JOLIE
Gauge’slarge hand wrapped around mine, his rough fingers rubbing over the top of mine as he pulled me from the basement. Ilooked back, seeing Dom’sgaze stalk us across the room. His mouth was pulled into atight line of disapproval, his arms folded across his chest.
Fuck himwas all Icould think.
He hadn’tever been there for me. And the past couple of days had further proved how unimportant any of his family truly was to him. All he cared about was this club and himself. That was all he’devercared about. And because of that, he’dalmost gotten me killed, or worse. Iswallowed at the thought of worse—of what that ‘worse’ could have meant for me. You hear about things like that all the time, but you don’texpect it to actually happen to you. Suddenly Ifelt terrified, my body shaking as Irealized how close Ihad come to being trafficked to God knows where.
Gauge pulled me up the narrow stairs, his grip firm yet somehow also gentle. Istared at his hand on mine, his tattooed knuckles bloody and broken. He had asmall limp as he walked, and there was no denying the bruises that were forming under the skin on his cheeks. Yet he didn’tseem to care about any of them. He’drisked everything to come and find me.
Isighed heavily. The sigh was more about me than anything else. How did Ialways get myself caught up in these things? No matter how much Itried to keep my head above water and my ass on the straight and narrow, something always managed to drag me back in.
We made it up from the basement, light filtering in through the slats on the shed roof. The place stank of oil and rust and bikes, and though that scent had always been apet hate, that day it somehow put me at ease.
The realization that Icould have been killed, or worse, was thrumming through my veins, and no matter how much Itried to push it away, it was still there. Iswallowed, nausea clawing at me. Iwas okay, Itold myself. Iwas safe.
Gauge… He had been the one to find me.
Gauge… He had been the one that had gotten me out of Jeff’soffice.
Gauge… He had been the one that had almost been killed for me.
My stomach clenched as Istared at his turned back, his hand still in mine. It wasn’tlimp either; he held my hand firmly, like nothing would be able to snatch me away from him, no matter how hard they tried. Itook adeep breath as he pushed open the shed door and the fresh air poured over me. The stench of blood had filled my lungs, the sound of screams and breaking bones deafening, but out there it was like adifferent world. The sun was shining, the leaves rustled in the trees, and you couldn’ttell that below our feet was hell.
The difference was dizzying and Iinvoluntarily squeezed Gauge’shand.
Ifelt safe, despite almost dying.
Ifelt protected, though no one had ever had my back before.
Iwasn’tsure what to make of any of it. My throat tightened and my breaths began to struggle to get out of my too-tight throat. Itugged on Gauge’shand, needing to stop for aminute. He turned back to me, his mouth pulled into afrown as his footsteps came to an abrupt stop.
“You okay?” he asked, and Inodded.
But Iwasn’tokay.
Ihad been through alot in my life, but the past three days… Ithought of how many times I’dalmost died. How many guns had been fired at me. How many times I’dbeen forced to run and hide. How many times I’dbeen made to do things or accept things Ididn’twant to. How many times that man had put his hands on me…
Doing the job Idid and living the life Idid, Iwas used to men like him wanting to take what wasn’ttheirs. But this had been different. Ihadn’tbeen able to fight back. And Ialways fought back. Always.
“I’mfine,” Igasped out.
“You sure?” he asked, and Ihad to look away from his hard gaze before Ibroke, because breaking down there, in front of those people and that man, was unacceptable. Isnatched my hand free of his and he let me go.
“I’mfine. Stop fucking asking me that,” Isnapped, looking away from him.
He reached down, his rough fingers gripping the bottom of my chin before forcing me to look up at him, his features now inexplicably darker. “Excuse motherfuckin’ me, but you don’tseem fine, Princess.”
Inarrowed my eyes, my skin burning from where his fingers touched me, and Ijerked free from his grip. “What do you expect from me? That down there was…it was fucked up, Gauge.”
“No more fucked up than what you just went through,” he deadpanned.
“Like you know what Iwent through,” Iscoffed. Ilooked away from him, unsure anymore why I’deven wanted to go down there. Ihad known it wouldn’tbe good—whatever was done down in abasement would never be good. But Iwas always so eager to prove to everyone how tough Iwas. How nothing ever got to me. How nothing could ever hurt me.
“Hey, look at me,” he said, and something about the inflection in his tone made me do as he asked, even if it was with narrowed eyes. “You’re safe now,” he said seriously.
Ifrowned. “Iknow that.”
“Do you?”
