Red Thorns: Red Thorns Crew Book 1 Read online

  Copyright © 2020 by Rebel Hart

  Photo by Regina Wamba

  Cover by Robin Harper of Wicked By Design

  www.RebelHart.net

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  Contents

  1. Dani

  2. Max

  3. Dani

  4. Max

  5. Dani

  6. Max

  7. Dani

  8. Max

  9. Dani

  10. Max

  11. Dani

  12. Max

  13. Dani

  14. Max

  15. Dani

  16. Max

  17. Dani

  18. Max

  19. Dani

  20. Max

  21. Dani

  22. Max

  23. Dani

  24. Max

  25. Dani

  26. Max

  27. Dani

  28. Max

  29. Dani

  30. Max

  31. Dani

  32. Max

  33. Dani

  34. Max

  35. Dani

  36. Max

  37. Dani

  38. Max

  39. Dani

  40. Max

  About the Author

  Also by Rebel Hart

  1

  Dani

  “I still don’t know about this dorm room situation,” Mom said.

  “Honey, she made her choice. We agreed to let her make her own decision,” Dad murmured.

  “But the apartments we saw were beautiful. And she’d have her privacy.”

  “Rena, stop it.”

  “Just try to talk to her, Peter. Please?”

  I sighed. “I can hear you two, you know.”

  Mom smiled at me hesitantly and Dad shook his head. As I rolled my last suitcase out the front door of our beautiful two-story home, I didn’t let their conversation dampen my spirits. I was excited to be rooming with my best friend, Hannah. I’d met her during orientation last year when we were both freshmen. And we seemed to latch on to one another. She was peppy and loud, with a boisterous laugh and curves that made every available boy on campus come over and talk to us just to get in good with her. She loved big costume jewelry and clothes that were a size too small. And through it all, we helped one another get through the tumultuous insanity that was freshman year of college.

  I was lucky to be rooming with her again for our sophomore year.

  “There she is, my future human resources professional. I’m proud of you, princess.”

  I smiled. “Hi, Daddy.”

  I set my suitcase beside him and leapt into his open arms. I’d taken general studies courses all throughout last year before I ended up declaring a human resources degree. And while it wasn’t the sparkling medical degree or business degree my parents wanted for me, they supported me nonetheless.

  Kind of.

  “Well, just know you can change that major at any time,” Mom said.

  “Rena,” Dad murmured.

  I patted his back. “It’s okay. Really. I promise.”

  “So we have a surprise for you!”

  Dad held me by the shoulders and gave me that ‘oh, shit’ look he always got whenever Mom sprang something on him.

  “We do?” Dad asked.

  “Yes. We do. We’re going to campus to help you unpack!”

  I nodded slowly. “Thank you, Mom. I really appreciate it.”

  She placed her hand against my car. “Oh, you don’t have to thank us for something like that. Plus, I’ve been dying to know how this car drives.”

  “I think your mother wants to drive it herself,” Dad murmured.

  “Well, can you blame me? I mean, look at it. Sure, it’s not the newest model. A few years old. But the pearl white paint is pristine and the leather seats are heated. Heated, sweetheart. Oh, this Range Rover is a dream.”

  I giggled. “At least you know what to get her for Christmas, Daddy.”

  He cleared his throat. “All right. Let’s heave this last suitcase into the back and get on the road, then.”

  “Oh, can we stop by that coffee place just out of town? I never get over there and they have the best iced mochas in West Bloomfield!”

  I looked over at Dad. “Yeah, Daddy. Best iced mochas ever.”

  He grimaced. “Why would anyone put coffee and chocolate together?”

  “Come on, you two! Quit dragging!”

  “Shouldn’t I be the one to make this dri--?”

  Mom snatched the keys from my hand and bounced her way into the driver’s seat. I’d never seen her so peppy before. Or happy. And I knew the worse it got, the more worried she was growing. I still didn’t know why me living in the dorms again made her so nervous. But I didn’t question it. For Dad’s sake, and my own.

  “Let’s get you to campus, then,” he said.

  The ten-hour drive to Ann Arbor was excruciating. But it didn’t squelch my excitement over the new year. I had a major, specialized classes to take, and with a lot of my required classes out of the way that meant I could really dig into my studies. Really focus. And if I played my cards right with some summer courses, I’d be able to graduate a semester early.

  Something I knew my father would take pride in, since he’d done it himself during his own college years.

  “So, how’s Hannah?” Dad asked.

  “Oh, please tell me you’re rooming with her. I don’t know if I can take you rooming with another stranger like that,” Mom said.

  I smiled. “Yep. She’s my roomie. I’m really excited, too. We already know how we want to set up our dorm room.”

  “Oh? Have you already seen your room?” Mom asked.

  “Yep. We requested the dorm building we were in last year because of its central location on campus.”

  Mom paused. “The really rundown building?”

  Dad took her hand. “Honey, take a breath. She’s our college girl now. She’s not in pigtails anymore.”

