He shook his head at her before she could protest. “You’re coming with me,” he said, his voice leaving no room for argument. She searched his face like she was looking for a catch, but she wouldn’t find one.
“Okay,” she said finally. “But once I tell you the truth, you might wish you had walked away when you had the chance.”
Nitro’s mouth curved into a grim smile. “Sweetheart, that ship sailed the second someone came at me with a knife.” Outside, the sirens grew louder, and Nitro knew one thing with brutal certainty—whatever type of life Aurora had come from, it wasn’t done with her yet.
AURORA
Aurora hadn’t meantfor anyone to get hurt because of her. Yet there was Nitro, sitting in the driver’s seat under a streetlight two blocks from her apartment, blood darkening the sleeve of his jacket like a brand he had earned. The sirens were closer now, slicing through the night, and every instinct she had screamed at her to run—to disappear the way she always did. Instead, she sat next to Nitro, waiting for the cops to pass so that they could make their getaway.
Her hands shook as she wrapped her arms around herself, trying to stay warm. “Hold on,” Nitro said, looking over his shoulder to watch the cop cars pass by them in a sea of lights and sirens.
He sped down the highway as the city blurred around them. She had cracked her window, letting the cold air burn her lungs. It helped to keep the memories from closing in too fast. She pressed her fingers to her forehead and took a deep breath. Aurora needed to get her emotions under control because she knew from experience that being emotional could get her or whoever she was with killed.
She hadn’t planned on this, and she definitely hadn’t planned on him. Aurora had learned a long time ago that if she neededto be saved, she’d have to do the saving, but Nitro disproved her theory tonight. He had come to her rescue, and for that she’d be forever grateful, because she had a feeling that if he wasn’t there tonight, she wouldn’t have been able to save herself. No, this time, the bad guys would have won, and that wasn’t something that she could have accepted.
They drove back to the Iron Vipers’ clubhouse, and even though it took only minutes, it felt as though it took hours. Nitro pulled around to the back of the bar and parked her car in the shadows, near the corner of the property. The tree line looked darker than usual, and she couldn’t help the shiver that went up her spine.
“You okay?” he asked.
“No,” she whispered. It was the truth, so it was easy to admit. He tugged off his jacket and pulled it over her shoulders.
“You must be freezing,” he said. She was half undressed and hadn’t taken the time to pull on any clothing before they left her apartment. Nitro insisted that they get out of there before the cops showed up. He didn’t want to answer any questions, and she had to admit, she felt the same way.
“I’m not sure that your jacket is going to fix this for me, Nitro, but I appreciate the effort,” she grumbled. “What now?” She wanted to tell him to get out of her car so she could take off and disappear like she usually did, but Aurora had a feeling that Nitro wouldn’t agree to her plan.
“Now, you let me take you back into my club, and we talk to Torque. He’ll have a place where we can lay low until we figure out who the hell broke into your apartment,” he said. She wasn’t sure if telling Nitro that she already knew who both of those men were would be in her best interest.
“I’m assuming that Torque is one of your friends,” she said.
“You could say that,” Nitro said. “He’s our club’s Prez and one of the best guys that I know. If we need help, he’ll give itwith no questions asked.” Aurora had a feeling that he’d have a few questions for her, but right now, she’d have no choice but to answer them. She needed to find a way to lie low for a bit since she wasn’t able to get out of town before the guys found her. This time, they had gotten too close, and she’d take all the help that came her way.
“Fine, I’m willing to meet your Prez, but if things go sideways, I’m out of here,” she insisted. He nodded his agreement, although his eyes told a different story. The one thing she knew for sure was that there was no way that she’d ever let another man hold her against her will—no matter how many pretty promises he made her.
Nitro walkedher into the bar as though she were fragile, and she almost wanted to laugh. Nothing about her was breakable—not even her damn heart. “We need to see Torque,” he said to a guy behind the bar. She looked around the bar, noting that the party from earlier had seemed to die down a bit. There were a few men still sitting at the bar, and a few barflies lingering in the back of the room as though waiting to be chosen to go home with one of the bikers. She almost wanted to laugh at just how pathetic it all seemed.
They followed a big, bald biker to the back of the bar, and he disappeared into a smaller room. When he came back out, he held open the door for them, announcing that Torque would see them. It was all very formal and a complete waste of time. If the guys tracked her to the bar, she’d be out of luck, and every second that passed made that more of a reality.
“Nitro,” Torque said, standing from behind his big desk. “What can I do for you?” he looked her over, and Aurora pasted on her best smile.
“This is Aurora,” Nitro said. They didn’t have time for niceties such as introductions, but she still held her hand out to him, just to be polite.
“Good to meet you,” the biker growled, shaking her hand.
“We have run into a bit of trouble,” Nitro said.
“I can see that,” Torque said, nodding to Aurora’s arm. She had cut it on part of the broken lamp on their way out of her shithole apartment. She knew that it was bad enough to need stitches, but she figured that was the least of her problems.
“Shit, why didn’t you tell me about that?” Nitro asked. He stood and disappeared into the bathroom just outside the office, and Aurora let herself breathe. Just for a second, because she could still feel Torque’s eyes on her. She knew that he was going to want some answers, but the question was, how much of the truth was she willing to share with her new friends?
She had learned at a young age that trusting the wrong people usually ended with more trouble than she was willing to take on. Aurora worried that her girl parts had gotten her into some hot water with Nitro, that she wasn’t going to be able to get out of very easily. But she was sure of one thing—this was where the truth was going to come out. Asking for help always led to certain truths, and tonight was going to play out no differently—she was sure of it.
She’d known it the moment Nitro mentioned that he’d help her find a safe place to land. He was going to want to know who those men were at her apartment, and she’d have to tell him—for better or worse.
When Nitro came back into the office with the first aid kit, he quickly bandaged her arm, using a few butterfly bandages tohelp close the gash a bit. “That will have to do until we can get it looked at.”
She barked out her laugh, “I’m not sure that’s how this is going to work. Going to a hospital or even a clinic is out of the question. They’ll look for me there.” Aurora knew that nowhere was safe for her right now. Her only option was to get out of town, and if Nitro could help her do that, she’d let him.
He stood next to her, watching her every move as though waiting her out. She swallowed hard, knowing that it was now or never for the truth to come out. “That name the guy used,” she said quietly. “Renee.”
