They knew about Freya and her connection to me. Which meant she wasn’t safe.
“No,” I said as I sat down onto my bike.
“No, what?” Freya asked.
She wrapped her arms tightly around me as I cranked up my motorcycle.
“No, we aren’t going back to the hotel,” I said.
“Then, where are we going?”
I kicked up my kickstand and walked the bike out to the intersection.
“I’m taking you back to the lodge. It isn’t safe for you here,” I said.
And before she could answer me, I rode off. Feeling her clinging to me and continuing to cry into the helmet as I whisked her away from downtown and headed for Highway One.
Hopefully, her purse had everything in it she needed for now.
Because it wouldn’t be safe for any of us to go back to her hotel room right now.
Eighteen
Freya
I cried softly into the helmet, no longer caring how weak or fragile I sounded doing it. I was scared. Petrified out of my mind. San Diego was not a nice place. I didn’t like it. And I didn’t want to be here any longer than I needed. Fuck the answers I wanted. Fuck the answers I sought. And fuck any other piece of family I might have out there. My mother was right. It wasn’t safe for me here. I should have listened to my fucking parents.
I felt like such an idiot.
I clung to Bronx as tightly as I could. I pulled from him as much comfort and warmth as I could get. I let my hands explore underneath his leather jacket, my hands sliding underneath his shirt, too. I traced the rings of his abs, his muscles jumping. I slid my hands up to his chest before curling my fingertips into the strength of his muscles. I wanted to take this damn helmet off and press my cheek against his back. I wanted to feel his heartbeat from every angle I could.
I wrapped my arms tightly around his bare waist, and not once did he fight me on it.
I locked my ears onto the undulating waves. As we cruised up the coast, I drew in the thick smell of salt water. Slowly, my heart settled and my tears dried up. I was exhausted. Tired. Weak, in the marrow of my bones. Never in my life had I felt this way. I’d always been able to reach within myself and find the strength to keep going. Keep moving. Keep trucking on, despite the roadblocks and the unanswered questions I always faced.
But not today.
Today, I simply wanted to hear my father’s voice.
I owe my parents a serious apology.
The bike stopped and I lifted my head. The kickstand went down and the motorcycle’s engine got shut off. I plucked the helmet from around my head and wiped at the tears. I cleaned the inside of it with the hem of my tank top, hoping to dry it off a bit before I handed it back over.
“It’s fine. It’s okay, Freya. It’ll dry on its own,” Bronx said.
He slowly took the helmet from me as I heaved a heavy sigh.
“Where are we?” I asked.
I looked up and saw a looming building that didn’t have much character to it. Four walls, a wrap-around porch, and what looked like a tin roof. I mean, it was a decent size. Easily the size of many of the miniature mansions strewn across California’s coast. And it sat right on the cliffside overlooking the ocean. Had I not been so tired from being so terrified, I would have gawked at the view this building had.
But all I wanted to do was sleep.
“This is our lodge. Where The Lost Boys meet up. We all have our offices and bedrooms inside. Outfitting with a kitchen and enough bathrooms for everyone to not have to share. Well, too much,” Bronx said.
“Ah. Yeah, I’m familiar with the concept,” I said breathlessly.
“Come on. Let’s get you inside. And stay by me, okay? We’ve got a bit more hell to walk through before you can rest.”
I rolled my eyes. “And why is that?”
“Because the club doesn’t trust you.”
“Really? And what the hell have I done to them?” I asked.
“Because of the shit that has been going down, they’re concerned you might be another trap.”
I snickered. “Yeah. A trap that just got tossed into one.”
“They don’t know what’s happened. But once we tell them, they’re more likely to listen to you. And the request you have.”
“I don’t give a damn about some half-sister any longer. I just want to do home.”
He paused. “You can go home once we have this figured out. But, right now? You’re not safe on the streets of San Diego by yourself.”
“And something tells me that’s less to do with me and more to do with my association with you.”
I locked my eyes with his and I saw something akin to hurt roll behind them. Those dark brown eyes that had always been so caring and open to me suddenly became dark. Like a wall had come down. Shit. I just kept fucking up things at every turn. His hand slowly made its way back to his side and he turned his back to me, walking straight for the front door.
“You coming or not?” he asked hotly.
You and that damn mouth, Freya. Your mother always warned you about it.
I got off the bike and quickly followed behind Bronx. I rushed up the stairs and saw him bring his hand down onto the doorknob, but I reached out to stop him. I put my hand over his, which caused him to turn his eyes my way. A set of big, sad, stoic eyes that made my heart break all over again.
“I’m sorry,” I said.
“You have no reason to be. You're right. You're in this mess because you got entangled with me,” he said.
“I’m in this mess because I chose to come looking for it. I’ve got no one to blame but myself.”
“You’re fine. But we really should—”
“Do you trust me?” I asked.
His hand fell away from the doorknob and he turned toward me.
“Yes. I do,” he said.
“Then, that’s all I need. If they don’t trust me, that doesn’t matter. The only thing that matters is that you do, Bronx.”
