TWENTY THREE
P oison only had a second to react as a fist flew by her face, missing her nose by an inch. Scorpion came charging at her like an angered bull, raining punches through the air.
It took a lot of speed and all of her concentration to prevent his fist from colliding with her jaw, but he was relentless. He kept striking, forcing her back step by step. Her mind raced, trying to make a plan to stop him. She had to do something, or he wasn’t going to stop until he killed her. The hatred in his eyes said as much.
“Scorpion,” she begged. “Please don’t!” She had to duck again, feeling the wind of his fist rush past her left ear.
“I don’t want to fight you!” Another left hooker flew past her cheek.
“I wish I could go back in time and change everything!” A fist missed her stomach, grazing her hip.
“Please!” Her cries turned into desperate pleas. “I didn’t know he was your brother!”
Scorpion halted, taking a deep breath. Flames of hatred danced in his eyes, the same devilish anger she saw the night they had met, but this time, it was directed solely at her.
“It’s too late now,” he growled, his voice coming out hoarse.
And his fists came flying through the air again, faster and more determined than before, pushing her to the ground in an attempt to avoid the onslaught.
Scorpion took a step forward, hovering over her, his fist raised. She braced herself and shut her eyes. It was futile to try and escape or fight back, so she waited for the pain to come. But it never did.
A hollow thud echoed through the night, and she opened her eyes just in time to see Scorpion sink to the ground like an empty bag. As he dropped, he revealed a figure standing behind him with a baseball bat raised over his shoulder.
Shock ran through her entire body as she scrambled and crawled to where Scorpion lay unconscious. Bewildered, her head snapped up at the stranger towering over them.
“What have you done?” she demanded as she tried to find Scorpion’s pulse.
Confusion swept over the stranger’s face as a frown creased between his eyes, wrinkling his nose.
His cheeks flushed a shade of pink, his eyes impossibly large as he raised his hands, dropping the bat to the ground.
“I’m sorry,” he uttered, his voice trailing off uncertainly. “It looked like you needed help.”
She shook her head as a fit of hysteric laughter erupted from her chest. She couldn’t believe she attacked the man who had just saved her life. Scorpion would have killed her if he hadn’t shown up, and here she was, being ungrateful.
When she could breathe again, she looked down at Scorpion, his body limp, and mumbled: “Oh, yeah… Thank you.”
She smiled at the stranger and, to her surprise, found his hand stretched out to help her. She took his hand, and his heat melted her frozen fingers. For a moment, she stared at the contact and then snapped her hand back, busying herself with dusting herself off. She couldn’t help but notice how attractive he was, with shaggy brown hair and piercing blue eyes even in the dim light.
“Are you sure you’re okay?” the stranger asked, sounding concerned.
She couldn’t meet those earnest eyes, so she nodded and kept picking at the grass and leaves on her clothes.
“Why did he try to hurt you?”
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the worry on his face. Who was this man? His gaze made her uncomfortable in a way she hadn’t been before. She had just met him, and already he must think she was rude and weak—a damsel in distress, needing saving. She hated it, so she flipped the switch on her emotions, opting for nonchalance.
“Long story,” she shrugged and bent down to straighten Scorpion’s limp body. “He’s just knocked out,” she announced to no one in particular.
She allowed her fingertips to caress his cheek before she stood and turned to the stranger watching her.
“Would you please help me take him to a safe place?” she asked, even though she knew she had no right to expect that from him.
But the stranger gave her a big wolfish grin.
“Let me get this straight,” he chuckled. “He tried to kill you, and you’re going to take his sorry ass home? I’d leave him to the wolves.”
He shook his head before bending down, placing his bat over Scorpion’s stomach, and hooking his hands under Scorpion’s arms.
“Some lovers’ quarrel this is,” he laughed again, and it was the most genuine sound she had ever heard. “But sure, grab his legs. I’ll help you.”
She had no idea who this guy was, and she knew not to trust a stranger walking in the dark with a bat, but he made her feel safe for some reason.
“I should probably be running for the hills,” he laughed as he adjusted his grip on Scorpion’s arms. “But my mother always said I was too curious for my own good.”
“Why are you helping me?” She couldn’t help the question slipping out.
“It’s my duty,” he said with a shrug. When she stopped and gave him a suspicious look, he continued. “Helping a woman in need. It’s the gentleman thing to do.”
She scoffed and they carried Scorpion to a gate leading out of the park, and she was grateful that the cops didn’t bother to snoop around that neighborhood—they were the picture of suspicion carrying a body in the middle of the night.
Outside the gate, she hesitated and looked at the stranger, who was walking with a grin on his face.
“I’m going to have a hard time getting him anywhere on my bike,” she admitted, not seeing how she could drive with him being unconscious.
“My Jeep is just around the corner,” he answered, jerking his head in the direction he meant.
Grateful, she nodded, and they walked around the corner to a khaki Jeep. The stranger opened the back door, and they heaved Scorpion into the back seat.
Instead of closing the door, the guy pulled a small toolbox from beneath the seat, pulled out a few cable ties, and held it out to her.
“In case he wakes up,” he shrugged when she just stared at him.
