“Sit. Please.”
He sat as well, his thighs on either side of hers, trapping her. But she didn’t feel scared. A bit worried maybe. Definitely guilty.
“I’m so sorry, Linc. You shouldn’t have come in. Really. I’m all right.”
“I shouldn’t have?” He raised both eyebrows.
“You look tired. I know you’re busy. I’m so sorry you had to drive all the way in here.”
“That so?” he drawled, giving none of his thoughts away.
“Yes.” She licked her lips. Was he going to say anything more? “Are you okay?”
“Not sure. That’s a loaded question. Tell me, did you have any intention of calling me?”
“Calling you?”
“Yes. Ed said he found you walking along the side of the road, in the dark, no jacket and a backpack on. He said that you were trembling, upset, that clearly something had happened.”
Drat Ed anyway.
“He’s a big old tattletale.”
“Did you just call Ed a tattletale? Marisol, this isn’t a joke. This is serious.”
Oh, she didn’t like him calling her by her full name.
He gave her a stern look. “What were you planning on doing if Ed wasn’t there? Would you have called me then? Or were you planning on walking all the way into town, in the dark and cold? Would you have called me when you got to town? The next morning? At all?”
His voice was cold. Hard. She’d never heard him sound like that. Or look this way. He could be firm. Even stern. But nothing like this.
“You’re angry with me,” she whispered, wringing her hands together. She didn’t like that he was so upset with her. Unlike Rosalind, his anger ran icy cold rather than fiery hot.
She guessed at least he wasn’t yelling at her. She wasn’t sure what she would do if he did that.
“I’m upset with you. Do you know why?”
“Because I didn’t call you? But I was going to call you. I tried to when I was walking towards the road, but my phone was dead.”
He let out a sigh, leaning back in his chair. “Okay, that’s something. I want you to know that you can always call me if you’re in trouble. No matter what the time is or what I’m doing. I’ll drop everything for you, Mari-girl.”
Okay. Wow. That was unexpected.
“The entire drive here all I could think of was the ways you could have been hurt or harmed. It was torture.”
“I’m sorry,” she told him.
“What happened? What made you leave your aunt’s house on foot at night?”
“I’d like to know that as well,” Ed said, walking back into the room.
“She hasn’t told you?” Linc asked him.
“Not exactly. She just keeps telling me that she’s fine. Figured she’d tell you, though.”
Linc leaned forward, staring at her sternly. “You’re going to tell me, aren’t you, Mari-girl?”
Linc studied Marisol. She looked nervous, unsure, frightened. There were some dirt stains on the high-necked sweater she wore. Flyaway bits of hair had escaped from her ponytail. He wanted nothing more than to pull her onto his lap and reassure her that everything would be all right.
However, he needed her to tell him what the hell was going on. Why she’d been wandering along the road at night. Once he got some answers, he could comfort her.
Then he planned on taking her home and never letting her leave.
Mine.
Deep breath, man. You can’t go scaring her with your possessiveness.
Marisol would learn to lean on him. Rely on him. He would be the first person she would call when she was hurt. He didn’t care if it was something serious or a goddamned stubbed toe.
He. Would. Know.
He wasn’t letting her get away from him. And she was going to be grounded for the next year anyway so . . .
Okay, man, ease up. She doesn’t even know what you are yet. Or about any of this. And she didn’t agree to any of your punishments or rules.
But still . . . the thought of keeping her ass inside his house for the next year was all that was stopping him from losing it. He was usually much more even-tempered. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d skated the edge of control like this.
Then again, he couldn’t remember the last time he’d cared about someone as much as he did her.
She was precious. And she needed to know that.
Marisol took a small breath. Her eyes were wide. Filled with fear. What the fuck?
“Marisol? You okay, sweetheart?” Ed asked as he sat across from them.
Linc shot him a look. He’d seen the way Ed watched her. Knew the other man was interested in her, even though Linc had made it clear to Ed that she was his.
No way would he lose Marisol to someone else. That wouldn’t happen again.
He liked Ed. But he’d take that fucker down if he tried to move in on what belonged to Linc.
“Teeny, look at me. Teeny,” he repeated firmly when she lowered her gaze to her lap.
She raised her eyes to his.
“Good girl,” he praised her, watching as some of the tension in her shoulders drifted away. “Hold my hands.” She reached out with trembling hands. He took them in his. “That’s it. Now take a nice, slow deep breath for me. That’s it. Slowly in. Squeeze my hands if you need to. Good girl. Calm, deep breaths. Nothing is going to hurt you. I’m here. Nothing is getting past me to you. I promise.”
He kept his voice firm but calm. She needed calm right now. He knew that deep down she was strong. She might not see it, but he did. In the way she coped with her diabetes, with her aunt, the constant moves and upheaval. She was obviously shy, found it hard to be around a lot of people yet she got up every morning and did her job.
He hated that he had no idea of what had happened tonight. Even though things were busy with Clint away, he should have made more time for her. Phone calls and text messages were obviously not enough.
“You can’t promise that. You don’t know what they’re like,” she told them both. She slid her hands from Linc’s and he immediately felt the loss of her skin pressed against his. Warming him from the inside out.
“The Devil’s Sinners?” Ed asked. “Did one of them threaten you? Hurt you?”
“The Devil’s Sinners?” Linc said sharply. “They were just on the news, right? All that shit with some of their leaders going missing and their headquarters set on fire?”
“Yeah, that’s right.” Ed rubbed his chin. “I was headed to Marisol’s aunt’s house because of a noise complaint. There’s a gathering of Devil’s Sinners members at her aunt’s house.”
“Fuck! Did one of them hurt you?”
She shook her head, looking pale and scared. He fucking hated it.
“When I got home from work tonight, the driveway was filled with cars and motorcycles. My aunt usually warns me when they’re coming around so I can make myself scarce. Or hide in my room. Generally I try to leave though. Sticking around isn’t safe.”
Linc ground his teeth together. Jesus. Fucking. Christ. What was her aunt thinking?
“Why isn’t it safe, Marisol?” Ed asked in a calm voice.
Do not lose it. Calm. Be calm. She needs you calm now. You can’t lose it on her.