Nolan (Black Hearts MC Book 3) Read online

  NOLAN

  BLACK HEARTS MC BOOK 3

  RUTH COLBY

  SAPIENT PUBLISHERS

  Copyright © 2020 by Ruth Colby

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning, or otherwise without written permission from the publisher. It is illegal to copy this book, post it to a website, or distribute it by any other means without permission.

  Nolan is entirely a work of fiction. The names, characters, and incidents portrayed in it are the work of the author's imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or localities is entirely coincidental. The author has no responsibility for the persistence or accuracies of the URLs for external or third-party Internet websites referred to in this publication and does not guarantee any content on such a website.

  Ruth Colby asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work.

  This book is written for the romance genre and contains some explicit scenes and language. It is intended for those 18 and over.

  www.ruthcolby.com

  CONTENTS

  FREE BOOK

  The Black Hearts MC Reading Order

  CHAPTER 1

  CHAPTER 2

  CHAPTER 3

  CHAPTER 4

  CHAPTER 5

  CHAPTER 6

  CHAPTER 7

  CHAPTER 8

  EPILOGUE

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  CONNECT WITH RUTH

  ALSO BY RUTH COLBY

  FREE BOOK

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  The Black Hearts MC Reading Order

  Thank you for reading NOLAN. This is the third story in the Black Hearts MC series, but it can also be read as a standalone with a sweet HEA. I highly recommend reading the books in this order:

  1. CURTIS

  2. DRAKE

  3. NOLAN (This book)

  CHAPTER 1

  Isabella

  I sigh and grab the coffee pot from its stand. The girl that was to work after me called in sick. Working a double hadn’t been in my plans, and I’m lucky that Mrs. Robinson agreed to watch Caleb for a few more hours. We’ve never been so fortunate than the day we moved in next to the older woman. She and my three-year-old son, Caleb, get along like a house on fire, and it gives me peace of mind that he is well taken care of while I’m at work.

  “You look beat; how did you get roped into working double today?” Nolan asks me and gives me that grin of his. It reveals a dimple and never fails to make my heart flutter. He is a regular at the diner and one that I’m always happy to see. He is sweet, not demanding, and tips well.

  He always sits in my section. I have a feeling he is working up the courage to ask me out. I wish I could, but I don’t date bikers. I was pregnant with Caleb at eighteen, and his father is a biker and part of the Aces, a motorcycle club in the next town over. He is mean and overbearing. I ran from him when Caleb was six months old.

  I chose this town because a rival motorcycle gang, The Black Hearts, ruled this town. They seemed to be nothing like the Aces. Polite and respectful, at least for a bunch of criminals. They didn’t terrorize the town and kept to themselves. The Aces didn’t venture into this territory often, and it made a safe place to hide. I’ve been here for nearly three years, and Ajax hasn’t found me yet, so I’m wondering if it’s safe enough to lower my guard a little now.

  I sigh and give Nolan a smile back again, wishing that he wasn’t a biker. He had helped me out one day when Mrs. Robinson was sick. Bart, the diner’s owner, a pot-bellied man with a lecherous stare and greasy hair, had allowed Caleb to sit in a booth that wasn’t occupied as long as paying customers didn’t need, and he was quiet.

  Of course, that day, the diner was packed and frantic. Nolan had stayed for hours buying cups of coffee and entertaining Caleb.

  “Maureen called in sick, and Bart said if I wanted to keep my job, I would keep working.”

  Nolan frowns, “Your boss is a jerk. You need to find a better job.”

  I roll my eyes. “There aren’t a lot of jobs for a girl with a GED. I don’t mind, and the extra money will come in handy.”

  “Isabella, I have something I have been meaning to ask you …” Nolan starts, and one of the other servers calls my name.

  “Hold that thought,” I say, as I hurry over to the server station where my best friend Rachael stands.

  “That was close. I saw that look on Nolan’s face; he was getting ready to ask you out.” She says as I put the coffee away, and we both ogle Nolan. He is drop-dead handsome, lean but muscular with dark hair and piercing blue eyes with just the right number of tattoos.

  “He makes me swoon every time he’s in here. If I thought I had a chance, I would flirt with him, but he doesn’t have eyes for anyone but you.” Rachael comments.

  I blush a little, knowing she is right. Nolan always sits in my section and lingers long after his meal is gone. “Maybe I should just let him ask me out so that I can tell him about my no biker rule.”

  Rachael runs her tongue along her lips. “For him, honey, I would break any rule I had. I understand why you are cautious; you have Caleb, and Ajax would flip a lid if he found out.

  The smile from our banter slips off my face, and my eyes harden to cold grey ice. “I don’t do anything because it would upset Ajax. I just don’t want to get mixed up in the biker culture again. It wasn’t good for me the first time, and it really isn’t good for Caleb.

  Nolan looks over and catches us looking at him. He holds up his coffee cup and gives us a wink that has me melting inside.

  “Duty calls.” I smile at Rachael and pick up the coffee cup again.

  “I’m not rescuing you anymore. That man is hot, and he is good with your son, so if he asks you out, say yes.” Rachel stage whispers to me as I walk over and pour Nolan more coffee.

