Violet: From The Colt Universe - Book cover

Violet: From The Colt Universe

Decide Your Destiny

Chapter 2: Wild Ride

VIOLET

Time ticked by.

The man’s intense green eyes bore into me, as if daring me to defy him.

I felt a spark of rebellion ignite within me…only to quickly fizzle out.

After all, I was alone out here, and I was aware of an unmarked white van shadowing my every move.

If this man was a member of the Crows and I rejected his offer of a ride, he’d likely just force me onto his bike. And if not…well, he might be my only chance out here.

“So, what’s your decision, purple? I don’t have all night,” he finally said, his tone laced with impatience.

I blinked at him, puzzled. Purple?

“It’s because of your eyes,” he explained, accurately interpreting my confusion.

“Oh,” I responded, finally understanding. For a brief, chaotic moment, I hesitated. Then I nodded.

“Great,” he said, tossing me a helmet from the compartment beneath his seat.

“Why do I need this?” I questioned him.

“You’re wearing it,” he commanded. “That’s all there is to it. I’m not risking your brains being splattered all over the pavement.”

I swallowed hard and decided not to point out his own lack of a helmet.

Instead, I jammed the helmet onto my head and climbed onto the seat behind him. Unsure of where to place my hands, I decided to rest them on his shoulders.

When I did, he chuckled.

“Wrap your arms around my waist and hold on tight, purple,” he instructed.

I did as he said and felt, even through his leather jacket, what felt like a slab of sculpted marble beneath my fingers.

With a thunderous roar, he revved the bike’s engine, and we shot off into the night.

It was exhilarating. The wind whipped through his hair, sending an intoxicating scent my way.

A mix of motor oil, cologne, and sweat that I found strangely appealing.

What? Violet?

“So,” he yelled over the roar of the wind, “what’s your story? What’s a nice girl like you doing out here on a night like this?”

I rolled my eyes at the cliché. He didn’t know me. I was tough. Having a father like mine, I didn’t have a choice.

“Nice try,” I yelled back, “but I still don’t know if you’re planning to kill me or not. I’m not telling you anything else about myself until you tell me about you.”

He chuckled, and I felt a shiver run down my spine at the sound.

“Fair enough, purple. My name is Blade. I’m the VP of the Vipers Oklahoma charter. And don’t worry, I’m not here to kidnap you.”

Hearing his name, I felt like a lead weight had settled in my stomach.

This man was Blade? The same Blade Anna and all the Crows at No Man’s Land had been whispering about all night?

I tried to maintain my composure, even though my heart was pounding in my chest.

“Oh. I hear you’re in town to take down the Crows’ human trafficking. So, you’re kind of my hero then?” I said sarcastically, trying to appear nonchalant about riding on the back of the rival VP’s bike.

He chuckled again. “I can feel your nerves, purple. Your heart is pounding against my back like a bass drum. I know you’re scared shitless being on my bike.”

I squirmed away from him, feeling anger surge within me.

“Don’t move like that, purple. You’ll fall off and hurt yourself,” he said, and I could tell from his tone that he was smirking.

I suddenly realized that this man was a total jerk. He was just like all those bikers I’d seen around No Man’s Land.

He thought he held all the power and I was just some helpless girl on the back of his bike.

“Fine, just take me home,” I snapped.

For the third time in the last five minutes, he just chuckled in response.

“Oh, I’m not taking you home. We’ve got something to do first.”

Alarm bells started ringing in my head.

I didn’t care who this guy was or who else was lurking in the night.

Gathering all my courage, I took a deep breath.

“I hope you have a great quest for vengeance,” I spat finally. And then I let go.

For a moment, I felt a rush of wind. And then I felt my legs hit something solid.

And then I felt a sharp pain in my left leg and something warm trickling into my left sock.

I opened my eyes and looked around.

I had landed in an abandoned alleyway between the shells of two towering warehouses.

Ahead, I heard the screech of brakes as Blade’s motorcycle skidded to a stop. I saw him flip and turn around to speed back toward me.

It was now or never.

I jumped to my feet, ignoring the throbbing pain in my side, and ran as fast as I could.

I could hear him shouting from behind me, but I didn’t care what he had to say.

He was dangerous, and right now I just needed to get home.

I sprinted down another alleyway as fast as my legs could carry me. I knew that, at the end, there was a narrow path I could cut through that would lead me to my backyard. If I could just reach it.

Just then, I heard a screech of tires. With a jolt of fear, I saw the unmarked white van skid to a stop in front of me.

The doors swung open, and the last thing I saw before a bag was pulled over my head was Skinner’s leering face.

***

I woke up to the sensation of stabbing pain in my leg and hard bars beneath me.

I opened my eyes and looked around groggily. I was in a small space. Black metal bars seemed to enclose me.

Beyond them, I could see a vast chamber.

What the hell is this place?

“Rise and shine, baby doll.”

I recognize that voice…

My head turned slowly, catching sight of a familiar, sneering face just before something hard crashed into my skull. Stars exploded across my vision.

