by Harley Wylde
“She can’t stay in the clubhouse, not after what happened at the gate,” Tank said. He looked at Wraith. “Can you take her to your place for now? I’ll have Torch head that way as soon as he’s able, and we’ll figure out what to do with her. We don’t seem to have the best luck with Prospects these days, and I can’t guarantee she’d be safe here.”
Wraith nodded and held his hand out to me.
Gears patted my shoulder. “He’ll keep you safe, darlin’. No one would dare try to go through Wraith to get to you. Not even your dumb-shit brother.”
“Half-brother,” I said.
Gears smiled faintly. “I figured. I’ve seen Joe Banner, and you two look nothing alike. He’s light-haired and definitely white, and you’re…”
“Half-Japanese. Dad found my mom in Japan, married her, and brought her back here,” I said. “I was born a year later.”
Gears squeezed my shoulder. “Go with Wraith, Rin. You don’t have to be scared anymore, all right? We’ll get it figured out.”
Wraith wrapped his hand around mine and led me out of the clubhouse. The icy air bit into me again and I shivered, causing him to stop and stare at me. The man only had on that leather vest thing and a long-sleeved gray thermal shirt. Wasn’t he freezing his ass off?
“I don’t live far,” he said.
He climbed onto a Harley parked out front, then patted the seat behind him. I swung my leg over and clutched at his waist, both thrilled and scared over my first bike ride. The engine turned over, and the bike rumbled between my legs. I held on tight as he eased out of the parking lot and headed to the right down a road that wound through the compound. He was going slow, which I was eternally grateful for, and eventually stopped in front of a white house with blue shutters and a blue door. It was cute, and not at all what I would have expected a rough biker to own.
He turned the bike off and I climbed off, my legs shaking. Wraith got off and went up to the front door, pushing it open. He gestured for me to step inside, and I hurried up the three steps and into the front entry. The house wasn’t all that big, but it was cozy. And warm! The short ride had made my nose get ice cold again, and my fingers were numb.
Twinkling lights drew my attention to the corner of the living room. I went toward the pretty tree and stopped to stare when it was mere inches from me. The multicolored lights blinked, making the ornaments look like they gleamed and glowed. Mom had put up trees when I was little, but after she’d died, so had all our holidays. I leaned closer and breathed in the fresh pine scent, closing my eyes as I remembered better times in my life.
“Ridley’s kids made everyone get a tree,” Wraith said. “Then Ridley and Isabella brought all the kids ages two and up to every house and let them decorate the trees.”
Well, that explained why the ornaments were in clusters and none reached the top of the tree. Kids always seemed to do that, especially the younger ones. To me, it just made the tree more special.
“Who are Ridley and Isabella?” I asked.
“Ridley is married to our VP, and Isabella is the Pres’s wife. There’s a lot of kids here now that everyone seems to be pairing off.”
I was still mesmerized by the tree but couldn’t help asking my next question.
“And are you? Paired with someone?”
He gave a rusty chuckle, like he didn’t laugh often. “No. No one wants to saddle themselves with me.”
I had a hard time believing that. A guy who looked like him? Not to mention, he’d come to my rescue and knocked a guy out for disrespecting me. I’d think any woman would be lucky to have a guy like him, but what did I know.
“I think there’s still some hot chocolate packets in the kitchen from when the kids were here,” Wraith said. “Or I could make coffee. You look like you could use something warm to drink.”
“Anything is fine. Whatever is easier for you to make. You don’t have to go to any trouble over me.”
He grunted. “If Torch is coming, I’d better brew a pot of coffee. And, Rin?”
I turned to face him.
“Any man who isn’t willing to go that extra step for you isn’t worth your time. Got me? You should never feel like you’re a bother to someone. I can only imagine what life has been like for you, but get that shit out of your head right now.”
“Thanks, Wraith.”
He scratched at his beard. “Call me Will. Just not in front of anyone else.”
