CHAPTER1
SIX
Even though Ididn’t believe love between a man and a woman could last forever, it had been a beautiful wedding. I’d stood next to my brother while he vowed to love, honor, cherish, and protect his new bride until death do they part. I was glad Dean had found someone to share his life with, even if I thought he was a sap.
It had been a rough couple of weeks in Mustang Mountain, and as I made my way home, all I wanted was to fall into bed and sleep for the next few days. I’d expected to see some other cars on the road, probably stragglers heading home from New Year’s Eve parties, but snow blanketed the empty streets.
After all the excitement around town, I welcomed the peace and quiet. With luck, the new year would bring more of both. We sure could use a break. My fellow Mustang Mountain Riders and I had been working around the clock to figure out why a one-percent MC was trying to edge in on our turf. With the main threat behind bars, I hoped we’d put a stop to whatever plans they might have to take over Mustang Mountain. All in all, things were looking up, and I was ready for it.
I turned off the radio and welcomed the comforting silence. The DJ had blasted top forty hits all night long and my ears were still ringing from the assault. As I glanced up, a dark figure flew out of the woods and crossed right in front of my truck. I slammed on the brakes but felt the impact as I clipped the animal on the front passenger side.
Fuck. I’d just had a dent repaired from the last dumbass deer who’d tried to tangle with my half-ton pickup. I pulled over to the side of the narrow mountain road and grabbed the flashlight I always carried with me, as well as the gun from my center console. If the animal was severely injured, the right thing to do would be to put it out of its misery.
Rounding the front of the truck, I glanced down, expecting to see the twisted body of a deer. My pulse spiked at the sight captured in the wide beam of the flashlight. Long red hair stood out in stark contrast to the snow underneath her. What the fuck was a woman doing out in the woods at this time of night?
I crouched down and rested my fingers on her neck, checking her vitals. She was breathing, thank fuck. The impact from the truck must have knocked her out cold. I needed to get her to a hospital, and fast. I pulled my phone out of my back pocket to call 911.
Service was spotty on the drive up the mountain, and it was just my luck that my truck sat in one of the dead zones. I couldn’t leave her there on the side of the road, but I didn’t want to risk moving her unless I could assess her injuries and be sure I wouldn’t make things worse.
I moved the flashlight over her still form. She had on ripped jeans and a pair of high-top sneakers. Blood covered her chest. Grabbing the stupid pocket square that came with the tux I’d rented for the wedding, I moved closer to see if I could figure out where it was coming from. My hand shook as I touched the handkerchief to her skin.
The blood wasn’t from an injury; it was from a tattoo. A recent tattoo based on the color of her skin underneath the thick, dark lines. As I gently sopped up the blood, the design became clearer. It was a snake with a pair of dice where its eyes should have been. I didn’t have a clue what it could mean until I saw the logo the serpent’s tail coiled around—a skull with the words Savage Bones marked across the bottom.
I dropped the handkerchief and stood, bracing myself for whatever might come charging out of the woods next. The silence was deafening. On a clear night like this, I should be able to hear the snap of a twig echo in the darkness from half a mile away, yet I heard nothing. Either no one was following her, or they were biding their time.
The woman moaned. I wouldn’t leave her, even if she did belong to the MC who’d been threatening the safety of Mustang Mountain. And taking her to the hospital was out of the question. If she was running from a member of the Savage Bones, they’d be scouring the hospitals in the area, hoping she’d turn up.
She looked like she’d left in a hurry. Either that, or she had to be hopped up on some sort of drugs to take off through the woods this time of year in nothing but jeans, sneakers, and a thin long-sleeve shirt. Until I knew why she’d been running down the mountain in the middle of the night, I’d have to take her somewhere safe.
I bent down, and being as gentle as I could, I scooped her into my arms. She winced, but nestled into my chest as I cradled her against me. Her skin was like ice, freezing cold to the touch. I needed to get her warmed up and cleaned up as quickly as possible so I could get a better idea of the extent of her injuries.
If my phone had service, I’d be able to call one of my Mustang Mountain Riders brothers. Dean deserved the night off, but any one of them would drop everything and head my way at a moment’s notice. Unfortunately, the years I’d spent in the Marines had provided me with too damn many opportunities to detach and take charge of traumatic situations. The experiences I’d spent the past fifteen years trying to forget would come in handy tonight.
I held her in my arms and pulled open the back door. It wouldn’t be the smoothest ride, but I’d go as slow as I could. With her secured in the backseat and a spare blanket tucked around her, I got behind the wheel and turned around on the narrow road. Without knowing where she’d come from or who might be looking for her, I didn’t want to head back up the mountain.
There was only one place to take her where she would be safe. I headed toward the edge of town, hellbent on getting to the clubhouse before whoever might be looking for her found us.
CHAPTER2
GINGER
Pain shot through my shoulder.I forced my eyelids open then immediately blinked them closed against the assault of bright light.
“You’re in a safe place.” A deep voice came from my left.
A safe place? There was no such thing. I turned my head, squinting in the direction of the voice. The dark outline of a hulking form started to take shape.
“Who the hell are you?” My voice came out sounding way too weak. How was I supposed to protect myself when I could barely even talk?
“I’m the guy who was driving the truck you decided to tangle with last night.” He reached out and pressed the back of his huge hand to my forehead. “Still no fever. That’s a good sign.”
I shifted away from his touch. The movement sent waves of nausea rolling through my belly.
“Trashcan’s right here.” He leaned over and picked up a plastic-lined trash can.
I couldn’t remember the last time I ate anything, but that didn’t stop me from depositing the contents of my stomach into the can. When I finally stopped retching, I leaned back against the pillow again.
“You’ve probably got a concussion.” The man wiped my mouth with a damp washcloth then set it down on the table next to the bed. “Do you remember anything about last night?”
