Chapter 14
Chapter Fourteen
Getting lost in the woods—topless and barefoot—was not on my list of things to do ever in this lifetime.
Neither was being sold. Or kidnapped. Or falling stupidly in infatuation for the enemy of the club I grew up in.
“Smooth move, Gigi,” I grumble at myself for slipping down a hillside which was great for one thing, terrible for another. I got far enough away from the van that no one could see me. Now I have no idea where I am, and I have to climb my way back up the hill.
Stepping carefully, I try to avoid the prickly things on the ground. My feet are gonna be a mess. Note to self…barefoot training is a thing.
I pick my way through the darkness, mad at myself for not looking for a light in the van before I took off. Or taking his phone.
A muddy spot sucks at my foot, making me cringe.
Wait. Are those voices?
Launching behind a tree, I pant a hundred miles an hour, pressing my hand over my mouth. Shhh. Shhh.
“Slider, over here, I see a mark in the dirt,” a male voice rumbles.
They’re close. Boots are crunching on fallen leaves and twigs to my right. The night creatures stop chirping. And my mind starts very unhelpfully replaying horror movies.
Please go away.
“Gigi!” a man shouts. I don’t recognize the voice. It could be anyone. My father’s men. Someone associated with the kidnapper. Or the Kings of Darkness men.
I don’t know. Don’t know what to do.
Whoever it is gets closer. “Gigi, yell if you hear us.”
I slide down the tree, crouching into a ball at the base. The bark is rough against my back, my lungs are burning and it feels like I’m out of adrenaline.
Careful of making any noise, I inch my fingers around me on the ground, looking for a stick, a rock, anything I can use to defend myself.
The walking stops and I hold my breath.
“Gigi, it’s Skyler, baby. Can you hear us?”
A whimper escapes my throat. Is this a trap? Do they know Skyler’s name?
A growl shakes the forest. “Chaos, I swear to god, I am going to chain you to me. I need you, baby. Please fucking be okay.”
Chaos. He said Chaos.
A sob bursts out of me. “Skyler!”
Lights swing across the ground landing on me as I stagger to my feet, covering my breasts with ice-cold fingers. My legs wobble, my eyes blur so badly I can’t see. I’m disoriented with the darkness and the flashlights, but the instant two strong arms wrap around me, I know I’m safe.
That warm, familiar scent swamps me as I bury my face in the strong curve of Skyler’s neck.
“You came, you found me.”
Skyler doesn’t say a word, he carries me up the steep hillside, out of the woods, one hand cradling my head against his shoulder, his other arm below my butt.
There’s a truck in the clearing near the van. He climbs in the backseat with me in his arms. For a long moment, we don’t do anything but hold on, our pounding hearts banging against each other. My face pressed against him, my bruised and cut-up arms cinched around his neck.
A river of tears soaks his shirt. They won’t stop coming. I’ve never been a cryer, but the dam broke this time.
He’s shaken, too. There’s a permanent rumble in his chest, like an animal guarding his herd. His breath sawing against my hair.
“This is never happening again,” he finally rasps, sounding winded as his arms lock me tighter to him.
“God, I hope not. This has to be the official night from hell,” I reply with a watery voice. “Except for you. You’re my knight in a leather cut.”
He leans me away, cradling my face in both his warm hands. With his heart in his eyes, he swallows roughly. “I’m so proud of you for killing him and getting away. But I want you to promise me, you will never ever get in a van with a stranger again.”
“Deal,” I whisper with all the emotions of the day suffocating me. “You don’t have to tell me that twice. I knew something was off, but I was just so confused here. I didn’t know who to trust.”
“I’m sorry, baby,” he grinds out, throat straining.
I lean into him, blowing out a slow breath. “I’m so tired.”
All I want to do is melt into the safety of his protection.
“I had them bring food,” he says, leaning in to kiss my forehead with that low rumble in his throat. “You need to eat.”
God, this man. He’s impossible to resist. Quietly, I admit, “I’m starving. Running for my life twice really worked up an appetite.”
He makes another pained sound. The driver, an MC member, passes a bag of food back to Skyler.
“You like tacos, baby?” he asks as he arranges the bag on the seat beside us. As he pulls out a ton of food, the whole truck fills with the most amazing aromas. “Moose got you some chicken ones.”
When I burst into laughter, Skyler’s hopeful expression turns to a concerned frown that makes him all the more endearing. “I can get something else if you want.”
“No. No,” I reassure him, hugging his neck again. “It’s just funny because the reason I was able to get the jump on that moron is because he was on the phone talking about chicken tacos and where he could get late night food.”
Skyler glares at the food like it committed a crime because it was the topic of conversation by my kidnapper. “I don’t like that. We should get you something else to eat.”
“Stop, silly. It’s okay, I love chicken tacos and I love even more that you thought to have food for me.”
His shoulders might relax a fraction of an inch. But not much. I snuggle closer to him, pressing my hand over his heart.
“I promise it’s okay. Now give me a bite before my hangry takes over, because I’m close. Who knows what I might be capable of when it unleashes.”
The truth is, I’m close to collapsing, and he can probably see that through my false bravado, but I don’t want him to worry any more than he has. The man looks like he’s been to hell.
He’s still shaking his head, murmuring something about chaos, but he settles me sideways on his lap. What he does next ruins me forever.
He feeds me little bites, never taking his eyes from my face. There’s a dark emotion behind his gaze that seems to get more intense with every minute that passes.
“Are you thinking about the electrician?” I ask between bites.
“Everything,” he says in a strained tone, feeding me another small bite, carefully angling the soft taco perfectly so I can nibble off the end. “Keeping you safe is now my full time job.”
The cracks in my heart all heal up at once. A warm glow replacing all the pain that’s been there for my whole life.
Then I look down and see the King’s logo on his cut. War will happen if I stay. This thing with Skyler might only be a dream, but for tonight I’m going to hold onto it.
I must pass out on the way back, because when I wake up I’m in the soft, familiar sheets with a warm body pressed against my back.
“Ah, Christ,” he says in a husky whisper. “You’re awake at last.”
I turn in his arms, plastering myself against the heat of his bare chest. Skin to skin for the first time. He traces his thumb over my lip, watching me gasp at his touch with eyes full of possession.
A heavy quiet settles in the bedroom. Neither of us speaks as he shifts closer, his hand sliding down my leg and looping it over his bare hip.