7. Isabella

I crouch downand make myself as small as possible.

I'm used to hiding and blending into the crowd, but this is different. This is something much more terrifying. I made it to the bus station but the bus had already left for Texas and that is the only bus I'm interested in getting on. The next bus is tonight.

I can hold out for a few more hours and hope that Rueben isn't following me. I'd left the shelter last night to head to the Soup Kitchen and he saw me crossing the road.

At first, I thought it was a coincidence, and we walked together for a while. But after a little bit, things felt off. I made it seem like I wasn't going to the Soup Kitchen after all, and I had to meet a friend instead. I just wanted to get away from him and he seemed okay with it. I had this awful feeling I was being followed, but every time I turned around, I didn't see him. I stayed in an all-night diner and bought coffee with the little money I had, just so I could hide out in one of the booths. But eventually I had to leave. I had to get back to the shelter and grab the rest of my things.

I hated being out at night in this city — it's creepy, even when there are tons of people around. Admittedly, it wasn't a good idea to cut through the park, but it was a short-cut and there were families there, people jogging, and it was well lit.

Or so I thought….

Out of nowhere, Rueben jogs up beside me. "Why did you lie to me?"

I blink. Where the hell did he come from? Knowing that he was probably watching me the whole time in the diner sends a shiver skittering over my skin.

"I didn't…"

"Sarah? You're not Sarah! What is your real name?"

I swallow hard. "It's Bella."

"So, you did lie?" he snarls.

My heart races in my chest and I begin to berate myself for even being here. It's getting dark out and I should've just gone straight to the Soup Kitchen where I'd be safe.

"I didn't mean t., I'm sorry, Rueben, you seem like a nice guy," I lie. "I'm just really mixed up right now. I didn't mean to offend you."

He looked mad.

Really mad.

"So you just go around giving false names? I was trying to be a nice guy, but you just turned around and did that to me."

Oh, God. This guy needs to get a grip, and he seems to be getting very angry.

I stand, gripping onto my small backpack with both hands. "I need to get back." I start to walk toward the entrance that leads to the sidewalk.

"Where to?" He's right behind me. "Back to that shelter, Bella? You think they're gonna help you?"

This guy is completely crazy.

"Just leave me alone!" I beg. "Please get away from me!"

The people around me walking by helps some, and it makes Rueben back off a little. Using that to my advantage, I start to move. Weaving through the street, I pick up the pace as I come to a crosswalk and run right in front of a car. It honks and only misses me by a few seconds but I manage to lose Rueben. Running, I keep up the pace until I'm out of breath. Turning around, I don't see him, but I've also managed to outrun the foot traffic, too. Dusk settles and I realize I'm lost. I've no clue where the hell I am. I still don't know these streets well enough, but I can see the cathedral landmark, so I probably need to be heading the other way. Still, I can't risk running into him again.

I'm out of breath and the adrenaline coursing through me makes me clammy. The blood pumping in my ears makes me even more uncoordinated.

I keep going and when I round the corner, I squeal as Rueben catches me and pulls me by the hair as he locks one arm around my body.

"Going somewhere, pretty girl?"

"Please," I beg. "Please don't."

He smells like beer and I wince when I smell his disgusting breath. "You're so much prettier when you're begging."

I struggle, getting the drop on him as I stamp my foot down on his. Before I know it, a fist hits my face at the same time I knee him in the balls. He goes down and I jump out of the way and run for my life. I run across the road and head the way I came; back to the populated area as my heart races in my chest and the adrenaline running through me is the only thing that saves my life. I do not stop running until I'm outside the parish. I've no idea how I made it there…

I don't feel safe anywhere. As I glance around, I know I have to head back to the parish and wait for tonight. If Rueben is out for revenge, then who knows what he's capable of.

I thought about going to the soup kitchen to seek refuge, but that doesn't open until six, and even if I did turn up there early, they'd ask questions. They'd want to know what happened to my face and then I'd have to tell them. Maybe they'd also want me to tell the police… that can't happen. I'm a ghost with nowhere else to go. I have to get out of here, but I'm running out of options.

So I sit in one of the pews with my head down, trying not to freak out every time I hear the doors behind me open, hoping it's not him.

There are a couple of other people in here, and thankfully they're paying me no attention.

I rest my head on the seat in front and stare down at my shoes.

If I'd had Priest's number, I would have texted him. I know he would've come for me. I've never had to be independent — I've always had everything done for me — so asking for help isn't something I'm used to. But with every fiber of my being, I feel as if he truly cares.

Please, God. Please let me get out of this mess.

"Bella?"

I freeze, my heart jumping as I try not to gasp. I hear the pew creak next to me as he sits.

Priest.

