No Where to Run

by Raven K. Asher

  “What are you going to do, Jax?” I ask and he lets out a loud sigh and bows his head.

  “I’m going to drug you, so you don’t have to feel any pain. You’re really going to hate me later on for what I have to do to you.”

  He looks up at me with haunted eyes. “Why didn’t you just listen to me?”

  I shrug. “I couldn’t just let them get away with killing someone. Even though I’m going to be punished, my conscious is clear. I tried to fight for them.” Ryder comes back with a syringe. I don’t ask what’s in it as he pushes the fluids into my arm.

  “That should knock her out just enough so she won’t feel anything, but she will pretty much be aware of what’s going on.” He frowns then turns his attention fully onto Jax. “What are you going to do to her, Jax?”

  “I’m going to do what Striker expects. I have no other choice.”

  Ryder nods then walks away.

  We hear the girl scream one last time inside the building before a gunshot rings out. We watch as Ax carries the girl’s lifeless body out and dumps it in the street next to the man they shot.

  Striker comes to the doorway and waves Jax to come in. Jax nods then grabs my arm tightly, dragging me inside. As we pass Striker, he hands Jax a small whip, and I cringe.

  “I’m sorry for this, babe.” Jax whispers just before we enter into a back room.

  Chapter 14

  Day 29

  I’m face down on a dirty old mattress when I wake up the next morning.

  I try to push up on my arms, but pain slices through my back. I gasp and grit my teeth as flashes of what happened the day before flash through my mind.

  “Hey sweetheart, try not to move much. I had to stitch your back up a little. The less movement you make the better it will all heal.” Ryder steps into my view and kneels down next to me.

  I smile sadly up at him as he grazes his knuckles across my jaw. “Are you going to be ok, Lexi?” I nod quietly.

  “Where is Jax?” I ask with a hoarse voice.

  It was practically gone from all the screaming I had done. I wanted to hate Jax, but I couldn’t bring myself to.

  What he had done wasn’t something he enjoyed, and he certainly went easier on me than Ax or Striker would have.

  “He’s in the other room. He figured that you wouldn’t want to see him. He’s been over there pacing and crying.” He sighs. “Of course, he doesn’t know I saw him crying, but he was. He’s not like them Lexi and neither am I, we just got ourselves stuck with them and neither of us knows how to get away.” He looks off into the room absently, before standing up.

  “I’ll be right back, sweetheart.” I hear his footsteps fade and a door opening and closing. I shut my eyes as a few tears spill out.

  Moments later I hear grunting and yelling just outside the door. I tenderly roll to my side and somehow manage to get to my feet.

  I find a blanket nearby and cover myself since I seem to have lost my shirt, and make my way to the door stiffly swinging it open.

  On the other side stands Ryder with Jax in a head lock.

  I let out a hoarse laugh and point to them both.

  “Really, you guys are too much. What are you doing?” Ryder rolls his eyes then let’s his arm fall away from Jax.

  Jax bows his head, hiding his eyes in shame.

  “I was just trying to get him to come see you, but he wouldn’t take my word for it that you wanted to see him.” I laugh again and turn my attention to Jax.

  He’s just standing still, watching me closely.

  “Both of you get in here. We have a lot we need to talk about.” I stand back and they walk into the room. I shut the door and make my way back over to the mattress.

  Looking down at it in frustration I let out a groan. I had no idea how I was going to get back down there.

  Ryder clears his throat and I turn to see him trying and failing to hold back his grin. I cross my arms and give him a dirty look, but it only makes him want to laugh harder.

  I turn my attention over to Jax who is standing silently by the door.

  He looks as if he wants to run away.

  “Jax, please talk to me.” His eyes soften hearing my voice. “I’m ok, Jax. I’m not mad at you for any of this.” I gesture around the room. “I’m the one who didn’t listen to you, and I’m sorry that I forced your hand to hurt me. I know that either you or Ryder would never intentionally hurt me.”

