The drive time from Memphis, Tennessee to Port Angeles, Washington takes the average man approximately thirty-six hours. Even with the blizzard of a lifetime, Clutch managed to make it back home in just over thirty-four hours. He only made three stops for meals and gas, and one brief siesta at a rest stop outside of Oklahoma. By the time we pulled up to the clubhouse, I was more than ready to get a hot shower and crash. It was just after ten p.m. when we finally got out of the truck and headed inside. Since it was a week night, and most of the guys went home early to be with their families, we both were surprised to find Cotton at the bar talking with Maverick, Stitch, and Smokey. As we started walking towards them, I noticed the expression on Cotton’s face and knew immediately something was up. Before I could open my mouth, Clutch asked, “What’s going on?”

Cotton looked over to him and said, “That’s just it. We don’t have a fucking clue.”

“It’s something you’ll just have to see for yourself,” Smokey told him as he stood up. “Come on. I’ll show you.”

We followed him as he started down the hall, and when we got to the med room, he stopped and motioned us inside. Clutch walked in ahead of me, and I could hear the shock in his voice as he said, “What the hell happened to her?”

“Got no idea. Maverick found her passed out in the snow. She’s in pretty bad shape.”

I walked over to the gurney, and my stomach turned at what I saw. Her head was covered with a large, white bandage, along with her hands. Her eyes were practically swollen shut, and her face was covered in bruises and lacerations. “Fuck man. Why didn’t you take her to the hospital?”

Cotton came up behind us and said, “We were going to, but she came to long enough to beg us not to. She was pretty adamant about it. I figure she’s running from someone or something and doesn’t want to take the chance on being caught. And from what Doc found, I can’t blame her.”

“What do you mean?”

“Looks like she’s had a long run of having the shit beat out of her. She’s covered in old scars.” He walked over to the side of the bed and added, “It’s hard to tell without x-rays, but Doc thinks she’s had several broken bones over the past couple of years.”

“Any idea where she came from?”

Smokey shook his head. “That’s just it. She showed up here with no identification on her. No car. No purse. Nothing. It’s like she came out of thin air.”

“But she had to come from somewhere,” Cotton added. “Either somebody dropped her off, which means there’s no telling who the hell she is, or she managed to get here on her own. Either way, we’ve got to find out.”

“That’s kind of hard when she’s been out for the past twenty-four hours.”

“That long?” I asked. “Damn. Is she going to make it?”

“I don’t know. Doc’s been working on her since we found her last night, but it’s not looking good,” Cotton answered.

When Doc came out of the back room, Smokey asked, “How’s she doing?”

A somber look crossed his face as he answered, “No change, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. I’ve given her a pretty strong sedative to help her sleep. Her body needs time to heal, and the rest will do her good.”

“What about you? It’s about time you had a break.”

“I’m good for a few more hours. I don’t want to leave her just yet.”

“Then, we’ll leave you to it. If anything changes, let me know,” Cotton told him as he started for the door.

Smokey and Clutch followed him out, but I didn’t move. For some unexplainable reason, I felt compelled to stay. I looked down at her, studying the bruises on her face and arms, and I couldn’t help but wonder what in the hell happened to her. The clubhouse was miles away from town, surrounded by a thick forest of trees, and with the weather being at its worst, I couldn’t imagine how she’d gotten here. Doc walked over to me and said, “I’ve got no idea who she is, but I do know … that girl has one hell of a will to survive. She was damn near frozen to the bone when they brought her in here, and with all the blood she’d lost, I thought for sure we’d lose her. But she’s still hanging on.”

“Do you think someone did all this to her?”

“Can’t say for sure. There are some strange bruises around her neck. It could be that someone was choking her, but with the large contusion on her forehead, the bruised ribs, and all the other cuts and bruises, it could be that she was in some kind of accident … maybe a car crash. Then, I’d say the bruising could possibly be from a seat belt.” He shrugged. “The boys went out looking for some sign of a vehicle off the road but couldn’t find anything with all this damn snow.”