I remain staring at my shoes. "How did you know I was here?"

"Linda called me. I came by last night when you didn't show."

"You did?"

"Of course. We're friends. We were worried. Then when you showed up, she saw you were hurt… I went to the bus station first." Of course he would know how to find me. I think he would no matter where I went.

I try to keep the tears in, but I can't. Wiping them furiously, I swallow hard. "I'm leaving tonight."

"Bella, look at me." His voice is soft, encouraging. Like he's talking to a small child or a kitten who's stuck in a tree.

I close my eyes. This man is so sweet and dear, and I'm taking up his valuable time when I could be on a bus out of here, long forgotten. The thought also fills me with dread because I like him. I like him more than I should.

"Look at me," he says again.

I turn my head, a tear slipping down my cheek as he stares at me. His head reaches for me and I don't flinch. He wipes the tear away with his thumb and his voice is eerily calm when he says, "Who did this to you?"

I shake my head. "It doesn't matter."

"So you knew him?"

Shit.

"I don't know…"

"Don't lie to me."

"I… I wanted to come… last night, but I was scared because he followed me. Then when he attacked me, I ran and got away. I came here because he knew where I was staying. The Soup Kitchen was closed, so I slept here…"

"Who?"

"Rueben," I whisper.

His hands clench into fists. "He's a dead man."

"No," I protest. "I think he'd been drinking."

"That's no excuse! He hurt you." He looks really freaking mad; his face reddens and his eyes grow dark. "You need to see a doctor."

I shake my head. "No! I can't, Priest. No doctors, please."

He sighs. "I know someone. She's an EMT, she's nice. Will you let me call her? I promise she won't intrude."

I stare up at him. It'll please him if I do this. I don't want him to be mad at me. "Okay," I whisper. "I'll see her."

"You're comin' home with me."

Hope blooms in my chest. I'm not afraid of him, even after what that asshole Rueben did to me. Priest isn't like that. He's nothing like that monster.

"I don't know if I should. I was going to get the bus to Texas."

"Texas can wait, and I already told you that I'd drive you if you really need to go so urgently." His tone is firm. "But not tonight. Tonight you're comin' home with me, and Casey, the EMT friend of mine, will come and check you over. Aside from the bruising and swelling to your face, did he hurt you anywhere else?"

I swallow hard, knowing his implication. "No," I whisper. "He didn't do anything else; I managed to kick him in the balls and run."

He nods. "Good girl. But when I find that piece of shit, his life won't be worth livin'."

The look in his eyes tells me he's serious.

"I don't want to be a burden to you." I look away.

"The shelter isn't safe if he's been watchin' you," Priest says. "He got to you once, that's not gonna happen again."

The relief in me feels palpable. "I know."

He tilts my chin up gently with his fingers. "Do you trust me?"

My lips part and I don't hesitate at answering. "Yes."

"If you don't feel comfortable with me, I won't take it personally. I'd ask Stella, but she still lives at home and there's no room there."

"I trust you, Priest."

"You're safe," he tells me, his words firm. "I want you to know that. From now on, you're under my protection, okay?"

I've no idea what he means by that, like he's in some sort of law enforcement, but it feels good to hear him say it.

"Okay, but like I said before, you really don't have to do that."

"I know I don't have to, Bella. I want to. I don't want you thinkin' that all men are like that. You have no reason to trust me, other than me tellin' you as such, but you can't stay here. It isn't safe and he's still out there."

I sit back, pulling my feet onto the pew as I wrap my arms around my legs. "I know you're not like that."

This seems to satisfy him. "Tomorrow, we can talk about findin' you someplace else, somewhere more suitable, alright?"

I don't like the sound of that, but I nod anyway. "Okay."

He watches me for a few moments and I wish I knew what he was thinking. His nostrils flair slightly and then his eyes soften. "You don't have to be afraid of me."

He's reiterating his point again, as if I don't already know he's not one of the bad ones.

"I know that and I'm not."

He stands, holding out his hand and I take it without hesitation. He pulls me up off the pew and then brushes my hair back with his hand to get a better look at my bruise. He's silent as he assesses me, his eyes darting over my face, his thumb brushing against the cut above my eye where Rueben socked me.

"He's goin' to pay for what he did to you." His words hold a malice that I never thought possible in a man like Priest. I don't feel any remorse over what may happen to Rueben. Maybe I've been desensitized to bloodshed and violence because of my upbringing, or maybe I just don't care for assholes who attempt to assault me and God knows what else. The idea that Priest will hurt him sends adrenaline running through my veins. It makes me feel giddy, and while I know that isn't normal, I don't have the energy to care. I'm safe now. I'm with Priest. He won't let anything bad happen to me.

