Harley

by Blair Grey

  Nothing in the world could stop me.

  Chapter 12

  Paisley

  “I’m fine, really,” I tried to insist. “I don’t need to go to the hospital, please!”

  “You should really go,” Harley told me. “I can see how hurt you are, and it would be smart to make sure you’re not hurt worse inside.”

  “I’m fine, I’ve been in this sort of situation before, so I know how it goes. I’m fine,” I said again. The look Harley gave me told me he didn’t approve of my comment, but I didn’t have the time to defend myself, or try to explain myself, either.

  I had been in that sort of situation before, and even though it wasn’t great to admit that, I had to just move on now. I was trying to change. I wanted to change. I wanted things to be better now than they were before. But, that didn’t change the fact that I had to be upfront and honest about the past.

  And the past was what it was. I had gone through this, and I would likely keep going through it if I didn’t make a change. So now, I was.

  “Look,” Harley said after a pause. “I know you don’t want this to turn into a big deal, but you don’t have to tell the people at the hospital anything you don’t want to. All you have to do is get looked at and make sure you’re okay, okay? That’s all I’m asking.”

  I looked at him for a moment. I wasn’t sure how to react. I really didn’t want to go to the hospital. I had been the one to walk in before with all sorts of battle scars covering me, and I knew how it went. I didn’t want to go through that again, even if this was a different hospital than the last one.

  I would be bombarded with questions, and inevitably, the police would be called. I just wanted it all to go away. I wanted to get out of here, leave this town behind me. I didn’t want to ask Harley to get tangled up in this with me, and I knew he was on track to doing that very thing.

  The more I thought about this, the more complicated it became…and the more I just wanted it all to go away.

  But, Harley wasn’t about to just let this fall by the wayside. I could see it in his eyes as he looked over my body, making me want to tell him everything. Even the things I wanted to keep to myself, my mind was pushing me to tell him. As hard as it was, the words were pushing to come out.

  “I’ll take you there myself,” Harley said suddenly, catching me off guard. I looked at him in surprise, but he smiled. “To make sure you’re okay, of course.”

  “You don’t have to do that,” I said uncertainly, but he brushed it off with a wave of his hand.

  “You need to go, and I’m not going to stop talking to you about this until you do,” he said. “I’m going to take you up there myself to make sure you make it, and to make sure you’re not bothered while you’re there. If you want, I can make sure the staff doesn’t call the cops so you don’t have to deal with that, either, if you’re sure you don’t want to.”

  I sighed. I wanted to argue, but that was a nicer offer than anyone else had given me in as long as I could remember. Not only was he offering to make sure I went to the hospital, but he was going to take me up there himself. That made me feel really good.

  And, feel like I wanted to do it – for him.

  With a sigh, I nodded.

  “Alright,” I said. “I’ll go – for you. But I don’t want to talk to them about any of this. Shade said that he was into some pretty bad things, and I don’t want to be the one who is caught in the middle with the cops and everything, you know?”

  “I told you, you don’t have to tell them anything you don’t want to,” he said again. “I just want to make sure there’s nothing bleeding inside that we need to get taken care of now. You can’t let stuff like that go; you know that, right?”

  “I know,” I said with a sigh. And, I did. I knew there were a lot of things that could be going wrong inside me, and for the most part, I wanted to believe that I didn’t care. I didn’t care if death was the way out, and if I was dying, then I wasn’t ever going to have to worry about any of this again.

  But, with the way he was looking at me, I had second thoughts about not caring about my health. There was something about the way he was treating me that made me want to take care of myself. To make sure I was okay – and to prove to my ex I didn’t need to have him to survive.

  Of course, I didn’t want anything to do with him ever again. I hoped he’d die a slow, painful death himself. But, at the same time, if there was a way for him to see the success I was having without him, that would be a level of success I could get behind. To be able to prove to him I didn’t need him or want him would prove that he was wrong about me all this time.

  And, that would feel really good.

  I wasn’t sure how I would do that, but with Harley by my side, it suddenly seemed as though it could happen.

  “Come on, let’s get in the truck. You don’t look like you’re in any state to hold onto the back of my bike.” Harley was already on his way to the other side of the parking lot, and I had no choice but to follow. He’d grabbed my bag as he straightened up, and that bag had all my things inside.

  I followed after him, reluctantly. I was so used to following men around, and I had a feeling this wasn’t going to lead to anything good. It wasn’t Harley’s fault that I felt this way. After all, he had been nothing but nice to me since he had met me a few days before.

  But, all my life I had trusted the wrong men, and despite the fact he was nice to me, that didn’t change the fact that he was still part of an MC, and I hadn’t ever had good luck with those. I didn’t want to think about what would happen if I were to get tangled up in the wrong situation like Shade had.

  But then, would he really be going to all this effort for me if he didn’t have good intentions? I wondered. If there was one thing I knew about the MC, it was that they had their pick of the lot when it came to women, and there was no reason for this tall ginger to be putting for the effort to help me without any real reason.

