I hear the bedroom door close, and I let out a sigh. I should drive home and send a prospect for her in the morning, but if anything else happened to her, I’d feel responsible. She’s not my responsibility but for some damn reason I can’t walk away. If it were Rochelle, I’d want someone to look out for her. That’s the excuse I tell myself, but I know it’s a lie.
I pull out my cell and try Banks. If he had something to do with this, I’ll rip him a new asshole. Fucker sends me to voicemail.
**
“No. Stop. Don’t,” pleas from down the hall awaken me. Rolling off the couch I hear a whimper and more begging. I shake off the grogginess of being asleep and shuffle toward the bedroom I put Alexa up in for the night. She must be having a nightmare. No one else is here.
I would have heard someone come in. I’m quiet as I open the door being careful not to scare her. The light is still on and the image before me nearly cuts a hard ass like me in two. Alexa is curled up under the bed in a protective ball sobbing. Fuck me what the hell happened to her? I drop to my knees and gently tap her arm. “Alexa?”
Her whole body trembles as another moan wracks through her small frame.
“Pretty girl, talk to me.” I tug on her wrist and attempt to bring her out from under the bed.
“No one would believe me.” She wipes her nose, smearing snot across her cheek.
Fucking hell.
I pull a bandanna I sometimes use when ridin’ from my back pocket and hand it to her once she’s sitting up with her back against the bed. “Try me,” I press, though I shouldn’t give a damn what’s going on with her. She’s not my problem.
But in a sense, she is because whatever went down happened when she was supposed to be under my roof. Guilt is eating at my insides. I don’t like it.
“Who hurt you?”
Alexa stays quiet, other than a small hiccup as she sniffles.
I move to Alexa’s left and put an arm around her, hugging her to me. Wishing I could shield this troubled girl from the pain tearing her apart right now.
She’s fucking broken. I search her lost eyes missing the spark that’s usually burning so damn bright it’d set the world on fire.
“You gotta promise you won’t tell.”
“You have my word. Whatever you say in this room...it’s just you and me.”
“Todd came back the other night to your house. I—I thought it was the pizza, so I didn’t look. I opened the door and he barged in.”
“He hit you?”
One nod. Her bottom lip trembles. More tears fall.
I grip her knee, my knuckles turning white. I’ll kill that little prick.
“He do anything else?”
Turning away from me she cries harder.
I grab her by the chin with more force than I mean to and jerk her face to mine. “He rape you?”
Alexa stares at me for seems like forever, and I wait for her to give me the words.
“What will you do if I say yes?”
“I think you know what the fuck I’m gonna do. Don’t fucking protect that piece of shit. You let me worry about it.”
Another nod.
“Need you to be honest with me. This isn’t something to fuck around about.”
Alexa stands up. I don’t know what she’s doing, but I sense she needs me to stay put so I don’t make any sudden movements. With her back to me she lets those braids out and lifts the cheer top over her head.
“Lex...” I start but she turns to face me as she arranges her wavy blonde locks over her breasts.
Fucking scrapes, bruises, and bite marks stain her skin like a painting. My veins burn, and I taste the rage bubbling within on my tongue. When she drops her skirt, I have to look away. Fingerprints bruise her inner thighs.
My face is the last thing he’ll see before he leaves this world.
I stand up and wrap my arms around her, pulling her into me. I kiss the top of her forehead. “He’ll pay. I swear to you I’ll send him straight to hell.”
Alexa swallows hard. “Make it painful.”
“Promise you, pretty girl.”
I’ll make this right for her. Letting Alexa go, I place my cut on the bed and remove my tee then hand it over to her. “Put this on.”
Alexa doesn’t move so I shrug the shirt over her head and push her arms through the sleeves. Flashes of her bruises and scars paint my mind red. I’m going to drain that fucker. I’m gonna watch him bleed out in a slow and painful death.
“You need to get some sleep.”
I’ve got a body to collect.
My cell phone vibrates, and I grab my cut off the bed.
Fuck. It’s the ball and chain.
