Hard Escape (Notus Motorcycle Club Book 2)

by Debra Kayn

  His worry about losing her put to rest when she returned and sat across from him in the chair. He wanted her beside him. Hell, he wanted to hold her.

  She looked broken and vulnerable.

  "Has Notus Motorcycle Club told anyone that my identification is fake?" she asked, and even her voice was tired and lacking the usual strength he was accustomed to from her.

  "No."

  Her gaze lifted to his. "Are you going to?"

  "Who would I tell?" he said.

  She raked her top teeth over her bottom lip and shook her head. Her non-answers killed him. He hoped what he was assuming wasn't true.

  "Are you doing drugs?" He tapped his thumb against the arm of the couch.

  She frowned. "No. No. Not at all. I've never done drugs."

  "Did you know a woman who was staying in your apartment died from a heroin overdose?" he asked, hoping to shock her into telling the truth.

  She nodded. "Yes."

  Yes? That's all? No reaction? She answered as easily as if he'd asked her if she ate breakfast that morning.

  His lip twitched. "Friend of yours?"

  "May I get my backpack?" Heidi stood.

  "Why?"

  "Because I need to leave and everything I own is in the pack." She swallowed, and he watched her neck muscles tighten.

  "You're going to run like you did on the way home yesterday?" He sat forward and braced his elbows on his knees. "Come on, Blue. I'm done playing fifty questions. What the fuck is going on and who are you?"

  "Why should I tell you?" she said, clamping her mouth shut. "God, you make me..."

  "What?" He stood, unable to let her get any further away from him. "What do I do?"

  "Everything." She lifted her hands and let them fall, smacking the tops of her thighs. "Why can't you stop?"

  He stepped closer. "Stop what?"

  "Being nice to me," she screamed.

  Realizing what she'd done, she clamped a hand over her mouth and stared at him with wide eyes. The flash of fear and regret swiftly pierced him before she lowered her gaze and hand to stand in front of him unnoticed.

  Her eyes remained fixated on the floor. Her arms hung lax. Her back remained straight. He couldn't even tell if she was breathing. She'd tucked her chin to her chest and remained that way.

  She wouldn't look at him.

  "Hey," he said softly, taking another step, failing to get her attention. "No, Blue, you can't do that with me. Other people might let you disappear on them, but I'm not going to."

  He hooked his thumb under her chin and raised her face. There was no struggle, only quiet acceptance.

  The fact that she was letting him touch her, move her, and willing to stand in front of him and take whatever he said to her spoke more than any explanation she could give him. Someone had abused her. When vulnerable and cornered, she shut down.

  He wrapped his arms around her and gently brought her head to his chest while moving backward and sitting on the couch with her on his lap. She gave him no fight, no struggle, no words to stop him from holding her.

  So, he held her tighter. He'd take a good fight over what she was doing.

  Used to rescuing missing persons, he was comfortable handling distraught people who were thankful for being saved. Even belligerent people who took their anger out on Notus Motorcycle Club for ruining their plan to disappear from the world were easier to handle.

  Heidi's stomach growled, getting no reaction out of her. He questioned when she last had any food. Suspecting it was when she was at his house yesterday morning, it was no wonder she was skinny.

  He smoothed his hand over her cheek. "How about we get some food in you?"

  She remained motionless in his arms. He tilted her back and found her eyes closed. Caught up in trying to breach her barrier, he hadn't been aware of her falling asleep. He kissed her forehead, leaving his lips on her skin and inhaling deeply.

  He couldn't let her go. The same vulnerability and shyness that had appealed to him now made him sick. He wanted to kill the person who'd stripped her of her strength and stole her fight.

  Standing up with Heidi in his arms, he carried her to the spare bedroom. Not jostling her, he placed her on the made bed. She curled to her side. He grabbed the edge of the comforter and flipped the blanket over her.

  He kissed her head. "Sleep, Blue. You're safe with me."

  "Glen..." She stirred without opening her eyes.

