Highway Don't Care (Freebirds) Read Free Page A

the car and
drive off when I turned to lock the gym up.  I walked around the corner of
the gym heading towards my car when a large body slammed into me."
      I took slow calming breaths to calm myself, trying to slow
my heart rate.  My heartbeat didn't speed because of the attempted
rape.  No, it was speeding because Gabe was looking at me with death in
his eyes.
      Don't get me wrong, I’m scared that I was beaten and almost
raped.  I'm more upset because I wasn't able to defend myself.  I
never wanted to be that vulnerable again.
      I also never wanted to see Gabe look like this again. 
If I didn't know him as well as I did, I’d be freaking out.  As it is, my
heart and breathing sped up.  I also was developing a little bit of over
active pit sweat.
      Furthermore, it turned me on.  The fierce protective
look in his eyes did something weird inside of me.  It was almost as if my
heart knew that he was pissed off enough to kill someone, and it was all
because I was hurt.  His fists clenched at his sides, veins popping out,
skating like ropes all the way up his arm.  Sparks flew out of his eyes. 
His muscles bulged and then relaxed, as if he was physically keeping himself in
the chair.  All of this because of little old me.
     
    Chapter 2
     
    Four wheels move the
body, two wheels move the soul.
    -Biker truth
     
    Gabe
     
    "What next?" I asked her.
      The question came out sounding calm and remote.  Which
couldn't have been further from the truth. My mind was fighting my body, my
body wanted to kill the "almost" rapist.  To pull him apart with
a pair of pliers, one chunk of flesh at a time.  Starting with his dick.
      My mind however knew that I needed to calm myself and focus
on Ember because it was possible she knew more than what she thought she did.
     I made myself remain sitting in the kitchen chair, looking
calm cool and collected.  The can of Coors in my hand didn't receive the
same fate. It had long since bit the dust.  It was completely crushed, and
now that I thought about it, my hand ached from the grip I had around the
crushed aluminum.
      Not like it mattered.  There was a sharp pain
somewhere in the vicinity of my heart that overshadowed any other pain I had.
      I had a fucked up childhood.  On top of my shit
upbringing, my three tours in Iraq and Afghanistan only compounded my
problems. 
      "He tackled me from behind.  I was stunned at
that point and didn't react much until he grabbed my hair and ground my face
into the gravel.
    I was on my stomach when I felt the burn run down my back. I was
screaming and trying to fight back, but he was a lot stronger than me. Luckily
I had my phone in my hand and was able to speed dial you. I got knocked out at
some point, when I woke the guy was gone and there were a few police officers walking
up to me. You know what happened from that point.”  She said in a flat
voice with no emotion at all.
      I studied her face, and sure, she looked frightened, but
what also was there was fierce anger.  The type of anger that makes you
sloppy, and can get you into hot water if you're not careful.  During a
fight, anger can be used against you.  I needed Em to get past the anger,
because it was going to wear her down if she didn't get it under control.
      "What's wrong?  I mean other than the
obvious.  What else is going through that head of yours?”  I asked
her.
     "I'm so fucking pissed at myself.  I never should
have left there so late, and if I did, I really should have had someone with
me.  I was also useless.  I couldn't fight back.”  She
whispered.
      I got up, and then dropped to my knees in front of
her.  I traced the bruises on her jaw lightly with the knuckle of my
pointer finger.
      "I'll teach you how to defend yourself, honey. 
You'll never feel like this again.  Do you know how to shoot a pistol?” 
I asked her while staring into her eyes.
      Ember's eyes were hazel.  Sometimes they were blue,
others they were