by Jayne Blue
Owen said something, but I couldn’t make it out as my head started to spin. It was a question, I think. Before I knew what was happening, the word “yes” popped out of my mouth. I knew instantly it was the wrong thing. Owen slipped an arm around my waist and turned me toward him. His breath came hot against my neck and he kissed me. Warning bells went off and I pressed my palms against his chest.
“Wait,” I shouted. Owen reared back; confusion darkened his eyes.
“Gina?”
“I’m sorry,” I said, sliding further down the bench. “Shit. Owen, I’m drunk. I don’t even know what I’m saying.”
His soft laughter made my ears throb. “It’s okay. I’ll take care of you. Come over here.” He rubbed a hand down my back and leaned in close again.
Again, I put up a hand and pushed him away. “Owen, I mean it. I feel sick.”
He was drunk enough not to care. Brushing the hair away from my face, Owen leaned in again and made a move on me. This time, my stomach did the talking for me. My body went rigid and a deep gurgle rose within me. From the corner of my eye, I saw Owen’s eyes go wide with horror. Then I retched and puked all over his lap.
Owen staggered backward as if he’d been shot. The shock of it was just about as deep. The amber dye of the gelatin shots stained his white shirt as liquid splattered the ground and all over his feet.
“The fuck?” Owen held his arms out, his nose wrinkled in disgust, and he looked like he was about to be sick himself. I, on the other hand, felt markedly better. I tucked a hair behind my ear and straightened, wiping my hand across my mouth. My eyes watered and everything went blurry for a second, but at least my stomach had straightened itself out.
“I told you,” I said. “And sorry. I think I just want to go home now.”
Owen’s chest heaved with heavy breaths but he looked like he’d more or less recovered from the shock. I didn’t know whether to be disgusted or impressed at his sudden turnaround. Owen Janney was nothing if not an opportunist.
“Hey, it’s okay,” he said. “You just need to lie down for a little while. Drink some water. Why don’t you let me take you upstairs? Help you get a shower. I’ll make sure nobody messes with you.”
It was in me to ask him who was going to make sure he didn’t mess with me. I got my answer in a long shadow and a whiff of leather and motor oil. A heavy boot hit the ground behind me and Owen’s eyes widened then went up and up.
“Get lost.” Zig’s gravelly voice filled with menace, sending a shiver straight through me. I was still having a little trouble focusing as he stepped forward and put himself between Owen Janney and me.
Owen put his hands up in a defensive gesture but held his ground. “Look, man. This is a private party. You maybe wanna head a little south. That’s where your type hangs out.”
“My type?” Zig said. His dark brow arched skyward and he crossed his arms in front of himself. If I didn’t know better, I’d say he was enjoying this. His blue eyes flashed with threat and even Owen in his altered state read him right. Owen’s gaze darted from me to Zig. I knew he was deciding which one of us was worth the trouble. When his shoulders dropped, I figured he’d decided neither.
Shaking his head, Owen came to me. He put a hand on my shoulder. It earned him a grunt from Zig that sounded just like a threatening growl from a lion or some other apex predator. God. That’s exactly what he was. Just the sheer size of him with his hard-cut muscles was enough to get Owen to pause. He didn’t know what I did. Zig also had a loaded 9 millimeter in a hip holster beneath his leather vest. Owen would have shit his boxers if he’d realized. As it was, his Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed hard and took a faltering step backward.
“Gina?”
Maybe it was the remnants of the alcohol doing my thinking for me. I’m not proud. On the other hand, Owen had been ready to take advantage of that very fact and help me out of my clothes and into a shower if Zig hadn’t swaggered in when he did. I’d like to say I could have handled things fine on my own. Maybe I could have. But I also can’t deny the knight-in-shining-leather bit looked good on Zig in the most wicked of ways.
Crossing my arms in front of myself, I blew a hair out of my eyes. “Go back to the party, Owen. I’m done for the night.”
The look he gave me surprised me. Rather than relief, Owen curled his lip in disgust. “This kind of thing isn’t going to help your reputation, Gina.”