I was confused by his request, but nodded. He walked out, leaving me alone once more with the prettiest tree I’d ever seen. For the first time since my mom had died, I felt like my life was my own. There was hope welling inside me, or maybe it was wishful thinking that Joe was in my past and couldn’t hurt me anymore. But I knew how much that asshole hated to lose, and he’d try to get me back, no matter what it took. I only hoped the Reapers could keep me safe.
Chapter Two
Wraith
Call me Will… What the fuck had I been thinking? Jesus, it wasn’t like I’d never seen a pretty woman before. Looking into her eyes, I should have been reminded of all that I’d lost, not felt this protective urge rise up inside me. Or maybe my past was why I felt so protective toward her. Rin was nothing like the sister I’d lost, except for their circumstances and dark hair, but she reminded me of Elisa just the same. If I’d been home and not off fighting for my country, then maybe I could have saved my sister. I’d failed Elisa, but I refused to fail Rin too. She needed help, and if Saint wouldn’t give it to her, then I would.
I made a large pot of coffee, then poured a cup for each of us. I tended to make mine strong enough to strip paint off the walls, so I added some milk and sugar to hers. When I carried the mugs into the living room, she was still staring at the tree, a wistful expression on her face.
“Happy memories?” I asked, handing the cup to her.
She nodded, wrapping her hands around the mug. “My mom used to put up a tree every Christmas, and she’d put spooky decorations out for Halloween. She decorated for every holiday, inside and outside the house. I lost her when I was only five and nothing was the same after that.”
“Sorry for your loss, and I’m damn sorry that anyone ever gave custody of you to your half-brother. I wish someone had protected you when you needed it most.”
“They say that you’re never given more than you can handle, that everything life throws your way just makes you stronger,” she said. “If that’s true, then I should be a damn hundred-year-old oak. Or maybe a female version of Hercules.”
I smiled a little. “Tank scared you at the clubhouse, didn’t he?”
“Yeah, a little. I learned the hard way to make myself small when big, scary men are around. It was the only way to survive.”
“You said your brother dragged you back when you tried to run.” I gripped her arm lightly and turned her to face me. “What did you mean, Rin? I don’t for a second think he just hauled you home and that was the end of it.”
She worried at her lip a moment, then set her mug down on a table. Before I knew what she was doing, she’d whipped her shirt over her head and my breath froze in my lungs. It wasn’t the perky bare breasts that made breathing damn hard. It was the carnage that was now displayed. I’d seen horrors that I could never shake from my mind, but the pain that asshole had etched into her body infuriated me unlike anything I’d experienced before. I reached out slowly and gently ran my fingers along some of the deeper scars. Even her breasts were scarred. She turned and lifted her long hair, and I damn near threw up.
“What the hell did he do to you?” I asked softly.
“It’s what happened when I misbehaved. Not all of it was inflicted by my half-brother, though. Sometimes men paid to hurt me. There’s more,” she said, reaching for her pants, but I stopped her.
“You don’t have to undress, Rin. I’m so damn sorry, sweet girl. No one should have suffered the way you have. As long as there’s breath in my body, I’m not letting him near you. No one will ever harm you again.”
She wasn’t wrong about that, but if she thought for one second I wouldn’t do everything in my power to keep her safe, then she was wrong. No one had helped Elisa, but I was going to make damn sure someone helped Rin. And that someone was me. Unless Saint showed up and wanted the job. They apparently had some sort of history, but the thought of his hands on her body made me want to punch something. I rubbed at my chest, having no clue why I felt so savage over a woman I’d just met. Yes, she reminded me of Elisa, but it was more than that. There was something simmering just under my skin that I didn’t want to analyze. Something I’d never felt before.
Rin put her shirt back on, then picked up her cup and sipped the coffee I’d made for her. When there was a knock at the door, she tensed and I could see her retreating again. I squeezed her shoulder and brushed a kiss against the top of her head before I could think better of it.
