Dark Instinct

by Jayne Blue

  We rode that way for a few minutes. The bike was too loud for normal conversation and the situation was too weird for normal anything. I felt weightless, like there was no gravity; being cradled in Maddox’s arms and speeding along on his bike almost felt like flying. The bike sliced through the night and away from whatever fate had threatened me at the bus stop.

  When we were well out of reach of the three men, I felt Maddox slow down. I ventured a look up again and saw that we were at the Port Azreal Police Station.

  Maddox parked his bike and killed the engine. I felt strange … shy. At the same time I didn’t quite want to move from this spot that had, surprisingly, become my shelter.

  “Miss Plumb, uh, Tracy, are you okay?” Maddox said.

  I saw his eyes scan me. He had a look I hadn’t seen before. If I were going to put a name to it, I would say his eyes were filled with intense worry. They were on me, but there was also something else going on behind them. His eyes, they were hazel with a hint of green. I hadn’t noticed that before.

  I had to think for a moment. Was I okay? What had just happened?

  “I’m okay. Yes. I’m okay. They didn’t hurt me.”

  I was telling Maddox and myself at the same time. I’m okay.

  “You’re fast as hell,” Maddox said and he cracked a smile. He smiled. I must have hit my head or something because a smile from Maddox had seemed impossible earlier. We were slowly separating. My body had been molded to his as we rode but now some sense of time and place was returning.

  “I used to run track.”

  My voice sounded weird to me. I stiffened and realized my skirt was dangerously high. Maddox also pulled back.

  “Can you stand up?”

  I wondered that myself.

  “Yes.”

  And as swiftly as he’d swept me up, he got us both off his bike. He lifted me in his arms and then placed me on my feet like I weighed nothing. I suppose a height difference of more than a foot made that possible, but still I never got the impression that Ted, or anyone else, could literally pick me up and carry me.

  “We’re going into the station.”

  I nodded. I was alright. And I wasn’t. Something had shifted the axis of my universe. There was a difference in me, in my perception. Was this shock? I knew I was fine, yet things were off. I was off.

  Maddox took my elbow and turned me in the direction of the front door to the police station. I’d never been in the Port Azreal Police building.

  I’d never been on a motorcycle.

  I’d never seen eyes the color of Maddox’s.

  And I’d never been in arms as strong.

  11

  Maddox

  I wanted to follow those sons of bitches terrorizing Tracy, but I could feel her shaking against my chest.

  She was tiny and her skin glowed white next to the masks of the three men who attacked her. I had planned to swing first and ask questions later. But she surprised them and me.

  Seeing her haul ass as fast as she did was amazing. She wasn’t going to let them fuck with her if she could help it.

  I shuddered when I thought what might have happened if I hadn’t been there at that moment. Eventually her speed would have faded. They would have caught up with her for sure.

  Protecting her and getting her to safety took priority over the ass whooping I wanted to give. I rode away from the danger she’d been in and sheltered her with my body.

  It felt like I’d never been in the right place at the right time in my entire life, until tonight.

  She fit in my arms like no woman ever had and it fucked with my head. I hadn’t meant to start anything with her. I wanted her out of my house and my fucking life.

  Yet, having her this close was like a drug and I was instantly addicted. Or maybe it was a cure?

  I drove straight to the Port Az Police. If I couldn’t kick the asses of those idiots, at least I’d get some intel to the Port Az cops.

  The Dark Saints had enough to handle without petty thugs roaming the streets.

  I was deeply worried about Tracy. When I cut the engine of my Harley, she was still shaking. It was a warm night but she was cold. I suppose being skin and bones did that to a person, but so did trauma. That I knew.

  I stood her up but kept a hand out on her arm. We walked up the steps and I opened the door.

  Tracy reached her hand out to mine and stopped us from walking into the station.

  “Can you stay with me? I don’t have a ride home and I’m…”

  She paused and I saw her take a deep breath. Why hadn’t I noticed how beautiful her lips were before? This was not the time.