My what?
I didn’t get a chance to come up with a snappy comeback. Instead, Zig took a step toward Owen and laid a heavy hand on his shoulder. “This kind of thing isn’t going to help your health, Owen. Now get the fuck out of here and leave the girl alone. No means no.”
He shoved Owen hard toward the house. So far, our little scene had drawn no attention. Everyone was still inside. From the window near the doorway, I could see the backs of three of Owen’s closest friends. My blood turned to ice as something dawned on me. He’d probably told them to stand guard for him when he brought me outside. God, he’d wanted me all to himself. Fear flared through me. I’d convinced myself I could handle Owen all by myself. I may have been woefully naive or drunker than I thought. Either way, I was glad to see Owen take the porch steps two at a time and slam the front door behind him.
Zig’s steady hand at the small of my back sent desire rocketing through me. I let out a breath before I faced him. I still had enough alcohol coursing through my veins to keep my thoughts a little fuzzy. The rational part of me knew I should thank him. I might have. But Zig’s fierce expression stunned me into silence.
He took a firm grip on my shoulders and turned me away from the house. My head spun again. Yep. I was still drunk.
“What the hell were you thinking?” Zig’s eyes were wild. His own breath came hot. I might be tipsy, but he was keyed up with coiled fury.
“What?”
He shook me gently. Still, it was enough to turn my stomach again. I doubled over and started to retch. Zig slid an arm around my waist to keep me from falling. We staggered forward together. Zig steered me to the sidewalk near a rose bush. I promptly vomited all over it while Zig held my hair back.
“Jesus Christ,” he said. “Did that asshole give you anything to drink?”
Coughing, I straightened and turned to him. Zig’s face contorted with fear as he put a hand on my shoulder again. I had the presence of mind to realize how truly scared he was.
“What?”
“Gina, think. Did that fucker hand you anything to drink?”
I tried to clear the fog from my mind. “What? No. I had jello shots. Rory gave them to me. She had a tray.”
The explanation seemed perfectly reasonable when I said it, but Zig tore a hand through his hair. “I don’t know whether to throttle you myself or throw you over my shoulder and take you to the hospital.”
Lust flashed through me at the memory of the last time Zig had me over his shoulder. But this time, I knew if he tried it, I’d lose whatever was left in my stomach.
“No,” I managed weakly. “No hospital. Maybe just some water.”
Zig blew a breath through his teeth. Laughter rose from inside the house and the front door opened. Kenzie, one of my sorority sisters, stumbled out, arm in arm with a guy I didn’t recognize. They saw us and Kenzie’s mouth dropped when she took in Zig. I waved to her to let her know I was fine. Her cheeks colored as she smiled and headed down the sidewalk with her companion.
“Come on,” Zig said. “I’m getting you the hell out of here. You need to sober up.”
“I what?”
Zig had me by the arm. He led me away from the house. I took a few halting steps forward before Zig finally bent down, slid an arm beneath my knees and picked me up.
The first time Zig swept me off my feet, I thought it was hot and sexy. This time, I just felt nauseous. He took long, confident strides but the bobbing motion turned me inside out. I kicked my legs and flailed my arms. But Zig was like a stone statue come to life. There was absolutely no budgin
g him. Mercifully, I had nothing left in my stomach to lose so I just hung on for dear life.
When we got to the end of the street, he finally set me down. Zig had parked his Harley under a street lamp between two campus patrol cars. The officers were nowhere to be found. Chances were they’d headed toward the GZG party to keep an eye on things. The dirty little secret was they wouldn’t do anything, even with the underage drinking. Practically every student at this school had well-connected parents. There was an unspoken rule that D.P.S. was here to keep kids from getting hurt, not to arrest anyone.
I tried to smooth back my hair. Zig put heavy hands on my shoulders and peered down into my face.
“Dammit, Gina. Look at me.” He gave me a little shake that made my head loll back. Zig’s eyes widened with alarm.
“Gina!”
“I’m trying,” I shouted. “Shit. Just stop moving.”
