Chapter 7

Emily

The waitress in the diner fell over herself to be nice to us. I have no idea why she thought Salvatore was a threat to me. I studied him over our meal. He really is handsome. His dark eyes penetrate my soul when he looks at me and I can’t help but tell him the truth. It feels as though he would be able to tell if I was lying. He is gentle with me but he is always in charge. When it came time to pay, he opened his wallet and pulled out a hundred dollar note and left it for the waitress. I tried to give him fifty dollars, even though leaving such a huge tip was not something I would normally have done. He merely looked at me and waved his hand in a dismissive manner, then stood and held out his hand to help me to my feet.

“Come, Amare, we can’t be too far from Tourmaline now, we should make it by daybreak.” When I grab his hand, fire erupts and electricity shoots through me, straight to my core. He rubs his thumb over my knuckles and smiles. “Are you alright? You look...startled.”

“I’m fine, I feel so much better. Thank you for stopping and getting something to eat, it’s just what I needed.” I smile at him, trying to appear as though his touch has not affected me. He shoots me a wink and heads for the door, still grasping my hand.

As we arrive at the door, the waitress grabs my other hand. I turn to look at her and she says, “Honey, you should freshen up before your drive. Couldn’t help but hear you were on your way to Tourmaline. It’s a bit of a hike; you really should use our restrooms before you go.” Her smile is sincere and although I don’t need to use the bathroom, I agree and let go of Salvatore’s hand.

“I’ll just be a minute. She’s right, it is a bit of a drive and this way we won’t have to stop.”

“Okay, fine. Go clean up. I’ll be in the car.” Salvatore nods at me and heads towards the car.

When I enter the restrooms, I notice the waitress is hot on my tail. “Honey, he seems like a nice man and he’s very protective of you, anyone can see that, but are you sure you are ok?” she asks.

“I’ve had a really long day, actually a really long few weeks. It will be good to get to Tourmaline and sleep.” I have no idea why I am sharing this with her. Maybe it’s her kind smile. Or maybe it’s because I haven’t had contact with anyone other than the nurses and doctors who took care of my father.

“He looks at you like he either wants to protect you or devour you. Be careful of that one. Men like him will either break you or fill the void within. Good luck, honey.” She pats my arm and moves out of the restrooms.

I use the facilities and wash my hands. I stare at my reflection in the mirror and it looks as though I am going to have a black eye. My blonde hair is a mess. I rummage through my bag, find a hair band and rake my fingers through my locks to pull it up into a messy bun. Well, at least it’s off my face. I sigh to myself and head for the car.

***

We hit the outskirts of Tourmaline as the sun comes up over the mountains. I have never been this far from my home, except for college. Tourmaline is beautiful, with its treelined streets and curving roads.

Salvatore has been fairly quiet since we left the diner. I am drawn to him but my inexperience with men means I don’t know how to flirt or even make it known that I am interested. The few times I have asked him a question he has only responded with one or two word answers. The guy is tense, on guard even, and seems lost in thought.

I study his profile and have the urge to run my fingers over his jaw. I know staring is rude, but this man who saved my life—twice—is worth admiring. I am so taken by him that I don’t realize he is speaking.

“What did you say?”

He laughs softly. “I asked, where should I drop you? A doctor? A motel? Your brother’s?”

“Could you please drop me at the Savage Angels Compound? I think it’s at the end of Main Street,” I say.

His whole body tightens and he glances at me and replies gruffly, “The Savage Angels Compound?”

I am not sure why he has reacted this way and I answer, “Yes, the Savage Angels Compound, it’s in Main Street and they have a garage there as well.”

“Ahhh, a garage, for your car. Yes, of course I can drop you there. Would you like me to come in with you?” he asks.

“No thank you, you’ve really done enough already,” I reply with a shy smile.

“When you aren’t getting yourself into trouble, Amare, you are a most pleasant companion,” he smiles as he says this.

I grin at him and say, “Maybe I’m doing it on purpose so that you will come to my rescue; it’s not every day a girl gets saved by a handsome stranger.”

He chuckles. “You think I am handsome, Amare?” He stops the car and turns his eyes to mine.

I can feel the blush start to creep its way up my neck and into my cheeks. I immediately get flustered and stumble over my words. “It’s just that...I meant it was nice of you to help me, that’s all.”