  He hovered over her and waited. She slipped back into sleep. He'd never seen her that exhausted and wondered what she'd gone through the last twenty-four hours to break her spirit.

  "I won't leave you," he whispered, sinking down to his knees on the floor.

  From the light in the hallway shining on Heidi's face, she looked like an angel. As if nothing in the hard world had touched her. He palmed the top of her head and thrummed his thumb along the width of her forehead. There was little he knew about her. Nothing that would make him feverously protective of her.

  But, he was.

  Chapter 14

  What was wrong with her?

  Heidi paced the living room of Glen's house. She looked at the clock on his wall. She'd been treading his carpet for the last hour waiting for him to return from work. He was late.

  Normally, she wouldn't care or even know, because Glen wasn't a part of her life, but he'd left a message on her pillow with two words.

  Please stay.

  Every time she tried to walk to the door and leave, she stopped.

  It wasn't because she was safe in a house and could hide from the mess she'd made of her life. It wasn't because there was a fridge full of food tempting her to eat. It wasn't even the cat, who'd spent the better part of the day putting up with her cuddles and listening to her debate the stupidity of relying on a man.

  It was because Glen sat with her all night.

  He'd sat beside the bed on the floor, back pressed against the mattress and with his arms crossed, his chin on his chest, and he'd held sentry while he'd slept. Like a knight in shining armor that vowed to protect her from an unknown enemy, he'd guarded her.

  By his actions, she'd realized he thought she was asleep. She'd only rested, highly aware of him near her.

  Then, he'd called on the phone he'd left on the kitchen counter when she hurried downstairs after waking up. She hadn't answered but read his name on the caller ID. Throughout the day, he'd called ten more times, and she finally answered the phone. Glen had informed her he'd be home at ten after four this afternoon and the phone she'd held in her hand was hers to use. A gift.

  He informed her that if she needed him for anything, she was to call the number he'd already put on the phone. The only number she had.

  Now, he was late, and she feared Evan had found him, through her. She'd had a whole story planned out to tell him, and now she was scared he wouldn't return. What was she supposed to do? What if she never got to see him again?

  A low rumble filled the quiet house. She hurried to the window and peeked out behind the curtains. Her relief at seeing Glen in the driveway brought a sob from her that defied everything she believed in.

  The front entrance handle rattled, the lock turned, the door came open, and Glen entered the house whistling. She witnessed him searching for her and felt the need he had for her to be at his home.

  She stepped forward into his view wanting to bring him relief the way he had her. She couldn't understand why they both leaned toward each other or why she hadn't left, but right now, she was okay.

  Glen dropped his helmet and gloves on the floor. His lip twitched. She wanted to smooth the corner of his mouth.

  "Hey," he said softly.

  Her rehearsed speech forgotten. From the heart, she said, "I'd like to stay here...just a few days, until I can figure out what to do with my life. That's if you don't mind. If you do, I totally understand."

  "You can stay." He stepped toward her and slipped his fingers into hers, and brought her hand to his chest.

  Glen pressed he
r hand flat, making her feel the beat of his heart. She moistened her lips at the way her heartbeat accelerated to match his. It was easy for her to let him take the lead. It was as if he read her mind and knew want she needed. That grounding herself to him, she felt the connection. Two years of running, distancing herself from those she loved, on guard with those she had to trust in the same predicament, and she'd never once let herself depend on anyone.

  Until now.

  "Have you eaten?" he asked.

  She shook her head. Though he'd told her to while on the phone, her stomach wouldn't allow it. Not until she talked with him again.

  He moved away from her and stepped into the kitchen. "I've got a pouch of frozen pasta and some frozen vegetables I can throw together. I'll heat it up for us."

  She followed him and stood in the dining room adjacent to the kitchen. "Glen, I'm not a bad person."

  He put the skillet on the stove. "I knew that when I met you, and over the last several days, I've got a pretty good idea what you're doing."