  With a sigh, I just had to trust him.

  I got in the truck, hoping against hope he was really going to take me to the hospital. It didn’t strike me until I was in the truck with him that I wasn’t sure if I trusted him completely. He hadn’t given me anything but reason to trust him, but that didn’t change the fact he was a stranger, and I didn’t know anything about him.

  But, it was too late for me to change my mind now. I was already committed by getting into the truck in the first place. Now, I would ride with him to the hospital if he was really taking me there, and I would go through with the examination.

  I just hoped to God the staff at the hospital would respect the privacy I would try to have when I got there. I didn’t want this to turn into something involving the cops. I didn’t want to deal with my ex any more than I already had, and I really didn’t want things to get worse than they already were.

  And, going to the hospital could make all those things happen – and then some. But, I was in the truck now, and there wasn’t any going back. Harley was on a mission to get me to the hospital, and he wasn’t going to stop until I satisfied what he wanted me to do.

  All I could do was go along for the ride and hope for the best.

  “Really, I’m fine,” I insisted on my way back through the curtain. “Thank you so much for your concern, but I’m okay.”

  I felt like I’d spent forever in the emergency room, and besides being worried about how I was going to pay for it all, I couldn’t help but wonder how long I could put up with the prying questions before I caved in and told them the truth.

  I maintained that I had been attacked when I was walking home after work, but I refused to elaborate on any of the details. I didn’t tell them where I worked, I didn’t tell them what my assailant looked like, and I refused the offer to call the authorities and make a police report, too.

  None of those things were appealing, and I wasn’t going to let them bring it up and push it on me. I had made up my mind to keep my privacy, and that’s what I was going to do.

/>   As I headed back out into the waiting room, I tried to decide what it was I was going to do. I didn’t have much money, still trying to save as much of what Harley had given me as I could. I didn’t want to blow it on rides, but I had a feeling after I got a hotel for the night, I wouldn’t have a lot left.

  But, my I nearly fell over when I walked back into the main room and found Harley still there waiting for me. I’d thought he was going to drop me off and move on with his day. I’d told him not to bother waiting, but there he was.

  As soon as he saw me, he stood and hurried over. “Are you alright?” he asked.

  “I think so,” I said. “You didn’t have to wait for me, you know.”

  “I know. Did you talk to the police?”

  “No,” I shook my head. “I didn’t want to deal with any of the questions or anything.”

  “Not a bad idea,” he said with a shrug. “Come on. Let’s get you out of here.”

  “Why are you helping me?” I didn’t know what else to say, and the words were out of my mouth before I had the chance to really consider whether I should say them.

  “Because I want to,” he said with a shrug. “Come on.”

  He turned and headed back toward the door, and I followed. I had to admit, it was strange to want to go with him when I wasn’t even sure what was going on, but it was a lot better than staying here, that was for sure.

  He was my only way out of this right now, and though it was hard for me to be open and trust him, I had to go through with it. There wasn’t another option, and I wasn’t going to risk being out there on my own. I knew it was just a matter of time before Shade came to and was after me.

  I wanted to have some sort of a plan in place before that happened. As hard as this was, it was something.

  And for now, I would take any of the real help I could get.

  Chapter 13

  Harley

  “Where are we going?” Paisley asked timidly as she stared out the window.

  “You’re not from around here, are you?” I asked. “I’m sure we talked about it before, but that seems to be a detail I lost among everything else that’s going on.”

  “I’ve passed through a few times,” she said. “But you seem to be going somewhere specific, and I was just wondering where that was.”

  “Don’t worry, you’re safe with me,” I told her.

  She nodded slightly, but there was a look on her face that told me she didn’t fully trust me. Of course, I couldn’t blame her. She had been through a lot of shit, especially over the past few years. I had a feeling it was going to take quite some time before she trusted anyone again.

  But, I wasn’t going to lecture her about any of that. I had a plan, and I was putting that plan into motion. I was glad to know she hadn’t talked to the cops about the guy. That made my plan that much easier.

  “I just wish you’d tell me what you were up to,” she said. “Shade’s dangerous. I mean, I know you know what you’re doing, but still. You don’t know the kind of guy he is, and I don’t want you to wind up messing with someone and getting yourself caught up in something you can’t get back out of. You know?”

  I smirked as I gave her a sidelong glance. “I know what I’m doing. Like I said before, it’s good that you didn’t go to the cops over this. That’s going to make things a lot easier for me.”

  “How?” Paisley asked, clearly unsure of how to continue the conversation.

  “If the cops aren’t involved, then there’s no one to get in the way of our own justice system,” I said with a shrug.

  “Justice system?” she asked. “You mean, you’re going to go after him yourself?”

  “With my club along for the ride,” I told her. “We do everything together, and once they know what’s going on with you and this guy, they’re going to put a stop to that, let me tell you.”

  “How?”

