Chapter 7
Prime
I moved faster than the speed of light to get to my ride.
There was fear and pain in Zoe’s voice and the hint of tears.
I’d never heard those type of sounds from her.
She was strong and resilient, unafraid of almost anything.
She didn’t even fear her own father even though she knew he often ordered executions without it hurting his conscience.
The address she’d supplied me with was in the depths of the slums of Houston, a spot a woman should never be forced to endure.
The ride to get to her was a long one, usually over five hours.
During that time, she was vulnerable, and I hated it.
Fear had me riding recklessly and at speeds I hadn’t known my bike could reach.
I made it to her side in four hours, a record for me.
It was night and she was huddled in the dark corner of the doorway.
I almost missed seeing her until she whimpered.
My heart gave a lurch, and I pulled her from her hiding place into the dim light of the street.
She cried out as I moved her which told me she was hurt worse than she’d admitted to me.
In the dim streetlight I saw the bruises on her lovely pale face.
My anger arose swiftly. Some asshole had laid his hands on her.
Then, I lost my breath because I noticed the bruises that circled her throat.
She’d been choked. I touched her hair to move it away so I could assess the damage.
My fingers encountered a sticky substance at the back of her head, drying blood.
Sickness and a rage I’d never felt before overwhelmed me. A growl came from my lips even as I pulled her into my arms and held her tight. She finally let loose of the tension inside her and cried on my shoulder, sobbed until she was weak and barely standing.
This wasn’t the proud, always in control, smartass Zoe I knew. This was a broken doll who I’d protect with my own life, the woman I never knew could be vulnerable and needy.
“Who did this? If he isn’t dead yet, I’ll kill him. Where is he?” I demanded, my mind not yet understanding she needed my help more than the asshole needed to die.
“I stabbed him with a syringe filled with something. It may have killed him. I do not know or care. Please, take me back to the club,” she shakily begged.
“It’s a long ride, and I’m on my bike. You’re in no shape to ride for five hours. You need medical care. I’ll take you to the hospital here,” I told her as she clung to me in order to remain on her feet.
“NO! No hospital. Just you. Please, Prime. Just you is all I need.”
I closed my eyes and laid my head on the top of hers. A sigh of resignation escaped me as I replied, “Okay baby, I’ll take care of you. But we can’t make the trip home tonight. We’ll have to get a hotel room.”
She stiffened and whimpered. I understood the problem immediately.
“No baby, not here. I think you can hang onto my waist long enough to get to a decent part of town. I’ll take you away from this nest of vipers. I swear I’ll keep you safe,” I promised.
She quietened and I helped her onto the motorcycle. She put her arms around me and her head on my back. She sighed knowing she was now safe from harm and the knowledge that I gave her that feeling hit me square in the heart.
I wound through the streets until the filth ended and stopped at a small but clean hotel that appeared to shelter families rather than prostitutes.
I checked us in while she waited outside, embarrassed to allow anyone to see her bruised and bloody.
She didn’t want to answer questions and frankly neither did I.
In the bright light of the hotel room, I got a better look at her injuries. I winced in sympathy, but I also saw that she would heal without the need for a doctor. Even the head wound was superficial though it had bled profusely as most head wounds did.
“I want a shower,” she said instantly. “I want the feel of his hands off me.”
“I understand, but you need food, water and a bandage or two. I’ll help you wash up after you eat. Sit and I’ll go find somewhere to get food and first aid stuff.”
She shook her head and her eyes widened with the pain it caused. “Let me shower alone, please. I just want to lean against the shower wall under the hot water until it’s depleted. I’ll be okay. Go do whatever you need to do.”
Reluctantly, I did her bidding. She needed to be in charge at the moment, so I allowed it. She had lost the feeling of power beneath the hands of the maniac who’d attacked her. I wouldn’t deny her the chance to build it back up.
I returned with bags of burgers, fries and sodas.
I had also found an all-night pharmacy nearby and gotten a disinfectant for her head wound, bandages, a soothing salve for her neck and aspirin for the pain.
I found her standing in the middle of the room with her blonde hair dripping all over the dry shirt she’d donned, and eyes swollen nearly shut from crying.
I dropped everything on the bed and drew her back into my arms. “It’s okay now. He can’t touch you again. You’ll be unreachable once you’re back in your father’s compound.”
She jerked out of my arms and slapped me. I was shocked and dazed. “What the hell is wrong with you?!”
