by Brook Wilder
“Laura, wait.”
I turned, and my words died in my throat as I stared into crystal blue eyes laced with concern and surprise.
So, it wasn’t a mirage. Brendan Morrison was truly here, standing before me.
“Brendan,” I breathed, unable to find any other words.
My chest caved in as I traced the lines of his face, hating the familiarity that filled my body as he stood in front of me.
His lips turned upward into a slight grin.
“God it’s been… how many fucking years?”
“Thirteen,” I said automatically, my heart pounding against my chest.
He was not what I would have pictured at all, his unruly blond hair raked back on his head, the perfectly symmetrical features of his face, the fullness of his lips. A thin white scar traced down one of his cheeks but did nothing to mar his hotness, in fact added to it, making him appear dangerous.
And he was dangerous. I could only imagine the firm body that was underneath his black shirt and biker vest, the strong legs that were encased in a pair of jeans that should be outlawed. Tattoos snaked up his arms, and I longed to view them closer, to trace every inky whorl.
Oh my god, why did he have to be here? Why was I looking at him like he was a tall drink of water and I was dehydrated?
Shaking my head, I forced myself back to the present, back to why I was here. Straightening my shoulders, I gave him a hard stare.
“I want all of these people out of my dad’s house. Now.”
He looked at me, understanding and pity in his eyes. I didn’t want his pity.
“Come on Laura. They are mourning Jonah as well. Let them have a few more hours. Most of them are in no shape to drive anyway.”
I looked around the room, my anger boiling over as I thought about what my plans had been tonight, to mourn my father. He had been mine, not theirs!
“Besides,” he continued, leaning against the doorframe. “You can come in and we can catch up over a beer or two. I can’t believe you are here.”
I wanted to slap him, hard. I wasn’t here to reminisce about the past.
“I don’t think so,” I said angrily, stepping away from his sinful looks.
He had gotten my brother killed and I would be duly noted to remember that. My mom had ranted and raved about Brendan Morrison for years, even after we had left Paradise, and how he had escaped dying when Aaron had not. In those nights that she had cried herself to sleep, I had secretly wished the same. It should have been Aaron standing in front of me, not Brendan.
Squaring my shoulders, I shot him a glare, one that meant no amount of flattery was going to win today.
“When I come back in the morning, anyone that’s left will be hauled out in handcuffs.”
“Laura,” he started.
But I turned away, hurrying down the back steps to my car. I wasn’t going to attempt to mend this broken bridge between us. There was nothing here in Paradise for me but pain and heartache. Brendan was partly to blame for that pain.
I threw open the door and climbed inside, shutting it soundly behind me, breathing hard. Brendan had thankfully not followed me, but I could see his tall form in the distance, watching my every move as I cranked up the car and pulled out of the driveway. Why was he here? Why did I have to run into him? I had kinda hoped to sneak in and out of Paradise without him finding out, though, in a small town like this, it wouldn’t be hard for him to notice.
“Stupid,” I said, slamming my hand on the wheel as I pulled out onto the highway.
It had been stupid for me to come here. I couldn’t deal with my dad’s death and Brendan at the same time. I couldn’t unleash my emotions on him, nor could I afford for him to see how devastated I was over my dad’s death. I didn’t need his comfort, I needed him gone.
And now I would have to spend the night in some seedy motel near the highway to keep well away from him.
Frustrated, I checked my rearview to see if I could move over and was blinded by the lone light behind me, the sound of a motorcycle echoing on the lonely highway.
It would better not be Brendan trying to chase me down, trying to explain. I was too emotional to even attempt to talk with him tonight.
Actually, I didn’t care to talk to him period.
The light grew larger in the mirror before the back glass shattered and I screamed.
Chapter 4
Brendan
I watched Laura’s taillights disappear down the road before releasing a breath, easing the tightness in my chest. Fucking Laura Hall had been here, in front of me, and all I had done was invite her to a party.
Shit!
I knew she hated me. I was with her brother when he died, attempted to stop the flow of his blood with my bare hands. But he had still died, and I had still ruined her life and that of her family. Jonah had been the only one who had forgiven me, taken me in, and treated me like a son.
“Well, you fucking screwed that up.”
I looked over at one of my younger brothers, Colby, and shot him the middle finger.
“Fuck you.”
He laughed.
“No thank you. I will definitely let someone else do that tonight. And, if you hadn’t run off Laura, she might have been a nice candidate.”
My hand curled into a fist.
“Don’t talk about her like that.”
Colby held up his hands, a knowing look in his eyes.
