Page 8 of Biker's Dark Revenge

"Go!" he ordered me, as Kara hooked her arms around my shoulders. I could feel her shaking slightly, and I hated how spooked she was by all of this – she didn’t know what was going on and couldn’t possibly understand Even though the life she had been trapped in before had been twisted and horrible, she had at least understood it – she had at least known what to expect. But now, she was being torn away from all of it, and I didn’t know if there was anything I could do to soften that blow.

I didn’t have time to think about that right now – I needed to run. I made my way down the stairs, trying to pick my way as quietly as possible, even though the stairs seemed to shake with every step I took. How close were they to finding out where we were? What would happen if they found us? I glanced over my shoulder to see Lee climbing out onto the stairs – he had to get out of there. If something happened to him because of me, I knew I would never be able to forgive myself.

I kept moving, clutching Kara tight as I raced down the rest of the stairs. Just a little further, just a little further...my legs ached from being trapped in that tiny room for so long, the streetlights burning my retinas, but I ignored it. I had to keep myself going if I wanted to get through this. I had to believe that. I had to believe there was a way out.

Finally, all at once, I landed on the ground level and breathed a sigh of relief – I was out. We were out. A moment later, Lee leaped from the last step to join me.

"Do you have a car-" I began, but he just nodded and pointed towards a building on the other side of the road.

"Parked behind there," he told me. "Come on. When they see the window open, they’re going to know that we took the stairs down. We don’t have time to waste."

He hurried us across the road and around the back of the building, and, sure enough, he had a car parked waiting for us – not his usual bike, which surprised me. I guessed it would be easier for him to make a break for it if they didn’t know to look for a car. They would expect him to be on his bike, but he was throwing them off their game by choosing a different approach.

He opened the door to the back seat, and I scrambled inside, pulling Kara into my lap – it wasn’t as though he had a car seat we could use. I pressed my face into her hair, closed my eyes, and realized that I was shaking. The shock of everything that happened began to sink in, and it was almost more than I could take. It felt as though everything was cascading apart around me, but, at the same time, I needed to believe that I had actually made it out. No matter how hard it might be to trust that it happened, I had done it, and I needed to focus on that.

Lee jumped into the front seat and tore away from the building I’d been held in – I didn’t dare look back over my shoulder, I was too scared I would be reminded of being trapped in there. I clutched Kara close to me as Lee took the corners hard, putting as much distance as possible between us and the men who’d kept me.

"What’s going on?" Kara asked me finally, her voice small. God, my heart broke, hearing her talk like that. She had no idea what had just happened. She had no clue everything that had gone down, no idea that her mother was lying dead back inside that building. I could still see the image of her burned into my mind, her eyes empty and distant as she sagged into the ground.

"We’re going to get you settled in a new room, okay?" I told her, trying to keep my voice as bright as possible. I didn’t know what else to say. If I could make it sound as though this was what we intended for her, maybe she would freak out a little less. That’s what I had to hope, anyway.

"Okay," she replied, her voice quivering. She was being so damn brave, and a little girl of her age should never have had to muster that much bravery. She should have been at kindergarten, making friends, exploring the world for the first time, nervous about starting school.

"Where do you want to go?" Lee asked me, and my head snapped up so I could meet his gaze in the mirror.

"My place," I replied. "It’s...it’s a few blocks away from the Kennels. Judt Street, do you know it?”

"I know it," he replied, as he slowed the car slightly. His eyes darted back and forth to the mirror that looked over the street behind us, as though he was expecting, at any moment, for someone to swing around and track us down again.

But we pulled up to my apartment block without any more drama, thank God. I climbed out of the car, still holding Kara, and Lee leaned on the hood for a moment.

"You want me to come up with you?" he asked gently, seemingly able to tell how shaky I was right now. I nodded.

"Yeah," I breathed. "I... I really would."

He nodded, and I pushed the door open – the front door to the building was never locked, something that normally annoyed me, but right now, I couldn’t have been more grateful for it. I gently placed Kara on the ground as I reached up for the spare key I left tucked away in a crack in the wall next to one of the grimy lights in the hallway, and thank God, it was still there.

I unlocked the door and felt a rush of emotion hit me hard as soon as I stepped into my apartment. Fuck. I had been so sure, for a moment there, that I was never going to see this place again – I had almost resigned myself to the fate those men seemed to have for me, letting them take control of me and send me off to some distant city to work for them. Being back here, it was almost surreal, but in a good way.

I pulled myself together. I could work through my emotions later. Right now, I needed to ensure Kara was doing okay.

"You hungry, sweetie?" I asked Kara, as I planted her down on the couch. She looked around nervously, clearly not sure what to make of this place. She nodded, not saying a word.

What the hell was I going to feed a four-year-old? They could have solid foods, right? I didn’t even know where to start. I headed into my tiny kitchenette as Lee leaned in the doorway, watching me. I could feel his eyes on me, burning into me. I had fantasized a few times about what it would be like to get him back to my apartment, but this wasn’t exactly how I had imagined it happening.

"Have you got any apples?" he suggested.

"Uh, I think so," I replied, shooting a look over at my fruit bowl. I didn’t exactly go out of my way to keep it stocked, but there was an apple lurking in there somewhere.

"Cut that up for her with some peanut butter," he advised me. "It’ll keep her full for a while. And it’s easy for her to eat herself."

"Right, thanks," I muttered back. I had no idea how he knew so much about what would make for a good meal for a toddler, but I didn’t care right now. I needed all the help I could get.

I cut up the apple and shot a look over my shoulder to where she was sitting on the couch. Her back was rigid, and she stared straight ahead, as though trying to figure out where she was.

"Do you think she’s going to be okay?" I asked him softly. I knew what the answer was – I knew it was far from promising – but I needed to hear someone tell me that there might be a way through this for her, even if it wasn’t true.

"I think so," he replied, looking over at her, the mess of her blonde hair sticking up over the couch. I chewed on my lip and then took her over the apple and peanut butter. It wasn’t much, but it was something – something I could do to help her through tonight. I didn’t know what was going to happen in the morning, but right now, I had to focus on the minute-to-minute.

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