Hiding Out (Hawks MC: Caroline Springs Charter, #2)

by Lila Rose

  A gate banging shut caused me to jump and whimper. I bolted behind a large warehouse-type place. Leaning against the rough wall, I inhaled ragged breaths, trying but failing to ignore the wave of pain burning through my body since stopping. I needed a place to rest, a place that would keep me hidden for the night at least.

  So Colton and my owner couldn’t find me.

  My cousin had fooled me, or rather, I’d been the fool in believing Colton wouldn’t betray me like the rest of my family. God, my family was all fucked up. My parents were druggies, my cousin a gambler…heck, was my uncle a drunken cross-dresser?

  A crazy laugh escaped me, and my hand flew to cover my mouth. Exhaustion and pain filled my head with stupid thoughts.

  Rest. I had to rest. Crawling on all fours, I looked through the darkened night for a place to catch my breath.

  Something shone from a window up on the building. I stood and cringed from the pain shooting through my feet. Great, another bloody window. At least it was open. I could be thankful for that. I waited and listened. When I heard nothing coming from the inside, I opened the window further and jumped up, my bottom to the edge. Never known for my grace, especially when bleeding and in agony, I slipped and fell in a heap to the concrete ground below.

  Rest. I just needed to rest. Just for a moment.

  I found a corner, blocked off with benches on each side of me. From the smell of it, I worked out I was in a garage.

  Rest. Even for a little while.

  I never thought I would be able to sleep, considering my distress and the burning pain inching its way around my body, but exhaustion won out. I closed my eyes.

  My gaze glanced over the man in front of me, the one who had woken me with a start when he’d banged the door open earlier. It was the same man I’d seen in the supermarket the previous day—the man with a sinful body, who now had a hard glare and words as he barked into his phone.

  Trust no one.

  I couldn’t risk it.

  My heart beat stupidly at the thought of him seeming to want to protect me. He’d driven those men out of the room because I was scared, and spoke to someone on the phone to seek help for me.

  My heart was foolish to want to trust someone so soon.

  My head was smarter.

  I eyed him with a curious glance, keeping my distance.

  The man turned to me with a glare in his eyes, only the glare didn’t frighten me. If anything, my personality wanted to share my own scowl back, but it wasn’t the time. I needed to know what the new situation just brought me.

  “My name’s Dodge,” he snapped.

  Dodge. What a funny name.

  “Someone’s coming who’ll help you. For now, you’re safe… Do you remember me?”

  I nodded.

  He sighed when I wasn’t forthcoming with more information. “Do you know where you are?” he asked.

  I shook my head slightly.

  “This is a mechanical business owned by the biker club I’m a part of.”

  My eye widened. A sharp gasp filled the air as my chest rose and fell in a jerky motion. A biker club? My owner was a part of a biker club. “No,” I whispered and shifted into the wall more. “No!” I screamed.

  “Hey,” he started, his brows furrowed. “What the fuck? Little bird, what’s this about? I’m trying to help you. What’s going on in that head of yours?”

  “Y-you’re one of them,” I stuttered in terror and annoyance. I hated how weak I seemed.

  “Woman, what are you talking about?”

  “H-he was selling me, m-my cousin.” Even I thought it sounded insane. In this day and age, people were still sold into slavery? I couldn’t fathom it. “I was to become a slave.” Judging by Dodge’s eyes darkening, he seemed to believe it far too easily, which scared the crap out of me. “I was…my…I was sold. My owner…he’s a biker.”

  His jaw clenched tight, his nostrils flared and I watched as his hand fisted his phone tightly. Then, all of a sudden, he took a deep breath and closed his eyes for a second. When they opened, the storm that had grown inside of them calmed.

  He sat on the floor, keeping a short distance between us. “I can tell you now, little bird, no one I know would want to buy a woman to be a slave. That shit is fucked up, and I’ll take a fucker out, even in this club, who thinks of starting that crap up.” He sighed. “The Hawks MC is clean. We don’t run in shady stuff like selling women or drugs. No one fucks that up for us. If they try, I take them out and when that happens, there’s nothing left to find of the fucker trying to bring a bad name to Hawks.” He licked his lips like they were dry. “You are safe here.”

