to do.”

Disappointment formed my lips into a frown, but I nodded and slipped away, not wanting to bother him further. A new phone was great, except I didn’t know anyone’s phone number. How was I supposed to get all my old data? I didn’t think they had the same cellular carriers here in Moscow.

I was already isolated from my old life. Losing my phone felt like a door slamming shut behind me, the lock falling into place. My life in Georgia would never be the same after my parents died, but that didn’t mean I wanted to turn my back on the place forever.