Gina felt soft, small, and vulnerable beneath me. Another shot whizzed by my head as I held her to the ground. Her screams ripped through me and for a moment I thought she’d been hit. But it wasn’t blood on my cheek. It was Gina’s tears.

“Stay down!” I shouted to her. My fingers closed around my Nine and I lifted my head just enough to get off a clear shot at the tires. I tried to let my mind slow. Take it in. Black Mercedes. Double door. White wall tires. Texas license plates. Dirt covered the numbers and I couldn’t make them out. The tinted window in the back seat closed and I saw the barrel of a gun disappear behind it.

I got off one shot but it went wild, ricocheting off the back bumper as the car sped away. Stupid. So stupid. I’d stood out in the open with Gina for far too long.

“Get up,” I shouted. “There might be more of them.” In the back of my mind I found it ironic that the whole thing went down in between two campus cop cars. The officers they belonged to were nowhere to be found. Cold fear snaked up my spine and I wondered if that wasn’t a coincidence. New panic threatened to claw its way through my lungs. I couldn’t afford to give into it. One thing was certain: I had to get Gina the fuck out of there. Now.

“Let’s go,” I said, helping her to her feet. I’d sent Toby back to the airport to hook up with Moose. They were both probably long gone by now. It was the second stupid thing I’d done. I wasn’t about to do a third.

I held Gina close to me, tucking her head under my arm as I made my way to my bike. If I had any doubt about who those fuckers were targeting, the condition of my Harley made it clear. There wasn’t a scratch on it. They’d been straight up aiming for Gina.

“Climb on,” I commanded. Gina’s face was ashen, but she gave me a nod and straddled the back of the bike. Her arms folded around my waist. I didn’t waste another second. I heard shouts from across the quad. It looked like Lake Meredith College’s finest had finally come out to play. I had no plans to stick around for them. I hit the throttle and sped down the narrow street as fast as I dared to go.

Wind flew in my face and Gina’s grip tightened around me. Every intersection, every darkened corner, every building felt like a death trap. She wasn’t safe here, not in the dorms, not at that fucking sorority house, definitely not walking the streets. I could phone it into Bear later; for now there was only one place to go.

My heart dropped back into my chest by the time I hit the Interstate. I knew I should have called for backup. Moose and Toby might not have even left the airstrip yet. I could have even called one of our allied clubs near Lubbock. All I wanted to do was get Gina as far away from that fucking campus as possible. We had a safe house just outside of Abilene. I’d take her there and see what Bear’s next move was. I just knew I’d take a bullet for Gina if I had to. Anything to keep her safe and whole.

We rode for an hour. I took the bike up to dangerous speeds. It was a risk. I could have drawn attention from the state troopers once we hit the highway. But I was running on pure adrenaline. Get Gina to ground. That’s the only thing that mattered. The rest I’d just make up as I went.

It was just past midnight when I finally made the turnoff to the small farmhouse we kept outside the Abilene city limits. I hadn’t been there in years. I went up the long, winding dirt driveway. You couldn’t see the house from the street. The place used to be a cattle ranch just after World War II. One of our original members had owned it. Now the ranch lands had been sold off and just the house remained. The dilapidated barn behind only had one wall standing. The other three had caved in along with the roof decades ago. The house itself was a two-story Victorian-style white house with a wraparound porch, white bricks, and green shutters.

I pulled up and parked my bike behind the barn where it couldn’t be seen should any lost soul happen to drive up here. They wouldn’t be able to without me knowing about it. We had the house rigged with motion cameras and silent alarms. It looked like shit from the outside, but we had the place fully stocked for emergencies. This qualified.

Gina sat with her chin against her chest, afraid to move. I reached for her. The tracks of dried tears covered her cheeks. She looked at me with those big brown eyes and my heart cracked in two.

“You’re safe now,” I said, holding my hand out to her. “Come on. Let’s get you inside. You can wash up.”

She found her strength. Gina’s back straightened and she nodded. She ran her fingers through her hair, smoothing out the worst of the tangles she’d picked up on the road. She took my hand and let me help her off the back of my bike.

“Where are we?” she asked, her voice cracking.

“Just a little hideaway,” I answered. “We can spend the night and figure out what’s what in the morning. You good with that?”