I crumpled to the ground, groaning.

When I managed to blink my eyes open, I took in my surroundings. I was trapped in a small cage on a warehouse floor. An unmarked white van idled nearby, and several Crows were scattered around.

Skinner towered over me, his glare icy. It dawned on me that he must have been the one to hit me.

“You know, sweetheart, ever since you and your good-for-nothing dad showed up in my town, I’ve been itching to add you to my collection.

“Your old man thinks he can just waltz in here because he was part of the mother charter and take the top spot? Not on my watch, sweetheart.

“Maybe when I tell him his little girl’s been auctioned off to the highest bidder, he’ll lose some of that arrogance.”

Skinner’s anger was palpable, but I was struggling to understand why.

Why is he so furious? What did I do? How did I end up here?

Through a fog, I watched him slam the cage door shut and lock it. He attached the pair of silver keys to his belt, looking down at me with a twisted sense of satisfaction.

I doubted his plan would pan out. My dad wouldn’t care if I was sold into slavery. He might even thank Skinner.

I opened my mouth to share this with Skinner, but the sound of a door slamming at the other end of the room stopped me.

Skinner and the other bikers spun around, weapons drawn. I squinted through blurry eyes at a figure standing just inside the warehouse door, hands on his hips. He looked like he’d stepped out of an action movie.

“Let her go. She’s off limits.” I recognized that voice. As my vision cleared, I realized who it was. Blade.

Skinner puffed out his chest and cocked his gun, but I could see fear flickering in his eyes as he faced off with Blade.

“You’re playing with fire, Blade. This isn’t No Man’s Land. This is Crows territory. I could kill you for stepping foot in this warehouse.”

Blade didn’t flinch. “You really want to start a war, Skinner?” he asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Only if you’re dumb enough to try and claim this girl. She’s ours. Her dad’s one of us. This doesn’t concern the Vipers.”

The threat in Skinner’s voice was unmistakable.

Even in my dazed state, I could feel the tension mounting. I knew it was only a matter of time before things exploded.

“She’s off limits. She belongs to me,” Blade stated calmly, pulling a Walther from his belt.

Skinner tensed, while Blade remained as relaxed as if he were at the beach.

Then, in a blur of motion, Skinner raised his gun to aim at Blade. But before he could even level it with Blade’s head, Blade had already fired.

The crack echoed around the warehouse, and a red hole appeared in the back of Skinner’s head.

He stumbled backward, crashing into my cage, then his knees gave out. He fell to the floor, his lifeless eyes staring at me, the ring of keys clattering to the floor just out of reach.

For a moment, there was silence. Then all hell broke loose. Skinner’s bikers unloaded their guns at the spot where Blade had been standing.

But he’d already taken cover behind a crate, and the bullets hit nothing but wood.

Blade’s first return shot hit a Crow in the knee. He fell to the ground, howling in pain.

The second shot was a kill shot.

Then his brothers were shouting, scrambling for cover as Blade rained bullets down on them.

In the midst of the chaos, I lunged for the keys.

I reached through the bars, my fingers barely grazing the keyring.

But Skinner’s body was blocking me. I growled in frustration.

Then I tried again, pushing against the bars, willing them to give just a little.

My fingers brushed the keyring again. I twisted my finger into a hook…

And managed to snag the ring around the edge of my finger.

I scrambled across the cage and jammed the key into the lock. It was stuck.

“Damn it,” I cried out, and slammed the key with all my might into the lock. It slid in and turned.

A surge of adrenaline coursed through me as I watched the padlock fall to the ground. I pushed open the cage.

But then, the shooting stopped.

I froze, halfway out of the cage.

I couldn’t see what was happening in the battle behind me, but I could hear the rumble of motorcycles outside the warehouse—surrounding us.

“Give it up, Blade. My boys have got you surrounded,” a voice shouted from outside.

A moment later, the crack of Blade’s Walther, then a thud, told me that the last Crow inside the warehouse was now dead. But now there were more surrounding the building.

Shit, shit, shit, I thought.

I was free from the cage, but Blade had just ignited a war with my father’s club, a club that was now surrounding the warehouse he was hiding in.

Any minute now, they’d come bursting through those doors, and all hell would break loose.

I scanned the warehouse frantically and spotted a trapdoor in the corner.

Maybe if I could make it to the trapdoor, I could hide downstairs until the fighting was over, then sneak off home and pretend I had just been working late.

“Purple!”

I spun around. Blade was crouched behind an old Mustang in the corner of the warehouse, gesturing frantically for me to come to him.

I looked back at the trapdoor, then at Blade.

I could hear the sound of bikers cocking their guns outside. Any moment now, they’d come barreling through these doors, and we’d be done for.

Oh, shit. I had to make a decision. Now…

DECIDE YOUR DESTINY

Should Violet make a dash for Blade or bolt through the trapdoor?

Don’t bother casting your votes in the comments below, they won’t count. Head on over to the next chapter to cast your vote.

Remember, new chapters are out every Tuesday!

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