"I don't want you to get into any trouble," I whisper.

He stares at me; his green eyes are fierce with warning. Not for me, but for anyone who tries to harm me. I can't even imagine what it would be like to cross a man like Priest. While I feel safe with him, I know that he's not a man to be messed with. I know that he's fierce when it comes to loyalty and protecting women. I've seen how he is with Stella, his goddaughter, and the other women that come into the Soup Kitchen.

That fluttering feeling in my belly washes over me and I know I'm crushing hard on him, but trying hard not to let it show. I've never felt this way about anyone before. I don't even know what this is, but it feels like I'm walking on a cloud. Even if I was assaulted, all of that melts away when Priest looks at me like this.

His lips turn up slightly. "The only one gettin' into trouble, little one, will be that asshole when I catch him."

I should keep my mouth shut. I should act like the innocent girl I've been trained to be. But instead, I keep my mouth running. "What will you do?"

He cups my face, his eyes hardening when his thumb brushes as light as a feather over my swollen cheek. "That's not for you to worry about, Bella. Come." He lets go of me but holds his hand out for me to take. His hand is large and warm wrapped around mine. I know he's not looking at me like I'm looking at him, but his touch feels intimate. Like he does really care about me, even if it is just a friend.

I'm hobbling a little from my twisted ankle and he turns to look down at me.

"Can you walk?"

"Yes."

"Do you want me to carry you?"

My lips part in surprise. Priest carrying me? Who the hell sent this man?

I shake my head. "I'll be fine."

"My sled's right outside."

I frown. "Sled?"

He smiles, his eyes softening. "My motorcycle."

Of course he rides a motorcycle. That's so freaking hot.

"You expect me to get on a motorcycle?"

"It's a Harley, you'll be fine."

I laugh and his eyes crinkle as we head for the door. "That makes it okay?"

"I'm a good driver. It's other people you gotta watch out for."

When we get to the curb, my eyes go wide at the sight of the beautiful machine in front of me.

"Wow, that's your sled?" I laugh at the word.

He chuckles. "You like it?"

"It's pretty."

He snorts. "Pretty? And here I was thinkin' it was badass all along."

"It looks brand new."

"It's a nineteen-sixty-eight Shovelhead. Fully restored. I recently reconnected with my dad and he helped me."

"Wow, did that take long?"

"I started it five years ago," he chuckles. "Then last year, when my dad was back on the scene, he helped with the paint job, chrome and aluminum correction, new rims and the detailed finishes which he's an expert at. He's a diesel mechanic, but can fix anything."

The Shovelhead has bright gold mud flaps and a beautiful cross with flames billowing behind in a deeper shade of orange and red. I don't know much about bikes, but this is a beauty. He stares at it like it's his baby and that makes me happy.

"And I'm betting it goes fast?"

He lets go of my hand, but he places it on the small of my back instead. "You bet. But I won't be goin' fast with you on the back."

I shouldn't feel the flutter again in my stomach, but I can't help it. Priest is doing things to me; things that he shouldn't be, and I feel the pulse between my legs.

"You're a spoil sport."

He grins, reaching into one of the side pockets where he pulls out a helmet. "You'll need to wear this. It'll be a little big." I let him fit it onto my head and he adjusts it.

I let him. I love him touching me, even if it is just his fingers brushing over my skin every now and again. It feels more intimate than it probably is, but I don't care.

I'm captivated by him.

"Isn't this your helmet?"

"Yes, but I didn't have time to grab another one. I'll be fine, my place isn't far."

A thrill goes through me again when I think about going to his home.

I imagine all of the things; what it will look like. Is he tidy or messy? What area of town it's in and then there's the bedding situation. I feel that pull again in my lower belly when I think about where Priest sleeps.

I part my lips to answer as he watches me. "Okay."

He nods, then proceeds to swing his leg over his bike to mount it and then kicks up the stand and the engine roars to life. If it isn't the sexiest thing I've ever seen then I'll be damned for all of eternity. I stand there staring and he turns to pat the seat behind him. "Hop on."

I do as he says, using his arm and shoulder as a lever to pull myself up.

"Put your feet over the pegs there," he says as I glance down. I do as he says. "Put your arms around me and don't let go."

Holy shit balls.

As if I'd ever want to let go…

I do as he says, wrapping my arms around his waist. His scent — masculine, earthy and woody — goes straight between my legs. As does the rumble of the motorcycle beneath me. The vibration has my cheeks flushing and we haven't even moved yet.

He revs a couple of times before we take off and he pulls out into the traffic. The sheer adrenaline of it all has me closing my eyes, but a huge smile plasters across my face at how freeing this feels. I'm in absolute awe of him, and this experience.

For the first time in my life, I feel free.