She stood frozen in place with a mixture of relief and shock on her face. I reached out and pulled her into a deep embrace. “Are you okay?” I asked when all I wanted to do was beg for her forgiveness.
“He... he worked for my stepdad. H-he was...”
“I know. But he didn’t. Let me look at you.” I pulled back.
Her face was grazed with a gash on the side, the makings of fingertip bruises mottled the skin of her neck, and she held her arm strangely. She winced and hissed out a breath when I took a hold of it to get a better view. An angry welt ran along her forearm. On top of that, one of the fingernails was ripped from its bed, and all were covered in mud as though she’d clawed at the ground.
If I hadn’t already killed the fucker, I’d do it again.
I brushed her hair out of her face and pulled her in for another hug. “He might not have been alone,” I said as I glanced around the forest, peering into their depths. “We have to get out of here.”
I cleared my throat and took a deep breath before pulling back, though it was the last thing I wanted to do. I felt an emptiness inside without Thea in my arms, as though I was deserting her all over again, but we had to move.
“You found me,” she said. “How did you know?”
“We need to go.”
Thea glanced from me to her attacker and back again. “I don’t understand. How did this happen? How did you know to come back?” A questioning look filler her eyes, and I knew she sensed I was hiding something.
I pulled her in for another hug. “I’m so fucking sorry this is happening. I’ll tell you everything when we get somewhere safe.”
“Somewhere safe?” Thea glanced around the forest and shuddered. “There is nowhere safe.”
I gripped her shaking hands. I wanted to tell her she was wrong, but how could I when I suspected my own brother had known this man was on his way to Thea when he told me to leave? When I suspected he’d given away her location in the first place.
“Can you walk?” I asked, instead.
Thea nodded. I held her hand and half dragged her through the forest, keeping a swift pace as I steered us towards Bono’s place.
As soon as we were out of view of the body, I sat Thea next to a tree and told her I had to make a phone call. When she didn’t let go of my hand, I brushed her hair behind her ear and kissed her on the forehead. “I’m going to be no more than ten steps in that direction,” I said and pointed to a spot a little ahead of where we’d stopped. “You’ll be able to see me the whole time, okay?”
Thea nodded and released my hand, but her eyes burned with questions.
I pulled my phone from my pocket and dialed Bono’s number. He didn’t answer, so I hung up and tried again. After I hung up for the second time, the phone rang in my hand.
“Bono, where are you?” I asked.
“About ten minutes away. I had to pull over to take the call.”
I ran my hand through my hair and searched the shadows of the forest for any sign of life. “I need you to turn back and go to the clubhouse,” I said. “I also need to borrow your Jeep.”
“What’s going on?” Bono asked.
I glanced at Thea and gave her a smile before turning my back and lowering my voice. “I need to know what the fuck Caleb is playing at.” I gave Bono a quick run-down of what I’d found when I’d returned, and my suspicion that Celeb was involved in telling Thea’s stepdad her location. “Just go to the clubhouse and tell him, Thea is safe with me, and I intend to keep her that way. Find out why he fucking did what he did.”
“You don’t know for definite he’s involved,” Bono said, but I huffed out a breath. I knew.
“Just do it for me, will you? I’ll call you when we’re on the road.”
“Make sure you do. Stay safe, brother.”
“I intend to.” With that, I ended the call, moved back to Thea, and kneeled on the ground before her.
“How you holding up?” I asked.
Thea closed her eyes and let out a deep breath before opening them again. “I’m cold and really hungry, but I’m okay.”
The midday sun beat down on the trees overhead and sent a spattering of rays through their branches. It was cool amongst the trees, but it was anything but cold.
“It’s the shock,” I said, taking off my jacket and wrapping it around her shoulders. She slid her arms in place and I pulled her to her feet. “You need to try and relax,” I added. “You’re wound up tighter than a fucking jack-in-the-box fit to explode.”
I cleared my throat and ran my hand over my beard when she gave me a look that screamed, how the hell was that gonna happen. I’d be damned if I knew.
