It's Hard Not to Hate - An Outlaw Love Story

Chapter Forty-Three.

The door chimed above her head as Taylor, with Abel on her right hip, stepped into Sunrise Orchard Market. She huffed out a breath, dropping her tense shoulders as she noticed the place was practically deserted—just as she had hoped. Abel giggled as she strapped him into the cart and began maneuvering the squeaky hunk of metal around the produce stands. She was mostly wandering aimlessly, despite the fact that she had a list of a mile long of items they needed. She couldn't force her to mind to focus on the task at hand, though, as she kept skimming over the events of the last twenty four hours.

Leaving Gemma's she realized she needed time, time to plan her next move, time to make a decision about the money Henry sent her, time to figure out what to say to Jax when she saw him. The five minute drive between their two houses wasn't enough, and as she neared their quiet street she found herself flipping a u-turn and heading in the opposite direction.

The big box store she normally did her shopping in came into view moments later, but the packed parking lot proved she would not find the solace she was seeking, so she had continued her drive to the outskirts of Charming, to the quaint mom and pop market that was nestled far from the epicenter of town. She hoped to kill two birds with one stone—sort out her thoughts and get her shopping done—and this seemed to be the place to do just that.

The store was unfamiliar to Taylor—she had only shopped there once or twice in all the time she had lived in Charming—but the necessity of wandering up and down each individual aisle played to her advantage this time. As she chatted with Abel she began to toss items into the cart, not quite following her color-coded list, but more so going off of what sounded good in the moment. She would show Abel each box or package, diligently trying to get him to repeat the words, and sometimes he would, earning a grin and a round of applause from Taylor.

"Cute kid," a terse voice said from behind her. She spun to face the source of the complement, her quick motions causing her sunglasses to slip from atop her head and clattered to the scuffed linoleum beneath her sneakers. She glanced down at them, then to the stranger lingering a few feet up the aisle. He was younger Hispanic gentleman, his torso adorned with a kutte, much like Jax's, although the patch across his left peck read Mayans. Taylor gulped, forcing a smile and a nod, mumbling a quick thank you before hurrying off and slinking around to the next aisle.

She could feel her heart pounding in her chest. She knew about the Mayans, about the bad blood they had with the Sons; about what they had done to Jax months earlier. She couldn't help the fear that crept into her bones, even though the strangers' actions hadn't warranted it.

Maybe he was just being friendly—surely he had no idea who she was, and even if he did it didn't mean his intentions were sinister.

With a shake of her head she forced the concern from her mind and continued her shopping until the cart was overflowing and Abel was contentedly munching on Oreos, making a mess of himself without a care in the world.

As her groceries were rang up she directed her gaze around the small store; the man was gone, at least from what she would tell, and a rush of air escaped her lungs through her pursed lips.

"Everything okay, honey?" The elderly woman asked from behind the counter.

Taylor nodded. "Fine, thank you. Just one of those days."

The woman, Lois according to her name tag, gave her a dry chuckle. "Don't I know it, sweetie. The older you get the more of those days you have."

"Mama!" Abel squealed, pulling Taylor's attention toward him. "Cookie?"

"No more cookies, baby. It's lunch time."

Abel's lower lip trembled, his face scrunching, and Taylor waited for the subsequent explosion—one that never came, thanks to Lois and her quick thinking, who grabbed a toy car from under the cash register and handed it over to the frustrated toddler.

"Car, mama! Car!" Abel squeaked. "Voom voom."

The women chuckled. Turning back to Lois she gave her a grateful grin.

"Thank you. Just add that to the ticket."

"Nonsense," she responded, shaking her head. "My grand babies were that little once and I remember what it was like trying to get them to behave in the store. It's on me."

With a swipe of her card and a swift goodbye, plus a wave from Abel, Taylor pushed the cart through the automatic doors and headed in the direction of her car, the lone vehicle in the lot.

At least she thought so, but the sun glinting off something in the distance caught her eye, and as she turned ever-so-slightly she stopped dead in her tracks.

Two motorcycles sat parked by the dumpster a few yards from her car, the man she had seen earlier leaning against one, another man, larger and wearing the same patches, straddling the other. Their arms were crossed as they watched her from behind their glasses.

She should've called Jax, gone back inside and waited until he arrived, even if it was nothing to be concerned about. But she was stubborn, and still angry from the night before, so instead she hurried towards her car, head down and eyes on her feet, determined to load her car as quick as possible.

The trunk popped open and she hurriedly piled the bags inside, her eyes never leaving Abel. He was none the wiser of her concern, continuing to play with the car he was given and babbling loudly.

She slammed the trunk, involuntarily jumping at the noise, even though she was the one who elicited it. With haste she leaned into the back seat and safely buckled Abel in his car seat, car and all, planting a kiss on his wispy blonde hair. She pulled back, shutting the door with a click, and when she spun around she realized she was trapped.

He was there, a mere foot in front of her, a sinister grin spread across his lips exposing a row of gold teeth. The other man remained at his bike, though his attention was fixed on them.

"C-can I help you?" She stammered, trying not to meet his gaze.

He licked his lips, his eyes traveling the length of her body, then back up again. "You certainly can. See, I'm the type of guy who goes after what he wants. And you look good enough to eat, mamí."

"I'm not interested," Taylor replied with a groan. She stood up straight, trying to make herself look intimidating, like someone he didn't want to mess with, but she knew she was failing.

He ran his hand across his stubbled chin and a deep laugh rumbled from his chest.

"Well that's a shame. It would make this a lot easier if you would. But that's okay. I'm confident I can change your mind."

In one swift motion he had Taylor pinned, one arm on each side of her, her body pressed tight against the car. She could smell the tequila on his breath, the marijuana that wafted off his clothes. She shuttered as he dipped his head into the crook of her neck, pressed his nose against her skin, and breathed in deeply.

Her mouth fell open, she tried to scream, but nothing came out. She was frozen in fear. Not like the scream would be of much help—there was no one else around, and no way the staff inside the store could hear her.

"You smell delicious," he groaned, one hand falling and grabbing ahold of her bicep.

"Please, don't," was all she managed to to croak.

"We're just getting started, love."

His grip tightened, his friend began to saunter over, and in the distance she heard the rumble of a bike, surely more friends of theirs coming to join in on the fun.

She gulped, trying to run through scenarios in her head, scenarios where she could get Abel to safety.

But nothing came to mind.

She was helpless.