  “What?”

  “I’m scared to take the bus home after I’m done here.”

  “I’ll stay,” I said.

  Something hurt in my heart when she asked me to stay. The hard knot in my chest melted or broke open. I struggled to keep my distance and my stance. I was here to protect her and to find out who did this shit. I wasn’t here to make time with this woman or with any woman.

  “Thank you.”

  She turned and let me usher her through the door.

  She paused a second and looked at the room. I took her hand and led her to the desk.

  “Officer Jenny Guffy. Tell her it’s Sam Maddox.”

  “One moment.”

  The woman at the desk made a phone call and in seconds, there was Jenny Guffy. She was pretty. Sometimes I forgot that because she was all business in her Men in Black style suit and slicked back blonde ponytail. She was Benz Bass’s old lady and I trusted her.

  Her all-business demeanor softened a little when she saw I wasn’t alone.

  “Maddox, what’s up?”

  “This is Tracy Plumb.”

  Tracy looked from me to Jen.

  “Hello. I, uh, I was attacked,” Tracy said and Jen softened a little more. She enveloped Tracy and I followed them as they walked deeper into the station.

  “We can sit in this conference room. You need coffee?” Tracy nodded, and Jen poured some from a pot in the corner.

  I could see the questions in Jen’s face.

  “Tracy just started working up at the house. She’s taking care of Sarge, Olivia, and, well me, I guess.”

  I tried to show a more human side. I’d literally been a beast to Tracy today and right now she needed a soft place to land.

  “Well, you need it, that’s for damn sure.”

  Jenny was tall, a perfect match for Benz. She was tough, all business, and scary as hell if you were on the wrong side of her, as several drug dealers knew.

  But right now she was warm and open and just what anyone who’d been a victim of a crime would need. I could see this was the right call.

  “Tracy, you can trust Jen, she’s a friend.”

  “Thank you,” Tracy said as Jen handed her a Styrofoam cup of steaming hot coffee.

  “I’m going to record this, okay. So, you don’t have to repeat yourself later. Now, what happened? Start from the beginning.”

  Tracy sipped her coffee and told Jen about the three men in masks. The more Tracy talked, the more confident I watched her become. She was shaking off the attack and moving forward. For a tiny little thing, she was made of something tough inside. In one day she’d dealt with the bitch day nurse, Sarge, three attackers, and me. The worst, I feared, was me.

  “Ok, I think I have it all. I’m just glad you’re fast as hell. If you could look this over and then sign it, we’ll have all the paperwork we need,” Jen said to Tracy and they both smiled. “Maddox, while she’s doing that, could I talk to you a second?” Jen added.Jen said to Tracy and they both smiled.

  She handed Tracy the paperwork and a pen and then we stepped into the hall while she read it.

  “This is the fourth attack this weekend,” Jen told me in a lowered voice.

  “I heard about the ATM.”

  “The ATM, a couple mugged at knifepoint, and a carjacking in broad frigging daylight.”

  “Is it Hawks?�
�

  “They don’t do petty crimes or muggings. You know that. They run drugs, human traffic. Stuff with a bigger profit margin.”

  “True, plus, there were no colors or patches.”

  I had only seen generic hoodies and the ski masks. There was nothing to really identify the men and usually The Hawks wanted everyone to know they were behind shit.

  “You can pass this along to the club. This needs to get under control, fast. People are spooked.”

  “And that’s not good for business.”

  “Right, anyone’s business.”

  Jen turned back to the conference room and we found Tracy on her feet and ready to go.

  “Here’s the paperwork. Thank you. Are we all set?”

  “Yes, and we’ll let you know as soon as we get these guys. The only problem will be the masks.”

  “Yeah, not helpful at all.”

  Tracy had a look of worry in her eyes, but she didn’t seem shaky anymore or unsure.