Fuck! This time yesterday had been perfect. Thea and I had fucked all day long without a care in the world, or at least we pretended so at the time. But then, I’d deserted her, left her vulnerable when I’d promised to keep her safe. And then there was that fucker from the SUV.
An image of what might have happened if I hadn’t found her bombarded my mind. There was no fucking way he wouldn’t have raped her, and fuck knew what else. The why of it made no sense to me. What? Thea had turned twenty-one, so she wasn’t just fair game for Dan, but all her fucking stepdad’s employees on top? No wonder Dan was a sick fuck, his dad was too.
I tensed and growled. Thea may be wound tighter than a jack-in-the-box fit to explode, but I was angrier than a puffed toad.
“We’d better get moving,” I said, taking her hand and focusing my mind on getting to Bono’s without falling and breaking our legs on the bracken-laced undergrowth. “We’ll see what food he has and get cleaned up when we get there.”
Thea didn’t speak, but she squeezed my hand and rested her head on my arm for a few seconds, before stepping ahead and pulling me behind her.
Chapter Fifteen
Thea
I tried to focus on the birds singing and the wind whistling through the branches. Cane might not realize it, but this forest was our last haven of safety and calm. The last time, we could pretend the outside world didn’t exist.
He’d made a mistake killing Jacob. My emotions warred with themselves. They flicked from being glad that he had to wishing he hadn’t and being concerned what would happen next. Tony wasn’t sadistic like Daniel. He didn’t get off on watching people suffer, but he didn’t think twice about killing people when they messed with him or got in the way of his business. Jacob had worked for Tony for over twenty years. To say my stepfather would not be pleased when he found out he was dead was an understatement.
Despite what happened, and my growing hunger, I could have stayed beneath the dappled shade of the trees forever. I imagined Cane’s arms around me, and my head on his chest; his warmth seeping into me. We could stay that way all day and watch the streams of light fade beneath the canopy. Waiting until the sun sank lower in the sky, drifting below the horizon. We could have one final forever-midnight; one final moment of peace.
My stomach grumbled, breaking our silence. A fly flew too close to my face and made my nose twitch.
Cane squeezed my hand. “Only another fifteen minutes’ walk until we reach Bono’s”
I sighed, wishing it was longer. But I also knew that no matter how hungry I was, Cane had to be worse. Neither of us had eaten anything since the pizza last night, and he needed a lot more calories than I did to keep him going.
“There’s something you need to know,” I said and glanced to the east, searching for the sun. It had moved almost overhead and I guessed that meant we were nearing midday. I sucked in a breath. The forest reeked of age and permanence, as though life would always be here, never changing, but ever-growing, and ever-teeming with creatures untouched by the concerns of the human world. I cleared my throat and continued, “My stepfather is Tony Benton. He’s a...”
I was about to say more when Cane stopped in his tracks and turned to stare at me. The look in his eyes hardened, and I knew he’d heard the name before. “I thought you said your stepbrother’s surname was King
.”
I fidgeted on the spot, unable to look him in the eye. “It is. Daniel’s mother died when he was two. When he was sixteen, he took on her maiden name to honor her memory.” He also wanted to make a name for himself and not fall under the shadow of his father’s.
“Fuck!” He rubbed at his beard and brushed his hands through his hair, grabbing onto the top of his head. “Fuck,” he said again.
I reached towards him, but stopped when I saw the look on his face, and clutched my belly instead. “I’m sorry,” I said, unable to keep the hitch from my voice.
Cane turned his face to the sky, and a well of emptiness filled my insides. After a moment that stretched for far too long, he cleared his throat and nodded his head as though resigned to something.
“It doesn’t matter,” he said and reached for my hand again. “It changes nothing. I’d have done exactly what I have regardless.”
He was wrong. If he’d known who my father was when we first met, he would never have destroyed the tracker. Hell, if Cherrie and Greg had known who I was, they would never have taken me in.
“We should get to Bono’s,” I said.
