Page 7 of Shadow Touched

“Come here,” he said, and sat down on thecouch. The handcuff dragged her down next to him. She shifted, notwanting to touch him, but he was so big and muscular his hip andleg pressed against hers. “Tell me about your … gift.”

She didn’t want to talk to him at all. Shehated him, and she hated he had dragged her from the small worldshe’d built. Leia turned her face away, but one of his callousedfingers brought her head back around. She looked up at him,realizing how close he was, and her heart stuttered. She moved herchin away, breaking contact.

“Why?” she demanded. “You won’t believe meanyway.”

“Have you ever met any of my clubbrothers?”

Leia sighed. “The only thing I know aboutbikers is what I’ve watched on television, and you are no CharlieHunnam.”

He gave a ghost of a smile. “Humor me. Whyis someone as gorgeous as you working as a cleaner in a bar likethat?”

“The bar…” She blinked. “You think I’mgorgeous?”

“Not the point. You were like a little lostsheep in a wolf den.”

His words warmed her, although she didn’tknow why. She didn’t find him in the bit attractive. Did she? Itwas hard to tell because a sliver of fear still shot through herevery time she looked at him.

“I work there because I can’t be aroundpeople,” she admitted softly. “Do you know how many people die in aday?”

He gave a one-shoulder shrug.

“Thousands,” she answered. “And all walkaround with the shadow of death on their shoulders. I see iteverywhere.”

He cocked his head. “Tell me what it lookslike.”

“Like … a black swirling mist. No face. Nodefining features. Just an empty black hole waiting to suck up thesoul, and it’s horrible when it happens.”

Brim was quiet for a moment. His browfurrowed.

“And you saw that on me?”

She nodded. “The only difference with you isthat it went away without its conquest. I’ve tried to help savepeople before, but the shadow lingered. With you … it disappearedentirely.”

“Probably because I neutralized thethreat.”

“You mean you killed the man who was goingto kill you.”

“I certainly wasn’t going to allow him toput a bullet in my head,” he said dryly.

“So you believed me in that moment?”

“I believed I should check out your claim.Now, I want to make sure you weren’t in on the plot to killme.”

“I wasn’t,” she stressed. “Who elseknew you’d be at the bar?”

“No one,” he replied. “As you could tellfrom the ride, it’s not exactly close to this place.”

“So that means someone leaked where youwere, or they tailed you.”

“Yeah,” he grunted. “I’d already thought ofthat.”

“If he was part of your club, then who inyour club wants you dead? Or did he act alone?”

He scratched the side of his bearded jaw.“Like I said, I went nomad a few months ago. Left my V.P. incharge.”

“I don’t know what that means.”

“Nomad is taking off. Wandering around. Ihad received … really bad fucking news, and I needed to clear myhead.”

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