Chapter 4 Pans
Pans
"Hey, come back here."
There's panic in her voice, and I hate that I keep walking up the stairs, but I do. It's for her own protection.
I don't know Willow. I don't know if she'll leave if I don't lock her up. But I have to make sure she doesn't so that The Reapers can’t track her down.
I already know if anything happened to her, I'd lose my mind.
She rattles the metal bars, and I force myself to keep looking ahead. Leaving an injured girl locked in the cage is not my best moment. But that's what I need to do to protect her.
I leave the door of the basement ajar, and I can still hear her calling to me as I speed dial Bruno, the club Pres.
We spoke last night and had a debrief about what the fuck happened.
The Reapers have been warned not to bring drugs through our territory. We got a tip-off about a drug run coming straight through our turf. That's not cool with us.
We didn't know the size of the drop when we intercepted them. We expected a few men on bikes, not a van full of heroin. And we didn't expect the driver to be a crazy-ass bastard.
Willow got caught in the middle of it with her car. He swerved right into her, not giving a shit if he hurt anyone else.
The thought makes my fists clench. When I find the asshole who was driving, I'll make him pay for what he did to her. How she survived, how she walked away from that crash, fuck only knows.
She could have fucking died.
The fact that I found Willow, damaged and in need of my help, sends a new wave of protectiveness through me. I long ago stopped believing in a God, but maybe there is fate at work. Maybe something bigger than me has thrown this woman quite literally into my path.
I can't explain the warm feeling I got when her body pressed against mine, holding her between my legs on the bike.
And it's not the usual heat of a woman's body.
I've had plenty of that, but never have I felt this tightness in my chest as I watch her sleep. When I look at her angelic face, I know I’d kill for her ten times over.
"We've brought the car in, and it's destroyed,” says Bruno, confirming what I already suspected. Willow isn’t getting her car back. “We cleared up the wreck before anyone saw. As far as highway patrol knows, there was no crash last night.”
I uncurl my fists with relief. No one else will be looking for Willow. There will be no record of the crash. No way for The Reapers to trace her.
Don't get me wrong. If she needed emergency care, I would take her to a hospital. But her wounds are only surface level. I can give her all the care she needs right here.
We know The Reapers won't come for us. They’re not stupid enough to start a gang war. But they’ll come for a witness if we don't protect her.
"How’s the girl?” Bruno asks.
I gave him a rundown of Willow’s injuries last night so he knows what I’m dealing with.
"She's going to be fine," I tell him.
"I'm gonna send Gage and Lyle out there to look after her. You can come back and deal with the Reapers."
"No."
It's not often I contradict the Pres, but there's no way in hell I'm letting another man come out here and tend to Willow.
Willow is mine. Mine to look after, mine to protect. Not even my MC brothers are going to get close to her until I know her heart is securely entwined with mine.
“Pans, I’m not sure nursing a witness is the right job for you," Bruno says carefully. "We want her alive, and we want her to feel safe."
If I was any other man, I might be offended, But I know why Bruno's skeptical. I’m usually pulling people apart, not putting them together.
"Don't worry, Pres. I'll protect this woman with my life."
Bruno goes silent. I’m many dark things, but I’m also a man of my word.
"All right Pans. If you want to play nurse, you do it. But I'm sending Gina to help. This girl needs reassurance. She needs to know she can trust us. I want her to feel safe, not be scared of us.”
Again, I'm not offended. I’m not known for making people feel safe and reassured.
Gina's our club manager and resident matriarch. She's no one's old lady; she gave that up a long time ago. But she looks after us and has a knack for putting people at ease with her good nature. I've never met anyone who didn't like Gina.
“Fine,” I say. “Send Gina, but no other man gets near Willow.”
Bruno chuckles like he can see right through me. But I don't give a shit. If this is what it means to fall in love, then sign me up.