Cane nodded, but we’d only taken two steps before he stopped again. “That’s why Caleb told him where you fucking were! It doesn’t excuse the fucker, but at least I can understand a little of his reason why.”
My brows furrowed and I rubbed at my eyes. “Oh, God,” I said and rested my face in my hands. All traces of hunger flushed from my body as my appetite left me. When I stood tall again and looked at Cane, I could tell he thought I was shocked by his brother’s actions and hadn’t realized that things had just got a lot worse. Though it was hard to imagine such a thing was possible “Tony is going to think your brother betrayed him. Jacob’s dead, and Tony will lay that blame on every single member of Forever Midnight Motorcycle Club.”
Cane’s neck corded and the vein in his temple throbbed as my words sank in. “Fuck,” he said again before grabbing my hand and pulling me through the forest at a faster pace.
“You should call him and warn him,” I said.
“I will. At Bono’s. I just have to figure out what I’m gonna fucking say first.”
At the pace we were moving, it took less than ten minutes to arrive at Bono’s cabin. It took Cane a few minutes after that to retrieve the spare key from under the porch. When he finally opened the door, the hum of an air-conditioning unit greeted me as I stepped through. I shivered in the blast of cold air.
On the outside, Bono’s cabin was much the same as Cane’s: a simple one-story log cabin with steps leading up to a front porch and a converted roof space, but inside was a lot cozier. Besides the addition of the AC unit, Bono also had a TV, two sofas, and a coffee table.
Cane went straight into one of the cupboards and pulled out a first-aid kit.
“We should eat first.” I headed to the kitchen area and noted a loaf of bread on the counter. “A sandwich will be quick.”
“We should clean you up first.” He grabbed my hand and lifted it to my face. Beneath the caked mud, I noticed one of my nails had come completely off. It must have happened when I’d been clawing into the ground to try and drag myself away from Jacob. I’d noted a throbbing pain in my hand, but assumed I’d just bruised it. With my hand still in his, Cane walked me over to the sink and turned on the tap. “This is gonna hurt.”
I winced when the water hit my hands, but stayed still while Cane cleared the mud from them. Afterward, he dried them in the towel and then wet the corner of it to dab at my face. This time, I let out a hiss. After he finished, Cane sprayed my finger with antiseptic wound spray and bandaged it up, before opting for just the spray on my face.
Throughout it all, his face was a mask of concentration and his entire body tense, but he never looked into my eyes. As soon as he’d finished, he went straight to the fridge and pulled out some ham and cheese, slamming it on the counter before grabbing the bread. When he looked more like he would throw it against the wall than make a sandwich, I took it from his hands and grabbed the butter from the fridge.
“What are you thinking?” I asked when Cane paced the room.
“I’m wondering how the hell we’re gonna get out of this.” He ran his hand through his hair, and perched on the edge of the sofa, shaking his head.
The answer was easy, but I wasn’t about to tell him. I had to go back. I had to tell Tony that Jacob tried to rape me, and in a fit of rage, I smashed him in the face with a stone and didn’t stop. Hell, if Tony decided to kill me, it would be a blessing. But it was more likely he’d hand me over to Daniel. I just had to get away from Cane before I could do it.
I finished making the sandwiches and we sat in silence while we ate. After we’d finished, I took the plates and cleaned up.
“Maybe you should take a shower before we leave.” I eyed the blood splatter on his top.
Cane followed my gaze, before whipping his T-shirt off. “You go first,” he said. “There’s no telling when we’ll get the chance to again.”
Sensing that was a dismissal, I bowed my head, and because the layout of the cabin was the same as Cane’s, headed to where I knew I’d find the bathroom.
Only after I’d stripped off my clothes and felt the warm water hit my skin did I allow myself to cry.
Chapter Sixteen
Cane
As soon as Thea shut the bathroom door, I headed outside to call Caleb. Bono might not have reached him yet, although he’d likely guessed I wasn’t coming. I was furious with the fucker and just picturing his face made me want to punch it, but he needed to know what had happened. Maybe, he could see if damage control was possible.
