Chapter 4
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-Logan-
The place went quiet when we walked in. Happens when you show up to the party covered in someone else’s blood.
River peeled off toward the bar like he didn’t still have pieces of the guy’s face on his knuckles. I didn’t stop. My eyes found Hailey and didn’t look anywhere else.
She looked small at the old ladies‘ table, fingers pale around a glass of whiskey, hair covering her shoulders like she was trying to hide. Blue eyes locked on me.
Something hot slid under my ribs and settled there.
“He’s not gonna bother you again,” I said.
Her face turned white. “What did you do?”
I reached into my cut, set the crumpled paper on the table. She took it with shaking fingers, unfolded it.
Matt’s handwriting crawled across the page – what he did to her, how many times, where. His signature at the bottom like a white flag.
Probably wasn’t all of it, but it was enough.
“He signed it,” I said. “Voluntarily.”
“Voluntarily?” she whispered.
Not exactly. But she didn’t need to know how easy it was to make him beg.
I felt my jaw flex. “Let’s just say he was… motivated.”
Ruby stubbed her cigarette out. “Well? Dirty details, boys.“.
River flopped into the chair across from her, popped the cap off his beer with the edge of the table. “Prince Charming took a little nap against a tool chest.”
Kayla shot him a look. “River.”
“What?” He lifted a shoulder. “Man’s got a glass jaw. Not our fault.”
“Is he-” Hailey swallowed hard. “Did you-”
“He’s alive,” I said. “Probably wishes he wasn’t. He’ll be talkin‘ a little less for a while.”
River leaned back and propped his feet on an empty chair. “Told hiin if he came within fifty feet of you, we’d break somethin‘ he actually needs. Then I broke his hand to illustrate the concept.”
“Niiice,” Ruby said, clearly enjoying this.
Hailey looked queasy. She stared at the paper like it might bite her. Relief flashed on her face and then died, chased by guilt, then anger. I watched every second of it play out.
I wanted to take the whole mess out of her hands and light it on fire,
I heard footsteps behind me and Jake slapped a hand down on my shoulder. “Go wash up, kid.” He pointed down at my bloody boots. “You’re gettin‘ scumbag all over my floor.”
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Chapter 4
“Yeah. In a minute,” I muttered, my eyes still glued to Hailey.
“Hailey,” Trina said, warm smile and sharp eyes. “This is Jake.”
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“Welcome, Hailey,” Jake said, pulling up a chair next to her. “So, you gonna press charges?” He nodded toward the paper. “Club’s got a killer lawyer. She’s been with us for years. Mostly on the defense, but she’s handled cases like yours too.”
“I… I don’t know,” she murmured. “I mean, it’s not that simple.”
Jake nodded. “It never is,” he said. “But you got options. And people here who’ll back you up, no matter what
you decide.”
She looked so small. Tired. I needed to give her an out… this shit could wait til tomorrow. “Come on, Hailey,” I said, nodding toward the stairs. “Let’s go.”
She looked up, confused. “Where are we going?”
“Upstairs.”
She hesitated. “Why?”
“Because you’re sittin‘ here lookin‘ like you’re about to bolt, and I’m not lettin‘ you.”
I watched her mouth open. I wasn’t prepared for the feisty comeback.
“You think you get to decide that?” she asked, chugging the rest of her whiskey.
Alright, I’d play hardball. “Yeah. I do. You’re stayin‘ here tonight. Tomorrow you can do whatever the fuck you
want.”
That might’ve been a lie, but I won. She stood up slowly and followed me. The whole room watched us go, but I didn’t give a shit what they thought.
The stairs creaked under my boots as we climbed up to the second floor. A few of the bulbs in the hallway were blown out, and long–dead brothers stared at us from the old pictures on the walls. It was all peeling wallpaper, scuffed floors and numbered doors.
I stopped at the one at the far end of the hall. the only one with no number
—
and unlocked it.
“My place,” I said, holding it open for her.
She hesitated before stepping inside. She scanned the room; and I knew what she was seeing. The place was big and bare. Leather couch. Workbench buried in manuals and parts. TV too big for the wall. It smelled like motor oil and cedar. The mural took the entire outer wall
up
a 10–foot raven with its wings out.
–
Her eyes landed on it. Of course they did. That gaudy thing was half the reason I never brought chicks here.
“You like ravens, huh?” she murmured. “This is beautiful.”
“Nah. My old man painted that. This used to be his place.”
She nodded, finally taking her eyes off it.
“You can stay here tonight,” I said, closing the door behind us. “Unless you’d rather stay in one of the empty-
“No,” she cut me off. “I’d rather stay here… with you.”
I tried not to read too much into that. “Sit down. Relax. I’ll grab you a drink.”
She looked unsure, but she sat. I headed to the bedroom first, laid out one of my tees and a pair of boxers for her on the bed. Then I hit the kitchen, grabbing a bottle of whiskey and two glasses. When I came back, she was staring at the damn paper
22
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O <
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Chapter 4
again.
I tried not read too much into that either.
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I handed her a glass of whiskey, then headed toward the bathroom, kicking off my boots. “I need a shower,” I said. “Gotta get this shit off me. You uh… you good?”
She nodded. “I’m fine.” She was lying.
“Another bathroom in the bedroom, if you wanna get cleaned up…” I said, pointing down the hall toward my room. “Laid out some clothes for you.”
“Thanks,” she whispered. I didn’t like what it did to me, but I didn’t hate it either.
I stood under the shower, watching red water swirl down the drain as I scrubbed the day off my skin. I leaned against the tile and closed my eyes for a minute.
Hailey was just a few feet away in the other bathroom. I could hear the water running through the wall. I imagined her standing there, her hands rubbing all over her soapy, naked body…
I shouldn’t’ve been thinking about her like that. She was raw, and I didn’t wanna let my thoughts go there. But I couldn’t help it. She was naked under my roof, about to be wearing my clothes, and something about that twisted me up inside.
I wanted her to walk in here and slip into the shower with me, to let me take the weight off her shoulders, even just for a night.
But she didn’t.
The water ran cold before I finally shut it off. I wrapped a towel around my waist and went to the bedroom to grab a pair of sweats. I barely had them on before I heard the bathroom door creak open.
I turned, and there she was.
Standing in the doorway, hair dripping wet. My shirt hangin‘ halfway down her creamy, inked–up thighs.
I felt my cock twitch. I had to drag myself out of my thoughts.
I cleared my throat. “You good?” I asked again. Like a goddamn parrot.
She nodded.
“Alright… Bedroom’s yours,” I said, heading for the door.
“Oh, uh,” she murmured, making me pause. “Where are you gonna sleep?”
“Couch,” I said. Doubted I’d be getting much sleep, though.
“Oh… You don’t have to-”
“Yeah I do,” I said. For some fuckin reason. “Get some sleep, Hailey. You look like you’re about to fall over,”
I pulled the door shut behind me and exhaled slow.
I heard her phone buzzing in there- muffled, insistent. Had to be Matt. I collapsed on the couch, staring at the raven until
urge to put my fist through the wall passed.
the
I brought her here to keep her safe… from him. The longer she stayed, the less safe she was from me.
I dragged a forearm over my eyes and told myself to sleep. Didn’t work.
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Chapter 4
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Tomorrow we’d figure all this shit out. Tonight, I was on my back in the dark, rock hard and pissed at myself for not makin‘
her mine.
I told myself I was keeping her safe. But I wanted her under me more than I wanted her out of danger.
I
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Sara Lili is a daring romance writer who turns icy landscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of Iceland’s breathtaking cold.
