by Jenika Snow
Chapter Four
Malice held her, this small woman who was trembling and sobbing against him. He had never been the cuddling, comforting type. Even when he had been with Molly he had never done this shit, but then again Molly had always been a strong, independent woman, and kept a lot of things buried inside of her. This girl was built like a woman, all lush curves that were for a man to hold onto, but right now she seemed so frail and small pressed against him. He shifted on the bed and pulled her even closer to him. She clutched at him, pulled at his cut as she gripped him like her life depended on it. “Hey now.” He tried to speak in a soothing voice, but it came out all gruff and shit. He gripped her shoulders and pulled her back so he could look in her face. His heart fucking broke at the sight of the tears that streamed down her cheeks. Something in him shifted, and he found himself brushing away the beads of her sadness with his thumbs. “No one that hurts you is worth your tears.” Malice would have probably felt like a fucking pussy on any other occasion for saying these things, but for some reason he didn’t feel like that saying them to her.
“I really am sorry about all of this.” She sniffled and wiped the rest of her tears away. “I don’t just break down like a freak in front of strangers.” She smiled, but it was one of those sad smiles that broken his heart even more. “I don’t break down at all, so this is totally not me right now." She went to pull away, but Malice wasn’t ready to let her go. Not yet at least. When he curled his fingers into her a little more and stopped her retreat she glanced up at him with a bit of confusion, but also relief.
“You’re not used to comfort.” He didn’t state it like a question
She shook her head, but at least she went back to letting him hold her. “No, I’m not.”
He wrapped his arms full around her shoulders and just held her. The scent of her surrounded him, and he actually found himself leaning down so that the tip of his nose brushed the top of her head. Malice actually inhaled deeply, smelled her fucking hair like some kind of pervert, but he didn’t give a shit. It felt good, and she smelled incredible, like the fresh rain and something sweet and floral. Yeah, sniffing her like some kind of damn animal probably was the creepiest thing he had ever done, but it was what it was, and it felt really damn right. “Truthfully, I’m not used to giving out comfort, so I suppose you and me are one and the same.”
She leaned back enough that she could look into his face. “Really?”
He nodded. Malice reached out and pushed her long bangs away from her forehead and tucked them behind her ear. “Yeah, which is probably why I am not in a relationship now.” Shit, he hadn’t meant to say that out loud, but the words had just come from him on their own. He found it really easy to say things to her, things he normally wouldn’t say to anyone, even though he hadn’t even spent an hour in her presence. But then again from the moment he held her in that parking lot with the rain pouring down he had felt off balanced with this woman. There was something different about her, and that drew Malice in.
“Looks like we are both pretty screwed up them.”
If anyone else would have said that to him he would have taken offense and then beaten their ass, but with Adrianna all he could do was nod and pull her close again. “Yeah, I suppose we are.” They stayed in that position for several seconds, but he liked just holding her. It felt good to have someone close for comfort alone, and not because he needed to get off.
“How does someone get a nickname like Malice anyway?” Her voice was soft, and he could feel her warm, humid breath through the cotton of his shirt.
“I got the name Malice from my brothers.”
That was all he was going to say about that, because even though he felt comfortable and different around this woman even after this short time, he also didn’t know her.
“You have a lot of siblings?”
At least she didn’t probe him. It wasn’t like his nickname was some kind of secret, but until he knew more about this woman he did need to remember that she was an outsider.
“I don’t mean those kinds of brothers.”
“Oh.”
She didn’t say anything else after that, but he had seen the way she looked at his cut and his Sergeant at Arms patch. Even if someone didn’t know much about the MC lifestyle he didn’t doubt they would have seen something on TV with all those reality and cable shows on. “Adrianna, how about we get back to what happened?” He felt her tense under his hold, but this needed to be brought to light and the sooner the better.
She did pull away then, and he let her. She shifted so they were now facing each other, and although she didn’t speak right away, he didn’t press her. Clearly she had gone through a traumatic situation. He didn’t know much about her, but seeing her beaten face pissed him the fuck off and made him want to hunt down the motherfucker that had thought it was okay to raise his hand to a woman.
“I’ve been with Phillip for the past several months. The first month was great. He was charming, was everything that I had never experienced in life, and so I latched on because at the time it felt like the only good thing that had ever happened to me.”
Malice knew these types of guys, the bastards that preyed on women because they wanted to control them in the worst of ways. He forced himself to not rush her in telling him where he could find this asshole.
“I never thought of myself as a stupid girl. I mean, I have done things that were questionable. Being with Phillip was the biggest one, but the things he gave me, the affection and comfort when I had never gotten that before, had me wearing these blinders.” She sighed and moved back on the bed so she would rest against the wall.
Malice forced himself to keep his gaze on her face, even though he could see out of the corner of his eyes that her shorts were obscenely pushed up her thighs. Was he that much of a sick bastard that he was even remotely thinking of anything sexual given the situation? He scrubbed his hand over his face and exhaled. When he looked back at her it was to see her now watching him intently.
