by Rye Hart
“Does she need medical attention?” Dylan asked, standing in front of the woman and looking her over carefully.
“I don’t think so. Nothing looks broken,” Snake said, looking the woman up and down.
I frowned a little and moved to sit beside the women as Tammy dabbed at her bruising temple with a damp cloth. The woman looked more like a girl underneath all the damage. If I had to guess, I would have said she was about eighteen. I frowned and reached out, gently taking her hand. She shook and looked up at me, flinching away from my touch for a moment.
“You don’t have to be scared, no one here is going to hurt you, okay? We want to help you.”
She looked at me with wide eyes, tears streaming down her face. It was clear she’d been trying to hold them back but just couldn’t anymore. She whimpered and squeezed me hand.
“My husband beats me. He always has, and it’s getting worse. He’s got a quick temper and I don’t know …. I don’t know why I stay!” she sobbed. “People think I’m stupid. They think I like being there but they don’t understand what it’s like! They don’t understand what it’s like to be afraid in your own home!” she dropped her head into her hands and let out more shaking sobs.
I frowned and wrapped my arms around her, holding her close and stroking her hair. “Shhh, it’s okay. No one here thinks you’re stupid,” I assured her.
She sobbed into my shoulder, her entire frail body shaking with the force of the tears. “I thought he was going to kill me this time. I really thought I was dead,” she whispered.
I pulled away and looked down at her. “You can stay here, okay? You’ll have a place to go. We aren’t going to send you back to him.”
Dylan nodded, his brows knitted together in worry. “We aren’t going to let this bastard get away with this,” he said simply. “You tell us where to find him and we’ll take care of him. And we’ll take you to get your things if you’d like.”
She sniffled and wiped her eyes. “That would be nice, I didn’t even grab my clothes,” she murmured. “I was too afraid.”
I nodded and wiped the tears from her cheek gently. “We’ll go with you okay? The guys will protect you. It’s what they do,” I said with a soft smile, patting her back gently. “It’s going to be okay,” I promised.
She looked at me with wide, wet eyes and wiped her nose. “Really?”
“Really,” I promised, helping her stand. “Come on. You can come to our house so you can get cleaned up.”
She nodded and stood with me, leaning against me heavily as I led her up the drive way to the house. Feeling her small body shivering against mine made anger surge through me. I suddenly understood why Dylan did what he did. It was infuriating to see a poor woman so mistreated. I wasn’t sure how I could help, but I knew I wasn’t going to just stand by.
This fight was now my fight too.
Chapter Sixteen
Her name was Jessica and underneath all the bruising, she was a beautiful woman. Her skin was smooth and pale with freckles peppered across her smooth face. She was young and in a terrible situation.
On some level, I understood. I hadn’t been beaten, but I knew what it was like to feel cast aside and to be made to feel like you didn’t matter. I washed the dirt off her face and offered her a fresh towel and some clothes so that she could clean up.
Once she was ready to shower, I left her alone and wandered downstairs where Dylan was already preparing for a fight. He slid into his leather jacket and glanced over at me. “What are you doing?” he asked as I started to dress myself.
I shrugged and smiled. “I don’t want to hold you guys up when it’s time to head out,” I said.
He frowned and put his hands on his hips. “You actually think you’re going to go with us?” he asked incredulously.
I threw my hair into a messy ponytail and glanced at him, brow cocked. “Of course I am. Why would I stay here?”
“Because it’s safe here.”
I frowned and looked over at him, reaching out to touch his hand. “Listen, you asked me if I wanted to join you. You asked me if I wanted to be a part of this family and I said yes. I agreed to be here and that means I agreed to be a part of everything that goes on around here, good and bad. I’m not going to just stick around for the good stuff, I want to help. I think it’s really amazing what you guys do, and I want to be a part of it,” I said, looking up at him.
He hesitated, but finally cracked a smile and took my face into his hands. “You never cease to amaze me,” he said with a sigh, leaning in to press a kiss to my lips.
