“Kidnapping is a funny way of being protective.” My stomach twists, and my knees go weak. Scout is staring at me as if I'm hard as stone. I'm not. I'm so close to breaking and the only reason I'm still standing is because Scout is holding me up. “Take me home, Scout. I can fend for myself.”
"No," he says so harshly I pull away on instinct.
When I do, he dips his shoulder down and the next thing I know my feet leave the ground. I'm in the air, then, over his massive shoulder again with my stomach pressed into his hard collarbone.
By the sudden draft of cool air up my back, my ass is hanging out from my dress. I try to reach for the hem to pull it down, but Scout adjusts my weight and I can’t reach past my stomach.
The room we enter is a blur of faces and tables and maybe a bar off to one side. It's hard to lift my head to see it all, but I catch glances of people laughing and jeering at me. Even though I'm squirming and yelling and throwing punches into Scout’s back, they do nothing to help me.
Scout walks past the room with the people to a staircase, and as if I weigh nothing, he climbs. I'm almost out of breath from fighting him, so I give in and save my energy for the second he sets me down next.
Upstairs, we pass door after door. Old hotel rooms, I'm guessing even though I’m seeing everything upside down. We turn a corner and Scout stops at one. He shifts my weight higher on his shoulder so he can fish something from his pocket. It's a key, and as soon as he uses it to open the door and steps inside, he shuts it again, and the lock engages with a click.
"I'm going to put you down now," he says. "The door is locked. There’s no use in trying to run again. Do you understand?"
When I don't respond, he jerks his shoulder, jostling me to respond.
"Understand?" he repeats.
"Yes." I nod.
My feet land on the ground in front of Scout with the door at his back. He's right. There is no use in running. He's too big, and the door needs a key to be unlocked.
"Those men you messed with--The one hitting on you especially--aren’t as nice as I am."
“You think you’re nice?” I laugh, but as soon as his eyes narrow on mine, I stop.
"Look, I don't know where you come from, but here, you don't mess with the Devils without retaliation." His scowl deepens. "Cobra, in particular, will hunt you down, and he gives zero fucks about killing anyone."
I fold my arms over my chest. Not because I'm cold or even scared, but the way Scout is looking at me is beginning to piss me off. "I seem to remember you saying they were there for you. I’m a nobody to them."
“You were a nobody until you cracked a bottle over one of their heads.”
My back tingles, and a shiver runs up my spine. I keep my arms firmly crossed to hide my shaking.
"Did that sober you up enough to listen to me now?"
There is a bed behind me, and I'm thankful when my knees give way, and I sink to the mattress.
The room is small and sparse. A queen bed, a dresser, a chair in the corner. Nothing personal. Nothing to give me a clue about this man who’s holding me captive.
"So, what's the plan? You can take me to the police department and report the threat and--"
"No." He speaks over me. "We don't live by the same rules as the outside world. Road law is different, and revenge isn't a crime. Going to the police will only put more people in danger."
I'm not trying to hide my shaking anymore. I am freaked. "I can't hide out here forever. I have work in the morning and--”
"You’re calling in sick."
“For how long?”
“Until we know for sure Cobra isn’t a threat any longer.” He stops pacing and looks at me. “Might be better to ask for a leave of absence.”
I can't form words or take in the whole of what he's telling me. I sit, dumbfounded, staring at his face.
"For the foreseeable future, this is your home until we can throw Cobra off your scent, you're not a free person."
I blink hard. Tears are burning the backs of my eyes, but I can't let them fall. I won't show my weakness to this man. "You can't force me to stay."
"You're right," he says, taking a step closer to me. "I'm not going to force you to stay." He takes me by the upper arm and spins me around to a window facing the street. We are high enough to see over the wall surrounding the complex and the road just beyond. He points to an older model sedan sitting just outside the glow of the streetlights. "You're welcome to leave any time you like, but that's what's waiting for you when you make that mistake."
I know he feels me shudder against him. He is standing too close to miss it. I'm not sure which threat to be more scared of? Scout, with his club of friends downstairs, drinking themselves into oblivion while he holds me captive in his locked room. Or the possibility that Cobra is sitting in the car outside, waiting to enact his revenge on me.
I turn, but I find myself staring at a wall of muscle under a basic black tee shirt.
"Why are you doing this?" I glance up to meet his eyes and ask.
Scout looks down at me with a hardness that makes every nerve in my body jump to attention.
"Because." He pauses. His voice deepens and he drops his head down so he’s looking me directly in the eyes. "You jumped in a fight to save me and no one but my Tempest Elite brothers has ever done anything like that for me."
He lifts his hand and brushes one of my cheeks with his palm before he reaches for my hurt hand. "I have a first aid kit in the bathroom. Promise me you won’t do anything stupid while I get it.”
I pull my hand back. The bleeding has already stopped, and though the cut is long, it isn’t deep. "It’s only a graze. I can wash it off and it will heal fine on it’s own.”
"If you say so." Scout drops my hand and turns toward a door on the opposite side of the room. “I still want to check it out.”
As Scout disappears behind the bathroom door, I realize he is definitely the lesser of the two evils I'm facing tonight.
