Harrison (Devil's Flame MC Book 4)

by Romi Hart

  Instead, she tucked the envelope into her purse, uttering a quiet, “Thank you.” That he’d felt obligated to pay her back at all spoke volumes about his integrity, but to make that his first errand when he got released showed crazy amounts of respect.

  “If you want to take me home and end this right here, you can,” Harrison sighed, scrubbing a hand down his face and looking thoroughly exhausted in a way he hadn’t a few minutes ago. “

  Trying to lighten the mood because she had no idea what else to say to him right now, Skye shook her head and turned out of the parking lot. “You owe me pancakes.”

  He chuckled softly, then held his breath, and Skye wondered what he wasn’t saying. “You’re always angry with me, and I fuck up at every turn, trying to keep that from happening. Why did you bail me out?” he asked.

  Skye flinched internally. It had been a very long night, giving statements to the police, trying to get cleaned up, assuring Rocky she’d be fine on her own even though she was terrified. And she hadn’t really slept. Instead, she’d thought about the things she hadn’t said to Harrison last night, before they were interrupted. She thought about her feelings for him. And she thought about her priorities.

  Yes, she was determined to be an independent, self-sufficient, successful woman. That was her number one goal. But did that mean she couldn’t have other priorities that were equally important? Because when it came down to the truth of the matter, she was head over heels in love with Harrison. She wanted to be with him in a way she’d never yearned for anyone in her life. She could actually imagine a future with him, and though she couldn’t quite meld the idea of being strong and independent with being his old lady, she had started to think there would have to be some way to compromise.

  So, she’d been eager to see him and had felt that bailing him out would be the fastest way to get to him while also showing how much she cared without saying it out loud. After all, she still held some hesitation. She needed to see his response before she unleashed all her emotions at him.

  And her anger had resurfaced at his blasé attitude, so she’d unwittingly given up. Yet, when she’d yelled at him, he’d been so determined to let her know he was going to protect her at any cost, even her respect. He hadn’t said he’d do that for anyone, and while she knew he took his security detail seriously, she didn’t think he’d want to kill a man for hurting one of the other girls, even though he’d do some damage.

  She turned a corner, headed toward IHOP, and she glanced out of the corner of her eye at Harrison, whose gaze was fixed on her as he waited for a response. She opened her mouth to tell him the truth, deciding she’d waffled back and forth long enough and needed to get it out. This might be her last chance at getting what she wanted. But Harrison’s phone rang, and she cursed under her breath, tired of the interruptions.

  She knew he was going to answer it. The ringtone was specific to the Devil’s Flames, and he wouldn’t ignore a call from his brothers in the MC, no matter what else was going on. He at least gave her an apologetic look and said, “Hold that thought. I want to hear it.” Then, he answered the call. “What’s up, Eli?”

  Wherever he was, he was upset. Eli never spoke loudly, but he was practically shouting, and Skye heard every word, which only gave her chills. “We have a problem, Harrison. One of the prospects was posted outside Skye’s place last night and saw her leave this morning. He also spotted a tail on her. Lost him when she pulled into the police station and came straight here. But she’s being followed.”

  Harrison stared into his side mirror, obviously looking for a tail as he tensed, sitting up from his slouch and completely alert. “Car or bike?”

  “It was a car. That’s why we’re not sure if it was the Ravens or not.”

  He cursed under his breath, and Skye’s blood ran cold. That meant that, if it was the Ravens, which was highly likely considering her ex had somehow made it down here and gotten his claws into their organization, they knew where she worked, where she lived, and her greater affiliation with the Devil’s Flames. It terrified her because her ex wasn’t exactly sane, and based on everything she’d heard, neither was the club leader. But her ex had gone to prison, so what did the Ravens want with her now?

  “We’re trying to catch up to her…” Eli continued.

  “I’m with her, it’s fine,” Harrison barked into the phone. Wait. Catch up to her? Had they put some sort of tracking device on her car or something? She should be livid at them for invading her privacy, but at the moment, she was just grateful they were keeping watch on her. So she didn’t say a word.