I all but melted into him, sighing as my body began to tingle with a warmth I only felt when I was with him. My eyes fluttered closed and I took in his scent, enjoying the smell of leather and musk that always seemed to surround him. Everything about Dylan made me turn into goo.
A smile touched my lips and I stared up at him with a starry look in my eyes. I felt ridiculous for feeling this way about a man I barely knew, but Dylan made me believe it was possible to fall for someone this quickly. He’d done so much to show me he cared and while I didn’t necessarily feel indebted to him, I wanted to do anything I could to make him proud of me and to make his life easier.
He pulled away and looked at me. “You really want to be a part of this? You really want to join?”
“Of course.”
“Then we’re going to have to get you some ink.”
My eyes widened but I didn’t argue. Everyone else wore is sign, I suppose I had to as well. I chewed my lip but nodded. He walked over and grabbed his leather jacket out of the closet and dug in the pockets. He pulled out a single piece of leather cord that had a small silver scale charm on it. He wrapped it around my neck and tied it off.
“Until we can get that ink on you. You wear that. It lets everyone know you’re one of us...and you’re mine,” he said.
I touched the silver charm almost tenderly. “Where is it from?”
“Dad wore it on his jacket.”
The statement took me back. It was his father's? And he was giving it to me? I wrapped my fingers around it and nodded firmly. I was going to make sure I made him and Dylan proud.
“We better get going,” he said, kissing my temple. “As soon as Jessica is out of the shower she’s going to take us to her husband so we can set the asshole straight.”
I hesitated and looked at the gun tucked into the back of his pants. It was almost always there, hidden by the shirts he wore. I’d only noticed it a few times when he turned and leaned just right. I swallowed a little and chewed my lip.
“You aren’t going to kill him, are you?” I asked.
He glanced at me and put his hands on my shoulders. “I don’t anticipate it, but you can never really tell how these things are going to pan out,” he said. “We aren’t going to go in there with guns blazing, if that’s what you’re afraid of.”
I nodded, feeling a little more relaxed at his reassurance. “Okay,” I said.
Dylan glanced up as Jessica came down the stairs, her hair wet.
She was dressed in the clothes I’d loaned her, though they were just a little big on her. The poor girl looked completely malnourished, though I suppose that could have been due to drug addiction. I’d spotted some track marks on her arms while I was cleaning her up. Dylan glanced at her and smiled softly.
“Hey there. We were just talking about how this was going to go. We’re not going to let that prick touch you, okay? We need you to show me where you live and then maybe we can get you to your family?”
Her cheeks flushed and tears came to her eyes. “I don’t have any,” she admitted.
“We’ll find you a place here then,” he said softly, reaching out and offering his hand. “You can stay with someone here until we can get you back on your feet.”
“Really?” she whispered, her eyes wide.
Dylan smiled and nodded. “Really,” he assured her.
Jessica seemed nervous but was coming around. Having another woman around
was helping, as she had obvious reasons for being nervous around men. She moved over close to me and looked up at me, her eyes full of sadness and a strange kind of regret I couldn’t really place.
“We’re going to get make sure your husband never touches you again, okay?” I assured, grinning down at her. “Dylan and his crew are really good at what they do. I promise you won’t have to worry about him ever again.”
She smiled a little and nodded, blushing and looking down. “Right,” she whispered, wiping her eyes. “I’ve just, I’ve never had anyone go to bat for me like this before.”
“Well, you aren’t alone anymore.”
She nodded and I led her outside where everyone else was waiting. She got on Snake’s bike and soon enough we were following them to the house she’d just escaped. I was excited to help her and to take part in what Dylan did, but I couldn’t get the feeling of uneasiness out of my head.
Something didn’t feel right, but I just couldn’t place my finger on it.