“It’s just my brothers. No one will come to the door who isn’t part of the Dixie Reapers or trusted by us, all right? You’re safe inside these gates.”
Or at least she was supposed to be. It wasn’t that long ago that a conniving woman had slipped past the front gate and nearly killed Zipper’s woman. I’d like to think something like that wouldn’t happen again, but I knew better than to tempt fate. She was a fickle bitch and would kick you in the balls when you were already down.
I pulled open the front door and saw Torch and Venom on the front steps. Taking a step back, I let them into my home and noticed the second they spotted Rin. She’d tried to hide around the side of the Christmas tree, tucking herself between the pine needles and the wall. She’d seemed calm enough around me, but I could understand her hesitance to trust strange men. After everything Joe Banner had put her through, it was a miracle she’d even come to us for help at all. A compound full of large men? That had to be her version of hell.
“Rin, it’s all right. This is my Pres, Torch, and the VP, Venom. Neither of them are going to hurt you. They’re both married and have kids, and I can assure you they would never hurt a woman,” I said, trying to get closer to her.
She stared at them with fear in her eyes, but when I held out my hand, she grasped it and let me pull her from her hiding place. Rin pressed her body tight to my side and I felt her shaking. With an arm around her waist, I stared at Torch and Venom, hoping they wouldn’t move too quickly and scare her more. I had no doubt they would offer her the protection of the club. Anyone could see that she’d been traumatized by men and needed our help.
“You came looking for Saint,” Torch said. “It’s odd that you should show up and he’s suddenly missing. Don’t suppose you know anything about that?”
She shook even harder as she mumbled a no.
“Joe Banner is her half-brother,” I said. “She’s been abused and needs our help. Saint went to school with her. She didn’t just ask for him, she asked for Kayla too.”
Venom nodded. “Preacher isn’t going to let Kayla anywhere near her until we know more about why she’s here. And Saint really is missing. He’s not answering calls. Wire is trying to get a location by tracking Saint’s cell, but for now, we don’t know if he’s in trouble or not.”
“Rin,” I said softly. “They aren’t going to hurt you, okay? They need to see what your half-brother did when you tried to escape. I’m just going to show them your back, all right?”
She nodded and turned a little. I lifted the hem of her shirt just to show the lower half of her back, and both men hissed in a breath at the damage they saw. I let the shirt drop back into place and held her close again.
“She’s not lying when she says she needs our help,” I said. “That’s just a small taste of what he’s done to her. He also forced her into prostitution.”
“I’ll call Dr. Myron,” Venom said. “Get her there now. He needs to check her over and run some tests, make sure she’s clean and that there’s not any damage we can’t see.”
“You all right with that?” I asked Rin. “I can stay with you the entire time, if you’d like. I promise that Dr. Myron isn’t scary, and he’ll do whatever he can to help you. He’s treated Kayla and all the other ladies in the club.”
“Okay,” she murmured. “If you go with me.”
“That coat all you have?” Torch asked.
“Yes,” Rin said.
“She looks to be close to Isabella’s size before Lyssa was born. I think she still has a few things. They’re about four years old, but she’s kept them stored and they should be fine. Bring her by on your way home and I’ll make sure there’s some stuff set aside for her. She’ll need clothes and a warmer coat,” Torch said. He glanced down at her feet. “And better shoes. What size are you, sweetheart?”
“Seven,” she said softly.
He nodded. “I’ll see what I can find. If Isabella doesn’t have something, I’m sure someone else will.”
“Thanks, Pres. Could I use one of the club trucks to get her to the doctor? I don’t want her riding around town on my bike in this cold weather,” I said. Not to mention she’d be an easier target on the back of my bike than safely surrounded by the metal frame of a truck. If Joe Banner was looking for her, I didn’t want to make it easy on him.