  “We’re not taking any chances,” Eli argued.

  “Fine, the more the merrier,” Harrison clipped. “What color car are we—”

  Something slammed into the back of the car, throwing Skye forward hard enough that the seatbelt didn’t lock. She lost control of the wheel, which dug into her chest, and she was jolted with pain through her skull just before she blacked out.

  17

  Harrison’s shoulder hit the door hard as the car jerked and jostled. It rolled forward out of control until it nosedived into a ditch, throwing him hard against the seatbelt. It was going to bruise, but that was the least of his concerns. Someone had just run them off the road, and he didn’t have a weapon or any form of protection.

  To make matters worse, he glanced over at Skye, finding her unconscious and bleeding from a knot on her head that continuously grew larger as he watched. That sort of contusion was dangerous, and the fact that she’d passed out didn’t bode well. Terror like he hadn’t felt since the day he’d nearly drowned consumed him, and forgetting about the danger outside momentarily, he grabbed Skye’s shoulder and shook her.

  “Come on, Skye, you’ve got to wake up. We’re in trouble, and I need you to wake up.” To his relief, she groaned and blinked her eyes open. She seemed groggy but responsive, and that, at least, was a relief. Of course, they didn’t have anywhere to go. The other car would have stopped, and there were only moments before they were likely facing their death at the wrong end of a barrel.

  As if on cue, a gunshot fired behind them, and Harrison flinched. “Get down, Skye, as far down as you can,” he told her urgently. She crawled awkwardly into the floorboard, ducking.

  “There’s a gun in the glovebox,” she ground out, wincing and touching the spot on her head.

  Harrison didn’t hesitate. He knew he shouldn’t take that gun. He already had charges against him, and that gun didn’t belong to him. He would shoot to kill, and that might land him in a six foot square of concrete for twenty to life. Hell, if his aim was off, he might end up in a smaller pine box six feet under. But he had to protect Skye at all costs.

  Grabbing the pistol, he threw open his door, ignoring the grinding sound, and was grateful for being in the ditch. It afforded him some protection and a good vantage point, much like trenches in the middle of a war zone. As he peered over the edge, he saw the car, pulled haphazardly to the side of the road, about twenty feet past where they’d landed, and the man in the driver’s seat was slamming the door, striding with purpose toward them, gun in hand.

  He was alone, and that was a relief. Leveraging the pistol and aiming, Harrison fired, hitting the guy in the knee. He went down with a cry of agony, the gun skittering away across the pavement. Harrison crawled out of the hole, launching himself off the back of the car onto the pavement. But the guy had already crawled to the gun and picked it up, aiming it at Harrison, who had to duck and roll to avoid the shot.

  Harrison barely registered the sound of motors rumbling and tires screeching, but the firing of guns came loud and clear. He ducked and tucked, as if he could ball himself up small enough to hide from bullets flying, but the blasts stopped almost instantly. The silence was so profound he actually wondered if he was dead. A shot to the head would have killed him instantly, and he didn’t think he would have registered pain. And considering he didn’t hear any traffic beyond, it made sense to think it was all over.


  “You hurt?” asked a familiar voice nearby, though the sound was distorted from the ringing caused by the gunshots. He glanced up, somewhat surprised to see Zeke standing next to him, and he glanced over toward where the shooter had been, finding Rocky pacing back and forth and speaking into a phone, arms gesturing wildly.

  Getting to his feet, Harrison brushed himself off and winced at the pain in his shoulder and knee, which must have hit the dashboard in the crash. “I’m fine. Where’s Skye?”

  “Harrison!” He swiveled to see her racing toward him, a little unstable on her feet, with blood still running down her face from the wound. He cursed under his breath, trying to cut off her progress before she caught sight of the scene next to Rocky. He knew exactly what she’d find there, and he didn’t need her to see more carnage, especially a man who wasn’t breathing.

  He caught her by the waist, but she gazed past him and inhaled sharply. “Oh my god,” she whispered. “Is he dead?”

