Chapter 5
Chapter Five
ALICE
D eclan was still ranting about Cara when we arrived home from the hospital. He was talking recklessly. He kept saying how he was going to make sure she got what was coming to her. I don’t know if the fact that she’s part of the MC slipped his mind, but surely he didn’t think that if he went after her, the MC wouldn’t do anything about it.
Inside, I’ve been cheering at the small victory of watching Declan be put in his place by a woman. He’s always seemed unstoppable to me, but seeing him with this cast on his arm while sulking has sparked a level of courage in me I thought died a long time ago.
After I got him settled in the living room, he ordered me to the kitchen to make him breakfast.
We had just gotten through eating when Vincent came storming inside like a dark cloud. He was furious, and his sights were set on me. I gulped while trying to calm my fast-beating heart.
“Is it done?” Declan asks him.
“No,” Vincents grits out. His eyes haven’t left me. I look away, unable to meet his hard stare anymore.
“What do you mean no?” Declan barks.
“I had to let the bitch go.”
“Had to let her go?!” Declan booms. “She broke my fuckin arm. What the hell do you mean you had to let her go!”
Vincent begins to pace while pulling at his hair. “The parking lot had cameras. I had no choice. Michael said if I didn’t release her, he would make sure the video was plastered all over the news! You were seen choking your wife, and then you pulled a gun on two women. That would be the end of my career and yours. We had a plan. Why the hell did you break it?!”
Declan stands from his seat, jaw locked tight as he stares me down, too. “Because of her. I went to the bathroom, and when I came back, she had a goddam faggot at our table. I lost it!”
Vincent takes a step toward me. “You never do as you’re told, and now you cost us months of planning. This is all your fuckin’ fault.”
Before I can open my mouth and try to talk my way out of the inevitable, Declan backhands me with his good arm. The blow is hard enough to send me to the ground.
The moment I hit the floor, Vincent sends a kick to my stomach. I curl myself into a ball. I shield my ribs and face as best as I can while they take turns taking their frustrations out on me.
I learned a long time ago broken ribs are a son of a bitch, and they take forever to heal.
The ball I’ve curled into leaves my body open for attack. Declan kicks me repeatedly in the back while Vincent swings at anything he can. Declan's kicks almost make me unravel, but I know if I do, the injuries they will give me will be much more than a hurt back.
I beg and plead for them to stop, but it falls on deaf ears. Even though I tried shielding my face, they still managed to get me a few times. I don’t know how much time passes before Vincent pulls Declan off me.
“Come on. We need to go to Dad’s. Michael threatened to take that footage to internal affairs. We need to see if he knows people who can help.”
Declan looks down at me with cold eyes. “If I lose my job, you’re dead!” he seethes.
They storm out of the house, leaving me a broken mess on the floor.
Run. I can hear my dad’s voice. Run, baby girl. It’s time. Don’t let my death be in vain.
I must be hallucinating from the beating. My dad has been gone for a while now. Whatever this is, it's exactly what I need.
Declan has made me fear leaving him for years, but no more. I’m going to take a leap of faith that Cara and Sara can help me. They said they’ve done this before, and I believe them.
Pulling out my phone, I grab the card that Cara gave me out of my back pocket. Dialing the number on the card, it rings a few times before she picks up.
“Hello.”
“Hi, umm... it's me, Alice... from the diner. Help… please,” I croak out.
“Alice? Where are you?”
“At home. Declan and Vincent are pissed they had to let you go. Please.”
I hear rustling in the background. I can’t make out everything that’s being said, but I can hear the sound of a man's voice as he and Cara go back and forth. Suddenly, the man is speaking directly to me.
“Alice, is your husband around?”
“No, he left with Vincent. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to cause trouble. I have no one else to call, and Cara said not to hesitate to call her.”
His voice turns gentle as he says, “It's fine. We’ll be there soon.”
I want to ask how they know where I live, but exhaustion takes over. My body hurts something fierce.
I hear Cara and Sara speaking to me over the phone, but I can’t muster up enough strength to say anything. Before I know it, the front door is slammed open as men rush inside.
I shrink back in a ball until I see Cara and Sara walk through the door and straight to me. Their eyes harden when they see the state I’m in.