Ruthie’s gonna pitch a bitch fit if she finds out I spent the night with Alexa. You’d think she’d be used to this shit by now—club business but it never fails. Woman nags over anything and everything.
Ruthie: I’m home and what a surprise you aren’t. Don’t bother to come home.
I can’t catch a motherfuckin’ break.
James: Don’t start your shit.
I shove my phone in my back pocket. “Was he the only one?”
Alexa hugs her arms to her stomach and shakes her head.
“Who else?”
“If I tell you I’m dead.”
I get a sinking feeling I know exactly who the other one was.
“They keep you this whole time?”
She shakes her head. “After...I was kept in a dark room...I’m not sure how long I was there.”
“Do you know where it was?”
“No. I woke up this morning at the park near my house. I didn’t want to go home, but I didn’t know where else to go so I came to the club and waited for you.”
Chapter Four
“No one is gonna hurt you. Not on my watch. Never again.”
I sit on the edge of the worn bed and suck in a breath, the scent of his earthy cologne hits my nose. James’s words sound pretty but all they are is a beautiful lie. “You can’t promise me something you can’t guarantee. I was raped in your house. And it’s not your fault it’s mine.”
Going to his knees, he kneels before me. “Lex, sweetheart. It’s not your fault. Don’t you dare fucking blame yourself for what happened to you. I said I’m gonna handle it.”
I nod. I don’t have the strength to argue with him. I wish I could believe him, but I played with fire and I got burned. I paid the price for being stupid. One mistake. One loser. Now look at me. “I actually thought Todd liked me at first. That he was gonna save me from the prison I live in at home.”
“Are things really that bad at home with your folks?”
“You have no idea. I’d rather live in a box than go back there. What do you think my father will do if he finds out his perfect little angel went and got herself raped by not one but two drug dealing losers? He’ll never let me back home. I might as well jump off a bridge. My life is over now. I fucked everything up. I ruin everything. Everyone thinks I have it all. I’m popular at school. I make good grades. But no matter what I do I’m never good enough for my parents. Even Rochelle is only my friend because she feels sorry for me. She knows I’m no good. You see it. You know I’ve got bad in me. Who’s gonna want me now?”
“Shut the fuck up.”
“What?”
“Lex, look at me.” I meet his gaze. His chocolate eyes burning with such intensity I could melt into the bed. “You know you’re beautiful. Got a mouth on you but one day...” he trails off, his gaze fixated on my lips. Trailing his fingers along my jaw he stops suddenly and gets to his feet. “Go to sleep. When you wake up, I want that other name.”
“Sleep?” I laugh. “You think I can sleep. Whenever I close my eyes, I see them. I smell them. I hear them grunting. I feel their heavy weight pressing me down on the floor. I can still feel the carpet burning my stomach.” I swipe a finger under my eye and lick my lips. “I’ll never sleep again.”
He shifts from foot to foot then sighs before settling on the
bed. Laying back on the thin pillow he holds an arm out. “C’mere.”
I stare at the skulls and roses covering his chest, getting hypnotized by the tattooed pattern.
“C’mere. I’ll keep you safe. You can trust me, Alexa. I know you have no reason to because I’ve already let you down once, but I swear to you I won’t fail you now.”
I fall into his hold. My head to his chest, listening to the steady beat of his heart. Concentrating on the way his touch doesn’t scare me. Centering on the fact that I’ve never felt safer than I do right now in this man’s arms. I want to fade into nothing. Roll back time and disappear before all the bad. I thought I’d be safe at Rochelle’s because her father is a man with the road name Murder. I mean no one would fuck with someone with ties to a man like that. Not if they were smart.
I was wrong.
“You breathe a word of this and you’re dead.” The man who came in while Todd was assaulting me taunted me repeatedly as he joined in on the torture. I passed out somewhere along the way, and when I woke up blood was crusted to my thighs and everything hurt. The other man had left but Todd was still there, waiting for me. “You’re lucky you aren’t dead.”
