Page 29 of Biker Daddy's Girl

"No," I protest, shrugging the other man's hand off. "I'm not leaving."

Not when this is all my fault.

"Fuck you," is all Jason says, full of crazed bravado.

Luke has him by the collar too quick for me to even see, jerking Jason so close to him that they're almost nose to nose. Jason struggles, but Luke's grip is iron, the muscles in his back and arms bulging. "I gave you two outs, you little prick. Now I'm going to need to see you on your knees, apologizing to my woman. You hear me?" He shakes Luke once before dropping him unceremoniously. "Grovel. To Emma."

Now that he's felt Luke's strength, there's fear in Jason. For the first time, he seems to really see how big the crowd of Iron Guardians behind Luke is. How outnumbered he really is. But still, he resists.

"I don't owe her shit," Jason snarls.

"I will kill you," Luke growls, so quietly it almost seems to come from everywhere and nowhere all at once. He steps closer again and gets in Jason's face. "I said grovel."

And finally, after seeing that Luke means it, that he would kill Jason to keep me safe, the threat of the whole crowd of angry bikers at his back, Jason wilts. His shoulders slump, his hands drop to his sides. There's an unreadable expression on his face for a long moment, and then it passes. Jason gives me one more hate-filled look, and then turns and heads for his bike. The rest of the crowd parts like the Red Sea as he goes, giving him plenty of room.

That isn't what Luke demanded, though, and he grabs Jason by the shoulder and turns him around in a flash. Jason's feet scramble in the dirt, but Luke pulls him to me, forcing the man to his knees. It would be sweet retribution, except Luke's words, the words of the man I love, echo in my head.

‘I'll kill you,’ he told Jason.

‘I'll kill you.’ The same words the mugger said before he knocked Macy to the ground and cracked her skull open all those years ago.

The world is tilting again, a horrible deja vu hitting me hard, but Luke is there at my side. Holding me upright with one hand as the other pushes Jason to his knees before me.

I feel sick, I feel faint. My pulse is in my throat as I look down at Jason on his knees, at the hate in his eyes, and then Luke's words, so sharp they cut through my fear. "I told you to fucking apologize. You want to keep that face?" He leans in again, voice low. "Say you're sorry for what you did. To Emma."

A flash of rage, and then, finally, defeat. The words come out a sneer. "I'm sorry." He turns those hate-filled eyes up at me. "Sorry that I'm on the ground for this frigid bitch. Maybe if she'd put out more, you and I could share?—"

And just like that Luke is dragging Jason away from me. The bikers around me are all shouting, surging forward like an angry mob. There are more hands on me now, gentle and comforting, and then I'm being pulled away from the scene by Gunnar, but I don't want to leave. Something hits the pavement, hard, the crack of it echoing through the roar of the Guardians, and I'm reminded again of Macy's head hitting the ground. It sounds so similar.

Was that Jason's skull? Are they killing him?

"Luke!" I yell, even as Gunnar pulls me away towards his bike. "Luke, stop! LUKE!"

I don't care about Jason's well-being, but the idea of the Iron Guardians, these symbols of protection and justice, killing him has panic welling in me. No, no, no, I think, screaming out with all of my heart, all of my soul, "LUKE!"

Gunnar is all but begging now, trying to get me away from the building riot. I realize Luke must have given him this order a long time ago, to protect me if things ever went south, and his second is desperately trying to follow the order. But I'm not leaving with another man I barely know on a motorcycle while a murder might be happening. All of it resting on my shoulders.

A true, blood-curdling scream builds in my throat, panic welling, my breathing coming in short gasps. Then an angel arrives in a red Toyota Corolla, bright headlights blinding Gunnar and me as she screeches to the curb.

Sarah. My best friend. She came for me.

She doesn't dare turn the car off, but in the madness, only Gunnar and I really notice her. Sarah rolls the window down and yells, "Let her go, asshole!" to Gunnar, and then her gaze fixes on me. "Emma, let's go! Get in!"

But I can't move, and I know Gunnar won't let go until Luke or the club give the word. He's so big, his bulk blocking my view of Sarah's car. The roar of the crowd of bikers seems to grow even louder as the seconds tick by.

I feel sick. I feel like I might pass out. And then Gunnar releases me, just as Luke breaks free of the crowd. "Take her," he yells, gesturing towards the car, but he's not talking to Gunnar. He's talking to Sarah. "Emma, get in the car!" He turns to Gunnar, and I can see how the adrenaline has him shaking. "Make sure they don't do something stupid!"

Without a second thought, I pull the passenger door open and climb in. And then Sarah's car is roaring off with Gunnar on his bike at her back, but my gaze is still trained behind us, still locked on the scene that's slowly receding.

I watch the Iron Guardians descend on Jason, who is being held on the ground by two other men. They haven't started beating him yet, but I can picture it, the sound of flesh hitting flesh over and over echoes in my skull. Then we're turning the corner, and the only thing behind us is Gunnar on his motorcycle, escorting us to wherever Sarah has decided to go.

The silence in the car is deafening, but finally, my friend speaks. "We were still sharing locations from that vacation we took together last year. When you texted me, I just felt this dread, and I ran to the car to come find you. What the hell was all that?" she demands, a tremor in her voice. She sounds upset, scared even, but when she turns to look at me, she's still beautiful, her red hair shining like fire in the street lights. Sarah is gorgeous, even when she's angry with me, her bright blue eyes fixed on my face as she takes another turn and we speed through the streets of Stonebridge. "Was that Jason they had?"

"Yes," I admit quietly.

She's silent for a long moment, and then she says quietly, checking the rearview mirror to see Gunnar still tailing us protectively, "Your new boyfriend's club is terrifying. I didn't think … I thought the Iron Guardians were all show." She takes a deep, slow breath and finally relaxes back into the seat. She seems to think about things for a while, glances at me, and says, "Are you okay?"

Am I?

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