  “So many questions…” I gave her a look. “You sure ask a lot for not wanting to tell a lot.”

  “Well, it’s my life we’re talking about,” she said. “And since we’re going to be acting on my behalf, I’d like to know what’s going on.”

  “I’ll tell you what’s going on,” I said. “But first, we’re going to head over to the rest of the MC and bring them up to speed on what’s going on. I need everyone on the same page if this is going to work.”

  “We’re going to the rest of the MC?” Her voice shook, and I knew she was nervous. But, she didn’t have any reason to be. We would take care of her, and even if she didn’t fit in with the rest of the guys, I knew they would back me on my decision to take care of her.

  That was just the way the club worked. We were all part of the unit, working together and there for each other. We had each other’s backs, no matter what, and we took care of each other as though our own lives depended on it. There wasn’t anything that could keep us from serving the club first and foremost.

  So, I knew without a doubt once I went to Jett with the situation, he would give me all the manpower I needed to make sure Paisley was taken care of. Not to mention, he would be more than happy to eliminate more competition with the MCs in the area.

  He wanted to be the top dog in Fallen Hills, and so far, we were. There were times when we had to work a little harder than normal to maintain that status, but it always happened sooner or later. This was another chance for us to assert our dominance.

  Fallen Hills was in our territory, we all knew it, and we all lived our lives with that truth on the forefront of our minds. Of course, I assumed the other MCs in the area knew that fact, and they would take that into consideration when they were passing through.

  But, there were still those times when they would have to be put back into their places. Inevitably, there were always the times when they would do what they could to try to break the status quo. If they could push their MCs to the top, they would; it was an almost constant battle to push them back to where they belonged.

  Jett was willing to continue the fight tirelessly, however. He wasn’t going to stop until he was at the top, and when he got there, he was willing to do anything it took to stay there.

  And, we were sworn to do our part. We all swore our lives to the MC, and no matter what, we were going to stick with that promise. There wasn’t a man who wasn’t willing to do anything it took to take care of his brothers.

  There were certainly times when that included giving our all to help someone one of the men in the club wanted to help. Like my situation with Paisley. She might not have asked me to help her, but I had taken it upon myself to do so. Now, I wasn’t going to stop until I had.

  Once I had the rest of the boys on my side with this, it would just be a matter of finding this guy and sorting out the issues he had with the other MC. That might include us getting involved with them in ways we didn’t want to left to our own choices, or it might mean that we were able to get rid of the problem in the scenario.

  Either way, I had to have her trust me, and I was going to do what I could to put her mind at ease in the process.

  “You mentioned on the way to the hospital that he blames you for what happened with the deal with the other MC, right?” I asked.

  Paisley nodded. “He’s not telling me what it is that they are mad about, but he said that he’s going to pin it on me because they aren’t going to come for me like they would come for him.”

  “That’s totally bullshit,” I said as I squeezed the steering wheel of the truck. “You mean to tell me this guy is going to blame his girlfriend for what happened to save his own ass from a deal gone wrong? He knows without a doubt you’re going to end up getting killed for this, and he’s just going to let it happen?”

  “Shade does what Shade wants,” Paisley said with a sad shake of her head. “He doesn’t have the guts to answer for what he did, but he’s going to do things his way.”

  “Well, we’re not going to stand for that. The Steel Wings holds the person who’s responsible accountable. And, you’re not the p
erson responsible for this, are you?” I looked at her, and she shook her head. She was still pale, but she didn’t say anything.

  “I know the guy’s a coward, and trust me, I’m going to make sure we get even for what he did to you. Jett’s going to be pissed when he finds out what happened with the prostitution site, and trust me, that’s just the tip of the iceberg.”

  “I hope he sees things your way,” Paisley said softly, and I laughed.

  “I know the man well, trust me. We’re going to take care of you if it’s the last thing we do,” I said resolutely.

  She smiled, but I could still see the fear in her eyes. She clearly didn’t know how to respond to the attention she was getting, nor did she know how to act hearing that there was someone out there who would take care of her. But, I meant what I said.

  There was no way in Hell I was going to let this guy get away with what he did to her, and I wasn’t going to let her take the blame for how he had messed up with the other MC, either.

  I wasn’t sure what he had done, but I knew if he had told her already that he was going to make sure she was the one who took the blame, then there was no doubt in my mind he was already doing what he had to do to lay the groundwork for that happening.

  Shade sounded like the kind of guy who would do just about anything to save his own skin, and that made my blood boil.

  Paisley deserved a lot better than that, and now that I was in the picture, I would make sure she got it. I didn’t know what it was about her, but I liked her. I liked her a lot. I would do just about anything to make sure she was alright, and I knew the rest of the MC would have my back when I told them what she had been through.

  A couple of the guys already had a bit of a picture of what was going on. I’d told them about the site and the fact she had been pushed into being a prostitute without her consent or knowledge. That certainly wasn’t going to fly with Jett involved, I knew that without a doubt.