  “I’m still sorry, babe, its killing me that I had to hurt you. My heart was practically ripped out of my chest last night when you passed out. I thought I had killed you.” He comes closer to me and falls to his knees.

  I can clearly see the pain in his eyes.

  He takes my hands in his and bows his head.

  I give his hands a small squeeze.

  “I forgive you, Jax. I forgive you.” I whisper as I look down on him. His head rises and his eyes meet mine. It’s almost as if we are looking deep into each other’s souls. He softly places kisses to both of my hands, then stands to his feet, never letting go.

  “I’ll never hurt you again, Lexi, never, and I swear if anyone ever tries, I will kill them.” His tone is so fierce that it shocks me.

  Hunter had told me before that he would protect me, but his words had never been so fierce.

  I knew then that Jax would die for me, kill for me, and it scared me.

  Ryder comes up from behind and lays his hands on my tender shoulders and quickly adds. “We will keep you safe, Lexi. We will find a way to get away from these assholes.” He makes sure to put special emphasis on the words “we” and “will”. Jax nods his agreement and then lets out a deep sigh.

  “Ok, now that that’s over can one of you please help me back down on the mattress? I’m not feeling so good.” I frown and sway a little on my feet.

  I feel my energy running out, and I practically fall into Jax’s arms.

  He and Ryder both let out curses.

  I feel pain slash through my back.

  “Shit, she just pulled out some of her stitches.” Ryder grabs the blanket that I had loosely tied around myself and pulls it away before cursing some more. Jax growls at his brother, but holds me tightly.

  I cry out as the pain becomes unbearable.

  “Damn it Ryder, help her, now.”

  “Hold on one second, Lexi. I’m going to give you a shot that will knock you out. You won’t feel any more pain, I promise.” I feel a quick pinch at my thigh.

  And few moments later, my body relaxes and I lean my head against Jax.

  I listen to his heartbeat and smile.

  “Don’t ever leave me, Jax.” I whisper softly.

  He doesn’t respond as I drift off to sleep.

  Chapter 15

  Day 33

  I wake up lying in Jax’s lap, his fingers brush softly through my hair.

  He smiles down at me. I move my hands slightly finding that they are tucked under my head. I can’t feel them or much of my body really.

  I look to Jax and he softly laughs at my confused look.

  “Ryder gave you a shot to numb your body. It was the only way we could travel with you without you being in pain.”

  “How long have I been out, and where are we?” I listen to the truck engine as it idles.

  “We are stopped at a gas station, right now. Everyone is getting as much gas as we can.”

  “Oh, but that doesn’t tell me how long I’ve been asleep.” I look to him sternly and he runs a hand nervously through his hair. “Jax, how long was I out?” I growl barley holding back my anger.

  “Four days. You’re going to need to eat something soon. You woke up a few times and we were able to give you water before you passed back out, but you haven’t eaten.”

  I stare at him for a moment before letting out a loud laugh.

  “Four days isn’t too bad.” His brows furrow with confusion. So, I explain myself. “I’ve gone longer than that without eating. I think my body is pretty use to the stress of this crazy world
.”

  “What happened before that made you not eat?” My heart gets lodged in my throat at his question. I close my eyes and turn my head away from him.

  “I’m not ready to talk about that yet, but it was after I found my mom and brother had been turned into the dead.” I hold back my tears and take a deep breath letting it out slowly.

  “I really miss my brother. He was everything to me. After my dad died, he was the only one who kept me going.” I confess.

  “I’m sure he’s watching over you still, Lex.” He adds then softly strokes my hair back from my face as I turn back to him and close my eyes, quietly taking comfort in the warmth of his body.

  “Can you help me sit up, Jax? I want to see where we are.” He nods then gently helps me to a sitting position in the middle of the trucks bench seat. My back feels tight and I’m thankful that I can’t feel anything, because I know just from that little bit of movement that I would have been screaming in pain.

  As I look around at the town my jaw drops.