He nods and grins as he undoes his seatbelt then leans towards me and undoes mine. My whole body goes rigid as he gets closer, his mouth inches from mine. I can feel the warmth of his breath on my face.

“You are at your destination.” His fingers tuck my hair behind my ear as he reaches for the door handle, pushing it open. “Do not let them overcharge you for towing. Men will take advantage of women if they can.” He hasn’t moved from my space. We are in such close proximity that I think I’ve stopped breathing. His eyes search mine and I think he’s going to kiss me. My lips part slightly, ready to feel his mouth on mine, but the thought is quickly diminished when he says, “You can get out now, Amare, I wish you well. I am going to check into the local motel and sleep.”

He turns away from me, facing back to the road, solely focused on getting away. I feel completely foolish. What the hell was I thinking; I mentally kick myself...again.

“Thank you, Sal, I hope to see you again.”

He gives me a quick lift of his chin and turns his eyes away again. I grab my bag, climb out of the car and shut the door. I give him a small wave; he nods and is gone. I feel like a complete idiot. Of course he isn’t interested in me, he told me as much at the diner. A man like that could have anyone he chooses, why would he want me?

Even though it is early, I can see signs of life in the Compound. I head through their gates and make my way to the office for the garage. As I cross the yard, a man comes up to me.

“Lady, you’re too early for interviews and too late for the stripper job, so what can I do for you?” This guy is tall and covered in tattoos. He’s only wearing a jacket, no shirt, putting his abs on full display.

“I’m looking for Dane Reynolds,” I say.

He stops and gives me a once over. I feel like shrinking. “Dane’s got an old lady, he doesn’t need another one and you, babe, well it would be an injustice to have you as a side piece.”

Shock goes across my face as I say, “I’m his sister, Emily.”

He makes a clicking sound with his tongue and takes a step back, looks me up and down then laughs sheepishly. He moves into my space and engulfs me in a hug, then pushes me back with his hands on my shoulders.

“I can see the family resemblance. I’m Jonas, Dane has mentioned you.” He cocks his head to the side, studying me curiously. “You in trouble, did some guy do that to you?”

I am so not good with men. This handsome, rough looking man, who is hardly dressed, has his hands on me and again I am overwhelmed. “No, no, no. I had a car accident and hit my head on the steering wheel. My car is a total write‐off...I think.” I glance around, very unsure. “Is Dane here?”

His hands move to my face and he presses around my eye. I wince a little at his touch. I try to focus on something else, his lips are moving and he’s talking. “Let’s get you checked out by Doc Jordan. He’ll be awake now, and then we’ll give Dane a call, yeah?”

“It’s really not necessary. I’m fine, really, just tired and if you’d stop poking my face I’m sure it wouldn’t hurt as much,” I snap as I pull away from his grasp.

He holds his hands up in a defensive manner and takes a step away from me. “Emily, Em?” I nod at him. “Em, we need to have you checked out, Dane would take off my left fucking nut if anything happened to you. So, in the interest of keeping my balls intact, would you please come with me to see the Doc?” He waggles his eyebrows at me and I can’t help but laugh.

“Okay, okay, even though I think it’s a waste of time,” I say. His smirk strengthens into a full‐blown smile as he motions for me to follow him.

“The Doc is just a block away, think you can walk it?” he asks.

“Yes, but I really need to sleep.”

“It’s weird that Dane isn’t here to meet you, I’ll call him.”

I halt my steps, panic rising in my chest. “He doesn’t know I’m here, I didn’t tell him I was coming.”

He cocks an eyebrow at me and says, “Your dad has been sick. Dane told me. Did he...pass?”

My throat constricts and I continue walking. I nod repeatedly but words will not form. I know if I speak the tears that are threatening to fall will spill over and I have had enough crying for now.

“I am sorry, Em. I didn’t mean to upset you. Tell me about your car accident; tell me how you got here.” He catches up with me, grabs me by the elbow and guides me into a building.

“I swerved to miss an animal or something and drove straight into a tree. I didn’t really think this trip out. I didn’t even pack a bag. Dad...Dad died and I’ve been existing in a haze for the last few days or so. I just got in my car and began heading towards Tourmaline, towards Dane. I got picked up by a stranger who was traveling here as well, I got lucky”

Jonas looks at me, a blank expression on his face. “You’ve been driving for what, two or three days? Did you stop anywhere?”

