BLAMELESS: MC Biker Romance (Black Thorns, #3) (9 page)

He just stares at me, unmoving.

I can’t take it.

I don’t want him to see it. I don’t want him to see that he’s hurt me.

I promised myself a long time ago that I would never let any man have that power over me again.

And so, I turn away and hurry the remaining couple of feet to my car.

“Why the fuck did you bother coming up here, huh? What the fucking hell were you thinking? You can’t just come up here!” he thunders at me. “It’s a fucking clubhouse, woman! You get that? Jesus Christ! It ain’t your goddamn diner! Bitches don’t just walk on in and shit! You need a damn invite! All right? You hear me?”

“What?” Rox seethes, suddenly striding over to him.

I try to grab her arm to stop her, but she just shrugs out of my grip without even breaking her stride.

I turn around to see her getting in Zeb’s face.

“Stay outta it, Rox. Ain’t your business.”

“She’s my friend and you talking like that to her makes it my business.”

He steps back and shakes his head at her. “Don’t come at me. You’re his wife. Don’t make me do nothing here.”

“Like what? Is that a threat?”

“Hell, no,” he says. “Just…I know you. You come at me and I gotta subdue you, yeah? Don’t wanna touch you, Rox. Respect you, okay?”

“Well, right now, I don’t respect
you
.”

Oh crap. “Just leave it, Rox. It’s all okay.”

“No, it’s not okay. He just cheated on you and now he’s insulting you.”

“Cheated on her?” Zeb exclaims. “We ain’t together!”

“Then why are you out here running after her, huh?” she challenges him.

His eyes dart around erratically, confusion spreading all over his face for a few seconds. And then he eyes me and demands, “Tell her we ain’t together.”

I can’t do this. This is a nightmare and also incredibly embarrassing.

I guess all of these uneasy emotions have some sort of defense mechanism kick-starting within me. Anger. It has me blurting out at him, “We’re
nothing
.”

His eyes flash.

“What you saw in there were me celebrating being off forced leave.”

“I don’t care,” I tell him, turning away.

“Like fuck, you don’t.”

What the hell is this? Who cares? I need to ignore it. He’s so…immature, trying to get a rise out of me here. For what purpose?

“That’s what I do, woman! Okay? That’s the kinda man I am. I ain’t gonna make no apologies for it. What? Cuz I got a taste of
your
pussy, you thought I wouldn’t want no other? Like your pussy were so fucking special, or some shit? That what you thought?”

The next thing I hear is a pained grunt from him and I turn back around to see him staggering back and pressing his hand to his cheek while Rox stands there in a fighting stance.

Whoa. She just punched him.

“You asshole!” she yells. “You can never take any responsibility for anything you do, can you? You always think you’re completely blameless, you dickhead!”

Zeb’s eyes are on me. He’s just staring at me, like Rox isn’t even there and hasn’t just punched him.

I break his gaze when I see movement at the clubhouse entrance. Ax comes running towards us. Smiter is right behind him, carrying baby Ava in his arms.

They’re a little too late as Rox lunges at Zeb, screaming at him for all the things he just said to me.

Ax wraps his arms around her and pulls her off Zeb.

“Stop, babe! Now! Take it down,” he tells her as she tries to fight her way out of his hold. He turns so they’re facing Smiter and Ava. “You want our daughter to see you acting this way?”

That has her calming down a little. “You promised me no pussy parties while you were in the clubhouse!
And
you have Ava with you, too!”

“I stayed in my office with her. I was doing paperwork, babe. Swear it. Didn’t even know it was happening ‘til it was well underway.”

“Truth, Rox,” Zeb pipes up. “Were my fault. I set it up. Needed to blow off some steam. Didn’t run it by Ax first.”

“Don’t you talk to me!” she yells.

“Runner! Get inside!” Ax orders him.

Zeb hesitates. He tries to catch my eye, but I don’t let that happen. He blows out a breath and then limps away.

Ax releases Rox once Zeb is out of sight and tells her, “I’m sorry, babe. I swear, I didn’t see nothing ‘til a few seconds ago when Smiter came to get me and told me you were here.”

She runs her fingers through her hair and walks over to Smiter and takes Ava from him. “Thanks.” She turns back and orders Ax, “Give me the keys to your truck. I’m taking Ava home. I can’t on my bike.”

“No.
We’re
going home.”

That has her smiling at him. “Really?”

“Yeah. Right now.” He eyes Smiter. “Tell Grit he’s in charge for the rest of the night.”

Smiter nods. “You got it, Prez.”

“Sarah, do you want to stay with us tonight? It’s a few hours’ drive back to Brockford,” Rox offers.

I shake my head. All I want to do is to get out of here as fast as I can and
never
come back. “No. I’m fine.”

Before she can argue, I dart to my car and hurry inside. I see them watching me as I speed away without another word, or even a goodbye.

Chapter 11

~Runner~

I can’t wrap my head ‘round what’s happening here.

I’m standing on the doorstep, staring at her house, being a dumbass pussy unable to make a decision.

Knock, or walk away?

I went by the diner, but it were closed. It’s weird, cuz it’s the middle of the day and it ain’t a Sunday neither. Shouldn’t be closed.

If I walk away now, shit between us will be done with. Finished. I got no other reason to come back to this city. Ain’t gonna go to
Temptress
again, cuz of the way that bitch, Halle, always is with me the second I walk in there, before I’ve even done a thing to deserve her uptight bullshit. So, all I gotta do here is not knock. Just gotta walk away.

Fuck. I can’t.

It’s been two days since that screwed up situation at the clubhouse.

And I ain’t been able to get it outta my head for even a second.