But something tells me being less evil doesn't make him any less of a threat.
Scout
I'm sure Cobra and at least two other Devils members are waiting outside our clubhouse. Thinking back on it, I shouldn't have told India about the car, but she needs to understand what she is up against.
Smokey hasn't left the front entrance since we pulled in on my bike, two prospects are guarding either side of the front entry. Hawk is in the front lot, talking with Bear. Hawk handles all of our security, the reason Bear called him in after we arrived.
I turn to the sleeping mass of blonde curls and flannel nestled to one side of my bed, and my heart sinks. She told me repeatedly she wouldn’t be able to sleep, but once she crawled in under the covers, I didn’t hear a sound from her again.
The Devils would never attack a patched member unprovoked, but what India did tonight, jumping into a fight and making a member look like a pussy against a girl, won't be forgiven.
An hour ago, I gave India one of my shirts and a pair of flannel sleep pants and commanded her to go to bed.
She's not the strong and independent type. I saw it in the way she shied away every time she caught me staring at the bar. But she stood right up to me when I made the demand. She didn't last long, though, and I'm sure the fading adrenaline in her body had something to do with giving in to me.
I claim the chair in the corner and settle in. It's an old recliner that's lost the ability to recline, but it's still comfortable enough to get some sleep.
I'm almost out when banging on my door wakes me up. It's Bear.
"Is she sleeping?" he asks after I open.
"If she knows what's good for her," I answer before meeting him in the hallway. "Any news about the standoff outside?"
Bear shakes his head. "Nothing, You know the Devils better than any of us. What do you think their plan is?"
I rub my hand over my chin to stall. It's a fact I once was recruited by the Devils, and I came close to becoming one until a few members of Tempest Elite
straightened me out. I was young, and stupid, and hungry for a family.
"Looks like only two of them are in the car. They’d never attack a clubhouse with that few. My guess is they’re only trying to send us a message."
"I thought the same.” Bear nods. "But Cobra's a loose cannon. Is it true she took one of his guys to the ground?"
I can't help the grin that spreads across my face. "Like a fucking stone. He will never live it down." My amusement is short lived. "Cobra won’t let that kind of embarrassment go unpunished."
"What do you think he's capable of?"
"There is no limit to Cobra's madness. I wouldn’t put it past him to make her killing part of an initiation."
Bear glances down to the floor then back to me. "You know him best. If you think it's warranted, we'll take a stand as a club. India is under our protection, whatever action that may include."
"No," I answer Bear. "Cobra won’t want to face his humiliation in front of his brothers. I’m betting only the three from the bar tonight even know why they are hunting India."
"Then we keep her hidden. Is that all we can do?"
I nod reluctantly. "For now."
Bear sighs deeply and slaps a hand on my shoulder. "I'm following your lead on this one, Scout. Whatever you need, we've got your back."
"Thanks," I answer. I don’t have a better idea than waiting him out.
India is in this mess because of me, and I'm going to do my damnedest to keep her safe.
Bear makes his way back down the hall and turns before disappearing around the corner. "I'll have Gunner bring up some food for you both. Bree might have some clothes India can wear. The rest, I'll wait for your instruction."
I nod and turn for my bedroom door. Bear putting me in charge is an honor. I should be fucking elated to take over. But, then I picture India curled up under my sheets and the pressure of keeping her safe eclipses the privilege.
I turn for my door and drop my forehead to the wood instead of turning the knob. Even though I know we'll keep India safe, her entire life is now uprooted, and I’m a big part of the reason why. I have to be the driving force behind removing the threat.
When I check on India, she's not asleep, but she's faking it well enough I don't want to give her away. Her breathing is too labored to be peaceful, but if she's trying to avoid me, I'll let her. I’m not in a talking mood.
I reclaim my chair and try to get some sleep. Each time I close my eyes, I see Cobra. Years ago, when I first met him, he didn't have the sunken eyes and fucked up teeth from his drug habit. Back then, he offered the bond of brotherhood and the promise of belonging to a man starving for a family and I almost took the bait. I almost became a Devil and, even though my brothers never speak of it, Cobra won’t ever let me forget.
India's turns to her side and her eyes flutter open.
"You should be getting sleep,” I command.
"It's hard to fall asleep in a strange bed with a stranger watching you.” She turns onto her back, then her side again.
"I could leave."
"No," she quickly added. "Please, don't. I don't want to be alone either."
That’s not the answer I expected. I lean forward and put my elbows on my knees. "I can get a drink from the bar for you? I'm sure one of the girls has something for sleep."
India sits up and pulls her knees up to her stomach. She's covered in my sheets and looks small in my bed, a primal need to keep her protected blooms in my chest.
"I'd rather stay awake.”
I don't blame her. "Fair enough."
"But," her voice rises, “if I'm keeping you up…”
I shake my head. "I don't sleep much."
She angles her head so she’s looking at me with one brow raised. "You had your eyes closed, and I heard a snore."
“I don't snore.” Even if I had nodded off.