“If this was an accident, what about the other stuff? Cotton said it looked like she’d been hurt before … that she’d had a rough go of it.”

“Yeah. She’s got several old injuries and scars. That poor girl has been through hell and back.” He ran his hand across his face as he sighed. “I’ll tell you one thing … I’d like to get my hands on the asshole who hurt her and show him a thing or two.”

I had no idea who this woman was, but watching her fight for her life instilled a sense of rage deep within me. I wanted to take the motherfucker who hurt her and rip him apart, limb by limb. In almost a growl, I replied, “I’d like to have my turn when you’re done.”

“We’ve got to find out who we’re dealing with first.” He patted me on the back and said, “Why don’t you go get some rest? I know how it can be riding with Clutch. I’m sure you had a long run of it today. She’s not going anywhere. Sleep a few hours, and then maybe you could sit with her while I get a little shut-eye myself.”

“Yeah. I can do that.”

Again, I found myself not wanting to leave her, and I had to force my feet into motion. I got to the door, and as I stopped to look back over at her, I felt the strangest feeling wash over me. Maybe it was my primal need to protect a helpless female, or maybe it was just seeing that she was so close to death, but I felt an odd pull to her. I tried to shake it off as I headed down the hall. I was exhausted and too tired to drive back to my place, so I decided to just crash in my room at the club. After a hot shower, I laid down on my bed and tried to sleep, but when I closed my eyes, all I could see was her. My mind raced with different possible scenarios of how she’d been hurt and how she’d ended up at the clubhouse. The whole thing was a mystery to me, and my curiosity had me determined to solve it. Sleep finally took over, but it wasn’t for long. The sun had just started to filter through the blinds when I found myself wide awake and staring at the ceiling. Knowing there was no way I was going to be able to fall back asleep, I pulled myself out of bed and got dressed. As soon as I got my boots on, I headed straight for the infirmary.

When I walked in, Doc was sitting in a chair next to her bed, and he looked like he was just about to doze off. “How’s she doing?”

He stood up and said, “No change. Her stats are good, but she’s still out. Hopefully, she’ll come around soon.”

“You ready for that break?”

“Absolutely. I’m too old for this shit,” he groaned. When he got to the door, he turned to me and said, “I’ll be in my room. Come get me if anything changes.”

“You got it.”

I walked over to the bed and was pleased to see that some of the swelling had gone down. Her eyes were no longer completely swollen shut, and while they were still dry and cracked, the cut on her bottom lip looked like it was starting to heal. It shouldn’t have come as a surprise. Doc was one of the best. Before he joined the club, he’d been a doctor in the military, and he’s always been there whenever one of the brother’s needed him. He could do it all—from your everyday cold and allergies to life-threatening gunshot wounds, and I hoped he’d be able to do the same for her.

I hadn’t been there long when Cotton came by. He was followed by Smokey and Maverick, and then Stitch—each of them staying just long enough to see if she was awake. Once they were gone, I stood over her and took a moment to look at her—really look at her and not just her battle wounds. Even with the bruising and swelling, I could tell that she was beautiful. She was in her mid-twenties, tall with subtle curves, and her hair was long and dark. As she lay there sleeping, she looked so peaceful, like an angel, and I found myself wanting to know everything about her. I glanced down at her left hand, quickly searching for a wedding ring, and while I found no ring, I could see a faint indentation around her ring finger. Yet another mystery.

For hours, I watched the rise and fall of her chest as I waited for her to wake up, but she never opened her eyes. When I couldn’t stand the silence a minute longer, I stepped over to her and gently ran my hand across her cheek as I whispered, “Come on, angel. It’s time for you to wake up.”