“Long story short, he wasn’t who I thought he was. He was this master manipulator. He had me fooled and latched on before I could even realize what was happening.” She rested her head on the wall and stared at the ceiling. “He sells and uses drugs. I guess he saw how weak I really was, and knew he could twist me into this pathetic person he wanted.” She closed her eyes and gave a humorless laugh.
Malice was barely holding onto his anger. He wanted to find this Phillip bastard and crack his fucking skull open. “The man you are describing is the kind of asshole I have seen countless times over the years. They look for women like you, ones that didn’t get to experience the happiness of a good childhood, or ones that were so battered by previous relationships that they took whatever they could get.” She could have been the latter, but looking into her eyes Malice didn’t think that was the case. She had this strength in her eyes, one that rivaled any man he had ever known, but she didn’t recognize her worth. Yeah, she had cried, had gotten the shit kicked out of her, but she was a fighter.
“You know, this is really stereotypical of me, and wrong on every level, but looking at you I would never have guessed you were one of those insightful guys, or one that would help a woman they found.” Her cheeks turned pink, and she glanced away as if embarrassed.
“Bikers get a bad rap. A lot of people just think we are these idiots that like kicking ass, working on bikes, drinking beer, and sleeping around. But we aren’t just muscle in leather.”
She glanced at him again, but didn’t say anything.
“Of course we do a lot of stuff that some may deem questionable, but we always have a damn good reason for doing it. And we know our ass from our head.” He tried to tease, and although Malice wasn’t the joking type, he did want to see her smile. And when she gave him that smile this strange tightening in his gut took residence. “Listen, we don’t need to get into all that painful shit.” He didn’t miss how her shoulders sagged a little. “I just want to know this fucker’s full na
me, and where I can find him.”
Adrianna sat up straighter, and he could tell that she had suddenly gotten nervous. She shook her head and glanced at the door, and he thought it was more of an instinctual gesture that she didn’t even realize she was doing. “I don’t want any trouble. I just want to get what little money I have in the bank when it opens in the morning, and get as far away from Fairview as that money will take me.” Her hands started to shake, and she placed them in her lap to try to steady them, but Malice saw the tremor regardless.
He reached out, placed a hand over both of hers that were clasped together, and leaned in so there were only a few inches between them. “Adrianna...” Christ, her name sounded so damn good coming from him, and it felt right saying it, too. “I know it’s hard, and I know it is easy for me to say this, but you are safe. No one will hurt you again.”
“How can you make a guarantee like that?” Her voice was low and breathy, and her fear was laced within the words.
“I can, and I just did. I am not the kind of man that will say something unless I can fucking make sure it is followed through.” He stared hard into her eyes, willing her to see that what he said was the truth. “No woman should ever have to feel what you’re feeling, and to be honest it makes me want to go out there, find the motherfucker that made you feel this way, and crush his windpipe.” He heard her swallow, and although he could have been a bit less crass about the way he said it, this was who he was, and he couldn’t change that. “You understand what I am saying, Adrianna?”
She slowly nodded. “Yeah, but I don’t want that. I don’t want any more violence. I just want to move on, and leave this all behind me.”
Christ, he was going to make that punk pay with a lot of blood. “I know, darling, but some things need to be done, yeah?”
She didn’t respond for several seconds, but finally she closed her eyes and nodded. “I guess, and even though I don’t know if I killed him back there, having more violence thrown around is not what I want. I just want to move on and forget.”
“Adrianna, we both know that some things can’t be forgotten.” Her lashes were so long, and the crescent shape of them looked so dark against her peach colored skin. He lowered his gaze to her lips, saw the plump, red flesh, and this need to kiss her slammed into him. It was wrong, so fucking wrong, but he couldn’t push the desire to comfort her in a physical way out of his mind. She slowly opened her eyes again, and the small sound that escaped her told Malice that he wasn’t hiding his feelings at all. He saw her eyes widen slightly, and even though she was definitely surprised that he was still so close, and probably by the fierce expression on his face she didn’t push him away. He leaned in slightly, but before he could follow through with what he really wanted to fucking do, there was a knock on the door. He pulled back just as the person on the other side opened it.
“Malice?”
He tuned and stared at Rock. The other biker was a smart bastard. He was standing by the doorway, and glanced between them. Yeah, Rock picked up on the vibe that was clearly still bouncing between him and Adrianna, and that was clear by the way he cocked an eyebrow.
“What’s up, Rock?” Malice said and then cleared his throat.
“Marx wants to know what the game plan is.”
Malice looked at the clock on the bedside table. Shit, they had been in here for almost twenty minutes. He hadn’t even realized it had been that long. “I’ll be out in a minute.”
Rock nodded and didn’t loiter around. Once the door was shut once more he turned and looked at her. “Adrianna, who is he, and where can we find him?” Enough of him and his fucked-up arousal taking over
“I don’t want any more violence—”
“Men like him need to know that there are consequences to their actions, and it is men like me that will show them what those consequences are.” Malice was feeling his anger build once more, and his arousal took a backseat. If the coward bastard Phillip had done something like this to an old lady or someone connected with the MC shit would have gotten ugly already. It wasn’t that the MC didn’t help people in need, because they did. They might have the reputation as nothing but bastards and trouble, but they didn’t just turn their backs on women that were hurt. They might deal with prostitutes, and that was their main source of income, but they also took in hurt women. The safe house they built between Steel Corner and River Run was proof of that.