The way I spoke to her and the things I said—I were way outta line. She didn’t deserve that. I behaved like a real asshole to her. A sweet, innocent thing like her. Can’t let that slide. I gotta do something I ain’t used to doing.

I gotta apologize.

I just lost my temper when I saw her standing in the clubhouse. Seeing the pain in her eyes and that flash of betrayal when she saw me with those whores had cut into me. The hurt were all over her face. That guilt that look on her face had made me feel had me reacting real bad. I don’t do well with that emotion. So I’d pushed it down with my anger, tryin’ to convince myself that I weren’t to blame, cuz we weren’t even together.

Nah, we ain’t together.

In my mind.

But I knew, in hers, that were a different story.

And I shoulda gone easier on her. I shoulda at least shut it down a week ago, so she didn’t come up to the clubhouse like that. But I just ran without a word. Like I usually do.

And a sweet thing like her deserves better than that.

Truth is, I can’t just walk.

Dunno what the hell it is, but she’s got some sorta hold on me that I just can’t shake.

That’s why I rode three hours to get down here, just to see her.

Not just to apologize. I been trying to convince myself that’s the only reason I’m here.

But it ain’t.

Do I want her then? Is that why I’m here?

Fuck knows.

All I do know is I can’t leave it. I gotta figure out what’s going on with me and her.

That’s why I’m here.

I pinch the bridge of my nose and get my head together.

And then I knock.

No answer.

I eye the driveway. She’s home. Her old car’s right there.

I knock again.

And again. And again.

Why ain’t she answering?

“Sarah! It’s Zeb. I know you’re home. Open the door, yeah?” I call, as I knock again.

Nothing. Can’t even hear footsteps inside, approaching the door.

My gut’s telling me something ain’t right here.

Shit.

I grab the doorknob.

Adrenaline spikes through me as the door just pushes open. The lock’s been messed with. It’s broken.

I kick it open the rest of the way and storm inside, not giving a shit ‘bout the pain spiking through my side from my aggressive movements.

“Sarah! Sarah, you here? It’s Zeb, darlin’!” I thunder as I scan the living room quickly, searching for her. She ain’t there.

I run into the kitchen. Nothing.

I hurry through it and out into the backyard. Nothing.

I sprint back the way I came and down the hall. That’s when I see blood staining the walls and the light-gray carpet. Jesus.

It’s been a hell of a long time since I’ve felt what I am right now. Terror.

What the hell’s happened here? Is she…no…can’t go there. Just gotta find her. Now!

When I get close to her bedroom that’s when I finally hear something.

Whimpering.

It’s coming from beside it. The bathroom.

The door’s wide open. Looks like it’s half off. One of the hinges has been ripped from the door frame.

The second I step inside, I see her.

Jesus fucking Christ.

Blood.

Blood everywhere.

She’s slumped against the bathtub with a white bathrobe wrapped ‘round her that’s more blood-red than white right now. Her hair’s wet and hanging in front of her face. There’s blood all over the white tiled floor.

And there’s a knife in her hand. A chef’s knife. Stained with blood as well.

I skid to my knees in front of her.

She screams, clearly not even realizing I were standing in her bathroom.

I react quick and grab her wrist that’s holding the knife. I gently ease it outta her grip and place it behind me on the toilet seat.

“Sarah,” I whisper softly, not wanting to scare her.

“Zeb?” she murmurs.

“Yeah, darlin’. Can you look at me?”

She shakes her head.

I brush her hair outta her face and lift her chin, needing her to look at me.

I growl as I see her right eye. Black and blue. “Who did this?” I demand, losing my cool at seeing the mark on her.

My aggression has her whimpering and holding up shaking hands to her face in a defensive reaction.

I take ‘em in mine and gently ease ‘em down. “I’m sorry. I ain’t gonna hurt you. You’re safe with me, Sarah. You know that, right?”

It takes her a moment, but she finally nods.

“Good. Can you tell me what happened here?”

That has her crying again.

Shit.

“I…I was stepping out of the shower. He came, Zeb. He came!” she cries. It takes her a moment to get a hold of herself and then she goes on, “I heard footsteps in the house...ran to the kitchen and got the...the knife. Made it back here…locked the door. But he’s strong. He broke it…the door. He was yelling. Then he hit me and I fell and….” She trails off and looks behind me at the blade. Her eyes meet mine and I see something hard there that I’ve only seen flashes of before. And then she says, “I…I stabbed him. He staggered away and left.”

Fucking hell.

“Who, Sarah?”

She bites her lip and looks away. “I thought…I thought I was free.”

And that’s when I know.

“Torvin.”

She nods.

“That fucker is dead. You hear me? I’m gonna fucking kill him, Sarah!” I growl, pulling back a bit.

She grabs my arm and shakes her head. “No, Zeb. He’s too dangerous.”

“So am I.”

She starts screaming then, begging me not to do nothing.

“All right. Stop. All right, darlin’. You got it, yeah? Won’t do nothing.” Lies. All lies. But she ain’t gonna calm down otherwise. Besides, she don’t need to know what I’m really gonna do to that low-life, sick motherfucker. Ain’t for a sweet thing like her to know ‘bout dark shit like that.

I look her over. There’s blood stains on her hands, her legs, her robe and on her face and forehead.

“This blood all his?”

She nods. “Yeah.”

Thank fuck.

I stand up and lean over her to switch on the shower.

“What…what are you doing?”

“Need to get you cleaned up. Then I’m gonna take care of your eye.”

I wrap my arms ‘round her and help her to her feet. She cries out as she tries to stand up straight. I watch her grab her left side.