  I know exactly where we are.

  It’s my town.

  We are just on the outskirts of it. I cringe, I know I have to tell Jax where we are, but I don’t think I’m ready to face home, just yet.

  I roll my eyes at my own cowardice and reluctantly look to Jax.

  “I know where we are.” I state quietly. He stares at me and raises his eyebrows wanting me to say more.

  I sigh. “It’s my town. My house is fifteen minutes from here.” He nods absently.

  “You don’t want to go yet, do you?” I shake my head. “Ok then, we can camp out here for the night. I’m sure Striker won’t mind too much, and if he does he’s just going to have to deal.”

  “That sounds good, but I don’t know if I’ll ever really be ready to face home or the people I’ve been running from.” He nods in understanding, and then turns his attention to where Ax and Striker are talking near a gas pump.

  “I’ll be right back, babe.” I nod and he gets out of the truck just as Ryder hops in from the drives side.

  “How are you feeling, Lexi?” He twirls his hand to motion for me to turn my back to him, and he pulls the loose shirt up to look at my back.

  “I’m ok I guess. I can’t really feel anything.”

  “Well, you’re healing up really good. I won’t have to give you the numbing shots again, a mild pain killer should do.”

  “That’s good news, because I’m going to need to be able to move, since we are close to my home.” His eyes widen and he runs his hands through his hair as I turn to face him.

  “I didn’t realize we were that close.” He glances out at the burnt up town.

  It’s a sad sight, and I know he’s feeling sorry for me.

  “Yeah, Jax is talking to Striker now. We are going to camp out here and leave for my house tomorrow. I’m not quite ready to deal with everything yet.” He nods.

  We both watch silently as Jax speaks with both Ax and Striker.

  Moments later Jax comes back to the truck and climbs in. “Striker isn’t happy about waiting, but he will since he knows it’s a guarantee that we will get supplies. Do you know of a secure place that we can head to?” I nod and direct Ryder to drive toward Lucca’s old home.

  We pull up to the house and get out.

  Jax carries me, since I don’t have the strength to stand.

  I grit my teeth as Striker comes up to us with a grin.

  Oh, how I’d love to slap that grin off his face.

  Before he can say a word I speak up. “We can stay here for the night. No one will mess with us here.”

  Ryder comes up beside us and I turn my attention to him. “You can put my horse in the garage. There are supplies already in there for him, so you won’t have to unload anything.” He nods and walks away.

  “Jax take me to bed, I’m beat.” Jax tenses under me, and I instantly feel bad for my choice of words. I place my hand on his cheek. “I’m sorry, Jax. Let’s just go to bed, ok?”

  “That sounds good, babe.” He turns to Striker who stands watching us closely. “We’ll see you in the morning.” He nods and Jax carries me away.

  We make our way to Lucca’s old room, but before we go in I redirect him to a guest room.

  It would have been awkward to have taken Jax into the same room that I had spent time with Lucca in.

  He lays me down on the bed and soon snuggles in behind me. I lay like that for what feels like forever, my mind races over the past few weeks.

  I feel Jax’s breathing even out and I know that he’s asleep.

  At least one of us will be well rested. I sigh softly.

  Lying awake in bed through the night I watch the shadows form on the wall as the sun begins to rise, shining its rays through the window.

  I sit up and stretch my arms carefully above my head. I feel a tiny amount of pain, but it’s bearable.

  Jax groans beside me and his hand feels around for me.

  I giggle a little before he abruptly sits up panicked.

  Once he sees me he calms back down and flops back onto the bed.

  “You just scared the shit out of me, babe.” His voice rough and scratchy from sleep, the sound of it floods my mind with all sorts of naughty thoughts. I hear him laugh out and realize my face must show exactly what I’m thinking.

  He grabs my waist and flips me under him.

  And then lets out a string of curses, as he remembers the wounds on my back.

  “Shit babe, I forgot. I hope that didn’t hurt.” I shake my head and pull his lips to mine for a deep kiss.