Chapter Eighteen
We traveled along a bumpy dirt road and every time we hit a pothole, my body would jolt forward and I’d gasp, my teeth knocking together. I held onto Dylan tightly, my forehead pressed against his back. My stomach was turning over and over again and I wasn’t sure why, but I was nervous. Probably because I’d never faced confrontation like this before.
An old dusty trailer finally came into view and I glanced over at Jessica. Her own gaze was one of terrified unease. I’d never really dealt with abuse victims before so I didn’t know what to expect from her. I just thought she was brave for facing her fears and showing us where her husband was. I couldn’t even imagine how I’d feel if someone asked me to do that. Luckily I’d never have to. Dylan was a dream.
We pulled into the driveway that led up to the beaten trailer. The closer we got, however, the more worn and abandoned the trailer appeared to be. I chewed my lip, feeling more than a little nervous as we parked our bikes. Something just wasn’t right; it didn’t look like anyone had lived in this trailer for years.
Mold grew up the side of it and the roof had caved in from rust and rain. The grass was too tall and the door was barely hanging on by one hinge. Dylan looked just as concerned and glanced over at Jessica.
“Are you sure this is your place?” he asked, not looking convinced.
Jessica was chewing on her bottom lip now and I could see little drops of blood starting to form where her teeth bit into the soft flesh. “Um, yeah. This is my house,” she said.
Oh, fuck. Something was very wrong. I was a second away from making Dylan turn back when I heard the distinct noise of gun hammers being pulled back. A chorus of them echoed in my ears as a group of bikers stepped out from around the trailer, training their guns on us.
Fear coursed through my veins and I felt an icy coolness in my limbs. My throat was dry and my eyes were wet with tears that threatened to spill down my cheeks. I wanted to play it cool, I wanted to be a badass and I wanted Dylan to be proud of me, but in this moment all I could think to do was curl up and hide behind him, dropping my head between his shoulders.
I could feel the stare of the other bikers as they took us in, clearly trying to assess whether or not we would put up a fight. I could hear Dylan’s heart racing and I knew this was bad. Most of the bikers on our side were unarmed. Dylan and a few of the others had guns, but we were vastly outnumbered.
“What do you want, Coyote?” Dylan asked, his voice low in his throat.
“You know what we want, Dylan. Don’t play coy. I don’t have time for your bullshit. You guys are out here playing good samaritans, but I have bigger fish to fry.”
I glanced around Dylan’s shoulder for just a moment, wanting to see the man we were up against. He was a tall, burly guy with at least a hundred pounds and twenty years on Dylan. He was hairy from the top of his head, down to his exposed chest. He was everything I’d imagined when I thought ‘biker’, and not in a good way. These were the guys I’d spent my life being afraid of.
“We want the girl,” Coyote said.
“Jessica? Who is she to you?” Dylan asked.
Jessica hopped off the bike and dropped her head, scurrying over to Coyote’s. I watched, stunned and hurt as the woman I’d taken under my wing abandoned us. Coyote smiled and pulled a little baggie of crushed up rocks and handed it to the girl. He was paying her with meth.
“Thanks for bringing them here, doll. They’re a lot easier to handle when they have their guard down.”
I had to bite back a snarl at that comment, glaring at Coyote from around Dylan. Coyote just chuckled and crossed his arms over his chest. “Are you going to hand her over easy? Or are we going to have to take her from you?” he asked menacingly.
“Go to hell!” Dylan spat, his lips drawn back into a snarl.
“Your choice,” Coyote said casually.
His men drew their weapons and soon every single person on our side had a gun trained at their heads. A little red dot from a laser sight was poised at the center of Dylan’s head, but he didn’t flinch. He was ready to lay his life down for me, but I wasn’t going to let that happen.
I jumped up, eyes wide. “WAIT!” I gasped, standing beside the bike.
Dylan swung his head around and stared at me, wide-eyed and confused by my actions. “What the hell are you doing?!” he snapped, an edge of fear just under his words.
