Chapter 16
LARK
“Coop?” I ask in surprise.
His ocean-blue eyes widen on me before his face scrunches in confusion. “Baby S? What are you doing here?”
“It’s… a long story. What are you doing here?” There’s no way I’d ever tell Coop that Azrael kidnapped me or anything close to it. He’s always been protective, but that’s kicked up a notch or ten since everything happened.
There’s every chance he would hunt Azrael down and try to kick his ass. Azrael’s quite a bit taller and bulkier than Coop, so I don’t know that Coop would succeed.
His lips tilt up in a wry smile. “I work here.” He points to the Davenport Cycle Repair logo embroidered on his chest. It’s then I notice that he’s wearing the same blue coveralls that Hal is. “How’d you get here? I haven’t seen your bike around.”
“I brought her,” Azrael rumbles from behind me.
I wince at the anger in his voice, knowing he’s probably pissed that I ignored him earlier. Here I was hoping I could leave before I ran into him and that girl again.
Coop notices me shrinking back, and his expression turns thunderous. He gently grabs my wrist and pulls me behind him, his large frame blocking me from Azrael’s view.
As much as Azrael scares me sometimes, I can handle him and don’t need to hide behind anyone to deal with him.
I roll my eyes at Coop’s overprotectiveness before noticing Azrael’s absolutely livid expression.
I gulp and am suddenly thankful Coop’s essentially a human shield between the angry biker and me.
At least the blonde-haired woman is gone.
I don’t think I could deal with her judgmentally watching this whole interaction.
“Azrael,” Coop greets with surprising frostiness. He’s usually warm and friendly with everyone, but not with Azrael, I guess. “Why’d you bring her here?”
Crossing his arms, Azrael pins Coop with an equally glacial look. “She needed something for fixing her bike. How do you know her?”
Coop looks over his shoulder at me and smiles. It crinkles the corners of his eyes, one of his rare genuine grins lately. “I’ve known Lark forever. She’s the family I choose.”
I have the urge to give Coop a hug because he’s right. Charlie and Coop are my family now. We chose each other, and we’d go to the ends of the earth for each other. I know I wouldn’t still be here without them, so I guess I do have family I trust.
Azrael scoffs. “I didn’t realize your latest fuck toy could be considered ‘family.’”
My eyes go wide at Azrael’s insult before I lunge for Coop, knowing there’s not a chance in hell he doesn’t respond violently to that. I fist my hands in the back of his coveralls to hold him back.
I try to ignore Azrael implying the only reason Coop would care about me is because I’m sleeping with him. Who I could spread my legs for was the only value my parents ever saw in me too.
I can feel Coop take a few deep breaths to calm himself, but he’s still vibrating with anger as he grits out, “Don’t ever fucking talk about Lark like that again, Azrael. I don’t give a fuck who you are. I will not tolerate anyone speaking to or about her like that.”
“That was out of line, and you know it, Az,” Hal agrees. “Walk away before you say something you can’t come back from.”
Azrael ignores Hal, and his lips curve up into a cruel, taunting smirk. “Didn’t realize you were so protective of a quick fuck, Finch. I doubt her pussy is that good. Girls like her are a dime a dozen.”
I gasp at Azrael talking about me like that. I know I’m nothing special, but I don’t really need him pointing it out. Or commenting on how lackluster at sex he thinks I am.
I don’t know what the hell I did to him, but I know I don’t deserve him being an absolute sundried cockroach to me. There’s no reason he should’ve come over here if all he was going to do was insult me.
In a move so fast, I don’t have a chance to react, Coop pulls himself out of my hold and launches himself at Azrael, punching him in the face. Azrael falls to the ground. Coop gets on top of him and hits him over and over.
“Jesus,” Hal mutters from behind me but doesn’t make a move to intervene. “Can’t say Az doesn’t deserve it.”
I’m sure people around us have stopped to watch, but I can’t pay them any attention as the fight continues. My gaze is glued to the two men pummeling each other.
It doesn’t take Azrael long to snap out of his shock and start going to town on Coop. While Coop holds his own for a little while, it quickly turns into a beatdown. Azrael gets on top of Coop and starts hammering him with punches, blood flying everywhere.
“Stop!” I scream at Azrael when Coop’s efforts become sluggish.
