Loving Me, Trusting You(48)
With a sigh, I turn around at the end of the street and work my way back again, searching for the bank. I have to pass the road to the hotel and continue on in the opposite direction for awhile before I find it.
I don't stop, just continue past it and circle around again. There's no activity that I can see, and I start to wonder if maybe Austin and Kimmi are finished in there already, if they were successful. That dream we've been nursing of heading to the beach and relaxing for awhile sounds damn near orgasmic at this point. Mireya could use some space, I think, and it'd be nice not to have to worry if I'm stepping on her toes every five minutes. Absence makes the heart grow fonder, right? So maybe if I were to play hard to get or somethin'? I wonder how she'd react if I brought a woman up to my room?
I head back towards the road to the hotel, determined not to stick my head any further up my ass. Just as I'm dipping low for a sharp turn, I catch sight of feet in the grass near the sign. They're bare, glaringly out of place in this dry darkness. This isn't the sort of place where folks hang out after sunset. There's a moment there where I lick my lips and try to decide if this concerns me at all, if I should pause or just keep going. Against my better judgement, I stop. Hey, I try to be a nice guy, that's how I live my life. If that were my friend in the bushes there, my sister, my brother, whoever, I sure as shit would like someone to stop and at least give 'em a poke, make sure they're alright.
When I get close by, I start to feel something weird inside, a twisting and churning, like an internal alarm. My movements slow and my ears strain to take in the scenery around me. I don't hear anything, but I smell a trap. Just when I'm about to turn away, go find Beck or somethin', I hear a groan from the direction of the feet, like a quiet sob.
I crouch down and crawl forward, slinking across the grass, taking in the two, dirtied soles before me with a growing pit in the center of my belly. I know this person, I think long before I reach out to touch them, before I dive into the foliage and discover the rest of the naked body. From the back, there are no obvious identifiers, but I've still got this horrible feeling in my gut. I should stop right now and drive up this hill like I've got wolves on my heels. But I don't. I can't just leave a naked girl lying in the bushes. If I did, I'd be no better than Bested by Crows.
“Hey there,” I whisper as I bend down and touch the back of her head gently. I try to keep my voice calm, but I can feel my lip twitchin' a bit, doing its damnedest to curl up into a scowl. I can tell you without any shadow of a doubt who's responsible for this shit. I just hope the girl doesn't have to pay the ultimate price for it.
She doesn't respond, but I can see her back rising and falling as she struggles to take in shallow breaths. I can't see her face yet, but already, I'm sweatin' up a storm. Who the f*ck is this and why is she here? What the hell does this even mean? I reach out a hand and grab her by the shoulder. I know I should leave her as she is, call 911 or some shit, but I'm so used to living off the grid that it doesn't feel right. If I have to, I will, but first, I'm going to find out who this is.
“Listen, honey,” I say, leaning in close. I touch my hand to her shoulder and feel a sheen of sweat. No surprise, I guess, since it's hot as balls out here, but there's a clammy undertone that I don't much care for. Whoever this is, she's not in the best of shape. I move my fingers down her arm and grab hold of her bicep. “I'm going to turn you over, alright? So just stay calm and relax. I promise I won't hurt you, babe.” I touch warm, sticky wetness and pull my fingers back. The liquid blackness coating my fingertips can only be one thing. “Shit.” I turn the girl over and she whimpers. I make sure to catch her other shoulder and lower her softly into the grass. I catch flashes of purple bruises in a thin shaft of moonlight and have to bite my tongue to keep the bitterness out of my voice. “Hey there,” I whisper as I brush some hair off her bloody face. “You awake there, sweetheart?”
I study the girl's features as best I can in the low light, but I still don't recognize her even though I feel like I should. Until I look down, past her bruised belly and catch a glimpse of her legs. Scooting closer, I see a black tattoo there.
“Aw, f*ck.” I know who this girl is now. It's the one Mireya picked up at the bar, the one I almost had sex with. I lean forward on my knees, checking her pulse, feeling her forehead. This isn't good. I'm responsible for this. At least partially, it's true. “Jesus Mother Mary,” I whisper, rolling my eyes to the darkened sky. MC business should stay MC business, but this girl … She has nothing to do with us. So what do I do now?
I grab my phone from my back pocket and pause when I hear the rumble of motorcycles coming my way. If it's Broken Dallas or Bested by Crows, I'm screwed. If they catch me, I can kiss my freedom goodbye. We had our standoffs and our brawls. Next time, it'll be more than just warning shots and chains. Now that I see this girl, I know that this shit is elevated.
I pull my phone out of my pocket and call 911, not for my sake but for hers. It's not what I want to do; pulling the authorities in here probably isn't the best idea, not for anyone, including them. Broken Dallas has been known to start shit with cops. The woman that answers the line asks what my emergency is.
I wet my lips and try to decide how best to deal with this. As soon as this call is over, we've got to get the hell out of here. Period. I don't know what to do about Austin and Kimmi, but if I don't call in an ambulance for this girl now, there's a good chance she won't make it out of here alive. I feel like I'm betraying my MC for my conscious, but I can't take it back now. I touch my hand to the woman's cheek. Goddamn bleeding heart bullshit. I close my eyes and take a breath.
C. M. Stunich's Books
- Where Shadows Meet
- Destiny Mine (Tormentor Mine #3)
- A Covert Affair (Deadly Ops #5)
- Save the Date
- Part-Time Lover (Part-Time Lover #1)
- My Plain Jane (The Lady Janies #2)
- Getting Schooled (Getting Some #1)
- Midnight Wolf (Shifters Unbound #11)
- Speakeasy (True North #5)
- The Good Luck Sister (Wildstone #1.5)