“Wait, are you serious?”
He shrugged. “Not that it matters anymore, but yeah. I’m serious. I had the ring purchased and everything. I had our plane tickets, our penthouse hotel suite booked out. All of it, nonrefundable.”
I blinked. “How in the hell could you afford a penthouse suite anywhere, David? You’re a police officer.”
“Well, not anymore. Not since you left. You left me in financial ruin, and you didn't give a shit about it. You left, and the depression sank me. You left, and my anxiety blew through the roof. I had two tickets to wine country, a penthouse suite I couldn't take up on my own, and a ring I couldn’t return. Hell, I couldn't even pawn the damn thing for half of what it was worth!”
“That still isn’t my fault, David.”
He turned around, growling. “The fuck it isn’t. You left me, and that’s your fault. You left me, and it started a cascade of events that put me out on the fucking street. I never recovered after you left. I got evicted. My credit score tanked. I got fired from my job. You ruined me, Hannah. And now? I’m going to ruin you.”
“Is this really what you call love?”
He snickered. “Yeah. It is. Because when one suffers, the other does, too. That’s what happens when two people are in love.”
“I don’t love you, David.”
“Then, what I’m going to do to you won’t hurt you as much as it hurts me, then. So, at least you’ll have that.”
My eyes watered with tears of fear as he cranked up the engine to his car. I had half a mind to reach around and strangle him with my own arm. But I didn’t even have the energy to fight back verbally, much less physically. I stared through the windshield as he eased the car out of the parking space, feeling my life slowly slip through my fingers.
Then, the most amazing sound hit my ears.
Motorcycle engines.
They revved in the distance and my heart leapt into my throat. I jumped up from my seat and turned around as David floored the gas pedal. Bikes came up the on-ramp into the rest stop and a smile tore across my face. I recognized those jackets. I recognized those bikes.
“Fuck,” David hissed.
Engines sounded behind me and I turned to gaze out the front windshield. And when I saw those same leather jackets and those same bikes coming up the exit ramp as well, I knew we were cornered. David threw his car into park and rummaged around. I reached for the lock on the door and finally pried it up. They were here. Ash and the guys were here to rescue me, and my tears of fear quickly became tears of joy.
“Come here, you stupid bitch.”
One moment, I heard David’s growl. And the next, my door was thrust open. Something fisted my hair before I was dragged out of the car and pinned to the ground.
“Hold up!” Link hollered. A stabbing pain radiated in my lower back as my cheek was pressed into the asphalt. My tears fell to the ground as David’s lips lowered to my ear, whispering a promise that froze me to my core.
“You move, and he dies first.”
Then, the tip of something very sharp danced against the nape of my neck.
“David! It’s over,” Link called out.
David chuckled deviously. “It’ll never be over. Not for me. Hannah’s mine, and she’s coming with me.”
Then, I heard his voice. “Not a chance in hell.”
Ash.
I managed to turn my head to the side and saw him standing there. I watched him kick the kickstand down on his bike before he swung his strong, languid leg over the metallic body. My heart soared with delight. His eyes flickered down to me, and with just that second’s glance relief rushed through my veins. He was here. Ash was here for me.
My heart knew I’d be okay.
But my body didn’t.
“Now, let’s pick that knife up and—”
David pressed the tip harder against my neck. “Not a chance in hell. And if you don’t want to see your little sweetie decapitated in front of you, I suggest you get back on that bike of yours.”
I sniffled. “David, please.”
He growled. “Shut up, whore.”
Ash glowered. “What did you just call her?”
Link extended his arm and blocked Ash from charging David. An action that probably saved my life. But in that moment? I would’ve done anything to get my ex’s fucking knee out of the small of my back.
Even if it meant being paralyzed.
“David, you’re hurting me,” I choked out.
“Good. Because it’s only a fraction of how you hurt me.”
Ash scoffed. “Is this really how you want to treat the love of your life?”