He sighed, like he was fighting a war within himself.
“What’s wrong?” I asked.
He shook his head. “I trusted you from the moment I laid eyes on you.”
“What?”
“I know it sounds idiotic, but I did. Even when I knew you were withholding information at the diner, I trusted you would tell me. Eventually. And I haven’t been as trustworthy with you as I should have been.”
“It’s fine. You’re in a really tough spot, Bronx.”
“No, I’m really not. I trust you, and that should be enough to tell you about Hayley.”
I paused. “Who?”
“The girl in your picture. Your half-sister? Her name is Hayley.”
I froze. Holy shit, a name. I had a name. Finally, after going through all the bullshit I had, I had her name.
“Hayley,” I whispered.
“Her name is Hayley Woolf. And I have every intention of telling you everything about her and why your parents actually think it’s dangerous for you to be in San Diego. Because, contrary to what you think, the danger doesn’t lie in anything you’ve already encountered in this city.”
I snickered. “Well, sounds like a peachy place to be.”
He chuckled. “I like it.”
“I do, too.”
He grinned down at me before shaking his head.
“I will tell you all about her, but you have to trust me and go along with what I say to the guys. All right?” he asked.
I furrowed my brow. “Why? Why is your crew so protective of her? What am I missing? Why am I automatically the bad guy and she’s automatically the angel in this scenario?”
“Because that’s how it works when you’re about to marry the president.”
“Say what now?”
Bronx reached for the doorknob and twisted it, inching the door open.
“Your half-sister just got engaged to our president. So, our instinct—and our code—tells us to protect her at all costs. From everything, until the supposed threat
can prove that it’s not a threat,” he said.
“With the threat being me in this scenario.”
“Exactly. And with you coming from this lifestyle—”
“—you figured I’d understand that part.”
The door swung open the rest of the way as he nodded his head. And when the door opened, three other men turned toward us. One who was a bit taller than Bronx with a mean face on him. One with bright blonde hair and piercing eyes that stood in the middle. And one that was a little scrawnier than the rest that stood off to the right. They all leveled their eyes at me, and one by one I watched their faces turn red.
“Yes. I figured you’d understand that part,” Bronx murmured.
So, I braced myself for what I knew was coming.
The verbal assault of Bronx, and the interrogation that would fly my way before I could figure out what the hell my next move should be.
Nineteen
Bronx
I knew it was risky bringing Freya to the clubhouse. And I knew Stone would be pissed. This kind of move without speaking with the guys first could spell the end of my tenure with The Lost Boys. But after she was cornered by the Chinese, I had no other choice. She needed the full force of the club’s protection behind her. Otherwise, she wouldn't make it out of this trip to San Diego alive.
And I knew that.
I swung the door open and the guys all turned to me. Stone in the middle, with Texas and Notch gawking at me as if I’d grown a second head. I watched our president’s eyes fall right to Freya, and before I could even get a word, in his face heated up. Red cascaded from his nose down through his neck as Freya stepped behind me.
“This wasn’t a good idea,” she whispered.
“You stay with me and you’ll always be safe. Even from them,” I murmured.
I reached back behind and offered her my hand. I wiggled my fingers, waiting for her touch. Waiting for her to trust me and take my hand. It took a while. I knew she was debating on what to do. Debating on whether or not this was a good idea. I couldn't blame her, either. She’d been through hell and back her first few days in San Diego, and things were only just beginning.
“Who the fuck is that?” Stone asked.
Freya whimpered behind me and I whipped around. I wasn’t going to let anyone else intimidate her. I cupped her cheeks and made her look me in the eye, seeing the fear running around behind them. Those gorgeous eyes that faded from their wondrous kaleidoscope colors and turned into that bright emerald green. The fear in her eyes she had back in that alleyway, she had now.
And it killed me.
“They aren’t going to hurt you. They never would. And even if they wanted to, I’m not going to let them,” I murmured.
She nodded her head, then turned her lips to kiss my palm. She slipped her hand into mine and I turned back around, facing the guys in the lodge. Stone was two seconds away from popping clear through the roof. While Texas and Notch stood there, trying to figure out why the hell I’d barged in with some random woman. Then again, there was something in their stare that told me they knew who this was. Even though they’d never set eyes on Freya, the relation to Hayley was unmistakable in her features.
I led us into the lodge and closed the door behind me, not taking my eyes off the guys.
“What the hell have you done?” Texas asked.
“Why don’t we just hear him out first,” Notch said.
“Everyone, this is Freya. The girl I’ve been talking to you about,” I said.
I slowly led her to my side and peeked down at her. She curled into me, not letting go of my hand. And I didn’t blame her. The guys she stared at were all on edge. Stone growled, like a feral dog that had finally been cornered. I shot him a glance that told him to back off, but all he did was slowly approach me. With his chest puffed out, like some pompous asshole.
“What the fuck is this girl doing in our lodge?” he asked.
“She needs help, and we’re the only ones that can give it to her,” I said.
“We talked about this. All of us did. And then you go over my head like this?”