  Her inability to draw enough air into her lungs made her lightheaded. She hung onto the counter between them. Whatever he imagined going on was probably nowhere near the reality.

  "Wh-what do you...?" She raised her hand and cupped her neck. Did she even want to know what he thought of her circumstances?

  "You're scared." Glen put the frozen pasta in the skillet and dumped the vegetables in and turned around. "When you feel strong, you have an attitude. When you feel threatened, you shut down. The thing is, I think the attitude is a way for you to hide. The way you look at me tells me a man is behind all that fear of yours. That pisses me off."

  She looked away. Two years of wishing someone, anyone, would reach out their hand and tell her everything would be okay, and Glen was here offering more than a hand. He was the real deal. The kind of man all girls dream about before they even know what is important.

  And, she didn't know what to do with him.

  "Hey," He walked over to her and cupped her face. "I've never gone out of my way to hurt a woman with my words or raised my hand to a female. You're safe here. Not only that, you've got the security of knowing Notus Motorcycle Club will protect you."

  "Why would they do that for me?" she whispered.

  "A long time ago, when we were all around twenty years old, Thad's younger sister was kidnapped, tortured, and murdered. It's not something I'd wish on any woman...or man." He turned and went to the stove, stirring the pasta. "We've made it part of what we do as a motorcycle club to find missing persons. There are a thousand different reasons why someone would come up missing."

  Her parents could have reported her missing. She swallowed. Glen could know her by her real name.

  It all depended on what story Evan gave her mom and dad, and what kind of mood he was in when he found her gone. Not knowing broke her heart, knowing she put her parents through the pain of losing her. But, they were alive. They were safe because she ran.

  "What I've learned is there are four reasons why someone up and leaves their life." He turned, carrying the skillet, and filled two bowls in front of her.

  She exhaled slowly, calming her panic. "What are the reasons?"

  He plunked a fork in each bowl and motioned for her to eat. After he took a bite and swallowed, he said, "A person can be forced away by abduction. Some people drift away, and family and friends lose contact with them. A lot of older people have..." He tapped the side of his head with his finger. "Mental problems and medical problems. Sometimes they don't even know they're missing. The other kind of missing person is the one who decided to leave. They just up and run away. Then, there are those who are escaping a personal problem."

  Her fork hovered above the bowl. "And, you think I...?"

  "You escaped." His gaze softened. "I'd bet my bike on it, Blue. The only thing I'd like to know tonight is if you're married. The rest we'll deal with later or never, it'll be up to you."

  "Why do you want to know if I’m married?"

  He finished chewing, and his lip twitched. "Cause when you finally let down your shield, and I take you to bed, I want to know that you're mine and you don't belong to some other guy."

  Her jaw opened.

  "That's enough talking." He pointed to her bowl. "Eat up."

  She hadn't said anything. He'd done all the talking for both of them.

  Glen leaned over the counter, stuck his fork in her pasta bowl, and lifted a bite to her mouth, and dumped the food in. She shut her mouth to keep from losing the food and chewed.

  Her stomach warmed in comfort. Whether that was from the food or Glen's declaration that someday they'd have sex, she couldn't tell.

  Chapter 15

  The whistle blew. Glen clocked out of work and walked across the parking lot to his motorcycle. Wayne, Chuck, and Thad were already ready to ride. He stopped at his bike and put his vest on. Halfway through the day, he'd realized what he needed to do.

  "Vavoom's?" asked Thad.

  "Yeah. Clara and Gracie are waiting for me there to have dinner." Wayne slipped on his gloves. "Chuck? Glen? You coming?"

  "Hell, yeah," said Chuck.

  "Can't." Glen sat on his motorcycle and toed the kickstand up. "I've got something I need to do."

  "Does it have to do with that woman still staying at your house?" Chuck frowned. "Whatever her name is or what she calls herself."

  Glen whistled. "Her name's Heidi until she tells me otherwise."

  "I'll look into past missing person alerts that have come in from the police department when I get home." Wayne lifted his chin. "Call if you need us."

