We pulled up to some dinky little petrol station and convenience store not far out of town.
Kit had followed the bikes in, muttering something to himself about wondering what they were up to. We’d only been in the car not much longer than an hour, but I was desperate to get out and breathe.
I walked off in search of the bathroom, leaving Kit to talk with his Brothers. I didn’t really need to go but being in that small space with him right next to me, it was messing with my head something fierce.
Kit was sexy, he was commanding and he was strong. Everything an outlaw biker president should be. When he talked, you paid attention, not just because you should but because he just had that type of aura around him that made you want to hear what he had to say.
I hated that. Damn it.
I liked Kit. Okay, maybe it was more than that. Maybe I was catching a serious case of the feelings. My body knew this in the way it wanted him to strip me of my clothes and fuck me front-ways, back-ways, and all the bloody ways in between. My heart knew it in the way it raced just having him anywhere near.
But my head? That’s where the objections came. That’s what kept me fighting against the situation, against giving in and letting him have me.
My heart didn’t remember all the times men had walked in and out of my life, always leaving me behind without a second thought. My body didn’t remember what it was like to look up to someone, have them teach you their craft and then just take off without even a goodbye at the end of their rock tour. My head remembered these things. They were burnt into my brain. A sharp reminder that getting attached to someone wasn’t a good thing. They’d move on and I’d be left behind.
I’d lived that pattern so many times that it had eventually become the norm. Then I’d been offered a place as a club girl and it almost seemed too perfect. Booze, sex, men and no attachments what-so-ever.
I stood in front of the large bathroom mirror that ran along one wall. Staring at my reflection was a little depressing. My arm was cradled to my body because I’d refused to wear my sling in the car much to Kit’s protests. My hair was hanging down around my face, something I hated, preferring to have it tied back or at least pinned back and out of the way. And to top it all off, the smile I tried to put on my lips didn’t even resemble a real one. It was so forced it was sad.
I heard the door swing open, but took no notice as I continued to study myself in the mirror. Kit would help me through this. He would find the guy, sort him out with the help of the club and I’d go home.
I snorted, knowing I was kidding myself. Kit had made it perfectly clear what he wanted – me. And while I was independent and strong-willed, telling myself I didn’t need a man to watch over me or stand up for me, I felt safe with him. Safe in a situation that I would never admit to anyone scared the crap out of me.
“Harmony Jones.” My head shot up, the deep masculine voice sending shock waves through me.
I turned to find two men. One standing in front of the bathroom door with his arms folded across his chest, the other standing closer to me, a smug look plastered on his face.
Suits. They were both wearing suits. Designer suits. Not just ones you rented for a wedding, but ones that wealthy businessmen owned and wore on a daily basis.
“It’s so nice to see you again.”
I recognized him immediately. The man from the coffee shop. The one who had started this whole journey. My stomach turned and my throat itched. I wanted to yell, to scream for help. But I knew that the boys were all out the front of the store, and they wouldn’t hear me.
I steeled my shoulders and glared at him through my dipped lashes, feigning confidence that I knew I didn’t have. “And you are?”
He held his hand out, searching for a handshake. “Daniel Ashley.” I looked at his hand, scrunching up my nose as though I was thoroughly disgusted, as opposed to scared out of my mind. He held it there for a few seconds before withdrawing it with a light chuckle. “You know, it’s polite to shake a man’s hand when he offers it to you.”
“I’d say I’m sorry, but that would be a lie,” I shot.
I saw his eyes narrow slightly, but he covered the slight bout of anger quickly with a smile. “I just wanted to come and introduce myself to you.”
“At a gas station in the middle of nowhere?” I scoffed. I knew what he was doing, I wasn’t stupid. This man was proving a point. He knew where I was and who I was with and he wanted to show me that he could get to me.
“Unfortunately, I haven’t been able to catch you alone lately,” his word emphasis was not lost on me and my body instinctively took a step away from him. He followed, his step a lot larger. He was moving closer and with his man standing guard at the door, he was backing me into a corner. “I needed your friend, Chelsea isn’t it? I needed her for a business deal. It was unfortunate that you had to come along and ruin that.”
His hand flew out, slapping me across the face and forcing me to the wall. The hand dryer hit my back and my legs threatened to cave. With my back against a wall, I felt like a caged animal waiting for a predator to strike. And he didn’t disappoint.
“I thought I’d get some of my men to grab you.” He gestured to the buff guy standing at the door who smiled devilishly. “I just wanted to have a chat, maybe teach you a few things about manners. But you ruined that also. How’s your shoulder by the way?”
“Fuck you,” I sneered.
His hand shot out and gripped my sore shoulder. I tensed, trying not to show this man how much pain he was causing me.
“As much as I would love to do just that. That is not my job here.” He pressed his thumb directly into my bullet wound and I screamed out as a jolt of pain shot through my body. I tried to move away from him, but he just stepped further into me, his hand and the pain keeping my body immobile. I could even hear and feel the stitches popping and breaking. “At first I just wanted to show you some respect. The way you talked to me was unacceptable, Harmony. A woman needs to know her place, and it’s obvious to me that you don’t.”
Tears burned in my eyes, but I forced them down. I wouldn’t show this monster any sign that he was winning. “I said…Fuck…You.”
The backhand to the face caught me off guard and I stumbled, falling against one of the toilet stalls. I gripped a hold of it before I could fall, attempting to keep my balance. I looked up at him, and the darkness in the eyes shining back at me made me want to cower. He cleared his throat and adjusted his cufflinks casually like he hadn’t just smacked the shit out of me.
“You’re strong, Harmony. I’ll give you that.” The pain in my shoulder and face was excruciating, but I’d held my shoulders back and stared him in the eye, refusing to let him see me vulnerable. “But everyone has their breaking point and I would’ve taken so much pleasure in breaking you. But then a client of mine heard about you, he became very interested and was adamant that he must have you for his collection.”
I frowned, confused by his words.
“I know who you are! I know where you’re going! I know everything about you!” He smirked, dusting off his hands as if when he hit me he may have contracted some sort of disease. “I’ll let you have a little time with your friends because where you’re going, you’re going to need the happy memories to make it through.” Then he turned and strolled straight out the door, as though he hadn’t just threatened me. Almost like it was just another day at the office.
My body gave in and I slid to the floor. Things were escalating very quickly, my mind couldn’t keep up, his words replaying over and over again.
He must have you for his collection.
Where you’re going, you’re going to need the happy memories.
I would’ve taken so much pleasure in breaking you.
I heard a gasp and looked up, my eyes now clouded with tears.
“Oh, my dear! Are you okay, honey?” The older lady moved toward me. She crouched down and reached out to brush my hair away from my eyes. I cringed and turned away from her. “Is there someone I can get for you? Are you here with anyone?”
Kit. Get Kit.
“His name’s Kit, he’s one of the bikers outside,” I whispered. Hiding my face behind a curtain of hair, not wanting to see the look of pity on the woman’s face.
“Okay, I’ll get him.”
She rushed out and I let the dam loose. The waterworks were on, only relieving a little of the pressure that was now building in my head.
This was bad.
So, so bad.