  How was I safe when he’d admitted to killing people who tried to cause trouble with the Hawks club?

  He killed people.

  He had death on his hands.

  So, why did I feel safe around him? Why wasn’t I scared of him any longer? My body relaxed as much as it could with my feet and skin still aching.

  “What in the fuck is goin’ on around here?” bellowed from the room Dodge had walked the men out to.

  “Shit.” Dodge sighed.

  The door came open, and I peered around the corner of the bench to see who had walked in. It was an older man with a wiry beard, around the age of fifty. His eyes were angry and he wore similar clothes to Dodge—jeans, a tee and leather jacket.

  Dodge quickly stood from the floor and faced the man. “Memphis—”

  “Explain to me why in the hell the shop isn’t open. We have fuckin’ customers comin’ soon to pick up their cars, and some of the boys need to fuckin’ finish.”

  “Memphis—”

  “This had better be good.”

  “Jesus, old man, if you let me finish, I’d bloody tell you,” Dodge said, and then gestured with his hand towards me. I cringed back into the wall as I felt the man named Memphis look my way.

  “The fuck?”

  The door opened again. Curious, I glanced around to see two large men and a woman walk in. The red-haired woman closed the door behind her.

  “Dodge, you dick, next time don’t hang up on me, and explain the cryptic shit you spew from your mouth. If there ain’t a good reason to have our woman here while the guys outside ogle her arse, I’m gonna kick the crap outta you,” said the man wearing a baseball cap.

  “Let’s kick it anyway for fuckin’ up our morning,” said the other man as he flicked his hair from his glaring eyes that were trained on Dodge.

  Dodge was getting into a lot of trouble just for me.

  For someone he didn’t know.

  Why, I didn’t have a clue. Suddenly, I cleared my throat, and all eyes—except Memphis’s, because his were still staring down at me—turned to me.

  Chapter Four

  Dodge

  If it were a western movie, a tumbleweed would have floated across the ground in front of our still forms while the silence built around us as we all stared at…fuck, I still didn’t even have her name.

  “Dodge,” Josie said quietly, and she stepped up beside me.

  Turning my gaze from the woman, I met the serious eyes of my brothers. “We protect her as one. She’s club business now.”

  “What do you mean, son?” Memphis asked.

  “Hi,” Josie calmly said to the woman. “I’m Josie. You’re okay here. No one will hurt you. That there is Caden, and that one is Eli, otherwise known as Pick and Billy to everyone else. They’re my men.” Her eyes widened. “They can seem like grumpy guys, but deep down, they’re sweet.” She smiled.

  “Precious.” Pick smirked.

  “Sweetheart, we got street creed we gotta keep.” Billy winked.

  Josie rolled her eyes and turned back to the woman. She crouched down in front of the stranger. “What’s your name, honey?”

  We waited and watched as she licked her dry lips and then uttered, “Willow.”

  Jesus.

  Willow.

  See, my little bird did belong free, outsid
e in a tree, a willow tree, not scared on the ground.

  Shut the fuck up, you dickhead. My little bird? Outside in a tree? You pansy arse. Man the fuck up and harden your goddamn heart.

  “What’s she doin’ here, Dodge?” Memphis asked.

  Shrugging, I said, “I found her in here this mornin’.” I ran a hand over my face before looking to my brothers, Pick and Billy. “Her motherfuckin’ cousin was gonna sell her as a slave,” I growled out low. A gasp behind me told me Josie had heard.

  “This true, darlin’?” Memphis asked Willow. Again, we all looked to her. She raised her chin and I was fuckin’ proud when she nodded. The look in her eyes was like she was daring anyone to question her.

  Where the tough front was coming from, I hadn’t a clue, but it looked good on her. Hell, she’d been shy as shit in the supermarket when she realised I’d heard her words.

  “Why are you…?” Josie waved her hand at Willow’s arms and legs.

  “Hang the fuck on, I want to—” Pick started to snarl, causing Willow to cringe and her gaze to drop to the floor.

  “Ease up, arsehole,” I interrupted, my voice cold and then, fuck me, all eyes swung my way.