  “Thanks, Isabella. Now, where were we?”

  I open my mouth to tell him not to ask me out, but nothing comes out.

  “Do you have any plans for Saturday night?” There it was, the question I’ve been dodging from Nolan for months. When he comes into the diner, it is the best part of my day, and I know what I’m about to do is going to end that.

  “Nolan, you seem like a nice guy, and I really like you, but I don’t date bikers.” I smile sympathetically at him, and he just gives me that panty-melting smile back.

  “Care to tell me why?” He asks.

  I bite my lip. I don’t tell people who Caleb’s father is. The more people who know that I’m the Isabella, who ran from Ajax North, the more trouble I’m in. This town is only a half-hour away from Ace’s territory, and I don’t want it getting back to Ajax where I am. It is shocking that we have been this close, and he hasn’t been able to find us.

  “No, I don’t. Enjoy your coffee.” I walk away from him, my heart like lead in my chest. I know that he is not datable, but I will miss our chats as I pour him coffee and bring him his breakfast. He’s a good man, and I know that, but I’m not risking Caleb’s life on some hot guy.

  CHAPTER 2

  Nolan

  Given the brown helmet award, AKA being dumped! I had a feeling that Isabella wouldn’t react favorably to being asked out. It’s why I held off so long, hoping that if she got to know me that she would change her mind, but it looks like that won’t be the case. It makes me sad, and I really like and her little boy Caleb. He’s a smart, inquisitive little boy with his mother’s sandy blond hair and grey eyes. In all the months that we ha
ve chatted, she has never mentioned the boy’s father, and it makes me wonder if she is on the run from someone. When she tells me that she doesn’t date bikers, my brain itches with something familiar. As I sip my coffee and watch her bustle around the dining room, I try to catch the thought. It is right there on my brain’s tip, but I just can’t bring it into focus.

  The bell over the diner door rings, and a man walks in. I tense up at the Aces insignia on his jacket. There is a good chance that this is going to end in a fight.

  He walks right past me, not even giving me a glance until he’s standing behind Isabella. She doesn’t see him as she continues to wipe down the table. I have a bad feeling about this, so I slip out of the booth and stand there watching the scene.

  “You thought you could run from me, but I knew I would find you,” the man yells at Isabella.

  I watch as Isabella stiffens, turning around with a look of horror and inevitability on her face.

  “Ajax, what do you want?” Her voice trembles a bit, but she schools her face into one of indifference. “You can’t do this here. I’m going to get fired.”

  He takes Isabella by the arm hard enough to leave a bruise. I see her wince and red films, my vision. I might be a member of a biker club, but we always treat women with respect.

  “Your place is with me, not working in this dump. If you want to cook and clean, you can do it for me.”

  He starts to drag her towards the door. Before I can react, Bart comes out of the back.

  Bart might not be much to look at, but underneath that pot belly is a fair amount of muscle. I ease back and let him handle the situation. I don’t need to start something with the Aces if it isn’t necessary.

  “Isabella, what is the meaning of this? You are interrupting my customers.”

  “Don’t worry about its Hoss; we’re just leaving.” The biker says, tugging on Isabella’s arm.

  Bart gives her a stern look. “If you leave now, you won’t have a job. There are customers who need serving, and I won’t have my help abandoning me in the middle of their shift.”

  I look from Bart to the biker and back again. I know that Bart isn’t a good guy, but I didn’t think he would stand and watch as some guy drags one of his employees out of the diner.

  “You aren’t going to try to stop me?” The biker asks, his voice surprised.

  “Nope, just get her out of here if that’s what you are going to do.” Bart steps out the way so that the biker can continue to drag Isabella out of the diner.

  I step in front of him. “You aren’t taking her anywhere, do you get me?” I tell him, stepping up until our boots are touching.

  “Look, Black Heart, this isn’t any of your concern. I need to teach my woman a lesson; surely, even you can understand that.”

  I glance away from him and look at Isabella. She is trembling and terrified. He will have to walk over my dead body before he takes her. “I don’t think she wants to go with you.”

  The smile that spreads across his face is cold and cruel. “I don’t much care what she wants. She’s mine. She knew better than to run away, and now she’s going to face the consequences. She’ll tell me where my boy is, and then we’ll be out of this town. No need to get your panties in a wad about it.”

  I push him back a full step, and he drags Isabella with him. She stumbles over the foot of one of the patrons who reaches out to catch her. The biker has a choice, go down with her or let her go. He releases his grip, and the older man at the booth quickly slides out and pushes Isabella in before sitting back in his seat.

  “If you two are going to go at it, take it outside.” Bart bellows.

  I give him a stern look, “You are a piece of shit, and I’ll make sure you get what’s coming to you.”

  The other man turns to the booth where Isabella sits. “It’s time to go, Izzy; we’re getting my son and then getting out of here.”

  She lifts her chin. “I’m not going anywhere with you.” She says, putting her chin up in defiance.

  He chuckles. “You think one old man and a Black Heart are going to protect you from me? Now that I know where you are, I’m never going to give up.”

  I step up to him again and push him hard, “Why don’t you pick on someone who is a real challenge.”