  Mom ripped her hand away. “I know that.”

  I leaned forward and kissed Mom on her cheek. While I was a Daddy’s girl, I knew Mom was struggling more with this than most. I knew it was a culture thing, too. With my father being Korean, he understood the value of letting children go when it came to their education. Being thankful for their grown-up state and encouraging them to reach for the stars. It’s what his parents wanted for him, and that was how he was raised.

  My mother, on the other hand, was a typical American helicopter parent.

  “Take before and after pictures for your mother. You know she’ll like that,” Dad said.

  I smiled. “I wouldn't have it any other way. You can give us some design tips, Mom.”

  “Oh! That would be lovely. Are you allowed to paint the walls?” she asked.

  “Oh, boy,” Dad murmured.

  I snickered. “I don’t think we can paint the walls, no.”

  “What about pictures? Can you hang pictures?”

  “I think the walls are painted cement blocks. So that might be hard.”

  Mom’s eyes bulged. “Cement blocks. Okay. Great.”

  I threw my head back in laughter as the smile plastered on her face slid slowly into an expression of disgust. With my mother being the forefront interior designer of our town, I could only imagine the horrors rushing through her head right now.

  “Hey, it could be worse,” Dad said.

  “Don’t you say it,” Mom glowered.

  “She could h
ave shiplap scuffed up underneath some molded carpet.”

  “You said it! Why would you say it!? You monster.”

  I laughed until tears crested my eyes as my parents kissed in the front seat.

  I took naps in the back seat until we finally made it to campus. I mean, we didn’t get there until almost nine o’clock at night. But we made it and we were alive. Most everyone else had already shooed their parents away so they could go do other things on campus. I texted Hannah as we pulled onto campus. I heard music coming from one of the dorm buildings and groups of students were rushing around in packs to and from the cafeteria. The University of Michigan firmly welcomed me back with its newly-installed lit-up sign and directional arrows pointing me to my dorm.

  As if I didn’t already know where to go.

  “Finally!” Hannah squealed.

  I threw the Range Rover door open and leapt into my best friend’s arms.

  “Oh, I missed you so much over the summer,” I murmured.

  “We have to drop your stuff and get dinner. I want to tell you all about Europe,” she said.

  The revving of an engine caught my attention and I pulled away from Hannah. As the two of us held hands, I felt someone wrap their arm around my shoulder. I looked up at my father as we all stared out toward the main road, watching as a couple of lamp posts flickered with the need for a new bulb.

  “What’s that racket?” Mom asked.

  “Motorcycles, I think,” Dad said.

  The rumbling got louder. Bigger. Stronger. I felt my ribcage shaking as a motorcycle peeled around the corner. There was a group of them. A large group of them. I counted four. Five. Seven. Eleven.

  “How many of them are there?” Hannah murmured.

  My eyes slid over their bikes. Some were stark black. Others had red racing stripes. It was intriguing, too, how their eyes raked over campus. There was a man at the front and a man at the back. Almost like a pack of wolves. And as my eyes slid along their leather jackets and torn-up denim, my curiosity piqued.

  Not that it mattered.

  “Well, don’t I feel better,” Mom said.

  “Honey, don’t,” Dad said.

  “Let’s get you upstairs, shall we? We’re on the top level with a great view. And a corner room, so there’s a little extra space,” Hannah said.

  “Yes,” I hissed.

  “Goodie,” Mom said flatly.

  “Are there elevators?” Dad asked.

  “Actually, yes. There is one. Though it takes a while for it to come downstairs sometimes. Since there’s only one elevator servicing the whole building,” Hannah said.

  “I don’t mind the wait,” Mom said.

  “I’ll wait with your mother. You girls take up the lighter things,” Dad said.

  The engines continued revving off in the distance as Hannah and I hauled things out of the car. I had all sorts of things to take upstairs. Snacks I packed. Outfits I wanted to hang up instead of pack away in my dresser. Decorations for my desk and sheets for my bed. Hannah helped me get everything up to the top floor while Mom and Dad stayed downstairs with my four small suitcases.

  And when I walked into the dorm room, it felt like home.

  “Wow, this is bigger,” I said.

  “See? Told you. Now, let’s put these snacks in the little pantry I’ve got made up. I already stacked my mini-fridge with sodas and cold coffees. So we should be good to go for the first week or so,” Hannah said.

  She helped me make up my bed and rearrange my things. I wanted my desk in the corner near the window, because she was right. The view was outstanding. As I gazed out the window, I saw those bikers come back down the street, revving their engines as if they were trying to alert campus to their presence.

  The guy at the front of the pack pulled off to the side.

  Huh.

  “We’re here!” Mom chimed in.

  “We made it. You weren’t kidding about that elevator,” Dad said.

  I pulled away from the window and took the suitcases from them. I saw Mom looking around the room with a wary eye as Dad rubbed her back. And when my stomach growled out loud, Hannah giggled.

