Rage (A Thunder Gypsies MC Outlaw Biker Romance) Read Online Free PDF Page B

your backpack.” He opened the driver-side door and handed the bag across to me. “Then get behind the wheel and put it in neutral.”
    Not asking what the bag contained, I did as I was told. My heart thumped hard against the back of my ribcage as I zipped my backpack shut. The brick was about six inches high and as wide and long as a dollar bill. But that didn’t mean it wasn’t drugs and the idea made me nervous.
    “This old heap can’t be trusted to go more than five miles at a time,” I warned as I scooted along the bench seat.
    “Only taking it a few blocks,” he answered then nodded at the gearshift. “Get it in neutral then steer while I push it out of the drive. I want the front facing Monroe Street.”
    Mashing my lips together, I forced the memory up of how to work the transmission. No one had been willing to teach me and I only knew a little from watching my dad and a couple of YouTube videos I had dug up while using one of the computers at the library.
    Stepping on the brake pedal with my right foot and the clutch with my left, I coaxed the gearshift into the spot I figured was neutral. Not only was it dark inside the pick-up, but the letters on the knob had worn off long ago. I just knew that when my dad picked me up from work, he never turned the truck off because half the time it would take an hour and a lot of tinkering and swearing under the hood for him to get it started again.
    Standing at the front of the truck, Callan chuckled. “Take your foot off the brake, Avery.”
    Heat fanned across my cheeks, making me glad that the inside of the cab was darker than where Callan stood and he likely couldn’t see the embarrassment coloring my face. Slowly, I eased off the center pedal. The weight of the truck and the driveway’s incline did the rest. The truck started to quickly roll toward the street.
    My eyes went so big as the truck picked up speed that I couldn’t focus for a second. Then I heard the pounding of Callan’s boots on the drive and him laughing as he gave me directions.
    “Counter-clockwise, baby girl.”
    I jerked the wheel a hard left, almost panicking as the back wheel hit the curb and the truck bounced hard. Now I was on the street. The incline was even steeper and it only took a second before the truck started rolling forward in the new direction.
    “Brake, Avery!” Callan’s hard whisper held no anger, just an urgency for me to act.
    I slammed my foot on the brake pedal, my body bouncing forward so that my chest hit the steering wheel. On my left, Callan opened the door. I looked at him, my mouth open as wide as my eyes. A grin stretched across the entire bottom half of his face.
    “Keep your right foot on the brake and push down the clutch with your left.” He waited for me to do so then reached across my lap and pulled the gearshift all the way left then up. “Now slide that sweet ass over so I can drive.”
    I stared at him another few seconds, my referenced ass and everything around it growing warm at the compliment. Seeing that I had become incapable of movement, Callan licked at his bottom lip. His eyes crinkled in a smile while his hands gave me an assist.
    “Seriously, baby, we have to limit our exposure out here.”
    I nodded and scampered to my right, mentally scolding myself for being stupid. Even if Callan rendered me dumbstruck with a single smile or warm chuckle, I had to get it under control. We were in the truck and running away because an outlaw group of bikers wanted us dead. If I didn’t stop forgetting that fact, I would get both of us killed.
    Still outside the truck with the door open, Callan gave the vehicle a little nudge then jumped in as it started to roll. He waited until we were a few houses down from mine, then turned the key over. I held my breath, waiting to find out if this would be the five in ten times it turned over or the five in ten it stalled out.
    The engine rumbled to life like a rheumatic dragon. I exhaled, a small laugh of relief