“So, you did notice how much she had grown up. Damn, she got hot.”
That I couldn’t disagree with. Laura was no longer the tomboy that had followed Aaron and me around like a little puppy. No, she was far from that little girl, now grown into a woman who had stirred my blood.
And my cock. She had definitely gotten some things moving below the belt. Those curves that were meant to have my hands all over them…
Colby clapped a hand on my shoulder.
“Don’t worry. I know she’s your girl. I’ll keep my hands off.”
I shrugged off his touch.
“She’s not my girl, but she was Jonah’s. We have to make sure she’s protected.”
Colby’s grin slid off his face as he realized what I was saying. Laura Hall had a target on her back regardless of what kind of person she was. The fact that she was Jonah Hall’s daughter made her an instant enemy of any biker club that was not the Frontiers Reapers, and her even associating with me would make her a target ten times over.
Hell, I was lucky to walk out of my house every day. There were people, friends and enemies alike, that would fucking love to be in the position of power I was in. Jonah himself had been in a position of power as well, one of the few men I trusted with my life, with the club’s existence.
And now his daughter was back in Paradise, and it was my duty to protect her. Clearing my throat, I slapped my brother lightly on the chest.
“We have to find out where she went and put a few guys on her until she leaves.”
Colby nodded.
“I imagine you want to be one of those guys?”
“You got that fucking right,” I said, clenching my jaw. “I owe it to her family.”
“You need to tell her what happened that night,” Colby added softly. “Maybe she will understand.”
I blew out a breath, the old vestiges of hurt creeping into my chest. Jonah told me the same thing when I had finally told him how Aaron had died that night. It had given him the closure he needed, and, even though he was dealing with his own death, I knew that he was looking forward to reuniting with his son one day. Hell, they probably were both looking down on me right now and making bets on whether or not I would be able to even get Laura to talk with me now.
Fuckers!
“She isn’t going to understand anything right now,” I said tightly. “She’s hurting from her father’s death, and now she thinks we are nothing but a bunch of assholes desecrating Jonah’s house. I will be lucky if she doesn’t blow my head off next time she sees me.”
“I don’t think
so, brother,” Colby said as he started to walk away. “I think there’s going to be more to this story, a hell of a lot more.”
“Get everyone cleared out,” I said instead, not liking that my brother was reading me like a fucking open book. “And fucking straighten the damn place up, no traces of beer or anything else that’s going on right now.”
I was going to track down Laura and beg her forgiveness, show her that we weren’t heartless bastards but men and women hurting as well over her dad’s death.
“And start organizing the last ride.”
“Yes boss,” Colby said sarcastically. “And what are you going to do while I solve the world’s problems?”
I opened my mouth but was cut off by the vibration in my pocket. Frowning, I reached into my jeans and pulled out an old-fashioned cell phone. Mine was on my hip and was many versions newer than the worn flip phone I was holding in my hand.
Shit! It was Jonah’s. I had put it in my pocket earlier when I had come to the house, not wanting it to get picked up by anyone else.
Flipping it open, I saw Laura’s name flashing on the screen. A rumble of concern flowed through my body as I pressed the button, and my blood froze in my veins when I heard her screaming.
Chapter 5
Laura
The tires squealed on the black surface as I switched lanes again, my hands sweating from gripping the wheel so tightly. The rush of cold air from my shattered back window was blowing my hair all over my face, but I didn’t have time to swipe it away.
Someone was trying to kill me.
Another bullet struck the car, and I screamed into the phone, not caring who was hearing me. I just hoped it was someone who could help, anyone that could help. With my eyes on the road, keeping my head down and attempting to control the car, I didn’t have time to dial a number, just to hit a few random buttons and hope for the best before throwing the phone into the passenger seat.
And now I was on the fight for my life.
I turned the wheel again, changing lanes and near-missing a car that was coming in the other direction.
Why would anyone want to be shooting at me? I hadn’t been here for thirteen years. No one knew I was here, except Brendan now and my mom.
I should have never come back.
Another shot rang out, and I ducked, feeling the car lurch to the right suddenly, the wheel sliding out of my grasp. Suddenly was I careening toward the woods, throwing up my arms to protect my face as the car bounced hard off a tree, then a second. The sound of shearing metal grated my ears as I was flown violently against my seat belt.
As suddenly as it started, the car came to a screeching halt and I was thrown back against the seat, stunned at what had just happened. My chest hurt from the seatbelt, my head spinning from the violent ride, but I could move my arms and legs.
