Page 5 of Run From Me

I sucked in a breath and waited for some kind of assault. He never went that far, no matter the threat. I was valuable, and the Vipers would kill him if something happened to me. Thank god I had one bit of worth in this fucked up world.

Somehow, while I was stuck in my fight-or-flight mode, I’d missed the squeak of the doors, but after Ripple was flung across the room and a table of tools clanked and clattered to the tile floor, I followed the mess to the culprit. What the hell had happened?

I froze as Xander stood, no towered over Ripple, who was slumped on the ground. I held my breath until I heard Ripple exhale a groan. He wasn’t dead, and I couldn’t decide if that was a good or bad thing.

“Call her a bitch one more time, and I’m pretty sure there is an open bay down here for your fucking Casper wanna-be ass,” Xander said.

Xander didn’t bother waiting before he closed the distance separating us.

“You okay there, Sparky?”

My brain misfired with the way he was looking at me. HIs hand raised, and that made me flinch back though. At least self-preservation worked in the presence of this god.

“Woah. I won’t hurt you, Cali. I’m looking at this shiner the pasty bitch over there left on you. Sorry I wasn’t a few seconds quicker,” Xander said.

All I wanted to do was listen to him talk. His voice was so deep and soothing. I’d always found the thump of the bass of music to be calming, but I think that I missed how much more calming a voice like his could be.

“I’m fine. Nothing a little makeup can’t fix.”

We both looked over to where another clatter came from. Ripple was getting up, but not empty-handed.

“You get away from her. She’s my bitch. The Vipers own her,” he spat.

I’d read things about how a man’s eyes could grow dark and menacing, but I’d always thought that was a metaphor. Xander, however, gave me the most perfect image of what it looked like. I should have been scared rather than my panties dampening.

The way the muscle right above his jaw flexed as his face darkened had to be almost as sexy as that V men had right above their jeans.

“She is no one’s bitch,” Xander said, his voice dangerously quiet.

He turned back toward me.

“Are you a Viper?”

He pulled my hair aside and moved the coat down my arm, exposing most of my skin since I only had a tank on.

Loaded question, and I didn’t know how to answer.

“She’s indebted to us. Doesn’t fucking matter if she is or isn’t. She ain’t going nowhere.”

Xander’s eyes studied my face, looking for something. Probably for me to say no or to refute the answer. Instead, like an idiot, I nibbled on my lip and shrugged.

“I don’t have their mark. I’m not a pledge. I am what he says, indebted. You can thank them for this.”

I lifted the hem of my shirt and showed him the little burn. Not a Viper tat, but a brand from a ring, which their fearless leader thought would be hilarious.

“Motherfucker. They did that to you?”

I pulled the hem back down, but he fought me and ran his fingers over the small circle with a V.

“Yeah. Long story.”

His eyes met mine. His fingers still danced over the healed scar.

“Your choice?”

I shook my head and yanked at the shirt.

“Doesn’t matter, does it?” I wasn’t really asking a question as I shoved him away.

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