Shaking my head, I tune them out, unable to believe she would give everything up and go back to that piece of shit. I know all about how many times a woman will turn around and take another beating for a man she thinks she loves but Dina was different. She was so happy in her new life and she was feeling stronger everyday. It just doesn’t make sense. Thinking back to the day we saved her, I wish I had put a bullet in the husband’s skull like I wanted to.
“Smith and Fuzz, I want you to take care of the security at Nix’s place. They’re waitin’ for you.” Blaze’s voice breaks through my thoughts and I look up.
“On it, Boss,” Fuzz says, shooting Blaze a mock salute while Smith nods in agreement. These two live for this shit. Emma and Nix’s place will be harder to get into than the White House by the time they get done. Blaze nods and bangs the gavel on the table, storming out of the room before anyone else can even stand.
I sink back into my seat and think over the last time I saw Dina, looking for any clue I might have missed but I come up with nothing. The room is mostly cleared out by the time I stand up and walk out into the common area. Kodiak is at the bar and as soon as he spots me, he gets up and walks over to me.
“You all right?” he asks, slapping me on the back and I nod my head.
“I gotta get out of here.”
“You sure? Why don’t you just head up to your room and chill for a bit?”
I glance toward the stairs that lead up to our rooms before shaking my head. There is only one thing in this world I want right now and I only have enough energy to convince her to let me in. “Naw. I’m good. Thanks, though.”
“Yeah, anytime, brother.” He slaps my back again, nodding and I slip outside, Carly dominating my thoughts as I jump on my bike and peel out of the parking lot. I fucking love the work we do here, I really do, but Jesus, sometimes it just takes so much out of me. It’s a little sad how quickly something can thrust me back in time to when I was a kid watching my mom get the shit kicked out of her. The miles between the clubhouse and Carly’s apartment fly by but my mind is filled with images of my mom, beaten and bruised. They urge me to go fast as anger simmers in my blood.
I need her.
By the time I whip my bike into a parking spot outside her building and flip the kickstand down, I’m so agitated I probably look insane but I’m way past the point of caring. The blinders are on and my only focus is getting to her. Anything gets in my way and I’ll knock it the fuck down. I stop in front of the elevator and smash the button with my thumb as I stare up at the dial. My hand taps against my thigh as I watch it slowly wind down and when it stops on the fifth floor, my patience runs out. Growling, I turn toward the stairwell and fling open the door before racing up the ten flights of stairs to her apartment.
Bursting through the door to her hallway, I barely resist the urge to run the length of it as my mind races with thoughts of Dina going back to her ex. When I get to her door, I slam my fist against the wood repeatedly, not giving a damn who I wake up or disturb.
“Jesus Christ, what?” she seethes, throwing her door open and her gaze hardens as soon as she sees me. Yeah, so she’s mad at me but that’s going to have to wait until later. Before she can throw any attitude in my direction, I grab her and pull her into my body, burying my face in her neck. The smell of her coconut shampoo wafts in my face and I breathe it in, feeling my heart rate slow as her body softens against mine.
“What’s wrong?” she whispers, running her fingers through the hair at the base of my neck and relief washes through me.
“Can I come in?” I whisper against her skin, mentally begging her to not turn me away tonight and she nods, pulling away and stepping back so I can walk past her. I walk over to the couch and sink into it.
“You want a beer or something?” she asks, laying her hand on my forearm and I shake my head, wrapping my fingers around her wrist.
“No. I just need you.”
With a tug, I pull her over the arm of the sofa and into my lap as she squeals before straddling my thighs and running her hands down my chest. With just one touch, I feel like I can breathe for the first time since Blaze broke the news to us and I wrap my hand around the back of her neck before pulling her to my lips. She tastes like wine and chocolate and all I can think about is losing myself in her for a few hours.
“What happened?” she asks softly against my lips, worry filling her gaze as she pulls back to meet my eyes. I slip my hand into her hair, loving the way she subtly leans into my touch as she waits for my reply.
“We lost one of our girls today.”
Her eyes widen. “What?”
“This woman we helped a few weeks ago. Her name is Dina… was Dina… and Blaze just told us she was murdered.”
“Oh, Chance, I’m so sorry,” she whispers, leaning in and pressing her lips to mine. I grip her hair, fighting back tears of my own.
“It just doesn’t make sense, you know? She was so strong, even when her husband was in her face and making every promise he could think of, she didn’t waver. He threatened her and she didn’t back down. She was a fighter, so I can’t see her going back to him.”
She nods, offering me a comforting look. “Maybe the world and all its possibilities scared her back to the devil she already knew.”
“I don’t want to think that. In my perfect world, she got away and she thrived, but the evidence says otherwise. I don’t know. I went to go see her at the hotel not that long ago and the bruises around her neck from where he tried to strangle her were almost gone and her smile was brighter. Does that seem like a woman who would turn around and go back?”
My question is met with silence and I glance up, shocked by the haunted look on Carly’s face.
“Princess?” I ask and she blinks at me, her mask slipping back into place right in front of my eyes.
“I don’t know, Chance. My Aunt Dottie always says people should trust their instincts more and I’ve learned to listen to her over the years.”
“What are you saying?” I ask and she looks away, refusing to meet my eyes.
“Nothing. Just that people lie, they lie all the time, and they manipulate the world around them to make people believe their lies.” She chews on her bottom lip and I can’t take my eyes off her. I’m getting another elusive glimpse under the mask and I’m mesmerized by the pain splashed across her face. “If you really believe she wouldn’t have gone back, maybe it’s worth looking into. At the very least, you’ll get closure.”
Something happened to her - something awful, something that haunts every aspect of her life. I was suspicious before but now I’m sure and all I want to do is fix it. Protectiveness wells up inside me as I think about someone hurting her and a deep rumble sounds in my chest. She looks back to me, her eyes wide.
“What happened to you, Princess?” I whisper, cupping her cheek as I search her gaze like it’ll tell me everything I need to know. Her wide eyes get even wider and a tear slips down her cheek before she can stop it. She jerks out of my arms and stumbles off my lap, shaking her head.
“Nothing. Nothing happened to me,” she mutters, still shaking her head and my fucking heart breaks in two in my chest. “You need to leave.”