“But you don’t know me, Malice.”
Hearing her say his name twisted his gut. “I don’t have to know you to see that you’re hurt on more than just a physical level.” He reached out and cupped the side of her face. Fuck, what the hell was wrong with him? He was acting like some pussy-whipped schoolboy touching her and wanting to avenge her. Shit, they had met only a short while ago, but he always followed his gut on someone, and that was why he wasn’t fighting how he felt for Adrianna very hard. It wasn’t like him at all to want more from a woman than for her to just warm his bed, and he should back the fuck off, but he couldn’t. He wouldn’t. After he and Molly split he’d thought she was the only one he could ever have feelings for. He may not be in love with her anymore, but he did love her because he was the mother of his son. But staring at Adrianna, seeing her frightened and hurt, but trying to be so strong had his cold heart warming. She was very different from Molly, and not just in the looks department. Where Molly had always been this stubborn thing Adrianna had this vulnerability to her, one that called to the male part of him that wanted to take care of her. She was young, probably almost half his forty years in age, but that didn’t matter. All he saw was this woman who needed his help Yeah, he wanted her in a bad fucking way, and one that was wrong, too. She was hurt, scared, and wanted to escape. Wanting and getting were two different things, and he wasn’t going to tread that line. Not with her.
She stared at him for several seconds, and although she wasn’t saying anything he could see her mind working. “Phillip Montrose.” She closed her eyes and breathed in deeply. “He lives over in the bungalow cabins off of Winchester and Broadman.” When she opened her eyes there was this stark fear that had nothing to do with what had happened to her. “You’re not going to kill him, are you?” She said that last part softly.
He stared at her for a moment, and he was going to say that he planned to do just that, and that he would make sure that Malice’s face would be the last one Phillip saw. “Does it matter, Adrianna?” He liked saying her name, liked the way it soothed him in a sense, and the ease at which it rolled off his tongue. This whole situation was not something he was used to. He had helped plenty of women, given the life he led with the MC and the fact their main source of revenue was selling pussy. This, whole situation was not something he was accustomed to. For one thing the first moment he had seen her something in him had halted, and he was forced to take note. And now talking to her, hearing her story, and wanting to hold her close and make sure no one every messed with her again after just meeting her… He shook his head. This was fucked up in every possible way.
“Yeah, it does matter.”
Malice shifted back on the bed so he was facing the door now. His instincts told him to just go and fuck this guy up without even caring if he died in the end. A brutal and ruthless attitude to have, but that was the kind of man he was, and the kind of man he had to be in his position within the MC. Malice didn’t do anything half-assed, and especially not when he felt this passionate about something. “Why wouldn’t you want a man that beat you up to have his life ended?” He turned just his head and looked at her.
She stayed silent for a few seconds, stared at her fingers, and then finally looked back at him. “I might have already ended his life, and although he deserved it, the very idea that I could have killed someone makes me sick. If he is alive, I don’t want his blood on anyone’s hands, least of all yours.”
“If he did this to you, chances are he has done it before, and will continue to do it.” He knew his voice was hard and unyielding, and he didn’t
mean to make her uncomfortable, but he had no softness when it came to shit like this.
“You’re right.” She licked her lips, glanced at the clock, and then looked back at him. “It’s late. Would it be okay if I stayed here until the morning?” He didn’t miss the fact she averted the conversation to something far more neutral. She looked at her feet that had bandages around the soles. “I just need to rest for a little bit. My feet and face are killing me.”
And just like that his anger faded to the back as his concern rose up. “I wouldn’t have had you stay anywhere else. The club is the safest place you could be right now. Lay back. I’ll get you something for the pain.” He stood and took a few steps toward the door, but stopped and glanced over his shoulder. She was on her back now and reaching for the blanket. “And Adrianna?”
She paused and looked at him.
“You’re no trouble. If it wasn’t okay for you to be here you wouldn’t.”
She slowly nodded. “Thank you, and please tell everyone else I said that.”
He gave a brisk nod, faced forward once more, and went to get her something to help her discomfort.
Chapter Five
The following day Adrianna sat at the scarred wooden table in the great room of what she had found out was The Brothers of Menace clubhouse in Fairview. She didn’t know much about the motorcycle lifestyle, but after listening to the bikers in this club talk, she had learned quite a bit in a very short amount of time. Some might have said she was living under a rock by not realizing where she had been right off the bat, but to be honest her life hadn’t given her much freedom to think about other things that didn’t involve staying alive, figuratively and literally speaking. Malice sat beside her, but he had his chair positioned so it was at an odd angle, with his body facing her. He rested an elbow on the stained and chipped wood, and stared at her. His position was a bit intimidating.