“I told you I was not going back there! I will not marry some old man of his choosing. I asked you for asylum, and I thought that was why you came for me! I thought I would be safe with you. You promised, but now I see you are a fucking liar, too!” she screamed.
I held both palms up in surrender. I hadn’t thought she’d meant it when she claimed she wouldn’t go home.
I was wrong. I didn’t want her at the club for so many reasons, including my attraction to her and the trouble it would cause with Petrov.
However, she was so scared and lost at that moment I wasn’t able to deny her anything.
“Fine, you win. You can stay with the Sinners. Right now, you need to eat and let me do what I can for those injuries. I won’t mention Petrov again.
Just calm down. I’m sure that between the bloody skull and the crying your head is pounding.
Take a few aspirin and sit at the table while I doctor you up,” I replied.
“If you lie and try to take me to the compound I will run again. Not even fear of my own death will stop me. I’d rather die than marry someone who does not love me,” she declared.
Unable to resist, I leaned over and kissed the crown of her head. She was so perfect when she was angry. I heard her gasp, but decided it was because the kiss had caused her wound to throb.
After she’d been tended to, we finally ate.
She gobbled down the greasy meal with gusto, surprising me again.
I assumed she’d only dined on the best chef prepared meals, but her enjoyment of the fast food was real.
She even licked the tangy mustard off her fingertips causing a quick tension in my gut as her tongue darted out to get the last of it.
“I’ll sleep on the floor,” I gruffly announced, not sure laying at her side I’d be able to keep my hands and other body parts to myself. “Would you mind if I had the television on with the sound low?”
“The bed is huge. You will not sleep on the hard floor. If it makes you feel better you can remain on the outside of the covers while I am on the inside. I did not realize you feared me. You will be safe from me anyway due to how bad my body aches,” she teased.
She had known exactly what was running through my mind. It was a challenge, an all-out dare. Of course, I had to face it like a man.
In my rush I had left the club without any gear, not that I usually slept in anything at all anyway. So, I stared her straight in the eyes as I removed my cut and the shirt beneath. I purposely clenched my chest muscles, making them stand out and be noticeable.
As her eyes widened I said, “We’ll see who’s afraid of who.”
I climbed onto the bed with a grin on my face.
I remained outside the covers as she’d suggested.
I pretended to ignore her admiring gaze and the quick gulping sound she made by turning on the television with the remote.
My hands laid across my lap, hiding the bulge that arose as I caught her feminine scent.
I was relieved when she turned over to face the other direction so I could squirm and adjust the painful erection.
Taking the dare was proving more difficult than I imagined.
Hours later I finally fell into a restless slumber only to be awakened by a soft body clinging to mine. Zoe’s head was on my shoulder, her right arm and leg flung over my body. Soft, silky skin touched me where the covers had disappeared. Her splayed hand covered the space just above my groin.
My body reacted instantly. I grew as hard as a boulder.
I told myself it was an automatic reaction; one I’d get from any beautiful woman who dared to touch me so intimately.
I gritted my teeth and tried to stay still, not wanting to wake her.
In the early morning light, her bruises stood out starkly having darkened overnight. She needed rest not lust.
Then, her fingers moved, slowly tangling in the hair of my abdomen. It proved to be more than I could stand. Even in sleep and broken she was a temptress. I eased my way out of the bed, replacing my body with a pillow. I rushed to the shower and prayed it would be freezing.
I was myself again when she awoke. I deemed her well enough to make the ride to the club, although I insisted on stopping several times to get her food, drinks and more aspirin.
Having her arms around me and her head on my back caused me to stay tense and unnerved all the way home.
For the first time in my life, I was uncomfortable on my bike.
I didn’t care for the strange sensation at all.
The minute we arrived I happily handed her over to Doc for a once over. His sly grin told me he saw right through my tactics and my discomfort. I didn’t give a damn because I needed another shower.
Vikki and Flame came rushing out to see Zoe, so she didn’t question my sudden disappearance.
It was a relief to reach my quarters and leave her in someone else’s capable hands.
I knew at some point I’d be facing Petrov’s wrath, but it didn’t frighten me nearly as much as having Zoe so close by.
She was a temptation I couldn’t allow myself.
She was out of my league and touching her, wanting her, or taking her virginity were not a part of the negotiations I’d made with her father.
Besides, I didn’t want to “buy” her. She deserved better than that.