“Can you walk?” Sara asks me.
I try and get up, but wince from the pain of feeling like my back is about to snap in two. The room spins as dizziness takes over. I feel as though I’m about to pass out any second when I hear the deepest voice I’ve ever heard.
“I got her.”
Chills shoot down my spine as I look up to what must be the sexiest man on this planet.
He has shoulder-length black hair and a five o’clock shadow. He has a chiseled jawline, and his hazel eyes are brown, infused with the softest shade of green. I could get lost in those eyes.
I must be losing my mind.
I can’t believe I’m sitting here noticing how handsome this stranger is after what I’ve just been through.
“Be careful, Red. We don’t know what her injuries are,” Sara says.
He grunts as he bends down and, oh so carefully, picks me up bridal style.
From the very second that he settles me against his chest, an aura of safety falls over me. In this stranger's arms, I feel safer than I have in my entire life. It’s the weirdest thing I’ve ever experienced.
He leads me out of the house and to the same truck from last night. Cara runs ahead and opens the back door for him. When he settles me in the seat, our eyes connect as he begins to pull away.
Something happens in that moment. We get locked in each other’s eyes, and I notice a few flicks of gold in those hazel eyes. I also take in his smell—wood and leather. He pushes the fallen strands of hair from my face and tucks it behind my ear.
The sound of the other door opening has him jumping away from me as if he had just been burned. I feel cold instantly. I miss the warmth and safety of his arms.
I need to get myself together. Now is not the time to develop a crush.
Red straps me in and closes the door before racing off to his bike. I watch him until he mounts the bike and starts it. When I turn away from the window, Cara and Sara are both watching me with smirks.
I duck my head to hide the blush I’m sure is coating my cheeks.
Sara giggles, and Cara pulls out of the driveway. I have no clue where they’re taking me, but anywhere would be better than being stuck with Declan. They ask me to explain what happened, and by the time I’m finished, we’re pulling up to the clubhouse.
Everyone in town knows of the Warrior Clubhouse. All the guys want to party there, and all the women want to claim a Warrior.
I remember in high school, girls would try to get fake IDs to get in. None of them ever succeeded, though.
I’m snapped out of my thoughts when Red opens my door, unclicks my seatbelt, and lifts me in his arms again.
You can blame it on the raging headache for what I do next, but I couldn’t stop myself from tucking my face in his neck. I hear his sharp intake of breath before his grip tightens slightly.
“Doc, she needs to be checked out,” Red says.
“Alice?” I hear a familiar voice ask.
“Dr. Crawford?” I know my eyes are the size of saucers. The last time I had seen him, Declan had beaten me badly. I ended up in the emergency room.
“You two know each other?” Red asks.
I stare up at Red and notice the glare he’s giving Dr. Crawford. My brows scrunch in confusion, but still, I say, “Yes, I met him a while back when Declan beat me, and I had to go to the emergency room.”
Red stiffens and his lips flatten. He follows the doctor down a hall and into a room that’s set up with medical equipment. Red lays me down in the bed and takes a step back. He looks as if he doesn’t want to leave me but is torn.
Cara and Sara walk into the room, and it’s as if the decision has been made for him. He walks out without a backward glance.
Doc begins to look me over, and when he’s confident nothing is broken, he gives me some pain medicine to help with my back. After Doc leaves, Cara and Sara sit beside the bed.
“Look, we just want to let you know you’re safe here. The clubhouse has plenty of cameras and gates. There isn’t anything either one of them can do to you here.” Sara grabs my hand, giving me a small smile.
“Thank you. I promise not to stay for too long. I just need to get a job so I can save and get as far from Declan as possible.”
“I’m not sure running is the best solution, Alice,” Cara says.
“What do you mean?”
“Men like Declan are like predators. You run and they will chase.”
“Well, what am I supposed to do?”
“Do you really truly wish to be free of Declan? And by free, I mean live a life that you don’t have to always look over your shoulder,” Sara says.
I nod my head as tears build in my eyes. That sounds like a dream. I know Declan will make this as difficult as possible, but I’m willing to do anything to be free of him.
“Yes, but how do I do that?”
“First thing you’ll need to do is… file for divorce.”