Azrael ignores me and keeps wailing on an unmoving Coop. Worried he’s going to kill him, I do the only thing I can. I sprint toward Azrael at full speed. Taking him by surprise, I crash into him and manage to push him off Coop.
We tumble over each other across the floor for a long moment before we land with me under him. My head cracks painfully on the concrete as Azrael wraps his hands around my throat. He uses his hold on my neck to slam my head into the ground a couple of times before squeezing as hard as he can.
I gasp for air as he chokes me, my lungs burning in protest. I weakly claw at his hands, but it doesn’t seem to do much good.
As black spots dance in my vision, Azrael’s golden eyes lighten, and he seems to come back to himself. When he does, his face contorts in horror, and he scrambles off me. He lands on his ass a few feet from me.
Looking between his hands and me in disbelief, Azrael’s face drains of all color. Bright-red blood drips down his forehead and out of his nose, but he doesn’t seem to notice it or any of the bruises already starting to form on his face.
“Lark…” he starts, his gruff voice hitching with regret so strong it’s almost palpable. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to. Fuck, I’m so sorry, little bird.”
My heart hurts at the pain and self-hatred I can hear in his voice. I don’t know exactly what’s happening, but it’s clear something is going on with Azrael.
I struggle to sit up, my head pounding and the world spinning around me as I do so. When I’m on my knees, I hesitantly move closer to him, reaching out to place my hand on his arm to comfort him. I know he’s the one who almost strangled me, but I still can’t stand to see him drowning in his pain.
When my hand almost touches him, Azrael flinches away. “Don’t! Don’t touch me.” His voice breaks as his expression fills with self-loathing and heartbreak. The emotions only flit across his face for second before his expression shutters.
Anger burning in his gaze is the only hint of feeling left as he leans into my face to snarl, “Don’t ever fucking interfere in my business again. Or having the life choked out of you will be the least of your worries.”
He shoves to his feet and stalks off without another word, leaving me staring after him in utter bewilderment. With my head throbbing painfully and my throat sore, I don’t have the will or energy to make sense of what just happened.
I’m tempted to lie back on the floor for a moment, but that’s when Hal comes rushing over. His expression is frantic as he hovers his hands uncertainly over me, like he wants to help but doesn’t know what to do.
“Are you okay, wild girl?” is all Hal gets a chance to ask before Coop storms over and shoves him aside.
Coop looks about as bad as I feel. There’s blood running down his forehead, cheek, and nose from cuts or punches. Both of his eyes are starting to bruise, and his coveralls are torn and stained with more blood. His knuckles are cut and banged up as he brings his hands up to cup my face.
He gently turns my head side to side, watching me intently for any signs of pain. Unfortunately for him, I’m good at hiding the fact that it hurts like a motherfucker to move my head and keep my eyes open.
His lips twist into a frown at whatever he sees on my face before he sighs. “I would ask if you’re okay, baby S, but it’s obvious you’re not. We need to get you to a hospital. We’ll get you a CAT scan, MRI, X-rays, and whatever else you need.”
I’m shaking my head before he’s even finished talking, forgetting that I’m probably concussed. I wince at the splintering pain before blanking my face. “Coop, take a breath. I’m fine. I don’t need to go to the hospital.”
I’ve had enough concussions to know that I’ll be as good as new within a day, especially with one this mild. There’s nothing doctors can do for me right now, anyway. All I can do is wait for my body to heal itself.
“You’re not fine!” he roars before hanging his head. When he continues, his voice is barely even a whisper. “You look exactly like you did that night. And I didn’t do anything about it then, but I’m damn well taking care of you this time.”
I sigh and suddenly feel a million years old at the mention of that night and everything that happened before and after. I understand where he’s coming from, but taking me to the doctor now won’t undo what happened then.
“It’s different, Coop. Azrael didn’t mean to, and I don’t want to spend my evening in the ER.
I’ve been injured enough to know whether this is serious, and it’s not.
You and I both know I’ve been hurt a hell of a lot worse than this.
You and your parents spent so much time in the surgery wing of the hospital when I was a kid, I’m surprised they didn’t name it after you. ” I try to joke to lighten the mood.
Azrael absolutely meant to say all the bullshit he did to provoke Coop into a fight, but I know he never meant to hurt me. Not like Andrew did that night.
Coop’s gaze bounces around my face for a long moment before his shoulders slump. “Nothing I say will get you to go to the hospital, will it?”
I grin and shake my head.