  Reluctantly, with a grim nod, Harrison told her, “Yes. We didn’t have a choice. It was him or us.”

  Skye nodded, swallowing hard and squaring her shoulders. “Good. I’m glad. Thank you.”

  Harrison blinked, not sure he’d heard her correctly. Then, he gave a small smile and nodded. “You’re welcome. Of course, it’s Zeke and Rocky who took him out. He almost had me.”

  “I’m not sure why he was following you,” Rocky said, striding up to them and pulling out a handkerchief to press to Skye’s forehead. “He’s not a Raven, as far as I can tell. Nothing on him or in the car to show affiliation.”

  “Any ID?” Zeke asked before Harrison could get his thoughts together.

  Rocky held out a wallet, open to the driver’s license, and both Harrison and Skye craned their necks to see. Skye gasped and shook her head. “I know him.”

  All three of the men stared at her expectantly. “Take your time,” Harrison mumbled to her, wanting to ease her mind. If this was someone she was close to, Harrison wasn’t sure why he would have targeted Skye, but he knew it had to be a shock and difficult for her.

  With a shudder and a tremble in her voice, she said, “That’s Jay. He’s a friend of Donny’s. He’s been to the club with Donny a few times. I always preferred when they came together because Jay didn’t let Donny drink as much.”

  “Well, that explains a lot,” Zeke said. “Vengeance for his friend. Whether it’s because you turned him down or because he got his ass kicked, who knows.”

  Harrison spoke through clenched teeth, his anger barely in check. “But how did he find out where she lived?”

  Rocky was fisting his hands over and over at his side. “I’ll find out, trust me. This is unacceptable.” He gestured with his head over his shoulder. “The cleanup crew should be here any time.”

  “Good. We’re out a car, and I need to get Skye checked out. She obviously took a pretty good hit to the head,” Harrison said, glancing at the cloth on the wound, which was slowly turning red as it soaked up the blood.

  “I’m not going to the hospital, Harrison,” Skye stated firmly. He opened his mouth to argue, but she put a finger to his lips to stop him. He was tempted to kiss that finger but closed his mouth instead. “I’m fine. I just need some food and a shower. And maybe a bandage.”

  Not wanting to argue at the moment, he turned back to his brothers. “Can we get a ride?”

  Zeke walked away, reached into Jay’s car, and came back, tossing a set of keys at Harrison. “Take his. We’ll get a bill of sale today.”

  Harrison nodded. “Thanks, guys.” Traffic was picking up again, and they couldn’t stand around like this anymore, looking suspicious. “We’re going to get out of here. Call me if you need anything.”

  Zeke shook his head. “Just take care of Skye. We’ll take care of the rest. This one’s easy.”

  Appreciative, Harrison gave a short salute and guided Skye to the car. He was going to get her checked out, whether she liked it or not.

  18

  “I can get you in fast where Leigh works,” Harrison said as he turned over the engine in the unfamiliar car. Interestingly enough, the front didn’t show any damage. Meanwhile, hers was trashed. Not that it had been a stellar car to begin with, but she had no idea what she was going to do now without a ride.

  But that wasn’t her immediate concern. “I’m not going to get checked out, Harrison. I told you already, I’m fine. It’s nothing a bandage and a little ibuprofen won’t fix.”

  “You could have a concussion or a brain bleed, Skye. It knocked you unconscious.” He was shouting, but not with anger. He was panicked, and that was almost terrifying enough to agree. Skye didn’t like hearing that from Harrison. It was disconcerting, considering his usual tough exterior.

  She shook her head. “I’ve been there, done that. I promise you, this is nothing. I could have a concussion, but that’s easy enough to take care of. Some meds and staying awake for the next several hours.” He opened his mouth to protest again, but she jutted her chin out stubbornly. “I don’t care how many people you know at the hospital. There will be a record of treatment because they’ll do x-rays or an MRI or something. And that raises questions about the circumstances and puts you in more trouble. And the others, too. Considering you guys have risked life and freedom to save me, especially you, I’m going to do everything I can to keep you from ending up behind bars. And that means no hospital.”