He answered the phone within two rings. “Where the fuck are you?” he asked.
I closed my eyes and took a deep breath to calm myself before responding. When I finally felt able to speak, I said, “Thea’s stepdad is Tony Benton, but you knew that already. You called me in as you wanted me out of the way when he sent someone to collect her. Someone you told where she was.”
My voice strained on the last words. So help me, I could understand his fucking reasoning, but I couldn’t forgive it. Not yet. Not when all I could think was what would have happened if Bono never made that call.
“Where the fuck are you?” he asked again. “I’m not gonna be pleased if you’ve messed this up.”
“Yeah, well, I wasn’t fucking pleased to find some motherfucker straddling Thea with one hand on her throat and the other pulling her pants down.”
The line went quiet for a few minutes before Caleb asked, “He still alive?”
“What the fuck do you think?”
“Shit, Cane. Do you have any idea what you’ve done? And for what, some spoiled princess who—”
“This is on you, not me.” I paced the deck unable to keep still, unable to listen to this shit. “You sent that fucker to my house.”
“Damn right, I did, and if you were thinking with your head instead of your cock, you would see it was the right thing to do.” He huffed out a breath before adding, “Benton agreed the girl wouldn’t be hurt.”
“Yeah, well big fucking surprise, he lied.”
“You need to bring that girl into town. I’ll call Benton and arrange another pick-up. Maybe we can salvage something out of this shit-storm you’ve created.”
I laughed. There was a bitter edge to the sound. “I am not taking Thea anywhere near her family.”
“I’m not asking, Cane. I’m telling—”
“No. I’m telling you. It’s not gonna fucking happen.” With that, I ended the call, and let out a string of curses before making another to Bono. It went straight through to voicemail, so I left a message and headed inside.
When I reached the bathroom door, I took a deep breath and rested my forehead on the wood, trying to calm my thoughts before talking to Thea. As soon as I did, the door opened, and I had to reach out and grab the frame to stop myself from falling forward onto her. A small squeak escaped her lips as she too
k a step back.
She had a towel wrapped around her and held her clothes in her hand. Her cheeks were ruddy, and the graze stood out angry and red against her skin. “I um... I thought it would be quicker if I dressed out here while you showered.” When I didn’t answer, she clung to her towel and pushed passed me into the room.
Not knowing how to put my thoughts into words, I entered the bathroom, closed the door, and turned the shower back on. Then I leaned on my hands against the sink and looked at myself in the misted mirror.
“What the fuck are you going to do?” I said and shook my head.
I’d always relied on my brothers for back-up, but with Caleb acting the way he was, I couldn’t turn to them for help, couldn’t risk dragging them in deeper and getting them killed. I’d called Bono and left a message for him to meet us, but beyond that, I didn’t know what to do.
With one final glance at my reflection, I pushed away from the unit and flung the door open. Thea had only gone a few steps. I pulled her into my arms and rested her head against my chest. Having her so close sent shivers of need through my body and straight to my cock.
“I’m sorry,” Thea said and released a sobbing breath. “I know you’re mad at me, but I—”
“Oh, sweetheart. I’m not mad at you.” I said, despite the touch of exasperation that leaked into my voice. “I’m just trying to figure out what to do. Where we can go that will keep you safe.”
Thea lifted her head and gave me a wry smile. She put two fingers on my lips to keep me from talking. Her closeness and delicious scent became too much for me to bear. It felt as though I’d known her for years. I couldn’t picture my life without Thea in it. Her whole presence lit up the room and made my day brighter, and when she laughed, I wanted to bury myself deep inside her. Hell, every fucking second, I wanted to bury myself inside her. Fuck me, if my heart didn’t need her as much as my cock.
An explosion of sensation shot through me as our mouths met and our tongues tangled. Thea bit my lip softly. I was about to relieve her of her towel when I realized something was wrong. Different. This felt like Goodbye.
Cane's Promise (Forever Midnight MC Book 1) Page 9