She bit her bottom lip and her step faltered. She’d been drunk less than an hour ago. Now she was stone cold sober. I guessed bullets whizzing at your head could do that.  

I knew she had to have a million questions, but she followed me up the wooden porch steps and through the front door.

“Come on,” I said. “I’d rather leave the lights off up here. Let me show you the basement. Everything we need is down there.”

“If you say so,” she said.

I may never fully appreciate the desperate courage Gina DiSalvo had to muster to follow me down those darkened basement steps. She didn’t know me. Not really. She only knew of me and so far, her life had blown up right around the time she met me. But she did follow me down those stairs, keeping her cold, slender fingers wrapped around my palm.

We’d set the basement up as a sort of command central. There was a large rec room at the bottom of the stairs. A hallway leading to the right led to two bedrooms and a bathroom with a shower stall. There were no windows down here so I could flip the lights without worrying about anyone seeing anything from the outside. To any random stranger happening along, the house would still look abandoned.

The rec room had a fully stocked bar, flat-screen television, laptop, and pool table. There was enough food and supplies down here to last about six weeks. Plenty of time to bug out when things got bad.

I turned to Gina. She stood against the wall with her arms folded across her chest. She looked at me with wide, frightened eyes. I felt as though my guts tore out and spilled onto the floor. I’d been so caught up in getting her the hell away from danger, it hadn’t occurred to me how wrecked she was from it.

I went to her, holding my hands up, palms out like you do with a skittish colt. She shrank further against the wall, trembling.

“Gina,” I said. “It’s all right now. You’re safe. I swear to God.”

She shook her head and ran a hand across her mouth. She didn’t seem able to form words yet. As much as I wanted to take her in my arms and hold her, I had to check in. I had to let Bear and the others know what had happened tonight. They had to know where we were.

“Don’t.” It was the only word she said and it gutted me.

Lifting my shoulders, I gave her a nod and backed away. “Look, I need to make a phone call. I’m going to go upstairs and out on the back porch. Better chance of getting a cell signal out there. I’ll be gone five minutes. Ten tops. Make yourself at home, okay? There’s a bathroom down the hallway. It’s stocked with toothbrushes, soap, whatever. There’s food in the fridge. The bar’s stocked but I’m going to recommend you stick with ice water for now. Eat something. I’ll be right back. Promise.”

She nodded but pursed her lips. I was worried about her. The shock of what had happened on the campus streets might just be too much for her. God. Why wouldn’t it be? From all I knew, Gino Sr. and Christine DiSalvo had kept their little girl sheltered far away from all the nastiness that their family business brought. Her world had just blown up in a matter of seconds. Of course it would take her a minute to adapt. I wanted nothing more than to sit with her, hold her, and kiss away her fears. There was no time for it.

Gina kept nodding. I locked eyes with her, then went back up the stairs. I walked out onto the back porch to a starless, humid night. A slight breeze picked up, rolling across the overgrown fields in the distance. A dog howled. I headed for the vacant fields, keeping the house in full view.

Bear answered on the first ring. I wasted no time telling him what went down.

“Mother fucker,” was his only statement. I couldn’t blame him.

“Tell me about it,” I said. “What the ever-loving fuck have the DiSalvo brothers gotten themselves into? This chick had no idea how much heat was headed her way. Jesus, Bear, if I hadn’t gotten to her when I did ... those fuckers were aiming to kill.”

“You got a shot off?”

“One,” I said. “Didn’t do a lick of damage though.”

“Doesn’t matter. At least they know baby Gina’s got muscle around her. Where are you now?”

“Abeline. The Davis farm.”

“Good,” Bear said. “No. That’s real good. Gimme a day or two and I’ll send some backup. I need to call a meeting with Christine and see how she wants to play this. You think you can keep this girl on lockdown until then?”

My throat tightened. “She’s fucking shell-shocked, Bear. I don’t know how she’s going to handle all of this. But yeah. I can keep her underground for the time being. How much do you want me to level with her?”

Bear sighed into the phone. “Fucking Gino and Christine. They thought sheltering this kid would keep her safe. Like there was any way she could grow up without their stink touching her. They’re living in a fantasy world. Listen, do what you can. I figure Christine’s probably going to want to talk to her daughter real soon.”

