Special thanks for all the love on the last chapter! Comments make my day! Much ❤️ enjoy!

Chapter 33

I found Boe in front of the shop, leaned against an old, rusted Chevrolet pick up. While the truck looked ready to collapse, Boe did his best to make up for it.

Dark washed jeans hugged him in sin, and a solid black button down had the sleeves rolled up to his elbows and just the right amount of buttons left open. He'd gotten a haircut, buzzed it all until the hair on his head held the same clean lines as that across his jaw. He looked good. Too damn good.

I looked down at my own outfit. "Should I go change?" I bluffed, knowing damn well I had nothing better to put on.

His lips curved into the same grin he always wore. "You look good enough to eat."

I ignored him. "You cut off your hair."

"I did." He ran his palm over the top. "You like it?"

"You look different."

"I feel different." He studied me with an expression I'd yet to see on him. Soft, almost reverent. He stepped over to the passenger side and pulled the door open. "Let's Get you fed."

I climbed in and watched as he circled around. A heavy silence settled between us when he got in, and lingered as he pulled out of the driveway.

It wasn't until we'd made it out onto the main road that he spoke again. "Jessie... I have a confession to make."

I stared at his profile and waited for him to continue, but he didn't. My heart rate doubled. Both of his hands stayed glued to the steering wheel; his eyes locked on the road. There was no expression at all on his face.

"What is it?"

Boe turned to me and grinned. "This is most definitely a date."

A breath of air flew from my lungs, and I laughed. "Don't be so damn serious when you do that. It freaked me out."

His grin widened as he turned his face back towards the front.

I returned to studying his profile. "It's not a date."

"Yes it is." He flipped on his blinker and made a left. "You don't know it yet, but I'm gonna marry you one day."

I snorted. "No you're not."

"Don't worry. There's no rush. I'll give you plenty of time to realize how perfect we are for each other."

I laughed and focused my attention on the passing scenery. The sun had finally set, painting the world in darkness. I pressed my forehead to the cool glass and looked at the stars. Maybe this was a bad idea. I liked Boe. Genuinely liked him. He wasn't perfect, and he didn't pretend to be. The more I got to know him, the more I realized how sweet his center was. He had good bones. He'd been shaped as a child, taught and molded. His fucked up was superficial, it never really affected who he was.

But that wasn't me. I'd been crafted by hardship, never taught, never guided. I'd shifted around like a stray, and it'd left me wild and feral. Even now, my life was a mess, and he seemed to be looking at me in a long term type of way.

Bard was dangerous because I wanted him too much. The attraction I felt for him was almost physical. Like fucking gravity.

Boe was safe in that aspect. While I liked him, it wasn't anything too dramatic. He was sexy, that fact couldn't be denied. Could I really be that person? Lead him on and waste his time?

I turned away from the view and looked at him. No. I couldn't. He was too good for that. "This isn't a date, Boe. It can't be. We're friends and that's it."

He shot me a look and made another left. "Whatever you say."

I ground my teeth. "I'm serious. Trust me, I've got baggage. You don't want to get mixed up with me."

"I've got plenty of my own. I don't mind adding more."

Welp! He's not listening. "Where are we going?"

"Little place I like to play pool on the weekends. Thought we could shoot a game. They have pretty good food there." He turned onto another road. "It's just ahead. We're almost there."

A bar came into view, and my heart skipped and spluttered. My blood stopped pumping, it froze inside my veins, expanded like ice, and my fingers and toes curled in as if they too were being locked into place. I slouched into my seat.

Bikes surrounded the building. "I can't be here." I stared at each one, eyed the few people that lingered around them. "Drive away."

Boe pushed the gear into park and turned to face me. "Why? You don't have to drink if you don't want to.  It's really about the pool tables."

"It's not that. I-" My words caught in my throat. The front door to the bar slung open, and a group of bikers exited. All of them had the cut. I'd recognize it anywhere.

When the last man stepped out, I flung myself into the floorboard. "Drive the fucking truck!"

Drake was less than twenty feet away from me, and my mind immediately went to panic. My lungs collapsed. The cab of the truck was too damn small, and there wasn't enough air. I was suffocating.

Boe studied the men for a moment, before finally pulling the truck back into drive and moving away. "Do you know them?" he asked once we'd made it back onto the street.

I couldn't speak. Adrenaline rapidly flowed through my body as if it were being pumped into it. My heart beat like a drum, too hard. I clutched my chest and grimaced.

"Jessie?" He reached over to me.

I pulled back. "Take-me-home." Each word was a rasp, barely spoken at all.

He nodded and pressed down harder onto the gas.

The ride fell silent as Boe focused on getting us back. He seemed both confused and upset at the same time. I remained curled into the floorboard with pictures of everything Drake would do if he caught me swimming through my mind. Seeing his face, that close. He'd almost done it. It had almost been the end.

He would take me back there. To the room. Would he question me about Seb? Would he know?

More memories played out, the whip, the burns, the beatings. "I can't go back there," I whispered to myself.

"We're almost back to the shop," Boe said. "It's okay. You're safe."

I didn't listen. I couldn't. It was all white noise, my mind far away and distant, in another place, another life. A nightmare.

When Boe stopped the truck and jumped out, I didn't move. I was too afraid to look. He had been right there. Right next to me.

The passenger's side door wrenched open, and large arms wrapped around and pulled me out. "What happened?" Bard murmured, carrying me back towards the motor home.

Boe followed behind us. "She freaked out. I think she knew someone."

Bard stiffened, but he didn't slow. He didn't respond. His long legs ate away at the ground in a hurry to get me inside.

When we reached the door, he pulled it open and turned to Boe. "You can go."

Boe didn't move. "I'm not leaving until I know she's okay."

Bard's grip tightened. "How do I know you're not the cause of this?"

"How about you take her inside instead of starting a pissing contest with me?" The sound of Boe's voice, so rough and angry, managed to pull my attention.

Bard looked down, and his eyes met mine. "Are you okay?"

I nodded. My mind cleared, and my heart steadily calmed now that I was away from him and somewhere safe.

Bard stepped inside, sat me down onto the chair, and didn't comment about Boe following us in. His eyes cut into the other man, deadly like they'd been that first night at the bar. "What happened?"

"I took her to Frank's Bar and grill to play pool, but something spooked her."

Bard's jaw clenched. "Get the fuck out."

Boe snorted and moved towards me. "Jessie? You all good now?"

Bard shoved him back. "She's fine."

Boe whipped around and returned the favor, shoving Bard hard in the chest, but like a mountain, he barely wobbled. Boe stood as tall as he could and met Bard's stormy eyes. "How about you back the fuck off!"

That's when all hell broke loose.

**

Thanks for reading! Interesting bit of info you might enjoy. In the original plot of this, Mr. Frankfire had a time traveling pocket watch that Jessie used to go back in time. Bard was a pirate she dragged back with her 😂😂😂😂 needless to say I scrapped all of it and voila! 😁😁😁😁 crazy right?