Chapter Four #2
“You have my word. I’ll never hurt you. You look terrified, sweetheart, and like you could use a hug.
I promise I’m not here to hurt you. Can I hug you?
” I ask softly, holding out my hands in her direction in offering.
Who the fuck offers to hug a goddamn stranger?
She doesn’t know me from the next biker who’s rolled through here, and I’ve somehow convinced her to meet me alone in a bathroom, for fuck’s sake.
But dammit, I want to comfort this girl more than I’ve wanted anything in a long-ass time.
She has a second where she looks like she’s considering it, and then she turns me down. Shaking her head from side to side.
“I—I don’t kn—”
“Hey, it’s okay, it’s okay. That’s okay with me.
I love physical touch, and when I’m feeling out of sorts, that’s all I want.
I just wanted to offer it. Oxytocin and all that,” I tease to lessen some of the tension.
My eyes flick down to her name tag, taking it in again before shaking my head.
“Carrie?” A beat of silence passes between us while I wait on bated breath.
Come on, baby, look up at me. Let me see those pretty blues. “Not your real name, is it?”
Her eyes finally flick up to me, and I swear there’s a hint of a small smile, nodding her head slightly.
I can work with this. She’s so fucking beautiful it physically hurts.
That pain in my chest gnawing at me from the inside out returns.
I run my fist against my ribs again in an attempt to ease some of the ache.
I need to get my fucking head in the game.
We came all this way to hunt down information on the MC that called for the death of our brother.
That’s why I’m here, not for taking care of her.
My body rebels against the thought, my stomach twisting into knots.
“Alright, sweetheart, what can you tell me about the Kingsnakes?”
The woman in front of me looks so battered, and she gnaws on her bottom lip before pulling her shoulders back and talking.
Thatta girl. “Their territory is Autumn Bay, and they don’t leave it often.
The club used to be great, took care of the town and its people.
” She pauses, swallowing roughly. “Before this monster came back from prison. He killed my—he killed the president and his wife, took over the club, named himself the new president, and has been doing everything he can to destroy and dismantle everything the Kingsnakes used to be.” It’s not lost on me that she used the word territory and seems to have a lot of insider knowledge about how this guy took over, not to mention her little word slipup.
She’s connected somehow, and I hope to fuck she’s not some biker’s old lady.
“What’s his name?”
She really meets my eyes then, her face pleading with me, eyes welling with unshed tears, a look of true fear filling her pretty features. What the fuck did he do to her?
“Cain.”
Cain is going to die a slow, painful death.
“How ironic. That new president sent a man to kill his own blood brother, our brother, Rolo.”
“I’m sorry for your loss,” she whispers.
“How do you know all this?”
Her eyes flash up to mine in surprise, like she didn’t expect me to ask where the information came from. “My brother, Saint. He’s trying to make things right, to get the club back.”
“He’s a Kingsnake?”
She nods. “From before it was usurped. He’s a good guy, the best, really. I know he’ll work with you if you’re trying to get to Cain. He has his own reasons for wanting him gone.”
“We’re trying to find the guy that Cain had sent to kill our brother, but Cain could do, too. Think we could find a partnership that works for both of us. You’re sure he’ll help us? You’re not having me walk into a trap?”
Her eyes go wide, and she shuffles backward until her back hits the wall. “No, I promise, I wouldn’t.” Fuck, the last thing I wanted was to scare her.
“Hey, hey, I meant what I said, sweetheart. I won’t hurt you. You’re safe with me.”
“I’m not safe until Cain is dead.” Her words hit me hard, turning the blood running through my veins to ice.
Now I know for sure. He’s why she’s scared.
My eyes flick to the deep scars that run along her neck and trail onto her chest. I’m barely able to contain my reaction of pure rage, and she seems to be the only reason I can.
I don’t want to give her a reason to fear me, too, so I reel my emotions in fast.
“Do you have a pen in that apron?” I ask her, motioning to the fabric slung around her waist.
“Yeah,” she answers, pulling it out with a pad of paper.
I slowly step into her space, the scent of sweet jasmine filling my nose.
God, she smells so good I practically moan.
I reach for the paper and pen, my fingers dragging over hers in the process.
Her eyes drop down to our hands as I pull away, and I’m positive she felt it too.
The electricity. The spark. Call it whatever the hell you want. It was something magnetic.
I write out a phone number on the pad of paper and hand it back to her. “This is the number to my burner phone. Do you know what that is?”
“Yeah, my brother and I use one to communicate.” Fuck. Something bad is going on here, especially if she’s having to use a burner to talk to her own brother. I’ve always been good at puzzles, and the pieces are starting to paint a really fucked-up picture right now.
“Alright, good. Either one of you calls or texts that number, and I’m there. Let him know all we want is someone named Garrett. Big nasty asshole with a shaved head and fucked-up teeth.”
“I’ll tell him.”
I know this is the end of our conversation, but I’m not fucking ready to leave her yet.
What if something happens to her? And why the hell am I making that my problem all of a sudden?
She looks from me to the door, and I know I’ve got to turn and walk away, so, fighting against my own will, I do, turning and putting my hand on the doorknob.
I pull it open, checking side to side to make sure no one is there, before holding it open for her to walk out first. She hesitates for a moment, but then she finds her nerve, walking right past me, her sweet jasmine scent making my knees weak and my heart ache.
I don’t know what possesses me to do it, but right before she can walk away, I gently grip her elbow, getting her attention.
She stops, turning her pretty head to face me, our bodies only inches apart.
So close that I can feel the heat radiating from her.
This time she meets my eyes right away. Such a good girl. Don’t be scared of me.
“What’s your real name?”
“Sienna.”
“Sienna,” I repeat. Like the sienna-colored leaves in autumn, my favorite season. Much more suited for her. “I’m Axel. I mean it, you need anything, reach out to me on that number.” Please. I almost beg.
“Okay. Thank you.”
“No need to thank me, sweetheart.”
Sienna nods before walking away from me. I leave the bathroom and head toward my brothers, full well knowing everything just fucking changed.