Free ROUGH RIDER by Nikki Wild Page B

watched everyone from the sidelines, his intense blue eyes seeming to look right through me when they fell on me. His presence was confident and demanding. Sure, he only had one arm, but I didn’t really notice. Neither did he, apparently. He seemed to get along just fine without it. I watched in silent amazement as he pulled a pack of cigarettes out of his pocket, pulled one out, and lit it on his own. He caught me watching, and I looked away quickly, heat rising to my face.
    “So, you’re Loprinzi’s daughter, eh? What’s it like growing up a mob princess?” Alonso asked after Dante disappeared inside the cabin. I wished like hell he hadn’t left me out here with these guys alone, but I was determined not to appear weak. It was obvious they already thought I was bad news.
    “It’s not - look - do one of you have a phone? If I could just get to a phone to call my dad, he can sort all this out.”
    “Daddy’s girl, eh?” Gio grunted, his arms still folded over his massive chest.
    “No, not really. But he’s good at fixing things.”
    “Leo Loprinzi?” Italo asked. “Yeah, fixing things dead.”
    The guys all laughed and I looked around at them with frustration. Nobody was taking me seriously and I was beginning to get really pissed off. I didn’t want them to give them the pleasure of seeing that, though.
    Unfortunately, between the frustration, the fear, the complete helplessness I felt without my car, phone and money - I was starting to lose my shit.
    Instead of blowing up in front of them, I turned on my heel and left them all laughing behind me.
    Fuck them , I thought. Let them laugh.
    As far as I saw it, there was only one way out of this, and it was up to me to convince Dante that I was right.

19

Bella
    “ L ook , Mr. Loprinzi, I’m telling you the truth,” I repeated for the tenth time. “I don’t know where Gabby is.”
    Leo Loprinzi and one of his goons towered over me as I sat on the couch in my apartment. They’d shown up at the crack of dawn, bulldozing their way in and scaring the shit out of me while I slept. They chased out the guy I’d met at the bar last night and now I was sitting here in nothing but an oversized t-shirt and boy shorts, feeling completely exposed in front of them.
    I’d met Gabby’s dad a million times and every single time he intimidated the fuck out of me completely. Today was no different. My legs were shaking with nerves, my knees knocking together.
    “You’re my daughter’s best friend, Bella. I can’t believe you don’t know anything about this,” his voice bellowed through our small apartment, his eyes peering into mine like he could see through my soul.
    “But I don’t!” I protested, goosebumps rising on my flesh. “And to be honest, I’m pissed at her, Mr. Loprinzi. I can’t believe she didn’t tell me she was going to Otto’s. In fact, I can’t believe she went without me! If I would have gone with her, none of this would have happened.”
    “You been there before, Bella?” he asked, sitting on the couch with me.
    “Once,” I replied, hesitatingly. “Please don’t tell my parents.” My parents would kill me and insist on me moving back home if they knew I was going places like Otto’s.
    “I won’t, I promise. Tell me about it. Why would girls like you and Gabby go to such a place?”
    I looked away, biting my lip, remembering all the bragging I’d done to Gabby. I felt like such an asshole. I’d told her I’d met a cool guy there, and he’d taken me home and fucked me all night, and that it was absolutely wonderful.
    But that wasn’t the truth. The truth was, it wasn’t so wonderful at all. I’d met a biker there, all right. And yeah, he was hot enough. But he’d taken me back to his clubhouse and fucked me quickly and roughly in the bathroom, leaving me sore and very unsatisfied.
    Afterward, he made a joke about passing me around and sharing me with the rest of the Iron Godz, but I’d managed to convince him to take me