“We never talked about what would happen when she got cornered by the Chinese.”
Stone’s eyes held mine firmly as Freya threaded our fingers together.
“Stone, you need to take a breath and calm down,” I said.
“You don’t give the orders around here,” he snarled.
“I do when you’re scaring a young woman at my side. We do no harm to women and children, remember? And right now, you’re doing a hell of a lot of harm.”
“Wait, did you say she was cornered by the Chinese?” Notch asked.
“You should have never brought her here!” Stone roared.
“Listen to what I’m telling you and stop being so damn selfish and stingy with your own resources. She needs help,” I said.
“Maybe you should listen to your president,” Freya whispered.
“Yeah, maybe you should listen to the possible trap you’ve waltzed right into our lair,” Stone hissed.
“She’s not a trap. She’s a young girl in need of our help because she’s walked into a target she has no idea is watching her. Watching us. It’s time for you to back down and admit that we’re in way over our heads, which means she is, too,” I said.
“Why the hell is she here!?” Stone roared.
“Because she was cornered by Yung’s men, and had I not found her she’d be dead right now!” I exclaimed.
We began fighting and Freya tried to break it up. She stood in front of me, turning her back to Stone as she placed her hands on my chest. She tried pushing me away. Backing me up and toward the door. But I wasn’t having this any longer. I was done with Stone’s bullshit. I was done with all this bullshit.
“And what if you’re wrong, huh!? You’re the numbers guy, Bronx. You don’t do this kind of shit!” Stone yelled.
“That’s what all of you think, isn’t it? That I’m just a bag of muscles here to run numbers for you and line your pockets with money. And yeah. Sure. I misjudged Boulder greatly. I get that you guys no longer trust me because of that,” I said.
“That isn’t what—”
“Can it, Texas. Because I know that’s exactly what’s going on,” I growled.
“Who’s Boulder?” Freya asked.
“I’m much more than a walking human calculator, asshats. And if I’m wrong about this, then I’m ready to throw my leather cut on the floor right here. Right now. Freya needs our help. She was surrounded by Chinese men who already had their hands on her by the time I got there. She’s in trouble, just like Hayley. And just like Ella and Keva,” I said.
“Enough,” Notch commanded.
He stepped between the two of us and led Freya off to the side. He came back to stand in between Stone and myself, his hands on either of our chests. Notch looked at me with a quizzical stare, then turned his attention back to Stone.
“Stone, take a breath,” Notch said.
“You don’t give the orders,” Stone growled.
“And you won’t be either, if you keep this up,” Texas said.
We all turned and looked at him as Freya cowered in the shadows.
Fucking hell, she deserved more than the shadows.
“What did you just say?” Stone asked.
“You’re not listening to what Bronx is saying because you want to protect Hayley. And for good reason. We’re all happy at the fact that you two are engaged. But this woman was just surrounded by our enemy. By the people trying to take us down. Look at Bronx’s knuckles. Look at his hands,” Texas said.
I looked down, not knowing what he was talking about. Until I saw the blood. My knuckles were coated it in. It was underneath my fingernails. In the grooves of my palms. It ran all the way up my wrists. I hadn’t even noticed it was there. I’d been too worried about getting Freya out of there safely to even noticed I’d left with their bloodied mark against my skin.
“Freya, are you all right?” I asked.
“It’s not mine,” she said softly.
I looked back toward Stone and watched him finally back down. Notch cracked his neck and his knuckles before he stepped off to the side, headed for Freya. I heard him trying to comfort her out of the corner. Cooing softly and reaching his hand out for her. I looked over and nodded, trying to get her to understand that Notch was safe.
We were all safe, once we got our heads screwed on straight.
“How did they find her?” Stone asked.
I shrugged. “I’m assuming we’re being tracked by them, too.”
“They know where she’s staying?”
I nodded. “I left her hotel room this afternoon, and ten minutes later I found her on the curb in broad fucking daylight surrounded by four of them. Broad daylight, Stone. They’re getting desperate.”
“Fuck,” Texas murmured.
“Are you hurt?” Stone asked.
He looked over to where Notch was slowly guiding Freya out of the corner. And when the setting sun caught her features, I heard everyone gasp. Even Stone. Fucking hell, the similarities in her features to Hayley were uncanny. Undeniable, almost. I looked back toward Stone and watched his face fall. His skin went from angry red to bedsheet pale within seconds.
“Believe me now?” I asked.
“Are you hurt, Miss Freya?” Stone asked softly.
“My arm hurts, but I’m okay,” she said.
“Shit. Her arm. I need to get her ice,” I said.
“I’ve got it,” Texas said.
“What happened to your arm? Can I see it?” Stone asked.
He took a step toward her and she quickly backed away.
“I’ve got it,” I murmured.
I went over to her and slowly slipped her cardigan off. Fuck. The bruise that bastard left behind on her skin was massive. It wrapped all the way around her upper arm, and every single outline of the man’s thick fingers could be seen.
Bronx: The Lost Boys MC #3 Page 12