  “Maddox, make sure she gets home okay?”

  “No question about it.”

  “Thanks Jen.”

  Tracy walked back through the open office area and I followed her out to my bike.

  “This time you need a helmet.”

  I handed her one that I kept in the back as a spare. It was too big, but it was the best I could do.

  I got on and offered Tracy a hand to climb on behind me. I felt her arms around me. I would take it slow.

  Even still, the drive back to the house was faster than I wanted it to be. Something in me wanted the time with Tracy on the back of my bike to last forever.

  I pulled the bike around to the back of the house and cut the engine.

  Tracy removed the too-big helmet and her dark hair tumbled out of it in waves. She wore it at her shoulders. Again, she looked tiny on the back of my bike.

  We hadn’t said a word since the police station.

  “There won’t be any more riding the bus or walking around Port Az without me.”

  “What?” She looked at me like I was speaking a foreign language.

  “It’s dangerous right now. As you just saw.”

  “Look, Maddox, uh, Mr. Maddox. I’m an adult. I work here, yes, but I don’t have to answer to you about how I get around town.”

  “You just got mugged by three men at the bus stop. You’ll do as I say on this.”

  Tracy was wearing a skirt, not exactly the best plan for riding. She was going to have to make a leap if she wanted off. I stepped forward and I put a hand out to help her get off the machine without falling.

  She looked angry, defiant, but also practical. Tracy put her hand in mine but it wasn’t quite enough for her to get off the bike. I scooped her up, just as I had before and placed her on her feet. I had my arms around her still. Our eyes were locked.

  We were mid-argument. She’d conceded nothing about her modes of transportation. The urge I felt was stronger than any word or doubt. I tightened my arm around her and lifted her up. A gasp escaped her lips and I muffled it with my mouth on hers.

  I felt her sweet lips yield to mine. Her body was soft against me.

  I knew this was wrong of me, totally wrong.

  But I kissed her harder. I had to have more of her, all of her. I heard another little moan escape her lips and my hands ached to touch more of her.

  A spark between us had turned into a fucking explosion with no warning.

  This made no fucking sense and it wasn’t what I needed in my life right now.

  Or ever.

  But it was what I wanted. I hadn’t had anything I’d wanted in longer than I could remember.

  12

  Tracy

  I lost all control. Getting more of Maddox pushed any other thought or instinct out of my head. I wanted him to hold me tighter, kiss me harder, and I wanted to feel his body.

  My hands roved around to the back of his head and I felt my fingers dig in, and slide up. His lips on mine were hot. I felt our tongues circle and it was like a bolt of something liquid, molten, set me on fire inside. I wanted him to lay me down anywhere, right there, the grass, wherever we were.

  It wild and out of control. The physical pull to this man wasn’t anything I’d ever felt. I’d been with Ted, and it was nice.

  Nice.

  Ted.

  “Oh my God.” My body was nearly wrapped around Maddox’s! What had I been thinking? What had I done?

  “We can’t, I have to stop.” I said the words and they sounded breathy and not at all convincing because I kept kissing Maddox. And he kept kissing me.

  It took a second for what I said to sink into his brain and in that second, I didn’t move away or try to break free. I didn’t want this to stop. I wanted the kiss to last longer. Forever.

  Shit.

  But the words did sink in. Maddox put me down and the kiss ended. I struggled to get my breathing under control.

  Maddox looked down and I followed his eyes. My dress had come open in the front and the lace of my bra was barely covering me. Maddox moved his hands from my waist up to the neck of my dress. Slowly, gently, he arranged the fabric. I felt his fingers on my skin.

  He was putting me back together and I could barely stop myself from begging him to take it all off.

  I was engaged! I was working so I could have a fairy tale society wedding of my parents’ dreams!

  I was not supposed to be here in Maddox’s arms.

  Except it felt righter than anything I’d done in months.

  “Go to your room. Stay away from the third floor. And don’t leave this place without me again.”

