CHAPTER TWO
– LINA –
The warm metallic, slightly sweet scent is spurring me on.
My hands are covered with the guy’s blood.
It’s the same guy who kicked Rob, my friend and employee, in the head.
I feel the dead weight as his body goes slack, eyes staring into nothing while his breathing stops.
This fucker is just as dead as my friend who he murdered.
I step back and wipe the knife clean on the dead man’s pants.
“Thanks,” I tell the man wearing the same denim vest with the Kings of Anarchy patches as Karev, and hand the knife back to him.
He takes the knife and pulls a little bottle filled with fluid from his pocket. Intrigued, I stare as he cleans the knife before sliding it back in its sheath.
“Don’t thank me yet. You’re gonna damn well help me dig a hole to bury that fucker in,” he casually states.
An engine starts somewhere down the dirt road followed by the sound of motorcycles. Panic hits me and I rush forward to hide behind the biker.
“They’re leaving,” he calmly states. “Come on, I have a shovel in my saddlebag.”
The first question entering my brain tumbles over my lips without thinking, “Did you come prepared, or do you always have a shovel on the go in case you need to bury a body?”
He turns to face me. “Do you always kill the second a knife lands in your hand?”
The memory hits of what I just did and have done in the past.
I wince and mutter, “Not always.”
He slowly tilts his head and asks, “The killing, is it because you’re violent, blind rage, or a self-preservation instinct?”
“Self-preservation. Although Karev would just say I’m a magnet for trouble,” I sigh, and hate hearing the defeat in my own voice.
Being considered a failure in the eyes of your biological family is a shitty thing. Well, it’s my own conclusion, one I made four years ago when I found out who my biological parents were. It’s how I ran into Karev. He’s the only one who somewhat keeps in touch, and I let him.
Let him, as in he’s been persistent while the rest of my so-called family turned their back on me...
again. They dumped me the second I was born, and again when I only wanted to know about my family.
Shortly after I found them, I heard from Karev that both of our parents died.
He didn’t give me any details as to why and how, but I guess it didn’t make much of a difference either since they didn’t even want to know me.
“You are a magnet for trouble,” Karev rumbles, his voice makes me jump. “Fuck, Floraline, me getting the jump on you shows why you’re a magnet for trouble. All while I know you damn well have good instincts.”
His eyes stray toward the dead guy in the dirt and he shakes his head before he glares at the biker. “I told you not to give her a knife.”
He did what? I can feel my eyes widen and bounce my gaze between the biker and Karev.
The biker shrugs. “Shit wasn’t gonna end well either way, and the shit you said gave me the knowledge she could hold her own.”
Karev rubs a hand over his face from his expression I can tell he’s clearly frustrated. “Still, there’s a reason I told you not to, man. She gets nightmares, and has a...”
Dammit. I wish I never told him and stop him from throwing out more personal shit. “I’m fine. You can go away now. Sorry I reached out at all.”
The rumble of motorcycles approaching makes me hide behind the biker again. I wonder why I didn’t hear Karev’s bike, but he’s always been sneaky so he might have parked further down the road.
I lean my forehead against the biker’s back and inhale his scent. The mixture of fragrances has a soothing effect on my body. Spicy, clean, manly...and a hint of beer?
“My brothers, Lina. No one is going to harm you,” the biker rumbles and steps to the side.
His words should be assuring, and yet it was his scent that instantly calmed my jittery nerves before he said anything.
Intrigued by the way my body responds I ask, “What’s your name?”
“Not happening,” Karev grits. “Lina, stay here while Heart and I have a little chat.”
“Not happening,” I fire back and mimic his tone of voice.
Heart snorts and I shoot him a grin.
“Lina,” Karev snaps. “Remember what the fuck I told you.”
My heart sinks and the reminder Karev just threw at me feels like a physical blow. He might not share our family background story, but he did feel the need to tell me I couldn’t have a relationship with a man. One of the reasons involves me and a knife.