“I’ve been driving non‐stop for four days.” I bow my head and sigh. I am so tired. All I want is sleep. 

“Em, how far away is your car? I’ll call one of the guys to pick it up.” He reaches into his jacket and pulls out a phone.

“It’s about four hours away from here.”

He motions me to keep walking. “You didn’t even pack a bag? Does anyone even know where you are? Do you know how dangerous that is?” He sounds genuinely concerned.

“I know, I didn’t think it through. I just had to see Dane.” I don't admit to him that my intention was to hurt my brother, his friend. I wanted to wound him just like I have been wounded.

“Jonas, I know your club donated a lot of money to my clinic but it’s a tad early to see patients, even for me.” I turn to see a man, probably in his forties if I were to guess, striding our way. He has a close‐cropped haircut and an enormous smile. His eyes are soft, despite the early hour of the day.

“Doc, I am not trying to take advantage of you but Dane’s sister Emily had a car accident and I would appreciate it if you checked her out. Don’t want the Prez cutting my nuts off.”

Doc Jordan comes closer to me and starts to prod my face, in much the same way that Jonas did. I wince and take a step back.

“Sorry, Emily, it’s probably just bruising but let’s check you over. If you’ll follow me?” His tone is soothing as he makes a sweeping gesture with his arm.

I follow him into a smaller office and sit on the examination table. Jonas walks into the room too and I raise my eyebrows at him. “Sorry, Em, I’ll be gone in a minute, just a few questions, yeah?”

I sigh, the weariness of my body seeping through me. Sleep, I need sleep. “Ok, what do you want to know?”

“Make, model and color of your car and what do you want me to tell Dane?”

I shake my head from side to side as fear rips through me. “No, don’t tell Dane I’m here. I want to...surprise him.” I feel bad for lying to Jonas but I have no idea what I am going to say to Dane. My intention was to hurt him but after traveling all this way, it seems ridiculous, childish.

He raises his eyebrows at me and smiles. “For now, I won’t say anything but, Em, babe, I don’t like keeping surprises from my President.”

I smile at him and the doctor says, “Ok, Jonas, out. You can wait outside in the waiting room, this won’t take long.”

Jonas smiles at us both and retreats to the waiting room.

“Doctor Jordan, I am fine, really” I try to reassure him with a smile but he frowns at me.

“Let me just give you a quick look over and dress that wound. I don’t think you need stitches but maybe a little wound glue? Hmmm, let’s give it a good clean.” He begins to clean my cut and I wince. “Any headache, nausea?”

“I have a slight headache but no nausea; I’m just tired.” I think again about my lack of sleep and just want to curl up into a ball.

Doc drops his hands to his sides. He cocks his head and looks at me intently. “Hmmm, you do look tired. When did you last sleep?”

He resumes cleaning my cut and I say, “I haven’t slept properly in a while. I was looking after my father. He had lung cancer. I just couldn’t sleep deeply; he may have needed me in the night. Every little noise would wake me.” I try to smile but I’m sure it looks more like a grimace.

Doc Jordan just nods and continues to prod my face. I’m not good at silence. It makes me uneasy. I try for words to fill the void but Doc beats me to it.

“It’s not easy looking after a loved one when they come to the end, some are good, some are bitter and some want someone to blame. How was your father?” he asks.

“He was always a hard man but he was so much worse at the end. He never lived in the now after my mother died, he lived in the past. He was bitter and he was....” My voice breaks as memories of my father flood my mind. Anger surges through me and tears run down my cheeks. Doc Jordan walks over to his desk, grabs the tissue box and hands it to me. He says nothing as he finishes cleaning my face and secures the cut with small butterfly bandages.

“There you go. Sorry if the antiseptic stung. You don’t need stitches and apart from the makings of a spectacular black eye and the fact that you are exhausted, you appear to be fine.” He pauses and looks me in the eyes. “I don’t know the relationship you have with your brother but he too is a hard man. He is the president of one of the largest MC’s in the country. If you need anything, Emily, I can be found here.” He smiles and holds out his hand to help me down.

“Thank you for patching me up, what do I owe you?”

He laughs and says, “Your brother made a sizeable donation to my clinic, which will see me through for years to come, so it’s on the house. Your family has a free pass for a very long time. Now, take these, they will help with your headache and help you sleep.”