CRASH (A Stone Kings Motorcycle Club Romance) by Daphne Loveling

clenched. I looked back down at the floor and continued.
    “The thing is, Isaiah’s oldest daughter by Carolyn is fourteen now. Her name is Abigail. She’s a sweet girl, pretty and obedient. And…” My voice began to crack, and I swallowed painfully. “And Isaiah just made the decision that she’s to be married off to a man of forty-two. Carolyn agrees with him, and poor Abigail…” My lip trembled. “Poor Abigail doesn’t know what she’s in for.” A tear rolled down my cheek, then another. “I realized that when I had children, they would be Isaiah’s, too. And he would make the same decisions for them. For any daughters I had.” A sob escaped me, and I shook my head as I fought for words. “I just couldn’t stay, knowing that was my future, my children’s future. I just couldn’t.”
    Levi looked stricken. “Jesus. Cherish… I don’t know what to say.”
    “No. No, it’s fine,” I sniffled, grabbing a paper towel from the rack and wiping at my eyes. “It’s… it’s actually sort of a relief to talk about it. I’ve been thinking about it for so long, without any way to say it out loud.” I sighed shakily. “It’s a little like an escape valve.” I smiled at him weakly through my tears. “Thanks.”
    For a moment, neither of us spoke. What else was there to say?
    “Well,” I finally said, to break the silence. “I should finish cleaning these skillets. Then I should go wash up. I think Seton is planning to come see me in a little while.”
    Levi stood. “I’ll let you get to it, then.” For a moment, he seemed to be on the verge of saying something else, but then he turned and was gone. I sighed and turned back to the dishes, emotionally drained by the unexpectedly serious conversation with Levi. I had never had such a deeply personal conversation with anyone before, let alone a man who wasn’t even related to me. I wasn’t quite sure what had gotten into me. I hoped he hadn’t regretted asking me about my decision to leave.
    After finishing up in the kitchen, I went upstairs and took another long shower, which made me feel somewhat better. Once I had brushed out my hair and gotten dressed, I found a stray paperback in the apartment and tried to distract myself with it. I knew I should probably be thinking about what my next steps were, but frankly the idea was so overwhelming I didn’t know where to start. I was hoping that maybe a conversation with Seton would give me some ideas. Maybe there was someplace in town that took in women who didn’t have any place to stay.
    A little after one o’clock, I heard footsteps on the stairs and a knock on my door. I opened it to find Seton in a bright white camisole and jean shorts, looking radiant. “Hey, Cherish! Ready to come shopping with me?”
    I wasn’t sure what we would be shopping for, but I didn’t care. Just tagging along with her sounded fine by me. I’d pick her brain for ideas while we were out, and hopefully by the time we got back to the clubhouse, I’d have a plan.

8
    Levi
    A couple of hours after my conversation with Cherish, and I was still practically shaking with fury. I left the clubhouse almost immediately after she went upstairs, and got on my bike without saying a word to anyone about where I was going. I needed to clear my head and calm myself down before I tore the first unfortunate son of a bitch I happened to come across a new asshole.
    I drove fast and recklessly, almost daring the road to fuck with me. I flew out of town at a full thirty miles over the speed limit, and didn’t stop until I finally came to a lush valley of evergreens with meandering, winding roads — a rarity in this part of the state. I slowed and took the curves at a steep lean, letting the tension ebb away as I concentrated on being one with the bike. On the far side of the valley, I stopped in a pool of cool shade by the side of the road and parked the bike. I still wasn’t calmed down, so I lit a cigarette from the pack inside