“Yo, Heart. Prez said you needed us,” a voice rumbles and I watch three bikers walking toward us.
Heart glances in my direction and says, “Kepner, Lumos, and Remus.” He glances at them. “Deal with the trash and return to the clubhouse. Tell Fatal I need a full table in the morning and let me know once it’s done. Karev and I need to have a little chat.”
I watch him reach for me, and even if I don’t feel his hand on the small of my back, I do feel his warmth seeping through my clothes.
He’s unfazed by the way this realization startles me as he guides me in the direction of his bike.
Karev follows us and I hear the three bikers behind us bicker about who is going to dig a hole.
Which also makes me wonder, “Do all of you carry a shovel in your saddlebag? Is it a thing like some women carrying a pad in their purse just in case?”
Heart chuckles while I get a death glare from my half-brother.
“We need to go to the clubhouse or her place to have a chat,” Karev grits.
I flip him off. “I’m right here and I’m also the reason why we’re all standing here. Demanding I’m not present for your little chat is insane because everything has to do with me.”
“She’s right,” Heart states and I instantly like the guy a little more.
More because I liked him the second he handed me a knife, and the feeling doubled when I heard he was warned not to give me one, and still he gave it to me.
I refrain from grinning when Karev’s watchful eye is still on me.
He growls low in his throat and I doubt anyone hears or notices it.
My hearing and smell are heightened, always have been, and I can’t feel any physical pain.
Mentally is a whole different ballgame... nightmares...like Karev mentioned.
Some of my foster parents called me unhuman. I guess it’s better than being called inhuman since I don’t lack human qualities like compassion. Something they clearly lacked. It’s also why I ran off from the last house they placed me at when I was barely fourteen.
That’s when I went looking for my biological family and ended up with more asshole opinions, along with the only family I have left...
my half-brother, Karev. The guy doesn’t give up, even if I’m the asshole wanting him gone.
On the other hand, he did save me tonight by sending Heart.
Clearly, he couldn’t get here in time himself.
Which suddenly makes me blurt, “Thank you.”
Karev’s features instantly soften. Over the years I’ve come to know him as a hardass, but when push comes to shove, he’s like a dog showing his belly for a nice scratch.
“Why the fuck would you be sorry?” Heart snaps. “Or did you fuck up with the shit Digby mentioned? If so, explain and I’ll fix it. If not, explain anyway, so I can hunt the fucker down and slice his throat for coming after you in the first place.”
“Who the hell is Digby?” Karev asks.
“One of the fucks that was after her and got away. I know him, he knows who I am. His father owns a pawn shop one town over. They mentioned shit about her having something she has no right to and wanting information from her. Fuck.” Heart rubs the back of his neck.
“I think we need to search the woods for another body.”
“The fuck?” Karev snarls and I get another angry glare. “Please tell me you didn’t buy random shit from shady assholes again. Didn’t I tell you the vintage store was a bad fucking idea? Well, now you learned the hard way.”
My shoulders sag and I feel defeated. Karev did warn me about buying things secondhand, but I did my research and always have a contract in place.
I didn’t do anything wrong and yet he makes me feel like crap anyway.
I mean, people died tonight, and I’m pretty sure the issue isn’t resolved. Which means they will be back.
I stare at the dirt on my jeans when I ramble, “They killed Rob when they were kicking the shit out of him, demanding answers. The dead guy kicked him in the head and he went slack. One of them went nuts and cut off his head with a huge knife. He said they needed to make sure the animals would munch on him and spread out the body parts. That’s when the others turned their attention on me.
I didn’t have the information they wanted. I still don’t know why they took us.”
Karev sighs, and it makes me feel even smaller. I might not feel physical blows, but it makes the mental ones hit harder.
“I’ll find him and handle it. Can you at least go with Heart and take him to your store? I’ll meet you there once I’m done. Then we’ll handle the backlash from all of this.” Karev doesn’t wait for a response and jogs away, disappearing into the thick forest.