  “I’m fine, I hardly feel any pain.” I grin between kisses.

  He growls and deepens the kiss grabbing frantically at my clothes to pull them off.

  We are quickly lost in each other as the blankets tangle around us.

  I lose myself in him and forget all my worries.

  He’s the best drug I could ask for.

  ****

  The room is bright with the sunlight when we finally decide to get up and out of bed. I grin as I watch Jax dress.

  His arm muscles ripple as he pulls his pants on. He spots me watching and his gaze gets heated once again before he grabs me and pulls me back to the bed.

  Again, I quickly lose myself in him.

  A loud knock disrupts us and Jax growls as he pulls his pants back on. He grabs the door and swings it open, ready to unleash his anger on whoever’s on the other side.

  “What the hell do you.......?” His voice trails off at seeing Ryder standing there with a knowing grin.

  “It’s late in the afternoon, and Striker wants to get moving.” Ryder looks over Jax and points to me. “I see you’re feeling better.” I blush and cover myself with a sheet.

  His face gets serious. “I have a few pills I need you to take. One is to keep away infection and the others are for pain. Can you take them for me now?” I nod and he walks over to me with his hand held out.

  I take the pills and put them in my mouth. He hands me a bottle of water and I chug it all down.

  He lets out a nervous laugh and I look to him confused.

  “What?” I question, but it only makes him laugh harder.

  “Damn it Ryder, answer her, now.” Jax growls out.

  Which only makes Ryder fall to the floor clutching his stomach, laughing.

  “You didn’t even notice I gave you four pills, and not the three I told you about.”I scrunch my face and point at him.

  “What the hell did you give me?” I grab him by his goatee hair and he quickly stops laughing. “What else did you give me, Ryder?” I growl and he visible gulps. Jax comes up behind Ryder to stand over us. “Now Ryder, tell us what you gave me.” I demand.

  He looks up to Jax before I tug on his goatee forcing him to look directly at me. He gulps again and lowers his head.

  “I gave you birth control.” He says it so quietly I almost don’t hear him.

  I let him go and fall back to sit on the bed, and burst into laughter.


  I point at Jax’s clueless face and laugh harder.

  It’s all too much.

  At least someone was thinking properly.

  “I’m glad you were thinking straight Ryder, but you don’t have to worry about me too much, at least not for a few more months. I had a shot for that before everything went to shit.”

  Jax’s face scrunches even more in confusion and both Ryder and I break out into another round of laughter.

  “I give up with you two.” Jax throws his hands in the air and laughs with us.

  I shake my head still laughing.

  “He gave me birth control, Jax.” His face goes from confusion to horror in less than five seconds and it causes me to burst out again.

  I stand holding the sheet tightly around myself and go over to him, placing my hand on his bare chest. “Don’t worry, I’ve already been protected. I had a shot to take care of that before all this happened.” I explain and he lets out a sigh of relief.

  I don’t blame him for being scared. I wouldn’t want to bring a kid into this cruel world.

  I think back to poor little Ace and I wonder how he’s doing since Kane....... I let my thoughts trail off.

  I don’t want to think about it, I refused to think about it.

  “Are you ok, babe?” Jax grabs my chin looking deep into my eyes with concern.

  I nod. “Yes, I’m fine. Let’s get ready to go. I’m ready to get this over with and to move on.” Both men nod silently and jump into action.

  ****

  Soon we are on the road and on our way to my old house.

  As we get closer my stomach ties into knots. I direct the guys to park down the road from the front gate, so we don’t alert anyone of our presence on the farm.

  We wait for dark and make our way in.

  I lead Tornado to his stall and shut him in for the night as the others stand guard at the barns entrance.

  I’m walking back out when someone grabs me from behind.

  “Who the hell are you?” Hunter asks.

  “It’s me, Hunter, now let me go.” I demand as Jax, Ryder and Ax come running in with guns drawn.