Page 21 of Falcon

His thumb swiped over my cheek, then the other and a low rumble was in his chest. “I’m not going to hurt you. I’m not gonna let anyone hurt you. But you can’t take off like this. Let us help.” He pulled a piece of pine straw from my hair then tucked some loose strands behind my ear. “Let me help you.”

Something in his tone threatened to break through my walls, but more footsteps were coming closer, and I looked away, remembering where we were. I glanced over to see Lacy standing, being held around the waist by the man she rode here with. An older woman with short, sandy-colored hair, wearing torn jeans, boots and a t-shirt came running toward us and practically threw the man off of me.

“Well, don’t scare her. Shit.” She knelt down next to me and ran her hand gently over my head, stroking my hair. “They mean well, sweetie. They’re just used to brute force. Are you okay?”

Tears began to well up in my eyes again at the woman’s touch. It was gentle. Her voice was soothing. She seemed…motherly. Something I didn’t know much about. She grabbed my hand and helped me sit up.

“I think so. My ankle feels a bit weird, but I’ll be okay.”

She pulled me from the ground, but when I tried to put weight on my foot, my ankle started to give and sharp pain shot up my leg and down to my toes. The biker grabbed me and before I could protest, he lifted me up like he was going to carry me over the threshold to our newlywed room or something.

Exhaustion started to sink in, and I melted into his warmth. But if I was going to stay here, I needed to know something. “Hey, what’s your name?”

“Falcon. And I don’t think you’re really Dixie. I’d love to know your name if you feel like sharing.”

I wiggled so I could lay my head more comfortably against him as he carried me out of the woods. “It’s not Dixie. But I don’t think Falcon is your real name, either.”

He grinned down. It was the first time I’d seen him appear pleased. He’d smirked, but not really smiled until now. Even though it wasn’t a full smile, I wondered if that was as good as it would get from him. He lowered his head and whispered, “Derek. But nobody’s called me that in years.”

I sighed. I didn’t have any identification with me anyway, so what harm could sharing my first name do? Plus, he told me his. “It’s Daisy. Which ironically still sounds like a stripper name.”

“Explains the tat. It’s nice. It suits you. Pretty, but tough.”

I hardly felt tough. I got myself into so much shit. Then I couldn’t escape when given a golden opportunity. Now I had to just go along with this and hope these people were genuine. Something in his eyes made me feel safe, but I had already lied to myself enough times to fuck my whole life over. I had to be smart. But I wanted to believe him. Believe all of them.

We made it back to the clearing and headed toward the building. My eyes started to roll back, and my lids were heavy. Something about being carried, his warmth, and the slight sway from his gait lulled me to sleep before we made it to the door.

Chapter 14

Falcon

I finally knew her name. Daisy. And after her little jog, it was all but confirmed she was scared as hell and had gotten herself into trouble. She passed out in my arms as I carried her inside. I promised to keep her safe, so I took her to my room and put her in the bed.

Her ankle was red and warm, but not purple and didn’t look broken. It may be sprained, and she had plenty of cuts on the foot that lost a shoe. She also had a few scratches on her hands and face. She’d need a hot shower, a change of clothes, and some shoes, so I wanted to check with Mama Hen. Surely there were extras around from the bunnies, or maybe Penny would be willing to share some stuff.

I stood by the door and watched her for a while, but when I was convinced she was sleeping well, I headed back downstairs. I needed to touch base with Hawk and get with Eagle about her friend.

Looking around the bar, I caught Mama Hen’s attention as she carried me a bottle. “Here. How’s the girl?”

“Daisy. She’s out. She needs a shower and I need to patch her up. You got any extra clothes I can put her in ‘til we can get to a store?”

Mama Hen grinned. “You like her.”

I sipped the beer and looked around everywhere but her. “She’s had a rough day. I don’t want to barge into the bunny bunks. Can you help me?”

“Falcon, it’s okay to like her. But pinning her on the ground probably wasn’t the smartest move. I’ll find her a few things. We have a few beds free. I’ll grab some stuff for the other one, too.”

“She’s fine in my room.”

Mama Hen put her hand on my arm, so I finally looked her in the eye. “Falcon, she’s not a toy. If you really want to help her, you need to give her some space. I’ll find some things for her. And when she’s awake, maybe send her to me for a girl’s chat, ‘kay?”

I nodded, blowing out a deep breath. She was right. Not that I thought she was a toy, but I did want to keep her tucked away. Safe from the cruel world; from anything that could hurt her. But keeping her locked up wasn’t going to help anything. Maybe she didn’t want to be stuck in a man’s room. I patted Mama’s Hen hand and then watched as she walked out toward her house.

Hawk was sitting at a table with Eagle, so I walked over and sat, the long day starting to catch up with me. “Hey, how’s the blonde?”

Eagle shoved his fingers through his hair then tucked it behind his ears. “Lacy. She’s resting. How’s your girl?”

“She’s not my girl.” I took a long pull from my beer. Maybe if I kept telling other people that, I’d start believing it. “She’s asleep. Mama Hen’s grabbing some clothes for them. She wants to talk to them when they get up.”

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