Page 26 of Her Protective Biker
“I’m not hurt, just a little shaken up, I promise.” Hannah said, tears collected in her eyes but they didn’t fall. “Moose, this is my best friend, Montana.”
The woman was even shorter than Hannah, but when she let her go, she rounded on me. “You were supposed to keep her safe! What the hell happened?”
I should have guessed anyone Hannah was friends with wouldn’t be a wilting violet. I didn’t feel like defending myself to her, especially when I hadn’t been able to keep danger off Hannah’s doorstep.
Before I could reply, Hannah stepped in. “There were two of them and they were acting crazy. Moose took out one of them and Daisy and I handled the other. We’re okay.”
Montana visibly deflated, then they were hugging again. I left the two alone to talk while I had a shower. My body was a tenderized steak. Bruises had bloomed on my legs, arms, chest and back. The knife wound wasn’t deep, and it had stopped bleeding by the time we’d left the rescue. I cleaned it in the shower and it started to ooze again.
I languished under the hot water, letting it ease some of the tension in my muscles. By the time I was clean and dressed, Montana was gone and Hannah was curled up on the couch staring off into space.
“Everything okay?”
She nodded. “Yeah, she just worries. I don’t think she understands why I trust you.”
I stalked towards her. “Why do you trust me? Any woman in her right mind would cross the street when she saw me, not run into my arms.”
“You are just as tough as you think you are, Moose. On the outside. On the inside, you protect those who can’t protect themselves, just like I do.” She wrapped her arms around, but I flinched when her arm brushed my side.
“You said the blood on your shirt was mostly his,” she said, raising an eyebrow. “You told the paramedics that you were fine.” She snagged the hem of my shirt and lifted it, revealing a six inch gash across my side.
“Oh my god, we need to take you to a–”
“I’m fine, Hannah.”
She pursed her lips. “No you’re not, you stubborn man.”
She was yanking my shirt over my head just as the front door swung open.
“Oh shit, am I interrupting a little post fight celebration?” Wrench asked, walking into the room anyway.
Diesel and Deadeye followed.
Hannah gave them the stink eye. “I was just about to patch up your very headstrong brother.” She pushed me onto the couch and left the room, returning a moment later with a first aid kit.
“So what happened at the warehouse?” I asked, teeth gritted while Hannah worked on sterilizing my side.
Deadeye sank into the couch opposite me and ran a hand through his short beard. “The shitheads had recruited more guys than we’d expected. We were able to surprise them, but there were too many. It wasn’t just Jinx and Crash that got away. There were a few more. It was chaos.”
“What the fuck were they doing in that warehouse?”
Deadeye glanced at Hannah then back to me. “There were dog cages around, a few crates of weapons. They were gearing up for something.”
Hannah pursed her lips but didn’t comment.
“Any of our guys hurt?” I winced, as Hannah put in the first stitch.
“Just you,” Diesel said. He’d helped himself to a beer from the fridge in the kitchen.
I filled the guys in on what had happened at the rescue while Hannah finished patching me up and put a bandage over the stitches.
I leaned over to kiss her, but found myself unable to pull away. She kissed me back, her hands finding their way to my thighs, before she seemed to remember herself and pull back. Her ears were red. “I should wash up,” she said, before scurrying out of the room.
The guys looked at each other. “We should head out,” Wrench said. “I think our patient would appreciate some time with the Doc.”
I flipped him off as they headed towards the door, laughing.
“Glad you’re okay, brother. Take some time off for that to heal before coming back to the shop,” Wrench said, then they were gone.