“That’s a horrible idea.” My heart raced. “She’s going to lead those fucking shooters right to her. I’m pretty sure I got her out of Lake Meredith without anyone seeing. But who knows? I gotta bad feeling about all of this. The whole thing went down right between two campus cop cars. I don’t have any solid intel on this, but I wouldn’t be surprised if somebody there got to the locals. Gina was a sitting duck, Bear.”

I heard a banging noise which led me to think Bear bashed the phone against his desk. It’s what I would have done.

“Okay, okay,” he finally said. “Just sit tight for a little while. Keep the girl out of sight. I’ll figure out a way to unfuck Christine’s mess. Goddammit. I’m really starting to rethink our arrangement with that family. Lately it’s brought us nothing but heat.”

“Yeah.” I agreed. “I’ll take care of my end. I’ll check in tomorrow morning.”

“In the meantime, watch your back, Zig. You might be right about the locals. Meantime, I don’t want you riding anywhere else in your cut unless you’ve got somebody else with you. I don’t know for sure where this is coming from. Could be the Devils Hawks. Could be DiSalvo cousins. Could be anybody. Stay outta sight.”

I assured Bear I would, then clicked off. I pressed the phone to my forehead and let out a sigh. Now I just had to figure out what the hell to tell Gina.

The house still looked quiet. Gina hadn’t ventured upstairs. Good girl. Taking a breath to steel myself, I went back in and headed down the basement steps. I made it as far as the second to last step before a shoe came flying at my head. I ducked just in time and it crashed against the opposite wall.

“The fuck?”

Gina stood behind the couch, eyes blazing. Ten minutes ago, I’d left her cowering in what I thought was fear. Turns out, it was barely contained rage.

“Take me home!” she shouted, her voice rising an octave. Her chest heaved with furious breaths. She wore a pink t-shirt with a vee neck. Her sorority letters stretched across her ample tits. Gina’s cheeks flamed red as she picked up her other shoe and hurled it at me.

This one I caught in mid-air and tossed it to the ground. “Take it easy,” I said, hands up. “I just saved your fucking life.”

Gina’s eyes widened and her jaw dropped. She came around the couch raising her hands and spreading her fingers until they looked like claws. I think if I’d let her close enough, she meant to scratch my damn eyes out.

“I don’t know what the hell is going on,” she raged, “but leave me out of it. I almost got shot because of you.”

The bottom seemed to drop out from under me. What the fuck did she think just happened?

“You’re a thug,” she said. “That’s what my brothers have always told me. My father too. I’m an idiot. I thought you were cute.”

Cute? I pressed my palm to my temple as if I could shake something loose. What the hell?

“I should have listened to them. You know how many times my father told me the Dark Saints were trash? No. Not trash. Scum. But he said you were necessary scum. He said keeping you around at least deterred worse scum from seeping into Port Azrael. I thought he was exaggerating. Now I get it. I spend five minutes with you and your bullshit almost rained straight down on my head!”

Jesus. She thought the drive-by was aimed at me!

“Listen,” I said, walking slowly toward her. “You’re freaked. I get it. Just calm down. We need to talk.”

I still hadn’t figured out what the hell I meant to say. I had to tell her something. She had to understand the kind of danger she was in if she decided to try and ditch me like she’d done Toby.

“Don’t tell me to calm down.” Her eyes blazed. “Take me home.”

“Home? You mean back to your dorm? The place where you almost got shot?”

She started to pace like a caged tiger. Gina’s hair flew behind her as she made a turn and pointed a finger at me. Her lips were bloodless and she trembled.

“What’s going on? What the hell have you dragged me into?”

“You think I’m the one dragging you into something?” I thumped my chest. She’d grabbed the remote control and cocked her hand back, ready to throw it. “I’m the one saving your ass, Gina.”

It was the wrong thing to say. The remote was a black blur as it whizzed past my ear. I ducked to the side and the thing shattered against the far wall, breaking into two pieces. Damn, the girl had a good arm. She tore at her hair and came toward me.

Her eyes glinted with hot fury, but there was something else there too. Gina was afraid. Whatever alcohol she drank had fully worn off and the reality of everything that had happened must have hit her hard. When she got to me, she froze for a moment; those blazing eyes searched my face. Her whole body quivered with coiled fury and fear. There was a split second as she decided what to do. Her decision seemed to go through her in a wave, making her shoulders drop and the color come flaming back into her cheeks.