  Pick and Billy were the first to smile wide. Memphis was smart enough to hide his behind his hand.

  Glaring, I snapped, “Don’t even fuckin’ think it. Not gonna happen.” To show it in some fuckin’ way, because there was no way in hell my balls were gonna be around some chick’s neck, I took a step back. “Let’s get this shit organised so I can get crap done.” I huffed. “Willow’s cousin is obviously a fuckhead, trying to sell his own flesh and blood. No doubt it’s over money.” I looked to Willow. Her nod confirmed it. “What’s worse is that he was gonna sell her to some motherfuckin’ local biker guy.”

  “The fuck?” Memphis snarled.

  “Not going to.” Willow shook her head. “I was sold. He was supposed to collect me last night.” Her cute nose screwed up in disgust. Her jaw clenched and she fisted her hands over and over, as if the whole situation pissed her off.

  Christ. Fuckin’ Christ.

  The sick cunts were gonna die.

  “S’all good, darlin’, we’ll keep you safe. No biker in this club would dare deal with the shit your fuckhead cousin’s in,” Memphis reassured, backing me up.

  “We bloody hope,” Billy muttered. He was right, though. We weren’t sure a Hawks member in the Caroline Springs charter wasn’t dealin’ in that shit. Someone was definitely fuckin’ things up for us by goin’ to Venom scum and, if it led to slavery, I would fuck them up good and proper by going slow and painful.

  “What we need to do now is help Willow settle and get her cleaned up. Then we can go on from there,” Josie said.

  I couldn’t help but smirk hearing the once timid girl now giving orders. Pick and Billy were good for her. She knew she was safe with them, so she could be herself. The grinning fools beside me were obviously thinkin’ the same thing.

  Or that they’d wished they were banging her right then.

  Couldn’t blame them. She had a rockin’ body.

  My head flinched forward when a palm connected to the back of it and then Pick growled, “Don’t fuckin’ think what you’re thinkin’.”

  Shaking my head, I walked over to the women. Stretching my hand out and down to Willow, she looked at it. For a moment, I didn’t think she’d take it, but she did. Her small hand slid into my bigger one. I closed my hand around hers and I couldn’t help but stare at the difference in skin tone, hers a lot darker than mine.

  Christ.

  I fuckin’ liked the way her skin looked against mine.

  Slowly and gently, in case she was hurt more than I thought, I pulled her up to stand. She winced and shifted from one foot to the other.

  “What is it?” Josie asked before I had the chance.

  “Nothing,” Willow said in a small voice.

  “Darlin’, you gotta tell us if anything is wrong. We don’t wanna move you in case it does more damage,” Memphis said in a papa bear tone.

  “My feet hurt,” she said and looked down at her feet with a glare.

  Billy walked up to her and picked up one leg. I didn’t fuckin’ like the way his hand slid down her calf then lifted her leg higher. “Billy,” I growled out.

  From his crouch, he looked up smiling. “Got somethin’ to say, Dodge?”

  Grinding my teeth, I shook my head and barked, “Nothin’.”

  He chuckled. “Didn’t think so. Now, let’s take a look here.” He lifted her leg again to the side and eyed her foot. His jaw clenched and unclenched again and again. I couldn’t see from my angle as I supported Willow’s weight, but from the look on Billy’s face, I knew it was bad.

  Hell, I found myself admiring her courage and strength. She got to her feet when they were obviously cut up, and she did it without complaint.

  Will of damn steel. Amazin’.

  “You’re gonna have to carry her,” Billy said with a scowl as he stood beside us.

  “You do it,” I ordered.

  Shit, fuck, shit. Everyone looked to me, even Willow.

  “I-I’ve gotta get the place cleared out. Don’t want anyone to see her,” I suggested, and hell, it was a fuckin’ brilliant suggestion.

  And it saved having Willow in my arms. Having her small frame tight against mine, having her scent take over…Christ, I was fucked.

  Get out. Get out and away as fast as you can.

  With a head gesture, I motioned Memphis over. He gave me a look that said I was a piece of shit as he stalked up and took my spot, supporting Willow. Even though her hand tightened on my arm, as if she didn’t want me to step away from her, I still did. And then I bolted from the room like a little girl with a goddamn disgusting crush.