I waited for David’s response, but none came. So, Ash kept talking.
“You’ve waited for this day for how long now? The day when you’re finally reunited with her? And this is how you want to spend it? By hurting her and threatening her life?”
David chuckled. “If I can’t have her, no one can. She either comes with me or we both die. Right here.”
“I love you, Ash.”
The words fell effortlessly from my lips as the entire world stilled around me. Even David’s sharp knife wavered against my skin. I looked up into Ash’s eyes as he peered down at me, and something sparkled behind them I’d never seen before. I wanted to hear the words. I wanted him to say them to me. But if this really was my last few minutes here on Earth, I didn’t want them being spent arguing with David.
I wanted them to be spent proclaiming the truth of my soul.
“I love you so much, and I’m so sorry for everything I’ve brought down on you,” I said.
David pressed his knee tighter into my back. “Shut up.”
I whimpered. “I would’ve loved to have had your children.”
He growled. “I said, shut up, Hannah!”
I drew in a broken breath. “And I sure as hell would’ve loved to grow old with you.”
“That’s it. I’m done with you. You’re a waste of space anyway.”
Then, I closed my eyes and awaited the permanent darkness of death with the relief that I—at the very least—got to tell Ash exactly how I felt about him.
Please forgive me, handsome. Please forgive me for ruining your life.
15
Ash
I knew I was dealing with a psychopath. Even if he hadn’t always been that way, whatever he felt for Hannah had twisted his mind into something darker than before. I’d never seen that look in a man’s eye. At least, not toward another human being. But I knew one thing was for certain:
I’d kill him before he killed her.
“We have to get him under control,” Link murmured.
Sly whispered at my side. “I’m the quickest draw. Want me to put him down?”
The bow slung around my shoulder itched. “I can handle this. Let me try to talk him down.”
And as I watched David lift his knife into the air, I held out my hand.
“I can give you what you want!” I exclaimed.
Hannah groaned in pain as David shifted. With the knife still held in the air, he slowly looked up at me. Our eyes connected, desperation flittering behind his gaze. The man was worn out. Tired. Ready for all of this to be over. And I wasn’t sure if that was his death wish or his soul’s last plea for sanity.
Either way, it gave me pause.
“David, can you hear me?” I asked.
He snickered. “The fuck you think I am? Deaf?”
“Just making sure. Sometimes, rage can cut off the senses.”
“I’m not angry. I’m hurt.”
I nodded. “I know you are.”
Hannah whimpered. “Ash, I’m sorry.”
David growled at her. “You shut up, spoiled little bitch.”
I nodded. “Yeah. Shut up.”
Hannah’s eyes widened as the whole of my crew looked at me as if I’d lost my damn mind.
“She really is, though,” David murmured.
Sympathize with him. “She can be, yes.”
Hannah scoffed. “Are you kidding me right now?”
I shot her a look that told her I meant business. “Hannah. Cut it out.”
She stared at me for a long time before she nodded her head. And I hoped to heaven on high she understood what I was trying to do.
“David, I get it. I mean, I’ve only been with her for a few weeks, and I already get it. I can only imagine what you had to put up with to love her for this long,” I said.
He shook his head. “She’s impossible sometimes, you know? Always bucking up. Never listening. Why can’t she just keep her mouth shut and do what she knows is good for her?”
“Because she’s stubborn. And sometimes, that stubbornness overrides her good senses.”
Hannah turned her head away from me, and it broke my heart.
“Finally, someone who gets it!” David exclaimed.
I slowly took a step toward him. “I get it. I promise, I do. We can even talk about it more, if you’d like. All you gotta do is—”
He snarled. “Oh, I see what you’re trying to do. You’re trying to get me to get up so you can swoop in and take her for yourself. Well, I don’t care how difficult she is. I don’t care what kind of a bitch she can turn into. She’s my bitch. She’s my woman! And she’s coming with me!”