  He looked frustrated, but he didn’t argue. Instead, he ran a hand through his hair and scratched his chin. “Fine, but I’m not leaving you alone. And you should get on your phone and order breakfast for delivery because we are definitely not going out anywhere with your head bleeding and my stench.”

  That made Skye laugh. “If it makes you feel any better, I don’t smell you. Then again, everything smells like copper right now.”

  “Great. It takes the scent of blood to cover up the rank of sweat and prison and the leftover dried blood on me.” He shook his head. “Your place or mine?”

  Her body clenched, the idea of being alone in either place drawing up intimate memories. Even through the pain and fear and shock, she wanted him. And that told her she had to give him the truth, sooner than later. But she took out her phone, hoping food would arrive as they did if she ordered quickly. “Yours, as long as I can borrow a t-shirt or something to put on after I shower.”

  She glanced at him and saw his eyes roam her body. Apparently, that was a rather pleasant idea for him as his pupils dilated. “I can arrange that.” He acted like it would chafe his hide, but she heard the excitement in his voice and knew there was a very good chance they would end up naked together.

  If she let it happen. She still had issues to address and wanted it out in the open.

  Changing the subject as he drove, she asked, “So, how is all this going to pan out for you? How much trouble are you in?”

  “It’s going to be fine. It’ll blow over.” She scowled at him, and he must have seen it with his sidelong glance. She crossed her arms petulantly. For once, she wasn’t going to back down. His answer didn’t satisfy her in the least, and she wanted the details of what to expect. If he was going to prison, she wanted to know how long she’d be waiting for him to get out.

  “Skye, this is club business, and I can’t—”

  “Bullshit,” she interrupted. “This is my business. You’ve put your ass on the line to save me twice. Two other men could face jail time for murder if this isn’t handled carefully. So, tell me, what are you looking at with the charges from last night, and what are your club brothers going to do about that dead body? One very closely related to the man in the hospital bed from last night? I think I deserve to know.”

  He grunted wordlessly and shook his head. “Dammit, Skye, you’re going to be the death of me,” he muttered. “That dead body is going to disappear. There might be a trail that leads people to believe he just left town, went on sabbatical to some foreign country, or there might be a suicide note and a body and car burned beyon
d recognition. One way or another, it’s going to disappear. He’s going to sell the car to someone at the MC, and the car will then be community property, which I’ll claim and use to replace yours.”

  Skye would have protested, but the dead son of a bitch had totaled hers, and she needed a ride. She didn’t need to look a gift horse in the mouth. This ride was definitely nicer than hers. “And what happens to my car?”

  “We’ll get it towed to the club, use it for parts. We’ll buy it from you at Blue Book value or better, so you’ll get a payout on that, too. We clean up our messes pretty well, when police aren’t involved.”

  She scowled. That brought her back to the previous altercation. “And what about the assault last night?”

  He scoffed. “If that guy even thinks about pressing charges, he knows he’ll end up in a hole in the ground, and not by my hands. And once he’s out of the hospital, he faces charges of sexual assault, so if he doesn’t want to end up someone’s bitch in prison, he’ll let it go, and he’ll never get anywhere near you or the club again. Without him testifying, and knowing that the only other witnesses are all Devil’s Flames or work for them, the police don’t have a case, and they’ll drop the charges against me. Unless one of the other girls wants to make a statement.”

  Skye scoffed. Most of those girls were running from warrants of their own. Unless they were going to get their records dismissed, they wouldn’t speak a word. And that wasn’t a likely scenario. “I think you’re safe there.”

  “Then there’s nothing to worry about.” Skye didn’t answer. It seemed too cut and dry, too simple, and Skye was skeptical. Still, Harrison seemed confident. After a long silence, Harrison glanced at her. “That’s everything, Skye. Full disclosure. Are you satisfied?”

  “As long as it all works out the way it’s supposed to, I am. I just hope no one screws up.” If anyone failed at their job, it could all go wrong.