  It didn’t take long to clear the garage’s car park and compound. Most dicks were glad to have the morning off. I told them all to come back after lunch. It was only Muff and Handle who eyed me suspiciously before they followed through with my orders and got the fuck outta there. They knew I wouldn’t be happy if they didn’t comply.

  I walked back into the garage and asked “What’s the plan?” hoping to Christ someone had worked something out.

  “Just working on where to put her for now, until we can get this shit off her back,” Pick said.

  “What about your old place, Josie?” I suggested, crossing my arms over my chest.

  “She can’t. Nary moves in there soon.” She smiled, excited to have her friend move to Melbourne for uni from Ballarat.

  “Here at the compound?” Memphis said.

  “Not safe enough,” I replied.

  “I’m sorry to be a nuisance,” Willow uttered. Her face was strained. She looked exhausted and in pain.

  “You’re not,” I barked. “Look, we need somewhere just for now to get her patched up quick.”

  “Dive’s?” Billy shrugged.

  “Fuck no,” I growled. That shithead would be in her panties in fuckin’ seconds. There was no way I would put Willow even an inch from the fucker. He was too goddamn good-looking for his own sake, and all women were useless when it came to saying no to the dick.

  “What about our place?” Josie offered.

  “Precious.”

  “Sweetheart,” Billy and Pick said at the same time, and the way Willow’s eyes widened, she didn’t like the idea, either. Was she scared of them?

  “No,” she suddenly said. Her cute cheeks reddened from her outburst. “Please, I’m sorry. I’m a nuisance bringing all this here.”

  “Do you want to go to the cops?” Memphis asked.

  “No!” she screamed and tried to take a step back, crying out in pain when she placed her feet hard on the floor. “No, please, no police. My cousin said that the guy, the person who bought me, has people in the force. They’ll find me.”

  That explained her reaction before about the cops. Stupid dirty pigs.

  “What about Lan?” I suggested then regretted the words, because h
e was another man who thought with his dick.

  Okay, we were all like that, but I didn’t want Willow to be at risk with them.

  Why?

  Yeah, let’s not go there, brain.

  “Please,” Willow begged. “Can I stay with you?” She blushed as she looked up at me. I actually turned to look over my shoulder, thinkin’ she was talking to someone else. Only…no one was there. Fuck.

  Looking back to her, I asked, “Me?” and pointed at my chest. She nodded, her eyes pleading. Her tiny hand fisted at her side as though she was scared I’d say no. Of fuckin’ course I had to say no.

  Billy spun and choked on a burst of laughter.

  “It’s the best solution,” Josie said with a smile. “You’ve just moved into your own place and it’s not far from us. So you’ll have help close, especially with Dive—”

  “Whoa,” I interrupted, hands waving out in front of me, eyes wide. “No, ah, no. Sorry.” There was no way in hell I’d be safe at my house with her. Sure, she’d be safe, but fuck, having her small body walking around my house, whether clothed or not, was temptation I didn’t fuckin’ need. What about when I hooked up with other chicks? I wouldn’t be able to bring them home and bang the shit outta them with her in the goddamn house.

  Jesus. My balls would shrivel up to prunes and drop off my body if I didn’t get any pussy. They were already cringing from the thought.

  For the love of God, I sounded like a real jackarse.

  And you’re worried about that for the first time because…?

  Motherfuckin’ Christ, I hardly knew the woman and already I was looking to change myself.

  Can’t fuckin’ let that happen. I will not be pussy-whipped.

  There was also another reason, another big bloody reason I couldn’t have her at my place. Dive, the pussy muncher, lived right next door and he liked to pop over whenever he felt like it. Hell, he could do it when she was gettin’ out of the shower, with all her glorious dark skin on show or…best not think about anything like that.

  “Dodge,” Josie scolded.

  “I can’t. I have… The place, it’s a mess and…” Fuck me drunk. I had nothing of good value to say.

  “Brother, a word.” Pick smirked. He stepped over a few paces, just enough to be out of earshot. I followed, frowning the whole way.