  “Do you want us to get a hotel room and come help you tomorrow?” Mom asked.

  “Honey, she’s got it from here,” Dad said.

  “I mean, we could grocery shop for you.”

  “Rena.”

  “Pick up a few things.”

  “Reen.”

  “I could pick up some decora--”

  I threw my arms around my mother’s neck and held her tightly. And when she wrapped her arms around me, I felt her sniffle. She shook with the force it took to hold back her tears, and I stroked her back lovingly. I knew she was going to miss me.

  Just like I’d miss her.

  “I love you so much,” she whispered.

  “I love you too, Mom.”

  “We are going to get a hotel for the night and rent a car to get home, so if you need us, call. Otherwise, you girls have a fantastic start to your semester,” Dad said.

  Then he pulled Mom away from me and softly guided her to the door and down the hallway to the elevator, where they finally disappeared.

  “Is that car downstairs yours for the semester?” Hannah asked.

  I grinned. “We should go find a parking spot for it. I’ve already secured a pass.”

  “Holy shit. This is going to be awesome!”

  “I got it in the mail two weeks ago. Let’s go!”

  With Hannah’s hand in mine, we raced down the stairs. With my parents nowhere in sight, we rushed over to the pearl white SUV and pulled the doors open. I felt the hairs on the nape of my neck prickle and turned around, leaning my back against the open door. When my gaze wandered across the street, I saw him.

  In his leather jacket. And his black denim jeans. With his boots, and those long legs straddling his puttering motorcycle. A cigarette dangled from his lips.

  “You coming?” Hannah asked.

  It was dark, but I could’ve sworn he was staring at me from beyond the puffs of cigarette smoke. Underneath the flickering lamp light, I caught flashes of him. Flashes of tan skin and broad shoulders. Brown hair. Or was it black?

  “Come on, the cafeteria closes in an hour,” Hannah implored.

  Maybe he’s a student?

  The more the man stared at me, the more I felt myself blushing. My cheeks burned and my neck heated. Even my hands began to tremble a bit. I cleared my throat as the soft smell of cigarette smoke finally graced my nose. But it wasn’t until Hannah stepped in front of me that it snapped me from my trance.

  “Hello? Earth to Dani? We need to go park,” she said.

  I cleared my throat. “Yes. Sorry. I’m coming.”

  The rumbling of motorcycles started up again as I turned my back. And for some reason, the rattling of my ribcage knocked me off balance. I felt my knees weaken as I reached for the inside of the door, trying to catch myself. As the sound grew, my legs turned to jello and I fell to my ass on the pavement of the parking lot. Above the roaring of the bikes’ engines came a sound more intimidating. More infuriating. More embarrassing than ever.

  The sound of men laughing at me as I sat there beside the SUV.

  2

  Max

  The girl was… strange. Dark brown hair. Slanted eyes. Tan skin, but not tan enough to protect her from the sun. She looked almost Asian. Except for those pinched, full lips.

  Must’ve been her parents with her.

  As the men roared with laughter, I put the kickstand down on my bike. With the engine still running, I tucked my cigarette into the side of my lips and started across the road. I kept my eyes on her, watching as she scrambled to her feet. She had on a white T-shirt and skinny jeans that accented her legs. Short and petite, rounding out into a set of hips that dipped softly into a waist.

  Her waist.

  I like waists.

  My boots charging across the pavement sounded in my ears. My men quickly stopped laughing as they watche
d me approach her. She scrambled to her feet, clinging to that car of hers for dear life. It was a nice car. Big. Probably a gas-guzzler. I preferred my bike. The open road. Feeling the wind and the elements against my skin.

  And it didn’t guzzle gas.

  “Need help?” I asked.

  The girl whipped around in her tennis shoes and her wallet flew out of her pocket, along with her phone. Something in a small tube, too. Possibly lip gloss. She crouched back down to try and collect the rolling tube as it threatened to hide underneath the massive white car.

  I stopped it with my boot.

  “There,” I said.

  Her fingers reached out for it and I noticed how delicate they were. They looked soft, like feathers on a duck’s back. I drew in another long pull from my cigarette before she gripped that little tube. And when she stood back up, she started coughing as her head shot straight into the cloud of smoke wafting away from my face.

  “I don’t need help, thanks.”

  Her voice was soft. Her eyes didn’t quite meet mine. I bent down anyway and picked up her wallet while she scrambled for her phone. A phone that wouldn’t stop buzzing. No doubt her parents, who I had seen leave only minutes before she emerged from her dorm room.

  I peeked into the car and saw another girl staring at me with a grin on her face.

  “Hey there, handsome,” she said.

  I nodded, but didn’t say anything.

  The girl with the tree trunk hair waved her hand in her face before she coughed again. My eyes slowly slid down her body, drinking in her languid movements. Her neck, straight and graceful. Her arms, softly toned. Her T-shirt, clinging softly to her chest and slipping to the top of her jeans. Where it was haphazardly tucked in before her legs took over the show.