Chapter 2
The blanket smelled faintly of leather and smoke, like the man who had thrown it into her lap.
Annie pulled it tighter around her shoulders.
She couldn't stop shivering. It wasn't cold in the clubhouse.
It was the memory of headlights bearing down on her, the screech of tires, the certainty that she was about to die that she couldn't shake.
And then the man on the motorcycle saved her.
She hadn't known his name until she caught sight of the patch on his vest when he turned away, the stitched letters bold against the leather. Hunter. It fit him.
He was silent, watchful, and dangerous in a way that kept her from leaving the clubhouse because she was afraid to test him. He could hurt her. He could send her into an area she didn't know. He could call the cops. Her pulse raced. None of those options would be good for her.
She whimpered, finding it impossible to calm down. Yet she was exhausted.
All she wanted to do was lie down and close her eyes, to finally sleep. But she had no idea if she was safe.
She had a feeling Hunter was the lesser of two evils.
He hadn't asked her a single question. Not one. Just stared at her with those sharp, unreadable eyes, as if he could peel back her skin and see the truth she was trying so hard to keep buried.
When he had spoken, his rough, low voice left her trembling. His confidence, despite his disability, made him powerful. Exactly the kind of man that scared her to death.
Annie pressed her hands together. She couldn't tell Hunter why she was running. If she did, he'd never let her go back, or worse, he'd make her call the police. That would only put her sister in more danger.
She had to go back.
The thought of leaving Leigh behind twisted her stomach and made her chicken out on escaping for days.
Failing wasn't an option. One mistake would get her and Leigh killed.
Every second she sat here, wrapped in warmth and safety, her sister was trapped in the house with Jason.
With the man who had once been family, who had turned into their worst nightmare.
Her brother-in-law.
Her upper lip curled. He'd almost run her over with the car. And now that she had gotten away, Jason would return to the house and punish Leigh. Jason was the worst kind of monster.
The door opened. She looked up. Hunter stood in the doorway, broad shoulders filling the frame, arms crossed over his chest. How was she supposed to beg him to let her go if he couldn't hear her?
His almost black hair now hung loose to his shoulders. Brown eyes studied her, watching her intently.
"You're too kind, letting me stay here, but I need to go," she said, forcing the words out slowly, carefully, so he could read her lips. "I. Need. To go."
He shook his head.
"You don't understand. There's someone important waiting for me. She's all I have. My sis—" Annie bit the words off before she said too much.
Hunter tilted his head, studying her. He didn't push her to talk. Didn't demand reasons for why she was here.
His patience made the situation worse because he failed to see the urgency.
Annie stood, the blanket slipping from her shoulders. "You can't keep me here."
He stayed in the doorway. A wall of muscle and silence.
Her heart pounded. She wanted to scream, to shake him, to make him understand that she wasn't running away to save herself. She was running back into the hell she'd escaped to save her sister.
She wasn't afraid of dying if it meant succeeding at getting Leigh out of the hellhole she was in.
Until she had her sister away from Jason, she would do everything possible to save her.
She'd already made a massive mistake by not getting clear away from Jason.
He'd spotted her running and chased her with his car.
And now Hunter was involved. Her brother-in-law wouldn't let that slide.
He'd be after them both because he wouldn't let his secret escape.
Poor Leigh was the one who would pay for her leaving. She couldn't lose her sister. She had to save her.
Annie sank back onto the couch, burying her face in her hands. She hated the secrets, the lies, the way her chest ached with every breath. The last two weeks seemed like they'd lasted a lifetime. By now, she'd lost her job. But she'd do it all over again in a heartbeat to help her sister.
Unbeknownst to her, Leigh had lived like a prisoner for two years. Abused, ashamed, and lost, Leigh did the only thing she could do. She survived.
Her sister had finally dug deep and found the strength to call her one night, using the cell phone Jason left on the nightstand. Leigh had enough time to go into the bathroom, call her, and whisper over the phone that she needed help, and not to call the police.
She swallowed hard. The ever-present lump in her throat never left.
The saying was true. You never know what goes on behind closed doors. But she learned fast the moment Jason forced her into the house and locked her inside.
When she lifted her head again, Hunter still watched her with the same steady, unreadable gaze. Protective. Yet, unyielding.
Somehow, she would have to convince him to let her go.
He pointed at the bed. She shook her head. Normally, she'd be scared shitless inside a motorcycle club, put into a room, and told to stay. Now he wanted her on the bed.
She'd faced a lot worse. Nothing scared her anymore.
"I won't fuck you." She stayed on the couch. "Let me go."
His gaze narrowed, and he stepped inside, shutting the door. Dread filled her. He could easily toss her on the floor and have his way with her, and she wouldn't be able to fight back. Her ribs hurt to breathe. There was no way she was strong enough to protect herself.
"Sleep in the bed." He pointed to the couch. "I'll stay here."
She stood. "I can't stay. I need to leave—"
He put his finger on her lips. "Slow down."
"I want to leave," she said softly. "Please.
"Tomorrow, you can leave." He pointed. "Sleep. Be safe tonight."
Giving up, she walked through the doorway that he pointed to and flipped on the light. It was a bedroom. She looked over her shoulder. Hunter sat on the couch, untying his boots, and not paying any attention to her.
She quietly shut the door. Though she could've slammed it, and he wouldn't have noticed. If he planned to sleep on the couch, she'd outwait him. As soon as he fell asleep, she'd sneak out of the room and leave the clubhouse.
Sitting on the edge of the bed, she sighed at the softness of the mattress. She strained to hear any noise. No sounds came from the other side that she could hear. Though there was music playing somewhere in the clubhouse.
She closed her eyes. She'd give him half an hour. That had to be enough time to fall asleep.