Link stepped up beside me. “David, the police are on their way. We’ve got you—”
I looked over at him. “Stand down.”
My president slowly looked over at me with rage in his eyes.
“What did you say to me?” he asked.
I sighed. “Link, let me deal with this. Back up.”
David nodded. “Yeah, idiot. Back the fuck up.”
And as I watched Link fall back behind me, the canister of bows on my back scratched around my spine.
“Do you know what she tried to do to me?” I asked.
David blinked. “What?”
I snickered. “After one whole day of being together in bed, she tried to storm my work and act like we were a couple. Can you believe that?”
He shook his head. “She’s a real trouble sometimes. Did that to me, too. And I was stupid enough to think she really did like me that much.”
“I bet you had plans for the both of you, too. Didn’t you?”
I saw him shift his weight before Hannah breathed a sigh of relief.
“I had a lifetime full of plans,” he murmured.
I took another step forward. “Why don’t you tell me about them? Your plans? Maybe if she hears you talking about them, she’ll start to enjoy it.”
“I already told her. She didn’t give a shit.”
“Be vulnerable with another man. Women like that kind of shit. They eat it up.”
He blinked. “Seriously?”
I snickered. “I’m the definition of ‘bad boy.’ Women flock to men like us that can be vulnerable and in touch with our feelings. Come on. Give it a try. What do you have to lose?”
I watched his gaze drop to Hannah before he lowered his knife. I mean, he pressed it against her neck again, but it wasn’t nearly as hard as before. I didn’t like the sight of her blood dripping against her skin. I didn’t like the fact that he still pinned her to the ground. But he was no longer in fighting mode, and that was a start.
“Keep going, you’re doing great,” Knuckles murmured.
David sighed. “I had plans to propose to her. In Italy.”
My eyebrows rose. “Wow. Hell of a proposal. I could’ve never come up with something like that.”
He snickered. “Yeah, well. Took a lot of researching to put it all together. I had it all planned out, though. Maxed out my credit card for the ring. Opened up another credit card just to put our two-week Italy trip on it. Hell, I even reserved us a penthouse hotel suite right on the edge of wine country. She always talked about going and exploring the vineyards of Italy someday, and I wanted to be the person who took her there. I wanted to take her on a fucking trip she’d never forget.”
I nodded. “I can only imagine the financial burden that cost you when she left.”
He growled. “She left me high and dry. Didn’t give a shit what she did to me. I lost my apartment. They repossessed my car. I had to sell off all my shit just to pay off the credit card I put the ring on. And even then, the other card fell into the hands of debt collectors. Do you know the kinds of harassing phone calls I got? I got fucking fired from my damn job because one of them contacted my work and cursed out my boss!”
I paused. “Wait, seriously?”
Link patted my shoulder. “Stay focused, buddy. Don’t let that big heart get to you.”
I shook my head. “Right. Yeah. That’s some shit, David. I hope you taught that man a lesson.”
He held the knife toward me, giving Hannah some reprieve. “I certainly did. I beat the shit out of him after he fired me.”
Hannah grunted. “You did what to Jerry?”
David hissed at her. “Shut up or you’re done. Got it?”
I looked down at her with a plea in my eyes. “Yeah, Hannah. Hush.”
She glared up at me before she turned her head again, and I knew I’d have to do a lot of making up with her in order to fix this shit. But it was working. It kept David distracted long enough to falter on that knife.
Now, if I can just get him to stand up.
“David, it sounds like you’ve been through hell and back. But if you really care about Hannah, wouldn't you want to get your life back in order before you bring her into it?”
David paused. “What?”
“I mean, think about it. Are you living anywhere right now?”
He snickered. “Out of my car, sure.”
“So, where is Hannah going to sleep if she goes with you?”
He clicked his tongue. “I don’t know.”
“Where is she going to bathe? Or cook your meals? How is she going to get to work if she doesn’t have a home address? If you really want her back, and you want to provide a life for her, why don’t you get your life back in order first? Then, come after her?”