“Sure. We’re down to two Prospects right now, and both have been assigned jobs, so I’ll see if one of the brothers can bring one over for you,” Torch said. Then he focused on Rin. “I’m sorry if we scared you. You’ll be safe here, and the man who disrespected you has been dealt with. He’s no longer prospecting for us, and Wraith broke his jaw so he won’t be talking shit to anyone for a while.”
I wasn’t the least bit sorry about breaking the asshole’s jaw. And I certainly wasn’t sorry to see him go. I just hoped for the well-being of the club that we could find some decent new blood. It wasn’t like we were hurting for numbers, but with the shit we seemed to keep facing there was no telling when we’d need more guys at our back. Not to mention the Prospects meant the brothers didn’t have to do the shit jobs, and I was all for not having to scrub toilets or run bullshit errands.
Rin relaxed a little at my side. Even when Venom came closer she didn’t tense back up. The VP stared down at her for a moment, as if he were trying to assess her. His gaze flicked to mine and a faint smile graced his lips. I didn’t know what the fuck that look meant, but I had a feeling he knew something I didn’t, and I wasn’t sure I liked it.
“Welcome to the family, Rin,” Venom said before giving me a wink and walking off.
What the fuck? Welcome to the family? I looked at Torch, who just chuckled and followed the VP out of my house. Did they think I was keeping Rin? Or did they think Saint would keep her once he returned? For some reason, I didn’t like the idea of her in his arms, which was ridiculous because I certainly didn’t have a claim on her. I’d never met a woman I wanted to make mine. While I had to admit that I was reacting to Rin differently than I had anyone else, it didn’t mean she was mine. After the hell she’d been through, I doubted she wanted a man to touch her intimately anytime soon, and I was far from being a monk.
I took a good look at Rin while we waited for the truck to be delivered. Her coat was so thin she might as well have not been wearing one, and her shirt molded to her slender curves. The jeans she wore were those skinny ones that left little to the imagination, but her shoes looked like they would fall apart at any moment. She didn’t dress like a whore and I wondered if she had her clothes, then a set of working clothes Joe forced her to wear. The shadows under her eyes spoke of many sleepless nights and it made me realize that she likely never felt safe in her own home, not long enough to truly relax and get the rest she needed.
I heard the rumble of the truck in the driveway and held my hand out to her.
“Ready to see Dr. Myron?”
She nodded and slipped her hand into mine. Gears was leaning against the truck when we stepped outside an
d he gave us both a nod, but his gaze was locked on Rin. It wasn’t the look of a man interested in a woman, but more the look a brother would give his little sister. I could tell that Gears would protect her if he needed to, and I was glad that she had him on her side. It was doubtful she had many friends.
Gears opened the passenger door and helped Rin into the truck. After he shut the door, he leaned against it and stared at me.
“What?” I asked.
“Wire is doing some research. On your girl and on Saint. He’s still not answering his phone, and Wire said he couldn’t track his cell. I’d keep her close if I were you. I don’t believe for a second she had anything to do with Saint disappearing, but I also know her half-brother won’t let her go that easily. Be vigilant when you’re in town today, in case he pops up and decides to grab her.”
Why did everyone think Rin was mine? And why the hell did Gears think I needed lessons from him on protecting her? I’d served my country for eight damn years. Being shot at by insurgents and staying alive was a damn sight more difficult than keeping a tiny-ass woman safe.
“She’s not my girl.”
Gears snorted. “Did you see the way she looked at you? The way you went after Robby, then knocked him out cold, you’re her hero. I don’t think she’s had one of those before. She needs you, and honestly, I think maybe you need her too.”
I went around to the driver’s side and got into the truck, ignoring Gears and his words of wisdom. At least, he probably thought they were words of wisdom. All they did was piss me off. I didn’t need her. I’d never needed a woman and I never would.
The drive to the doctor’s office was short and I blasted the heat the entire way, making sure Rin stayed warm. The parking lot was nearly empty and I was able to pull up right near the door. I walked inside with her, and Rin clung to me as we approached the front desk.