Fuck.

She raised a hand and came at me. I caught her wrists and held her away from me. When Gina kicked out, I threw my hip at her, turning her so I held her back against my chest and her arms tucked against her breasts.

“Let me go!” Gina flailed. She was a wildcat, fueled by fear and adrenaline. I held her tight, taking the worst of her anger. I think she might have even tried to bite me if I didn’t have a good grip on her. I kept my arms like a solid cage around her, mostly keeping her from hurting herself. I sure as shit didn’t want to lose a nut to her rage.

“Not until you calm down,” I said, my voice erupting.

Gina kicked back, but couldn’t land anything the way I held her. God, she had fire inside of her. As much as it pissed me off she thought this shit was my fault, I can’t deny it ignited a something wild inside of me too. Gina DiSalvo was pure passion. Fuck. Her nipples hardened against my forearm and sent lust raging through me. I wanted nothing more than to tame that fury inside of her with a kiss. She ran hot, feral. I knew with absolute surety that she would be the greatest fuck of my life.

Gina got enough leverage to turn toward me. Her eyes flashed and her breath hitched, but she didn’t try to take another swing at me. Somehow, we stumbled forward together. We landed up  against the wall. I towered over her. She pressed her back against the wall as I laid my palms flat against the plaster, caging her between my arms.

“Get away from me,” she said, breathless.

“I’m trying to save your life,” I said through clenched teeth. “If you would just settle the fuck down, you’d realize it.”

“What do you want from me?”

I reared back? “Want? Jesus, Gina. Isn’t that obvious?”

I meant one thing, but Gina must have heard another. She let out a quick breath and bit her bottom lip. Fuck. She was damn near ready to tear my face off, but I could feel the heat of desire coming off her in waves just like it did me.

“Your family wants you home in one piece,” I said, trying to deflect attention from the increasingly obvious state of my own arousal. I was rock hard. A pulse throbbed in my dick and I felt like I was about to burst out of my fucking jeans for this girl.

“My family?”

She turned her head and focused on some point on the other side of the room. God, she was trying to disassociate. Gina was in denial. It fueled fresh rage inside of me. No matter what else happened tonight, I’d risked my fucking life to save hers. I’d do it again in a heartbeat and a thousand times more. That was the bitch of it. As long as there was breath in my body, I knew I was never going to let anyone touch a hair on her head. Except I wanted to touch her in the worst way. My growing need for it threatened to drive me insane.

When I looked back at it later, I know it’s why I said what I did. I’m not proud. But something had to give.

“Yeah,” I said; hooking a hand under Gina’s chin, I turned her head back and made her look me in the eyes. “Somebody knows full well who your family is, Gina. If it weren’t for me, it would have gotten you killed tonight.”

I pounded a fist against the wall then pushed off it, putting some distance between us. Her chest heaving, Gina stayed where she was. Her eyes glistened with hot tears, but she didn’t make a move toward me.

“No. This was your crap, Zig. Not mine.”

I raised a brow and slapped a hand to my thigh. “You serious? How old are you anyway?”

She raised her chin, defiant. “I’m nineteen, asshole. I’m not a baby.”

Fuck. Nineteen. I knew it, but hearing it out loud drove everything home. She was nineteen. I was thirty-one. “You’re right,” I said. “You’re not a little kid anymore. Time to wake up. Open your eyes. What the hell do you think has been going on all of these years, huh?”

She crossed her arms in front of herself and turned her head away again. I wasn’t having it. I moved to the side, putting myself in her line of sight.

“You think your father pays for your hundred-thousand-dollar-a-year tuition selling cheesy fries at the Port Az sports bars, Gina? You know who he is. You just want to keep your head in the sand. Well, now you can’t anymore. Shit’s gotten real. Gino and your mother have tried to shelter you long enough. It was only a matter of time before trouble found you too.”

She finally pushed herself away from the wall. Gina started pacing again and for a moment, I figured she was about to start throwing shit too. I was ready for it. Hell, I would have welcomed it. Anything but the icy stare she gave me when she finally turned back to look at me.

“You think I haven’t heard that my whole life? Rumors. Gossip.”