  "Yep." Glen started his bike, raised his hand at the others, and rode off.

  The workday seemed longer than normal knowing Heidi was left on her own in his house. He'd purposely refrained from calling and checking on her. He couldn't go each day worried that she was going to run off on him. She needed to trust him that his offer to stay was real.

  He felt good about last night after talking to her. She'd relaxed enough to stay in the same room with him. She'd eaten all the dinner he'd made, played with the cat out on the deck while he enjoyed a beer, and came in when the mosquitos started biting.

  Heidi might not have said much, but her silence and listening told him he'd been right. He whistled into the wind, letting the stress leave him, and took the next block down to Lombard Street and turned into the Target store.

  Parking near the striped lines in the lot, he found the entrance by way of giant red balls and entered the store. The sight and sounds almost had him leaving, but a woman came over and welcomed him to Target.

  He stood looking around, not knowing what the fuck he was doing.

  The woman smiled. "Can I help you?"

  "I need a bunch of clothes for a woman," he said, scratching the back of his neck.

  The woman with short, curly hair, wearing a nametag that said her name was Jan, grinned. "What size does she wear?"

  "Hell, if I know," he muttered. "She's small."

  "Hm..." Jan held her arms out. "Can you compare her to me?"

  Son of a bitch, motherfucking, hell. He gave her a quick ogle, rubbing his hand across his jaw to hide the muscle bouncing in his lip. He shouldn't have come. It was a stupid idea.

  "Uh, smaller than you. She's about this high." He pointed at his chest. "Small in the middle. Round at the top. You know what? Forget it. I've cha—"

  "She'll wear a small, and we can find clothes that are forgiving if we're wrong." Jan stepped away. "Follow me."

  "No," he said.

  Jan turned around. "You don't want to shop?"

  "I want you to get a few pants in black. A few jeans. Six tops. Also, some white shirts with buttons on the front that a woman could use for work." He watched another woman with two kids walk in the door. "Underwear, socks, bras."

  "Is that it?" Jan laughed softly. "Some of that might not be possible. Unless you know the size of her bra, it's going to be hard to fit her."

  "D." He exhaled on
a whistle. "She's a D, but tiny hips and waist."

  He'd been around enough women to know how big a woman's breasts were by looking at them.

  "Are you sure you don't want to bring her with you, and she can try on the clothes?" Jan tilted her head. "We have gift cards. You could give her—"

  "No, I need the clothes now." He looked around. "Like five minutes ago. Pick out what you'd wear in a small. Then tell me how much I owe you."

  Jan nodded. "I'll be back in a few minutes."

  "Wait." He stepped closer. "I've got to run down the street. I'll be back in a half hour."

  "I'll have everything over at customer service when you return." Jan pointed to his left. "What name should I leave everything under?"

  "Glen Steele," he said.

  "Perfect." The woman walked away shaking her head in amusement. Glen cussed under his breath and turned around to get out of the store and found the doors unable to open. He pushed, finding himself locked in.

  Out of his peripheral vision, he watched a crowd of people wheel carts out the doors at the other end of the building. He jumped the rail blocking him from getting out, and went down to the end doors. Once outside, he sucked in the wind. He had no time to regret his decision. He needed to get to Pauly's Peddlers before five o'clock when the shop closed.

  It only took him two minutes to ride the few blocks, and he walked into the bike shop with ten minutes to spare.

  "You're starting to become a regular, Mr. Glen Steele of Notus Motorcycle Club." Pauly hitched his hip onto the stool and swung his foot, showcased in one of those Jesus sandals from the sixties. "What can I do for you today."

  He looked around and found the place empty. "I need to talk to you about Heidi Lundin."

  Pauly frowned. "I'm sorry. She never contacted me or showed up."

  "I know." He leaned against the counter and softened his voice. "I found her. She's staying at my house."

  "What do you mean...found her?"

  "She's homeless, Pauly." He rubbed his hand over the counter. "She was working here and trying to save her money to get into an apartment."