My entire body trembling, I reached for the door handle only to find a tree blocking my escape, the door opening only a few inches. Tears rolling down my face, I pushed at it a few times in frustration, wanting to be out of the car, out of Paradise.
The sound of a motorcycle’s engine caught my attention, and I watched as it approached the car, my heart hammering against my ribs. Was this the person that had run me off the road, or was this someone to help? I didn’t know.
The bike stopped, and its rider climbed off, leaving the engine running. He was dressed head-to-toe in black, his face obscured by a full-face helmet, and it was then I realized this was not someone who was going to rescue me.
This was my attempted killer.
I cried out, pushing against the door and willing it to give me enough room to escape, feeling the bite of my seatbelt in my already bruised chest. Shit! I’d forgotten to take off my seatbelt! Fumbling with the button, I got it to retract as I watched him approach the car. I was a sitting duck.
Another roar filled my ears, and I watched as my killer halted in his steps as another headlight swept the area.
“Help!” I screamed, beating on the door, the roof, whatever I could find. “He’s trying to kill me!”
Tires squealed on the asphalt behind me and the killer hurried back to his motorcycle, leaving the scene with not so much as a look back in my direction.
I was out of immediate danger, but this car was now my new death trap and I needed to get myself out right away.
“Laura! Shit, get those back doors off! The damn car is wedged between the trees!”
I sobbed as I heard Brendan’s voice fill the air, not caring how he had found me. He was going to get me out of this car, and I would kiss his ass if he did so soon.
“Laura! Are you alright? Dammit, speak to me.”
“I-I’m fine,” I forced out, leaning against the seat. “I can’t… The doors… I can’t get out.”
His face loomed at the door, and I could see the stark fear written on his face.
“Shit, you nearly scared me to death screaming like that. What the hell happened?”
I shook my head, unable to get the words out through the clog of tears in my throat.
“Get me out!”
His expression softened, and he reached in, touching my cheek lightly.
“Hang on, alright? I will get you out of here, I promise.”
I attempted a smile, and he disappeared from my view, allowing me to take a shuddering breath. Brendan was going to get me out of here and I trusted him completely. Despite the pain and anguish that existed between the two of us, I knew he wouldn’t leave me.
The rear door behind me was forced open, and his face filled the rearview mirror, his hands gripping the headrest of the passenger seat.
“Do you think you can crawl into the back? We will need a wrecker to pull this car out.”
I nodded, forcing myself to move. With his help, I climbed out of the driver seat and through the small opening between the front seats to the back, where Brendan had already backed himself out of the seat, his hands waiting to help me out of the car. I gripped them gratefully, feeling his warmth seep into my skin as he guided me out of the car and onto the grassy bank. My legs were jelly, my entire body was shaking, but I was alive and out of the car.
Brendan wrapped an arm around my waist and led me a few feet away from my car.
“Are you alright? Are you injured?”
Despite my mind screaming to step away, I leaned into his support, grateful, for the moment, that I had someone here.
“He tried to kill me.”
“Fuck!” Brendan swore, tightening his arm around my waist. “Did you see him? Did you see who it was?”
I shook my head, pushing my hair off my face.
“I… no, I didn’t.”
“It’s okay,” he said, giving my waist a squeeze before pulling away.
I watched as he stepped in front of me, his eyes roaming over my body, presumably checking for any outward signs of injury. I hated to tell him he was wasting his time. Every injury was currently on the inside and getting worse by the moment.
“Come on. Let me take you home.”
I bit my lip, tears leaking out of my eyes, and he swore, reaching for me and pulling me close to him. He smelled of leather and spicy cologne, his warmth winding around me and seeping into my own body. I exhaled harshly and allowed myself to enjoy this moment, the steely strength that was Brendan.
“It’s okay,” he said, pressing a kiss to my temple. “I swear, we will get the asshole. Nothing is going to happen to you, not while I am here.”
Pressing my face against his leather vest, I closed my eyes. The scary thing was that I believed him, every word.
“Brendan.”
I jolted back into reality and pushed away from his embrace, turning to see one of his brothers standing a few feet away. Brendan was the oldest of three boys; Colby and Jaxon were only a few years older than me. I vaguely remembered them tagging along with their older brother, and, by the looks of Jaxon’s vest, they hadn’t stopped. Lord have mercy, a family full of bikers! Was that all there was here in Paradise?
Well that and some good-looking men. Jaxon was no exception to that.
“What, Jax?” Brendan said harshly.
“I called a wrecker,” Jax said, glancing at me. “For Laura’s car. Hey Laura, long time!.”
“Jaxon,” I said, giving him a nod. “T-thank you.”