Shaking my head, I stepped backward until I leaned against the couch. I crossed my arms and stared at her. Gina’s eyes searched my face. Her denial ran deep. Christine DiSalvo might have thought she was protecting her baby girl all these years, but I knew better. Gina wasn’t stupid. She wasn’t some fragile flower. She deserved the truth, especially when her life was at stake.

“You father is the head of the largest crime family in the southwest, Gina. And your mother’s been trying to hold shit together since his stroke.”

A tremor ran through her. It almost seemed like a conditioned response. I’d put words to the things she’d denied her whole life. Now I’d said it out loud.

“He’s not getting better, is he?” I asked; pushing myself off the couch I went to her again. To Gina’s credit, she didn’t back away. She straightened her shoulders and jutted her chin at me. Damn, she was the sexiest when she was strong and defiant.

“Gina,” I said, softer. “Your father. He’s not in there anymore, is he? Your mother has to come clean, at least to us. My club can’t protect her or you if we don’t have all the facts.”

Her eyes told me everything. Grief flickered through them, but her strength was there too.

“We’re supposed to be on the same side,” I said. “That’s what your mother needs to understand. She’s trying to run things for your dad, isn’t she? Gina ... something happened last month. Somebody tried to kill your dad. That’s why your mother moved him from that nursing home and brought him back to her house. She thinks she can control what people believe if nobody from the outside has access to him again.”

A single tear fell down Gina’s cheek. “What are you talking about?”

God. Christine had kept even the harshest truths from her daughter. What the fuck had she been thinking? How the hell could Gina look out for herself if she didn’t have all the facts? She had to understand. She had to know that the stunt she pulled ditching Toby could have had fatal consequences.

“I’m not your enemy,” I said. “Your mother had my club president send me here to make sure nobody could get to you. She’s afraid whoever put a hit on your dad is going to try picking off you and your brothers too. Somebody took a shot at Georgio, too. They didn’t tell you that either? Why the hell else do you think they sent me here? You think your mother was worried about underage drinking? Come on, Gina. You’re a smart girl. You ask me? I’d wager you’re sharper than even your brothers. They’re wrong to try shielding you from all of this.”

“I can’t,” she said. Gina put her hands to the sides of her head as if she were trying to keep it from popping off. I understood it. At that moment, I hated Gino and Christine DiSalvo for not trusting Gina with the truth. And I hated that I had to be the one to break it to her. I would have understood it if she wanted to kill the messenger.

“Yeah,” I said, taking another step toward her. “You can. You will. You are. You’re safe now. But if you want to stay that way, you have to trust me.”

When she finally looked up at me, tears filled Gina’s eyes. My heart cracked right down the middle. I wanted to take her in my arms and kiss all her pain away. God, this girl was tearing me up inside.

Instinct took over. I couldn’t stand to see the torture in her eyes a second longer. I reached for her. For a fraction of a second, she yielded to me. Gina’s lips parted and she let out a sigh. The truth seemed to deflate her. I put my hands on her hips. Gina’s whole body relaxed. She wanted me. Her hands came up and she rested them on my chest, fingering the lettering of my secretary patch.

I tilted my head. The pull to kiss her burned so hot inside of me. Heat radiated from her fingertips and her eyes came up and up. When she finally met my gaze, I saw her own desire kindling inside of her.

But as soon as it began, the moment passed. Gina came back into herself and her body went rigid. She tore herself away from me and wiped a hand across the back of her mouth as if to take away the feeling of even an imagined kiss. Though I’d touched her and held her like that before, this time was different. This time, we both meant it. So Gina blinked first.

“I’m tired,” she said. Her voice had lost all trace of the passion it held just a moment ago. It was flat now, defeated. I read it as acceptance. I tried to feel relief, but I just felt sad for her. My need to take care of her and keep her safe coursed through me.

“First door on the left down the hallway,” I said. “The bed should already be made. I’ll be out here on the couch.”

Gina’s eyes traveled up. Something had died behind them and I hated that I took any part in that even as I knew there was no other choice. Gina had to face facts.

Nodding, Gina started down the hallway. Just before she went into the bedroom, she stopped. Playing her fingers along the doorframe, she looked back at me. She bit her bottom lip. It was in her to tell me something, but she seemed to have lost either the strength or courage to do it.

It was all right. Maybe we’d both said enough for one day. I just hoped she wouldn’t hate me for it come morning. I was already starting to hate myself.