Her skin felt warm to the touch when I placed my hand on her shoulder and gave her a gentle squeeze. “My name’s Scotty, but the guys call me Diesel. I know it’s an odd name, but that’s how it goes when you have one bad go of starting a fire. You get yourself a road name that leaves an impression. Anyway, you’re in Port Angeles at the Satan’s Fury clubhouse. One of the brothers found you outside in the snow the other night. You were pretty banged up. Bleeding and half frozen. Our guy, Doc, has been working on you, but you gotta do your part. He told me that you’re a fighter. I need you to prove it. Open your eyes.”

I never took my eyes off her as I continued talking, hoping by some chance that I would be able to convince her to wake up. “You don’t have to be afraid. You’re safe here. We won’t let anyone hurt you ever again. I won’t let anyone hurt you again. You have my word on that.”

I ran my hand down her arm until it reached hers and then placed it in mine. “You can trust me.”

I was still holding her hand when I felt her fingers twitch. “That’s it, angel. It’s okay. You can come back now. I’m here, and I’m not going anywhere.”

Her eyelids fluttered as a low groan vibrated through her chest, and after several long seconds, she finally opened her eyes. As her eyes skirted around the room, a look of panic crossed her face and her breath quickened. Knowing she had to be freaked out by her surroundings, I said, “Easy there, doll. You’re okay.”

She slowly turned her head towards me, and the fear in her eyes was quickly replaced with confusion. Her voice was low and scratchy as she asked, “Who are … you, and where … am … I?”

“I’m Diesel,” I told her. “I’ll explain the rest later, but first I need to let Doc know you’re awake.”

When I started towards the door, she reached for me. “Don’t … go.”

I placed my hand on top of hers and said, “I’ll only be gone a second.”

While it was clear from her expression that she didn’t want me to leave, she gave me a quick nod. “Okay.”

I rushed out the door and then down the hall to get Doc. As soon as I told him she was awake, he shot out of the bed and hurried down to the infirmary. Standing beside her bed, he shined a small light into her eyes and said, “Welcome back. You gave us all quite a scare.”

She looked more confused than ever, so I explained, “This is Doc. He’s the one who saved your life.”

“Saved my life?” She brought her hand up to her head and asked, “What are you talking about? What … happened?”

“I don’t know, darlin’. I was hoping you could answer that,” Doc told her.

“I don’t know. I … can’t remember.”

“That’s okay. It’ll come to you,” he assured her. “What about your name? Do you remember that?”

Her face twisted into a grimace as she tried to think, and after a long pause, she answered, “No. I … can’t remember.”

“You’ve had quite a hard knock to the head. Things will be pretty jumbled up for a little while, but it will sort itself out. Just give it some time.”

She glanced back over to me, and with a strained voice, she asked, “What is … this place?”

“You’re at our—”

I started, but Doc interrupted me by saying, “We need to get Cotton and let him know she’s awake.”

“Can’t we wait a minute? Give her a second to come around a bit?”

“You know we can’t,” he replied. “You go find him while I check her stats.”

Before I left, I looked down at her and said, “I’ll be right back. You gonna be okay while I’m gone?”

She nodded, and with great hesitation, I headed out to find Cotton. As soon as I told him she was awake, he called Maverick and Stitch, telling them to head over to the infirmary. She was already scared, and when my brothers came barreling into the room, it nearly sent her over the edge. Her face grew pale and her eyes widened with pure terror as she watched them file into the room. Doc patted her on the arm as he said, “Don’t you worry now. These men are here to help you.”

Cotton approached the side of the bed and asked her the same question Doc had already asked. “Do you got a name, Miss?”

“I can’t … remember.”

“You got any idea how you got here?”

She shook her head as she replied, “No. I can’t remember … anything.”

I knew Cotton wasn’t happy with her answers. Like the rest of us, he wanted to know who she was and where the hell she came from, but we’d all just have to wait. In time, she’d answer all of our questions, but her answers would only lead to more questions— questions that would turn her world, and ours, upside down.