And beneath both of those lurked something he shoved down but knew would be harder to ignore once she recovered her sass and sparkle. He wanted her, plain and simple. That desire could easily land him in the same position as her boyfriend, beaten and bloodied, except Copper would be the one dealing the blows.
As gently as possible, he tilted her chin side to side, inspecting her cheek and neck. Despite how hard he tried, he couldn’t keep the scowl off his face as he stared at her discolored skin. A small trail of blood ran from her lower lip, but that seemed to be the worst of the damage aside from bruising. Before he could stop himself, he traced his finger up the line of her neck, over the worst of the marks, barely skimming her soft skin.
Beth shivered as a tiny gasp escaped, but she didn’t protest.
“This endsnow,” he said, forcing himself to release her and sit back on his heels before he did something foolish. “You’re safe, and that piece of shit willnevertouch you again.”
“Jason,” she said, voice rough. “His name is Jason.”
“I don’t give a shit what his name is, though I guess someone will need it for his obituary.”
That had her snapping into action. She dropped her knees and lunged forward, grabbing his arm. “No, Lee, you can’t. Please, you’ve done enough to him.”
He growled like a junkyard dog. “I haven’t begun to make him pay.”
She didn’t seem aware of how tightly she gripped his arm, and he tried not to enjoy the feel of her fingers denting his skin.Beneath her hold, his Hell’s Handlers brand burned like it had the night Copper had held the white-hot iron to his skin.
Fitting.
Copper would also be the one to flay it from his body if Saint didn’t do right by his daughter.
She shook her head. “Please. You said it was over, so let it be over.”
Clearly, she’d been away from the MC for too long. “Babe, you forget who you grew up with? You think Copper is gonna let this shit slide? That douchebag, Jason, or whoever the fuck, will be lucky if your father doesn’t kill him, then resurrect him so he can kill him again.”
“Don’t tell him.”
The idea was so absurd he couldn’t help but laugh, sharp and humorless. “Christ, Beth, are you crazy? Who do you think sent me here?”
Her jade eyes bored into his, pleading. “This is my life, Lee. Mine. I love my parents, but I’m an adult, and they don’t get to know if I don’t want them to know.”
Fuck. Saint was a goddamn sap because he already knew he’d regret what he was about to do, but would still do it. The look on her face wrecked him. Fear and shame tangled together into a woman who’d just had every ounce of control ripped from her, now begging to keep the one thing she had left, the choice of who found out.
He sighed and glanced at Jason, sprawled on the floor, before turning back to her. “Why do you want to protect that piece of shit?”
“I’m not.” She shook her head, jostling his arm with her movements. “I’m trying to protect you. And my dad. I don’t want his blood on your hands.”
“Too late,” he said, showing her his knuckles once again.
“You know what I mean, Lee.”
His heavy sigh heaved his entire upper half. “Beth… you know who we are.”
She sniffed as she squeezed his arm tighter. “Not at my expense. Please, Lee. I don’t want you to have to do this because of me. It’s not worth it.”
Of course, it was worth it. If not to protect the ones they loved, why did they do any of it? The loans, the threats, and the beatings were all to keep the club safe, fed, and standing. That was the code.
Fuck.
“Three conditions,” he said finally.
“Okay…”
He held up a finger. “One, you don’t see that fucker again.Ever.”
A shudder ran through her, visible from hair to toes. “I never want to.”
He nodded as he lifted a second finger. “Two, you come back to Tennessee with me.”