“Are you insane?” Hannah asked.
“Shut up,” David and I said in unison.
The guys behind me chuckled, but I knew I had to wrap this up sooner rather than later.
“At the very least, it’s clear Hannah needs medical attention. I see the bruises. I hear the way she’s heaving. And my guy behind me? Knuckles? He can help with that.”
David nodded to Link. “What about the police?”
I shook my head. “If you let Knuckles take a look at Hannah, I’ll have him call off everyone. And it’ll just be us. Okay?”
He narrowed his eyes. “No trickery?”
“Not on my life.”
I looked back at Knuckles and he nodded his head. I was thankful that he was willing to go along with the plan, but I still had to get David off Hannah’s back. I turned back to face the man and I saw him clocking my body. Running his eyes up and down my form to see if I was lying. So, I put on my best poker face as I stood there.
Waiting for my triumph to happen.
“All right. But he gets ten minutes to look her over before she’s back in that car. Got it?” David asked.
I nodded. “He’s so good he won’t even need ten minutes. Right, Knuckles?”
“Right, Ash.”
David sighed. “You stay on the ground, Hannah. You got it?”
She sniffled. “Yeah, yeah. Whatever.”
It broke my heart to hear her so defeated. But the plan worked. David eased off her back and stood up, and I ushered for Knuckles to head for her. I kept my eyes on her ex as he stood at her feet, clutching that knife much too tightly in his hand.
And then, I waited.
Knuckles got down onto the ground. “Her pupils are dilated.”
I nodded. “Anything else?”
He checked her face. “She’s got an eye that’s swollen shut. Pretty bruised. She’s also clutching her stomach. I’d say either her ribs or nausea. And if it’s nausea, that could
mean a concussion.”
David wiggled his knife around. “Nine minutes.”
“Knuckles?” I asked.
He looked up at me. “Yeah?”
“If David moves her, will she be okay?”
His eyes searched mine. “She might puke on him, but yes.”
I nodded. “David?”
He looked at me. “Eight minutes.”
My eyes found his. “Fuck you.”
He paused. “What?”
Hannah cried out in pain on the ground as Knuckles pulled her further away from David. And as her ex’s eyes fell to her moving body, I slung my bow around. I plucked an arrow from the canister on my back just as he tried to reach for her, quickly taking aim. I focused on his left shoulder. Knuckles scooped Hannah up as David scrambled to get to the man. And as I pivoted with his movements, I got a clear shot of his shoulder blade.
“Sly? Take out his knees,” I said.
He drew his gun. “On three.”
I nodded. “One. Two…”
I released my arrow just as Sly popped off two shots. And like a dead tree, David careened to the ground. With my arrow jutting out of his shoulder, I watched him drop the knife. He crunched to the ground, probably breaking his nose as his legs caved from beneath him. Hannah cried as Knuckles raced her over to his bike. I slid my bow back across my body and took off for them, hoping and praying that Hannah understood what happened.
“Hannah!”
I skidded to a stop as Knuckles laid her on the ground.
“Hannah. It’s me. Can you hear me?”
She opened her good eye. “A bitch? Really? You had to go that far?”
I breathed a sigh of relief. “I’m just glad you don’t hate me.”
She cupped my cheek. “I could never hate you, Ash.”
I nuzzled against her palm. “I’m so glad you’re okay.”
She giggled. “You’ll be cooking me a lot of dinners, though. I hope you know that.”
Knuckles chuckled beside me and I couldn't contain myself. I bent down and captured her lips, despite the cut that had already scabbed over on her upper one. Our tongues fell together, and my soul took flight, as if the final missing piece of my own personal life puzzle had fallen into place. I blocked out the groaning and cursing of David. I scooped Hannah into my arms and walked her over to my bike. And as I swung my leg over, cradling her next to me, I heard Link on the phone.
Ash (Dragon Riders MC Book 3) Page 11
