Mara ducked behind a car in the parking lot, pulse hammering so hard she thought they’d hear it.Her breath came in short, shallow bursts.
Think.Think, dammit.
She could run.Slip through the lot, cut across the back fence, and make for the woods.However, if they’d already talked to the motel staff who recognized her from the night before and this morning, it was only a matter of time before word spread.
She risked a glance over the hood of the car.The clerk looked nervous, glancing between the bikers and the guest log.One of the men tapped the counter impatiently, his hand brushing the gun at his hip.
Her stomach knotted.Jax said something she couldn’t hear.The clerk hesitated, then pointed toward the row of rooms.Hers.Shit.
Mara’s body moved before her mind caught up.She turned to run, but the crunch of gravel behind her froze her in place.
“Well, look who it is.”
Her heart stopped.She turned slowly.
Jax stood a few feet away, that same lazy grin she remembered stretching across his scarred face.Denny flanked him, heavier, meaner, his eyes cold.
“Didn’t make it far, princess,” Jax drawled.“Your old man’s been worried sick.”
Mara’s throat went dry.“Stay back.”
Denny snorted.“Relax.We ain’t here to hurt you.Just here to take you home.”
She gripped the strap of her bag tighter, forcing her voice steady.“Home’s the last place I’m going.”
“Funny.”Jax took a step closer, slow and deliberate.“Because your daddy’s offering good money to anyone who brings you back in one piece.Hell, he even promised a bonus if you come along quiet.”
“Not happening,” she said.
He sighed, the sound mocking.“Didn’t think so.You always were the stubborn type.”
Mara’s pulse roared in her ears.The parking lot was empty.There were no witnesses, no help.The motel clerk had disappeared into the office, pretending not to see.
She took a step back, trying to angle toward the diner.Maybe she could make it to the road and flag someone down.
Jax moved fast.He shot his hand out, grabbing her by the arm.His fingers bit into her skin, hard enough to bruise.
“Don’t make this harder than it has to be,” he said, voice low and dangerous now.“You come with us quiet, you don’t get hurt.”
She yanked at his grip, but he held firm.Panic surged through her, hot and electric.
“I said let go!”
Denny chuckled, taking a step closer.“Don’t bother, sweetheart.Ain’t no one comin’ for you.”
Mara’s breath hitched.The smell of oil and leather flooded her senses, dragging her straight back to the nightmare.The laughter.The hands.Her father’s voice.
No.Not again.Something in her snapped.
She drove her knee up, hard, catching Jax in the gut.He grunted, loosening his grip just enough for her to twist free.She stumbled back, heart slamming, reaching instinctively for the knife in her pocket.
“Bitch!”Jax spat, doubling over.
“Get her!”Denny snarled.
Mara backed toward the edge of the lot, knife trembling in her grip.Her mind screamed for a plan, any plan, but all she could think was run.
Jax straightened, eyes blazing.“You just made this a whole lot worse for yourself.”