“I’m standing perfectly still.” Zig’s nostrils flared as he took hard breaths. It made him look a lot like a bull ready to charge. Corded veins popped out at his temples. I blinked hard to clear my head. The color had drained from Zig’s face. God, he was pissed as hell.
I got it together enough to jerk away from him. Clutching my hand to my stomach I took a few steps back and leaned against the hood of the nearest cop car. “Just give me a second,” I said.
Zig advanced on me again. He stood in front of me, planting his hands on the hood of the car on either side of my thighs, effectively caging me there. God, he smelled so good. I had to resist the urge to bury my nose against his shoulder to drink in the intoxicating scent of leather. It would be warm beneath my skin.
Zig thought I was drunk. I was. But just a little. Throwing up on the sidewalk had done wonders for my spinning head. Now, I just felt a slight buzz that emboldened me. I slid my hands up Zig’s chest and met his gaze. Wildfire seemed to ignite behind his cool eyes. It set my own blood humming and I wanted to kiss him again.
Oh yeah. My parents wanted someone like Owen Janney for me. If they saw me with Zig, they’d have a full-on Sicilian meltdown.
“I’m okay,” I said. Zig made a noise low in his throat. It was hard and threatening, like some junkyard dog. God. That’s exactly what he was. All menace and muscle. Zig didn’t debate. He acted.
“Really.” I tried again. “Promise.” I raised three fingers and gave him a Brownie salute. He scrunched his eyes and I realized he probably had zero clue what the gesture meant. Smiling, I slapped my hand to his chest.
“Gina,” he said. “I thought we had a deal.”
I tilted my head to the side. “What. You mean the kid you left behind to babysit me?” I sort of hated the way I sounded. Too whiny. I’d been going for defiant.
Zig made the junkyard dog noise again and warmth flooded me. This was dangerous. The air between us felt charged. I found I liked stirring Zig up. I liked how his eyes lit up and the way his muscles flexed. At the same time, I knew I was playing with fire.
“Toby was here to look out for you. And you could have used it. Jesus, Gina. If I hadn’t found you when I did, just what do you think that arrogant prick was going to try with you? He’s lucky I didn’t beat the shit out of him just for thinking it.”
“Why do you care?” I asked. My head finally stopped spinning. With each heartbeat, I felt more myself.
Zig straightened. Something flashed through his expression. It was as if he had a ready answer, but thought twice before saying it. My own heart dropped as I realized what it was. He cared because somebody in my family paid him to. I still had no clue what was going on with them, but I knew full well that the Dark Saints M.C. were under contract with my father.
“Never mind,” I said, pushing myself off the cop car. “I can find my own way home. I suppose you’re going to follow me. I don’t care. Just keep your distance.”
“Gina,” Zig’s tone softened.
I turned on him. “It’s fine. I get it. Georgio or my mother thinks I’m heading for trouble somehow. I’m sorry you got dragged into my life. I’m sure there are a thousand places you’d rather be. I know there are for me. I’ll call both of them in the morning and see if I can straighten this out. With any luck you can ride on out of here for good.”
Zig pressed his fist against his thigh. He let me walk away from him but followed a few paces behind.
“I’m sorry,” he said. “I’m sure it hasn’t been fun for you having guys like us cramping your style. It’s not your fault. You’re just a kid.”
Of all the things he could have said, that stung the worst. I turned on him. He was close enough that my hair brushed against his cheek as it fanned out.
“I’m not just a kid. I’m Gino DiSalvo’s daughter. I know what that means.”
Zig raised a brow and let out a hard laugh. “Oh really?”
Heat flared in my chest. I felt exposed, like he was making fun of me. His expression made it seem like he thought he knew more about my family than I did. The lust I’d felt a moment ago turned to anger. How dare he? I think he read the change in my face. Zig’s smirk dropped and he reached for me.
“Gina.”
“Don’t!” I yelled. God. I hated the sound of my own voice. But I hated the smug way he’d looked at me even more. “You think you know who I am? You think I’m some bratty college girl. I’m just a way for you to make a quick buck and points with your club. Fine. Do your job. But don’t presume you know shit about me. You do what my family pays you for. Nothing else.”