I looked at Dylan and I knew my eyes were glistening with tears. I knew I looked terrified because I was. My hands shook just a little as I stared Coyote down. “Wait…”
Coyote cocked a brow and looked me up and down. “I’m waiting…”
“I’ll go with you, okay?” I whispered, my voice shaking from the effort of trying to keep my calm. “I’ll go with you.”
“Like hell you will Alex!” Dylan yelled.
I swung around and stared at him, an intensity burning in my belly that I’d never felt before. “I am not your responsibility.” I threw my hand out, motioning to the other bikers parked around me. “These men are your responsibility. You’re their leader and if you don’t let me go with them, all of your men are going to be dead! The men you promised to lead and protect! I won’t be the reason you break that promise! You owe them everything, and so do I, so don’t try and stop me, Dylan. You told me that you’re out there to protect the ones who can’t protect themselves. I can. I’m making my own decision and don’t you dare get your ass killed by being rash!” I said, my throat going dry.
Dylan just stared at me, though he didn’t respond. I took his silence as a sign of understanding. He knew it just as well as I did that either I went with Coyote or we all died. I turned and walked towards the line of armed bikers, glancing back at Dylan before Coyote grabbed me around the waist and threw me onto his bike.
As the bike roared to life, I heard the sound of Dylan’s anguished scream.
Chapter Nineteen
I tried hard to make sense of what was happening. Why did Coyote and his men want me? Was he just trying to hurt Dylan? But that didn’t make sense, since Dylan and I had just figured out last night what we meant to each other. I couldn’t say for sure, but I had the sick feeling this had something to do with my father.
We rode into the hills well into the night, not stopping until we made it to an abandoned warehouse. By the time we got there, I'd pretty much figured out they weren't going to kill me so I had some of my spunk back.
"A warehouse. How original. No one will find us here," I quipped.
Coyote stopped walking, clearly surprised by my sudden sarcasm, but not amused by it in the least. He looked at me for a long moment before his hand snapped forward and he slapped me across the face so hard I stumbled back, shocked by the unexpected contact.
He yanked me closer, grabbed a set of handcuffs off his belt, and slapped them on me easily, not replying to my sarcastic remark. They led me into the warehouse and we walked straight back before Coyote pushed me up against a wall and grabbed his gun, pointing it right at
me.
"I'm not going to run. Where do you think I'm going to go? You don't have to point that fucking thing at me," I snapped, spitting out a mouthful of blood from the slap.
"I know you aren't going to run, but I like watching you squirm," he said with a grin. "You don't like the gun and that's exactly why I'm pointing it at you."
I didn't want to give him the satisfaction of being right so I closed my mouth tightly for a moment, deciding I should do something useful with my time, like figure out how to get out of here.
"Staging a kidnapping is impressive and all, but couldn't you have picked a better victim? Like a senator's daughter or something?" I asked.
Coyote glanced up and cocked a brow. "We wanted you."
"But why?” I asked. “Who the fuck am I?”
He hummed, clearly think through his answer. "Your daddy owes us money and we figured the only way to recoup our losses was to get our hands on you."
I snorted and shook my head. "You're barking up the wrong tree, pal. My dad doesn't give a shit about me. He's not going to put up my ransom."
Coyote grinned at me "Oh, we know that. We know that all too well. We went and saw your dear old dad. We only had to break three fingers before he told us where you were. How do you think we knew where to come looking?”
My heart sank into my stomach at the news, but I tried not to let it show. I looked away and swallowed thickly. “If you aren’t planning a ransom, how the hell do you think you’re going to get money from me?”
Coyote grinned wickedly and leaned in closer, watching me carefully, taking in the look of fear on my face. I knew there was no hiding it anymore. “Men all over the world would pay a pretty penny to fuck a gorgeous American girl like yourself. The way I see it, it’s the only fair trade I can possibly make. There's no other way to get our money back from your dad,” he said, licking his lips as he looked me up and down.