Page 116 of Throttle

He is my lifeline.

The vehicle next to us speeds off, and my stomach sinks. “No! We have to save her!” In my lover's arms, I twist and witness Hush shooting the tires out.

A gasp escapes me as the SUV crashes into the warehouse wall.

Danika.

I try to pry myself out of Throttle’s grip, but he holds me close. “Hush got her. Stay with me.”

With bated breath, I'm watching for Hush. The tension in my body releases when I see him carry Danika out in his arms, his shirt draped over her nearly naked figure.

“She’s unconscious, but alive,” Hush reassures us.

“Thank God.” I lay my head on Throttle’s chest.

This nightmare is over. Thinking about what could have been made me sick.

“This better not be your blood, baby.”

Despite being wiped off, the residue lingers on my skin.

“My arm got cut open, but most of it is Caleb’s,” I tell him.

His eyes lock with mine, revealing a mix of fury and remorse. “I should have never—”

“Shh.” I press a finger to his lips, and he lays a soft kiss to it. “It’s not your fault.” It’s mine. “You’re here now and that’s all that matters.” I place my head back on Throttle's chest and listen to the steady rhythm of his heartbeat. That’s what is calming me at the moment.

“I want to stay like this forever. Holding you and never letting go, but we need to leave, baby.” He loosens his grip on me slightly, but never fully releases me. The exposure of my bare skin makes me shiver.

Throttle removes his cut and then his shirt, pulling it over my head.

“Are they dead?” I ask as he takes both my hands, kissing them and then guiding me to the front of the warehouse without answering.

Throttle has his arm around me, and we join the rest of the club, including Pipe.

I glance up at Throttle, unsure.

I’m assuming since he was with me, he wasn’t sure of the aftermath or if all of them were dead. Going by the ones left standing, it looks like most of them were.

“Nothing will be traced back to us or your MC. You have my word on that.” Pipe shakes Chain’s hand. “One of my guys’s ol’ lady is a doctor. She won’t ask questions. Won’t document anything. Works as an insider for the club and she has her own building she works out of.” He nods over to Hush who is kindly setting down a now conscious Danika. “You can take her there and use our cage.”

I'm a little taken aback by their kindness.

“That’s up to her, but if she agrees, we’ll be sending one of our guys.” Chain nods. “Thank you.”

“Fair enough,” Pipe says.

I leave Throttle's side to kneel in front of Danika, who sits in the backseat clinging to the shirt Hush gave her. I gaze up at Hush, my smile conveying that I got her, and she watches him as he walks away. “The club that helped us, they have some place you can go to get looked at. It’ll be private. No hospital.” The images still swirl in my mind of her laying there, being burned. With fresh memories of her being forced against her will.

She nods.

“Will you be okay? Do you need a place to stay?”

“No. I… I have somewhere to go. I’ll be fine.”

I’m not sure if she’s telling the truth, but it’s not my position to question. Not after what she’s been through.

“If you ever need anything. If you’re ever in trouble. Please. Come to the club. They will help you. Protect you. Okay?”

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