Temperance: Biker Romance (The Davis Chapter Book 2) Read Free

to marry him. Conrad promised me a life without wanting. He was right: I didn’t want anything. I didn’t even want my freedom anymore; I needed it.

    Inside the guest room, I waited. I couldn’t stop checking my phone for a text from Kyle. After midnight, the guards would all be stationed in the carriage house, preparing for their hourly walk-around. At quarter past, I’d head for my car. It was facing out of the drive, waiting for me to hop behind the wheel. I would ditch it when I met Kyle. It would be another part of my life I was going to abandon. Fear and apprehension battled inside my mind. I knew I had to get out, but I also knew that Conrad was a man capable of anything. I hoped to God that Kyle was capable of even more.

    My phone vibrated as I held it in my hand.

    Hope you’re ready.

    For six months I wondered if I would be. I wondered if the moment would present itself to me, and I might freeze up. As I responded to Kyle, my hands stopped trembling for the first time in weeks.

    Never been more ready.

    I looked around the guest room one last time. There wasn’t a good memory associated with the Blythe mansion, and the sooner I was on the road to Bakersfield, the better. I looked through my purse for what must’ve been the hundredth time. I had photocopied all of my important paperwork. The copies had been switched out; the originals were with me, just in case.

    The hallway was deserted, and I took the long way through the large home. I already knew that Conrad was preoccupied with some conference call in Portuguese, but I was more worried about the security staff. They had very strict instructions when it came to me. I wasn’t to leave unless Conrad gave permission. Not that night, though.

    That night, I moved around the outside, taking my time and staying out of the perpetual brightness of the lights that lit up Conrad’s home. There was no movement outside the guest house. As soon as I started the car, they’d scramble, but I’d thought of that, too. They couldn’t find what they couldn’t see. My heart raced, and I felt sweat forming at my forehead, but I was in too deep. I had taken the first few steps, and it felt incredible.

    My car was bathed in indirect light. With key in hand, I checked over my shoulder one last time. I didn’t see any movement near the guest house. A second before I was about to take my first step into the light, I saw movement out of the corner of my eye. A guard was making his way down the side of the building. I couldn’t go back the way I came, so I shoved my way into the shrubs. They scratched at my face, but it didn’t bother me in the moment. I was trying not to panic as the guard got closer.

    As I watched his boots move ever nearer, I held my breath. When the guard stopped right beside of me, I shut my eyes. I didn’t want to see his face when he yanked me from the bushes. I would keep my eyes closed, even when he dragged me in front of Conrad. I couldn’t stand to look at anything.

    A moment passed, then another. Then I heard the splashing. My eyes flew open, and I saw the stream right beside the shrub. The guard was taking a piss right next to me. I didn’t even know what to feel. I wanted to laugh, cry, and scream all at the same time. It was almost worth blowing my cover. The nerves were starting to get to me. I had to get away. The Blythe life was frying me.  

    The guard let out a low groan as he emptied his bladder. Vomit was rising in my throat as I tried to remain absolutely still. Whatever he had eaten made his piss reek. I held my breath in spite of my racing heart. God, when was the last time you went?

    The stream finally trickled out, and after one last grunt, the guard zipped himself back up. I waited until he was long out of earshot before moving. The man was in no great hurry, so at least I knew they weren’t looking for me. Once I was certain no one else was coming, I pulled myself from the shrub. More scratches that I didn’t notice