Chapter 6: Maroon Toublemakers

Serafina clutches the jacket tighter to her chest, pulling the hood of it lower on her masked face hoping no one would recognize her as she flits through the crowd, avoiding eye contact with anyone. This isn't how she had planned the first night of her honeymoon; wandering around the illegal motorbike race track in search of her Satan of a husband. She bites her lip when she finds him nowhere, cursing herself for dozing off on the car ride to the hotel from the airport because that's how her husband managed to make an escape. 

Being Damien's wife came with responsibilities. Apparently what it also meant was that if his manager couldn't reach him, she was the first person to be contacted. His manager was close to hyperventilating when Serafina carelessly told her her husband went on a night stroll. Karly pleaded with her to find Damien before the cameras and social media did.

She pities the poor woman it sure isn't the first time that the Kyng heir has pulled off a move like this on her. Serafina didn't have the heart to refuse her then.

She didn't know what she was getting herself into.

She must find a way to install a tracker in his body, she thinks begrudgingly as she walks through the throngs of people. She collides with someone in her haste, the impact almost making her fall back only for the person to catch her. Her hood falls off her head due to the movement and she looks up to curse whoever walked into her. But the words die in her throat when she notices the tattoos marking his face and every inch of his exposed skin. 

"What is a sweet little thing doing in this kind of place?" The person, who looks like a proper gangster smiles at her and she feels her skin prickle in fear.

"I'm here with my husband. Excuse me," she tries to extract herself from his presence, stepping away only to be stopped by a hand on her elbow. 

"Hey, what's the hurry? We won't eat you," She looks at the guys on both sides of him when he says "We". Alarm bells start to go off in her head when she notices they look just as strong and scary as the first guy, her heart thudding in fear. 

"My husband is looking for me. I have to go," she replies, tugging her arm out of his grip, and walks around them swiftly, not making eye contact with any of them.

She breathes a sigh of relief only when she is standing next to the railing where the race is about to start. Her heart thuds fearfully as she turns back to make sure she isn't followed. Thankfully, the crowd surrounds her, hooting and drinking and she allows herself to feel at ease for now. She is considering calling her security to pick her up, having ditched them in the hotel earlier to not raise alarm.

Just when she is about to fish out her phone, her eyes catch the familiar red on one of the biker's wrists. She narrows her eyes, zooming in on the maroon bike and the black leather jacket and leather pants rolling her eyes when she realizes that her husband is just about to partake in an illegal race. Her heart thuds in tandem, matching the energy of the crowd and as her eyes take in the maroon helmet covering Damien's head, she wonders if she should just get out of there. 

But then, Damien is lifting off the shield covering his eyes and catching her gaze. She knows he has recognized her when his eyes darken, the amber seeming to blaze in anger and she feels her breath get stuck in her throat, a different sort of excitement taking hold of her. Serafina realizes this is probably the first time that she has managed to make Damien angry. 

And that's how the sense of self-preservation escapes her.

She pulls down her pink satin mask just as the countdown starts, her lips curving in a smile before she mouths, "Best of luck, demon," To her husband. The shot goes off and the bikers race forward while her husband stays rooted on the spot. He gives her a long hard stare as if to tell her she is in trouble later before he takes off too, catching up with the bikers easily.

Serafina almost forgets herself as she leans over the railings, midnight blues eyes tracking the maroon bike that races like a dragon over the track. She hoots with the crowd when her husband is one of the two bikers taking the lead, her breath in her throat as they race through the final rep. 

She wonders why she feels so hyped up, blaming her energy on the crowd but when her husband races through the front line winning the race, she can't help but scream. Smiling as the girl next to her high-fives her, "I was betting on Zmey! I'm so glad he won," she cheers.

"Zmey?" Serafina asks, looking back to see her husband take off his helmet and wave at the crowd. His differently colored eyes sparkling in pure happiness and Serafina's chest hurts a little.

"Yes! He's an international sensation in the underground biking game. You should look him up," Serafina is thankful that she put her mask back on after the race ended as it seems her husband has earned quite a name for himself in underground racing. 

"I will," Serafina returns.

Later, she finds herself wandering around the now less crowded field as she looks for her husband. The girl, Carolin, shared her beer with her as they celebrated the win of Zmey and she hates that she is quite tipsy for such a dangerous place. 

She sways over to where the bikes are parked, finding her husband nowhere and she has half a mind to try calling him when she is turned by a hand holding her shoulder. "There you are," It's the man with his minions from earlier.

She realizes just how large they are compared to her now and she turns quickly as if to make a run for it but she is stopped by the guy behind her. "Hey, now. Don't be rude. We just wanna talk," the man with tattoos smirks and she feels fear engulf her.

"I just need to find my husband," she tries to sound strong but surrounded by them, she might as well be a chipmunk.

"What a bad bad husband, leaving behind a beauty like you in such a scary place," The man behind her laughs as he pulls off her hood. 

"Aren't you a pretty little thing?" One of the guys says and she feels the fear start to get to her.

"Please, let me go," she says as she tries to walk away only for the first guy to hold her arm once more.

"Why don't you come with us? We will take you somewhere nice," Fuck, she is trapped. 

"Okay, no. I don't want to go anywhere with you guys, so just buzz off. I'm not scared of you," she glares at them.

They laugh in unison, the hand around her wrist tightening. "Yes, don't be scared. We just want to show you a good time, sweetie," she rolls her eyes, her tipsy brain not fully comprehending the danger she is in.

"Fuck off!" She sneers at them as she knees the person closest to her in the groin, running as fast as she can while they are taken off-guard.

But of course, her tipsiness doesn't help her case as she trips over her own feet and falls to the ground. "Ugh," she groans as she sits up, looking at the fast-approaching men. Her hands get scratched up on the rough concrete and her knees hurt. Maybe she feels a little bit like passing out.

"You little bitch," one of them shouts as she is grabbed by the hair and shaken. Fuck, these goons never hold back, do they?

She glares up at the guy who manhandles her to her feet. He slaps her right across the cheek when she doesn't stop glaring"Look what you made me do now. I was trying to be nice!" She can hear him shout over the ringing of her head. 

"Hey, don't be rough. We don't wanna break a doll like her, not until we have our way. Pick her up, let's go," One of them says and then, she is being lifted. The man's shoulder dips painfully into her stomach and she hits her fists against his back.

"Let me go, you assholes!" she screams but when she looks up she realizes the field is empty except for a few druggies who loiter in the corners. Well, those won't help her.

She curses Damien.

"I'd want to put her down, if I were you, man." Comes a voice behind her and she finally takes a sigh of relief.

*