“Do we have to remind you this is for your protection, friend? If you can’t make good on your part, then how are we supposed to keep you and your establishment safe from rival gangs in the area?” said another voice, this one more cool and conniving.
It sounded like extortion. She’d heard whispers from drunks and other locals about the town being under the control of a resident biker gang, the Red Devils, but she’d never seen any proof of it, and she wasn’t one to pry into dangerous things.
She didn’t know if she should run and call the police. If she did, it might be too late for them to do anything.
“Maybe we oughta teach him a lesson. Give him a taste of what’ll happen if he doesn’t meet the deadline by the end of the month,” said the first voice.
Carly couldn’t wait any longer. She had to do something. She turned to go to the bar and use the phone. But she’d only taken one step when the floor gave a loud creak beneath her.
Carly cursed and froze, hoping the men inside hadn’t heard the wood betray her.
“Did you hear that?”
“Go outside and check it out. I’ll stay here.”
Carly knew they’d found her out, so she rushed for the end of the hall and the door that led back into the main restaurant area. Behind her, she heard the door fly open with a bang, followed by loud footsteps coming up on her fast. Though the hallway wasn’t that long, it felt like a mile. Her heart was pounding as she ran.
Angry voices muttered behind her, and she knew they were close. She sprinted for the door and pushed it open, but before she could make it out, a hand grabbed the back of her shirt and yanked her back into the poorly lit hall.
She was shoved against the wall and realized she was surrounded by three terrifying men dressed in various combinations of grubby-looking biker gear. One had a headband that was red and black. Another wore dark sunglasses. And the last had a smug grin that showed missing teeth.
“What do we have here?” he snarled.
“Rob didn’t tell us he had such a hot piece of ass working for him,” said another as he leered.
She was totally caged in by the three of them. At the other end of the hall, she could still hear someone else inside Rob’s office, making threats, but she was too frightened to make out any of it.
“What did you hear?” asked the one in front of her. He was by far the meanest-looking of the three.
“N-nothing,” Carly stuttered.
“Really?” he asked doubtfully.
“Honest, I swear. I don’t know anything.” Carly tried to sound convincing, tried to keep herself together. But she’d never been more scared in her life, and she could feel tears starting to form at the corners of her eyes.
Everything had just gone wrong for her, ever since she came to this town. No, even before that, if she really thought about it.
“Maybe we can take her as a down payment on Rob’s debt. I don’t think he would mind,” the one with missing teeth said with an evil grin. He leaned in, and she cringed away, avoiding his fetid breath as he tried to kiss her.
In that very second, the door behind them that led into the bar whooshed open with incredible speed. A huge figure stood on the threshold, looming just a few feet away.
All three men turned around at the same time and looked up at Zeus, standing at his full, intimidating height, hands clenched and blue eyes glaring down at them.
She could feel the rage emanating from him, and somehow it made her feel secure, like everything was going to be all right.
“Let the woman go,” Zeus growled, assessing the men before him like a predator eyeing prey.
“Who the hell are you?” the mean-looking one spat, stepping forward. All three of the thugs were large, burly men. But they were tiny hills compared to the mountain that was Zeus.
“None of your business. Just let the lady go and there won’t be any trouble,” Zeus said darkly, taking a small step forward.
The man on the right stepped forward. “How about you go fu—”
His curse was interrupted by a loud crack as Zeus’s fist connected straight with the man’s jaw, sending him flying into the wall to Carly’s right with a loud thump.
For a split second, the other two turned and looked at their comrade, stunned. Then, in unison, both men charged at Zeus. He grabbed them both easily and pulled them into the main eating area, away from Carly.
Carly saw the man motionless to her side, but she still heard an angry voice coming from the direction of Rob’s office, so she took the opening and came out of the hallway, ducking behind a table in the corner of the restaurant and hoping to stay out of sight.
Zeus held both men by the collar, then tossed one to the side while the other swung wildly at him. He kicked that one in the gut, and the man flew backward, crashing through chairs and tables. The other man lunged at Zeus, who whirled around to meet him with a solid punch to the nose that sent the thug reeling back into a table and then falling to the ground, out cold.
Despite his sheer size, Zeus moved with incredible precision and speed. Most men around these parts were no strangers to bar fights, but the way Zeus fought was more practiced and honed. The kind of skill that came from a lifetime of training.