  Total bullshit. I wasn’t supposed to leave The Castle? Go to my room? What the hell was this?

  I was this close to telling him exactly what he could do with his orders. I was also about to kiss him again until we were both naked.

  I was going to have to get the hell out of this situation immediately before I did something that I’d never be able to take back.

  I was acting like a fool. I’d let my hormones replace my better judgment. Or maybe it was the way Maddox had swept in and saved me from those muggers. I saw him as my hero and that was messing with my mind. That had to be it.

  I was speechless and didn’t have the right words to say anyway.

  For the second time in one night, I ran. I ran into the house and did exactly as he said. I found my room off the kitchen and closed the door.

  My world was spinning. I’d come so close to throwing all caution to the wind with Maddox.

  I had to think. And thinking with his hands on me, his lips so close, was clearly not a skill I possessed.

  Slowly my heard returned to some sort of normal rhythm. I washed my face, changed into the oversized t-shirt I slept in, and I realized I didn’t have sheets on the bed in my room here. Along with everything else, today had been my moving day.

  Ugh.

  I’d thrown some in the laundry earlier and had forgotten to get them out.

  I cracked the door open and looked about. Maddox was nowhere to be found, thank God. The coast was clear. I tiptoed to through the kitchen to the laundry room. I grabbed the sheets and hustled back to my room as fast as I could.

  I prepared my new bed.

  Everything in my life at that moment was foreign.

  I lay down and closed my eyes. I had too much to think about. Too much to try to understand about what I’d just done.

  I thought I’d never be able to fall asleep.

  But the exact opposite happened. I fell quickly fell into a deep sleep. It was almost as if my body needed to protect my brain. I shut down completely.

  Despite being in a new place, a new bed, a new life, I was out in seconds. And I slept well. Maybe I was sleeping off the fever that Maddox had caused?

  I woke up early the next day and wondered if everything that had happened the day before was real.

  My mind immediately flashed to the kiss with Maddox. I knew that was real. Way too real. I put on jeans and a t-shirt
and fixed my plans for the day.

  I figured if I kept busy, I could make sense of things or at least forget they ever happened. I picked up my phone for the first time since last night.

  There was one text from Ted.

  “You’re being selfish.”

  I didn’t think I was being selfish, but it hurt that he wasn’t the least bit concerned about me. I had been mugged last night and his text was terse. I wasn’t selfish, was I?

  I was doing all this to pay my parents’ wedding debt for a wedding that would live up to his family’s standards. And yet I was being selfish? I didn’t even want a big wedding.

  I may have made a misstep last night, a major misstep, but Ted didn’t know that. And he didn’t need to. I had a made a smallish lapse in judgment but I hadn’t gone too far.

  Part of me knew I was lying to myself. What I did versus what I thought was for sure going way too far.

  I fished around my suitcase for a ponytail holder for my hair. I gathered it up and looked in the mirror for a second.

  What did I want? That was the question I hadn’t asked myself since the moment Ted and I had gotten engaged. My parents, his parents, and Ted himself had scheduled the church, the hall, the cake, the band, and a million other details. I was the pretty bride they’d all grafted onto their wedding day plans.

  And I had gone along with it. I had been passive.

  I wasn’t passive.

  And I wasn’t right for Ted.

  That thought leaped into my head and I squeezed my eyes shut. We were too far along. My parents had spent too much. The paper had announced it! I shouldn’t be having these doubts.

  But there they were. I was in turmoil. The thought of getting married, at that moment, had me breaking out in a cold sweat.

  I had to ask myself if this what I wanted. If Ted was what I wanted.

  And I had to get to work.

  I finished tying my hair up and I went out to the kitchen. I could have my inner turmoil all day but no matter what, my parents’ debts were still a reality.

  Unless I won the lottery, I was committed to doing what I could to helping them. For a second the only thing I could say for sure was that I was going to help them break even on this.