Tense and wound up my body aches at the memory. I feel dead inside.
James strokes his rough fingers along the length of my arm. “Close your eyes and take a deep breath. I want you to imagine your happy place.”
“I don’t have one of those.”
“Everyone has one.”
“What’s yours?”
“My happy place is the open road. Me and my motorcycle, leaving the rest of the world behind.”
“That sounds good to me. Can I borrow your happy place?”
“All right then. Picture that you’re riding on my motorcycle with me. Your arms are tight around me. The wind blowing through your hair. It’s a bright and sunny day. Not a cloud for miles. Just you, me, and the open road. The fresh air burns through your lungs. The vibration of the ride hums through your veins.”
I stare up at him as he continues to vividly paint my escape. His words becoming lost on me. I only see him and hear the steady rhythm of his heart pulsing between us replacing the sound of his motorcycle. The warmth of his body pressing into mine replacing the sunshine. The safety of those strong arms shielding me from every bad thing that’s ever happened to me. We exist in a world that only we know. There’s only us, and no one can hurt me now.
As long as I have James, I don’t need anyone else.
“Better?” he glances down at me once he’s realized I’m no longer crying.
“A little.”
“You should think about talking to someone and getting looked over by a doctor.”
“No.” I jerk away from him. “You promised. No one will know.”
“You on birth control?”
I shake my head and the tears return. I know where this conversation is going. “My father won’t allow it. Says I’ll just go around spreading my legs. He doesn’t even believe in tampons.” I shrug.
“I can get you a morning after pill, but I don’t know how effective it’d be.”
I gulp and cradle my stomach. “Do you think I’m pregnant?”
“Can’t say for sure, but you should be concerned about it.”
“What am I gonna do?”
“I can’t tell you what to do, but I’ll do what I can to help you. What about your mother?”
“She goes along with whatever my father wants. In their eye’s abortion is a sin. If I told them they’d say I’ve gotten what girls like me get. I can’t go back there.”
“Gotta be smart. They’ll call you a runaway, and if they think I’m involved—Fuck.”
“I could get a job and pay rent. I can take care of myself.”
“You gotta go home.”
“Didn’t you hear anything I said.” I shove his chest and he wraps those big arms around me. The scent of his cologne hits me, and my insides go all gooey like the center of a fresh baked cookie.
“I heard every damn word. Now hear me. You don’t know if you’re pregnant, but there’s other shit you gotta think about. Like STDs. Did they use protection?”
“I don’t...I don’t know. I think so. I remember seeing a wrapper on the floor.”
“That’s good, but darlin’, you gotta get checked out. I’ll drive you myself if you promise me, you’ll go back to your folks for a little while. They need to know you’re okay.”
Chill bumps fan up and down my arms. I know he’s right. Oh God. What if I’m pregnant and diseased? My life is over. I’m ruined.
“Get out of that dark headspace.”
“My life is over.”
“No. It’s not.”
“You don’t know that. You know how it is around here. Once everyone knows...it’s all anyone will think about when they look at me.”
“People will believe what you want them to believe.”
“You think so?”
“Know it.”
“Okay. What do you see when you look at me?”
James studies me closely, staring so intently I’m certain he sees straight to my soul. “You’re scared. A bit lost, but you’re also resilient.” A shiver passes through me.
“How’d you get the name Murder?”
“It’s a secret.”
I roll my eyes and the corners of his mouth twitches. “There’s that fire.”
“What?”
“Nuttin’. You really want to know how I earned my name?”
“Tell me,” I demand, snuggling deeper into his side.
“Fuck. I tell you this it stays between us. Yeah? I know your secret and you’ll know mine.”
I yawn. “Sounds fair enough.”
“Right.” He chuckles and the sound warms me to the core. He has this deep raspy laugh. One that sounds like he’s smoked too many cigarettes or like a cowboy in one of the old westerns my father watches all the time.
“I killed a man.”
“Okay...and?”
“And what?”
“Where’s the rest of the story?”