In that moment, another man came in, swearing up a storm and running at Zeus. It was the one who had stayed in Rob’s office, and Carly guessed he was probably the highest in command of the group, based on his size and how he’d been the one giving commands earlier.
“You picked the wrong people to mess with, stranger,” he said.
Zeus said nothing. Just replied by grabbing the charging man by his collar and throwing him over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. The man shrieked as he landed square in the middle of a large table, which buckled beneath him and crashed onto the ground in a cloud of splinters.
The man groaned as he rolled over and tried to get up. Zeus didn’t let up, just walked over to the man, examined him for a split second, and gave him one swift blow to the head, knocking him out.
For a moment, the room was still, not a sound disrupting the odd quiet as Zeus looked around one last time, then came over to the table Carly was hidden behind.
Her blood froze. Not only was this the largest, most badass man she had ever seen in her entire life. But he was also dangerous. What would he do with her?
Zeus knelt in front of her and reached out his hand. The anger and coldness were gone from his eyes. Instead, there was a gentle warmth that eased her worry.
“You’re not safe here. You need to come with me,” he said, his voice low.
Carly’s mind willed her to move, but her body was still shaking from the adrenaline of the past couple minutes. Everything had happened so fast.
“But, my job… My shift doesn’t—”
“There’s no time for that now,” he said, cutting her off.
Carly looked around and saw the motionless bodies of the men around her. If they really were from the Red Devils, then Zeus was right; she wasn’t safe here. But maybe they weren’t. Maybe they were just loan sharks Rob had gotten in too deep with.
Zeus looked impatiently at her, then swooped her up into his arms. “Here, let me help you,” he said, more commanding than asking.
The feeling of being picked up off the ground and held in the humongous man’s arms was surreal. Carly was by no means a slight woman, so she’d never understood what it felt like to be carried. But as Zeus turned and made for the door, opening it with his foot and walking across the small parking lot, she instantly began to feel much better, much safer.
Even if Zeus was a complete stranger and a total mystery to her, there was something about him that felt right. She was safe with him. Somehow she just knew it.
He walked toward what Carly assumed must be his motorcycle, a big, black Harley with shining chrome and a pristine paint job. She had no clue how much bikes like this cost, but she assumed it was probably pretty expensive. Which made no sense from the stories she’d heard about him being half c
ivilized and living in the mountains all alone.
Zeus set Carly down on the rear part of the large leather seat, quite gracefully to her surprise, and then handed her a huge helmet.
“Put this on,” he said.
She didn’t ask questions, just put on the helmet that was clearly for a head much larger than hers and buckled the strap tightly so it wouldn’t come off. Zeus climbed onto the bike, and she felt the shocks lurch under his sheer size as he clicked the stand into its place and started the engine with his foot. The motorcycle roared to life as he took a pair of large sunglasses out of his coat pocket and put them on.
From behind Zeus, she could see just how broad-shouldered he was and just how big his muscles really were. Part of Carly longed to slip her hands under his jacket and see just what he felt like, but the more rational part of her still told her she was crazy for just leaving with him like this when she barely knew him.
As her mind was still racing, Zeus turned back to her, his mirrored sunglasses showing her reflection.
“You’ll want to hold on,” he said. Then he put the engine into gear. They moved forward, and Carly felt her body sway backward, causing her to wrap her arms tightly around Zeus in panic. She’d never been on a motorcycle before, let alone ridden behind someone, so the feeling was entirely new to her.
Zeus drove out of the parking lot and down the main thoroughfare that comprised most of downtown Bearstone Village. He turned the motorcycle onto a small side rode that pointed straight toward the hills and mountains that rose into the towering range where Bearstone Park was located.
But instead of heading toward Bearstone Park, this road went in a different direction. They drove up steep paved roads that winded along hillsides and passed through endless acres of ageless pine trees.
I must be crazy. This guy really does live out in the middle of nowhere, she thought. They turned off onto side road after side road, as if navigating a maze where only Zeus knew the layout. Carly held on tight as the Harley roared through the silent forests, and she couldn’t help but relish the feel of his tight muscles under the smooth leather of his jacket, despite the stress of the situation and the knowledge that she’d only barely escaped something terrible.
But she trusted Zeus. He’d helped her when no one else had, and for that, she’d give him a chance.
Big Bad Bear on Amazon
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Thanks so much for reading!
Terry
Beary Sexy: A BBW Werebear Boxed Set Page 43