I wanted to swallow my words and make them disappear. In ten seconds, I’d acted exactly like the immature brat I’d just accused him of pegging me as. It was like I could hover outside of myself and watch the scene from a distance. There was Zig, brutal, powerful, dangerous. Then there was me, stomping my foot and pouting like the kid I’d just sworn I wasn’t. But I had said all of it so there was nothing left to do but own it.
Then the world stopped spinning. A firecracker went off behind me. I jumped, turning toward the sound. I made a half-turn, looking back at Zig. He was already in motion. He dove for me, circling his arms around my waist. He threw me to the ground and covered my body with his.
I screamed, pushing against him. “I can’t breathe,” I gasped.
Zig’s eyes went wild as he looked down at me. He had one arm across my chest, pinning me beneath him. With the other, he’d drawn his gun and aimed toward the street. A car engine roared. From my position on the ground, I could only see its tires squealing as it picked up speed.
Another firecracker went off to the left of us. Only this time I recognized it for what it was.
Gunfire.
Chapter 8
Zig
Gina felt soft, small, and vulnerable beneath me. Another shot whizzed by my head as I held her to the ground. Her screams ripped through me and for a moment I thought she’d been hit. But it wasn’t blood on my cheek. It was Gina’s tears.
“Stay down!” I shouted to her. My fingers closed around my Nine and I lifted my head just enough to get off a clear shot at the tires. I tried to let my mind slow. Take it in. Black Mercedes. Double door. White wall tires. Texas license plates. Dirt covered the numbers and I couldn’t make them out. The tinted window in the back seat closed and I saw the barrel of a gun disappear behind it.
I got off one shot but it went wild, ricocheting off the back bumper as the car sped away. Stupid. So stupid. I’d stood out in the open with Gina for far too long.
“Get up,” I shouted. “There might be more of them.” In the back of my mind I found it ironic that the whole thing went down in between two campus cop cars. The officers they belonged to were nowhere to be found. Cold fear snaked up my spine and I wondered if that wasn’t a coincidence. New panic threatened to claw its way through my lungs. I couldn’t afford to give into it. One thing was certain: I had to get Gina the fuck out of there. Now.
“Let’s go,” I said, helping her to her feet. I’d sent Toby back to the airport to hook up with Moose. They were both probably lo
ng gone by now. It was the second stupid thing I’d done. I wasn’t about to do a third.
I held Gina close to me, tucking her head under my arm as I made my way to my bike. If I had any doubt about who those fuckers were targeting, the condition of my Harley made it clear. There wasn’t a scratch on it. They’d been straight up aiming for Gina.
“Climb on,” I commanded. Gina’s face was ashen, but she gave me a nod and straddled the back of the bike. Her arms folded around my waist. I didn’t waste another second. I heard shouts from across the quad. It looked like Lake Meredith College’s finest had finally come out to play. I had no plans to stick around for them. I hit the throttle and sped down the narrow street as fast as I dared to go.
Wind flew in my face and Gina’s grip tightened around me. Every intersection, every darkened corner, every building felt like a death trap. She wasn’t safe here, not in the dorms, not at that fucking sorority house, definitely not walking the streets. I could phone it into Bear later; for now there was only one place to go.
My heart dropped back into my chest by the time I hit the Interstate. I knew I should have called for backup. Moose and Toby might not have even left the airstrip yet. I could have even called one of our allied clubs near Lubbock. All I wanted to do was get Gina as far away from that fucking campus as possible. We had a safe house just outside of Abilene. I’d take her there and see what Bear’s next move was. I just knew I’d take a bullet for Gina if I had to. Anything to keep her safe and whole.
We rode for an hour. I took the bike up to dangerous speeds. It was a risk. I could have drawn attention from the state troopers once we hit the highway. But I was running on pure adrenaline. Get Gina to ground. That’s the only thing that mattered. The rest I’d just make up as I went.