His cell phone goes off, and he slides his arm from around me. “Another time. Get some sleep. In the morning we’re going for a ride.” James rolls over me and off the bed, going to his feet as he answers the call. “Lo. Where the fuck have you been?”
I stare at his back taking in the Royal Bastards MC insignia covering most of his skin. He’s a beautiful man. Ruthie doesn’t deserve him. I don’t either, but I want him.
Chapter Five
I peek in at Alexa one more time. She finally conked out a few hours ago. I haven’t slept a fuckin’ wink. Got feelers out for that spineless piece of shit. He touched the wrong girl. Alexa doesn’t have anyone to stand up for her so it’s up to me. Shit I shouldn’t be involved in but here I am. There’s something about her since the moment I first laid eyes on her. Something inside her called out to me. I keep trying to deny and fight this pull I have, but our paths have crossed and tangled. This girl has rooted herself deep in me.
For what purpose, that remains to be seen, but I can’t let this one go. If I’m being honest with myself, I need her as much as she needs me if not more. Been a long time since I’ve felt a connection with anyone. When I look at Ruthie all I see is regret and old wounds that I’m not sure can ever heal. Maybe if I help Alexa, I’ll right some of my wrongs. Be the man she needs in her life to get her out of this town. She stays here she’ll drown.
Three knocks in rapid succession tap on the front door. I peer out the blinds and see Slick on the porch with the shit I asked for. I open the front door and take the bags. “Anyone see you or ask any questions?”
“Nope. Got everything you asked for.”
“Ruthie and Ro?”
“Didn’t know I was there.”
“Good. Good. You find that weasel yet?”
“No, but I’m looking and being discreet just like you asked me to.”
“Appreciate it. Minute you tag his ass, I wanna know.
Bring him to the basement.”
“You got it, brother.” He fishes the keys to his cage out of his pocket and trades me for the key to my bike.
“Call me soon as you got something.”
Slick nods and takes off. I close the door and sit the food and drinks on the worn coffee table and lay the envelope with her new life to the side. Trudging to the bedroom where she sleeps my stomach rumbles at the scent of bacon, cheese, and egg biscuits. When I open the door she’s just waking up.
“Hey,” she whispers.
“Got you breakfast. Get dressed and meet me in the living room.” I drop her bag on the edge of the bed.
“Okay. Thanks for last night. For listening. For just being here.” Her wavy blonde hair hugs her shoulders as she slips out of bed in my tee looking too damn good in it. Too damn grown and fucking broken.
I grunt and clear the tickle from the back of my throat. “Don’t mention it.”
Alexa’s gaze flitters over my chest. Her lips tip into a smirk that shakes me deep in my bones. She doesn’t need to be looking at me, flashing me that fire in her eyes that threatens to burn me. To scorch me to the ends of the earth. “Guess you’ll be wanting this.” My shirt flies over her head and whips across the room. Her bruised and defiled body put on full display.
I close my eyes and grip my shirt in my fist. Turning my back to the sight, I call out, “Get a move on. Got shit to do today.” Like find that bastard and end his life.
“Okay,” she croaks, and I shut the door.
In the hallway I pause and lean against the wall. Sucking in a breath I shake my head and laugh. Who’d ever think Alexa Neville would be able to bring me to my knees, but here we are. That girl will be my undoing. I know it and so does she. I shove off and go to the living room and grab my biscuit, ripping into it with my teeth and tearing off a big chunk of egg. I crumple the wrapper and put my shirt back on. My shirt smells of Alexa. Fuck me.
The heat of her stare penetrates me minutes later. I glance up and gone is the broken girl. Alexa stands across from me a woman wearing too tight jeans and a black top with a deep V showing off her cleavage. Her hair hangs in a loose braid over her right shoulder. Makeup done up, pretty red lips. Gazing at her right now you wouldn’t know she’d been raped, but I know. I can’t forget. That bastard won’t forget it either the short time he has left.
Tempting The Biker (Royal Bastards MC: Charleston, WV Book 3) Page 3