I'm still leaning forward, and I drop my head to hide my smile from her. When I look up again, she is studying me. Hard. Too hard. She's giving me hope, and I know all too well how dangerous that can be.
"Tell me, India. Why did you jump in on the fight like that?"
She doesn't hesitate to answer. "Because you needed help."
I laugh. It's harsh, and India flinches at the sound. "I'm a grown-ass man, India."
"Fighting three guys at once," she barks at me. "Someone had to take your side."
"What makes you think I'm on the good side?"
She closes her eyes for a second before answering. "I don’t know. Maybe because you were kicking three asses at once."
She tosses the sheets off of her legs and stretches them out. She wants me to believe she’s not afraid of me, but I can see beyond her words and actions to the little signs her body is giving off.
"I wasn’t kicking the asses if you had to step in.”
“True,” she says. “But judging by the looks of the other guy, I’m better off with you.”
I'm not sure where India is better off. If she knew the things my mind has conjured up to do to her, she'd run for the door and scream until someone knocked it down from the other side. She has no idea how restrained I am. No idea what I’d been thinking about her as she stared at me from the bar.
But she can't see inside my filthy brain, and for now, that’s a blessing for us both.
“You got anyone who’s going to be looking for you?”
She hesitates before she answers. “Work.”
“No family?”
“They’re all out of state.”
“Boyfriend?” My chest tightens. If she’s smart she’ll claim to have one, just so she can say someone will report her missing if I don’t let her go soon.
Instead, she shakes her head. “I just moved here last month. No roommates. No boyfriend. The coworkers I was drinking with are the only people I know here.”
I take in a deep, steading breath before I scold her. “You should have lied. You should have told me someone will be missing you if I don’t let you go.”
“I’m not a liar.” Her shoulders square off and she sits up straighter. “My turn for questions. Girlfriend? Family? Work? I told you mine. What about yours?”
She’s got more guts than I gave her credit for. I run a hand over my chin and lift my head up so I’m looking into her sparkling brown eyes. “I can have my pick of any of the sweet butts downstairs so no to the girlfriend. The club is my family. And work…” I stall, weighing how she’s accepted my responses so far. “I’m the treasurer for the club and I do the accounting for most of the member’s businesses.”
"So, you grew up in foster care?” She’s so blunt with her statement, I don’t have time to contemplate how she came to that conclusion so quickly. I nod instead, dismissing the need to explain fourteen of the roughest years of my life.
She falls silent. She’s probably digesting her sorrows for the poor orphan kid.
Her silence eats away at me. My life is nothing to pity. I’m here and I’ve survived. That’s all anyone should care about.
"Why did you come to the city?" I want to keep the conversation rolling since it’s passing the time and keeping her calm.
"No." She crawls out from the sheets and settles on the edge of the bed closest to me. The scent of something floral and soft hits my nose, and the heat of her body moving closer seeps in under my tee shirt. If she had any idea how weak my restraint is, she'd back away. "Don't do that. Don't change the subject. You’re holding me captive. The least you could do is answer a few questions so I know what kind of person you are."
The least I could do would be throwing her in a room alone and locking the fucking door. She’s lucky I’m in somewhat of a forgiving mood. "You really don't," I begin to grind out through my locked jaw. "I'm not that person anymore. If you want to know what kind of person I am, what you see is what you get."
India reaches across and puts her hand on my cheek and turns my face to meet hers. It’s the softest I’ve ever been touched, yet it rips holes through me like shards of broken glass.
Her eyes are demanding, and her cheeks red. She has pouty, stiff lips, and such pity for me in her face I can't stand to look any longer.
I jerk away and stand.
"Scout, I…" she starts, but I hold my hand up.
"It's not important." I glance out the window. The sedan is still parked just beyond the gates. Hawk is at his post in the guardhouse with Gunner as his backup. Both are armed. Both will shoot to kill if warranted. "I need to check downstairs. You'll be safe here by yourself for a while."
India calls my name again, but I have the door open, and it's nothing for me to walk out and lock it behind me.
I know the game India is playing. Keep your enemies close. It's a good tactic, and it works.
She's smart.
But I'm smarter, and no matter how strongly my body reacts to hers, my job is keeping her safe, even if that means keeping her safe from me.
Chapter 3
India
When I wake, there is a pile of fresh clothes on the bed. My dress is still hanging on the bathroom door where I left it last night, and Scout is nowhere to be found.
I glance at the denim shorts and tank top, then back to my modest looking dress. Today I get to choose who I am by what I decide to put on.
I can pull on my sundress with the pale blue fabric that hits just above my knees and continue to be the same person who came unwillingly into this old hotel. Or I can put on the new clothes borrowed from one of the girls downstairs and become one of them.
Before I decide, I go to the window across the small room and pull back the shade. The car hasn’t moved and the occupants are still inside, making my choice to blend in with the club an easy one.
There is a towel, washcloth, and soap in the adjoining bathroom, and I take my time in the shower, letting the hot water beat down on my back a muffle my tears. I haven't cried since Scout carried me into this life, and I don't plan to again, but once to get it out of my system isn't something I'm going to be ashamed of.
Scout: Tempest Elite MC Page 2