Nodding, she took the cable ties from him and fastened Scorpion’s hands behind his back before closing the door.
“Where’s your bike?” he asked as he held open the passenger door for her, and she tried not to swoon over the chivalry.
“It’s in the alley next to Danny’s Diner. Do you know where that is?” she asked as she got into the Jeep.
“I do,” he answered and took her seatbelt.
Leaning over her, he clicked the belt into place and whispered dangerously close to her neck: “Safety first,” and closed her door.
All the air got sucked out of the car, making it impossible for her to breathe. A blush crept over her cheeks, and guilt threatened to claw its way into her mind. An unconscious Scorpion was in the back seat, the first man she had allowed to see her true self, and here, this stranger was giving her butterflies.
But fuck it; Scorpion had just tried to kill her.
The stranger opened the driver seat and got in, smiling at her.
“We’ll get your bike, and you can lead the way,” he said, starting the engine.
“Who are you?” she asked, turning in her seat to look at him. “And why were you walking around the park with a bat?”
He chuckled. “I’m Gavin,” he introduced himself, extending his right hand, which she shook.
“I’m…” She hesitated. She wasn’t sure if he belonged to a crew and would kidnap her the moment she uttered her fighting name. “Minke,” she finished.
“Well, it’s nice to meet you, Minke,” he said with a smile, pulling away from the curb. “And as for what I was doing in the park with a bat. I heard your cries all the way to the street.”
Her chin dipped, and she turned to face the window, staring at the quiet street. Gavin stopped in front of the alley, and she hopped out.
“You can just follow me,” she said. “It’s about a ten-minute drive.”
Closing the door, she walked over to the dumpster, thankful her bike was still there. She removed the cardboard and sped out into the street with Gavin on her tail.
She led him to the factory. A million questions raced through her mind as she weaved through the light traffic. But above all, she hoped to hell that Scorpion wouldn’t wake up on their way to the factory. She kept checking her side view mirror for any sign of a struggle in the Jeep.
They made it to the factory, and Poison blew out a breath, grateful to see Dennis and Gunnar’s bikes parked outside. She had wondered how they’d get Scorpion inside—leaving him outside in the cold wasn’t an option.
Jumping off her bike, she rushed to the door and hammered on the metal, sending echoes into the night. The Jeep’s headlights cast long shadows down the alley as she waited for someone to answer the door. She raised her fist to knock again, but the door swung open with her hand mid-air.
“Poison!” Dennis exclaimed, but she turned to the Jeep.
Gavin climbed from behind the steering wheel and opened the backseat door, pulling Scorpion by his ankles.
“Who the fuck are you?” Gunnar’s voice boomed in the quiet night.
“Shut the fuck up, Gunnar,” Poison warned as she and Gavin pulled Scorpion from the backseat.
Producing a pocket knife from his back pocket, Gavin cut the ties restraining Scorpion’s hands, and she guided him to where Gunnar and Dennis stood, their eyes wide once they noticed Scorpion.
“What the fuck did you do?” Gunnar demanded and took him from their grip just as Scorpion started grunting.
Gavin took a step back, palms raised.
“Look, man. I ain’t looking for trouble. I just helped a girl out.”
Gunnar stared between the two of them as Dennis slung Scorpion’s other arm around his shoulders.
“Go,” she said to Gavin. “I’ll catch up to you.”
“Nah, I ain’t taking the chance. I’ll wait for you,” Gavin answered, not moving.
“I’ve got this.” She tried to assure him with a nod.
He seemed to get the message and got into his Jeep, driving back into the street.
“I’ll ask one last time,” Gunnar spat. “Who the fuck was that, and what did you do to Scorpion?”
“Like he said, he just helped me out,” she said, the urge to punch Gunnar returning. “If he didn’t show up, Scorpion would have killed me.”
“He’ll kill you both for this,” Gunnar warned.
“Then talk some sense into him!” she challenged. “Or I won’t be held accountable for my actions the next time he comes looking for me.”
“Poison,” Dennis said, trying to step forward, but Scorpion’s eyes fluttered.
“I got to go. I’ll see you guys around.”
She didn’t want to stick around and be there when Scorpion gained consciousness. Getting onto her bike again, she sped off in the direction Gavin had disappeared in and found him waiting for her around the corner, leaning against his Jeep.
“You okay?” he asked before she even came to a complete stop.
She opened her mouth to answer, but the feeling of
being watched returned, and she swiveled in her seat, at the darkened alley. She thought she saw something, but she blinked and it was gone.
Shaking her head, she turned back to Gavin and couldn’t help but smile at him. Fuck, he had a calming effect on her that was utterly new to her.
“Perfectly fine,” she promised. “Thank you for waiting for me.”
“Can I buy you a coffee?”
“No,” she said flatly, and Gavin looked as if she had just slapped him, so she continued. “I’ll buy you one. I owe you.”
His face lit up with boyish excitement, and she couldn’t help but laugh.
“You know of any good places around here?” he asked with a raised brow, looking at the industrial buildings around them.
“Just a bit out. You can follow me,” she answered and waited for him to get back into his Jeep before driving away.
As she drove past the alley, the weird sense of being watched kept the hair on her neck tingling.