  He turns back around and with a bellow like a bull he charges. The force of his body hitting mine knocks the wind out of me. He drives me towards the dinner door, and I plant my feet, trying my best to draw in air. I vaguely hear Bart bellowing through the rush of blood in my ears. Then the red descends my vision, and all I can see is the biker. I punch him once then twice in the jaw in quick succession. He has the chance to look surprised before the third punch comes, knocking him out cold on the floor.

  “That’s it. I’m calling the Sheriff.” Bart growls.

  I shake out my hand, opening and closing it. It was not broken, just bruised. “Go ahead; it was self-defense. I have an entire diner of witnesses.”

  Bart looks around, and a couple of people shake their heads. He turns and lets out his fury on Isabella, “You’re fired! Get out of my diner.”

  She scoots out of the booth reaching into her apron pocket to get her tips before shoving it at Bart.

  “No need, I quit.”

  I admire the way she walks out with her head held high. I follow her out. She’s going to need some help. If she’s hiding from a member of the Aces, they aren’t going to stop hunting her.

  CHAPTER 3

  Isabella

  I stand there in shock. I can’t believe after all this time that Ajax found me.

  “Isabella, we need to get out of here and get your son. Where’s Caleb?” Nolan’s question jars me out of my shock, and I give him wide, terrified eyes.

  “Do you think he sent someone else after Caleb?” I grab his arm, consumed with terror. Ajax was a violent man who ran with violent men. I didn’t want Caleb to be a part of that, so I had to run.

  “No, I think he planned to force you to come with him and then go pick up Caleb.”

  “He’s with my next-door neighbor. She watches him while I’m at work. She is an elderly lady, and I don’t want her to get hurt.”

  “Let’s go make sure they’re ok then you can go pack a bag for you and Caleb and come with me. It isn’t safe for you to stay in your apartment right now.”

  It was a sign of how scared I was that I didn’t argue with Nolan. He was in a biker club as well, so was I taking Caleb away from one bad situation and putting him in another?

  I sneak a glance over at Nolan as we walk through the parking lot.

  “Where’s your car? I brought my bike.”

  Pointing to my rusted-out ford focus, Nolan puts his hands out for the key. I drop them in, getting into the passenger seat.

  “You need to give me directions.” He says, looking in the rearview mirror, his lips pressing into a hard line.

  I look behind me as Nolan cranks the engine to see Ajax staggering out of the diner. Nolan pulls out the parking lot, following my directions, putting as much speed on as he can.

  He stops in front of the apartment complex but doesn’t turn off the engine.

  “You go grab things for you and Caleb. I’ll go get him and the old lady.”

  I just nod, racing up the stairs. Nolan pounds on the door to Mrs. Robinson’s while I race into my apartment, pulling out my suitcase and emptying my drawers into it. Next, I go into Caleb’s room and do the same, grabbing the bag we use for his toys when we go on trips and throw in his favorites and his teddy bear. I drag all of the bags out the door and see Nolan standing there with Mrs. Robinson and Caleb.

  I pick up my son and give him a hug, squeezing him hard. We race down the steps, Nolan helping Mrs. Robinson down the stairs. My heart is pounding as I strap Caleb into his car seat as Nolan helps Mrs. Robinson get settled.

  Nolan looks at me, and his eyes narrow as if he’s listening intently to something.

  “We need to leave right now.” He slams the door and va
ults over the hood getting into the driver’s seat and putting the car in drive. I barely have time to swing the door shut when he guns the engine. I glance over at Caleb, and I hear the noise that spooked Nolan. It’s the throaty growl of a Harley.

  I look out the back windshield as we careen around a corner. I see just a glimpse of chrome winking in the sunlight. We had gotten out of there just in time.

  “Are you alright?” Mrs. Robinson, a robust woman in her late 60’s, asks, turning around in her seat to give me a worried glance.

  “I’m fine, but I feel bad that we made you leave your home.”

  “Not to worry, it gives me a reason to go spend some extra time with my grandchildren.”

  Nolan drives around town for a while, making sure that we haven’t been followed before dropping Mrs. Robinson off at her daughter’s house.

  “Thanks for the ride, don’t forget to let me know when all is clear.” She smiles at me and then tickles Caleb, who giggles a little.

  We watch as Mrs. Robinson disappears into her daughter’s house before pulling away from the curb.

  “Where are you taking us?” I ask Nolan, my voice shaking. I know most of the single guys bunk at the clubhouse, but the last thing I want to do right now is be around a bunch of bikers.

  “To my house. A couple of my buddies and I bought some land and built houses on it. They have gotten out of the club life now and own a garage in town. I don’t stay there much, mostly bought it, so I’d have a place to live when I retire from the Black Hearts, but it is clean and safe. Curtis and Drake will make sure you are safe if I can’t be there, and Caleb can play with Drake’s daughter.

  “You’re sure it’s safe.” Nolan looks at me in the rearview mirror. “A member of the Aces gang would have to be suicidal to sneak up on two former presidents of The Black Hearts.”

  I sit back in the seat and close my eyes for the short drive. My entire life had been turned upside down in the past few minutes, and I have a lot to process.