Chapter Three

Leah had no choice but to wrap her arms around Brim and hold on tight as he sped into the night, leaving the bar far behind. The handcuff binding her to him didn't allow much separation, and she didn't relish falling off a moving motorcycle traveling seventy miles an hour. She slid up close to his back and held on, hoping he would eventually realize she was completely innocent and let her go.

Why did I help him? And does he carry handcuffs everywhere?

All she tried to do was keep him from being killed, and this was the thanks she got. When was she going to learn that her curse was meant to be bottled up inside and never revealed? It only led to disaster. She was a freak of nature, and once more, it proved she didn't belong in society.

They drove for what seemed like hours. In fact, the low vibration of the bike's engines combined with the slow release of adrenaline, left her sleepy. Unable to keep her eyes open, she leaned her head against Brim's broad, muscular back and closed her eyes. Every time they hit road turbulence, she jolted awake, only to slide back into that hypnotic trance.

Eventually, the bike came to a stop. When the engine noise died, Leia sat up, blinking as she tried to get her bearings. She looked around the dark forest, but all she saw was a hulking shadow of a cabin surrounded by trees.

"Where are we?" she asked.

"My place. Get up, but watch your leg. Don't burn it on the pipe."

Leia carefully exited off the back of the bike, making sure to avoid the hot exhaust pipe that Brim had pointed out. Her knees threated to buckle so she placed her hand on his shoulder so she wouldn't fall. Brim slid his arm around her waist, offering her support, but when he stood up as well, they were suddenly too close. It was far too dark to see the expression on his face, but every cell in Leia's body froze. She became acutely aware of his hard muscles. Of the charged electricity between them, and her heart rate sped up in fear.

"Come on," he muttered as he took hold of her upper arm and pulled her toward the cabin. Once inside, he unlocked her cuff from his belt loop. "Don't run away. You're in the middle of the woods, far away from anyone. There's nowhere you can go, and you could die from exposure before I track your ass back down. Do you understand?"

She gave a jerky nod, although it was just to pacify him because if she got the opportunity to escape, she damn well was going to take it.

"I have to use the bathroom," she said. Perhaps if there was a window, she could jump out of it and escape.

Once more he took hold of her upper arm and to her surprise, marched her out of the cabin to an outhouse a hundred feet away.

"Go on," he said, folding his arms across his chest. "Be sure to check for spiders and snakes."

His amusement grated on her nerves. Leia stepped into the outhouse, scrunching her nose in disgust. The inside had a wooden bench, with a hole built into the platform. A bucket of lye rested nearby. With her bladder full, she decided to go ahead and use the facility. Without looking into the dark hole, she wrinkled her nose as she hurried to pee. After, she wished she had a way to wash her hands. As she stepped back out, she was surprised to see Brim held out a bottle toward her.

"What's that?" she asked.

"Hand sanitizer. No running water sucks."

She took the small bottle and squirted some in her hands, glad to have something to kill the ick lingering from being in the outhouse. When she handed the bottle back, their fingers brushed against one another, and it sent a jolt through her. Unnerved, she pulled back, suddenly aware of just how vulnerable she was. Leia took a step back and hugged herself in a protective gesture.

"For fuck's sake, I'm not going to rape you!" he snapped.

"How do I know you're not? You kidnap me, bring me to this remote location… You're the devil as far as I can tell. I shouldn't have saved you!"

Brim swore under his breath and reached for her. Leia danced away and turned, ready to flee. She didn't care about being in the middle of nowhere. Didn't care about anything in that moment except fleeing this monster. But she'd only gone a few steps before his arms bear-hugged her, halting her escape.

He lifted her like she was nothing more than a sack of rags and hauled her into the cabin. When he sat her down on her feet, she rushed back to the door, but once more he caught her around the waist. Before she had time to regroup, he snapped the other end of the hand cuff onto his own wrist.

"You aren't going anywhere," he said.

"You can't keep me here! People will look for me!"

He raised an eyebrow. "Really? Like whom?"

The only people she could think of were her coworkers, but in truth, she doubted they'd actually do anything. More than likely, they'd just hire another cleaner and forget about her. She wilted a little knowing no one really cared about what happened to her. She was all alone in the world, by her own choice.

Brim marched over to the fireplace and with one hand stoked up the fire, which threw light over the hard angles of his face. Shadows gave him horns, and for a moment, he looked like a demon from Hell. She shivered, unconsciously pulling on the handcuff, and he frowned down at her. Leia froze, not wanting to provoke the beast.

Once warmth began to permeate the room, she looked around. In artistic terms, the cabin would be described as rustic. Leia couldn't help but compare it to every horror movie she'd ever seen involving a cabin in the woods. The fireplace rested against one wall. The kitchen held a pot belly stove with a cast iron skillet on the top. A threadbare couch and one ratty recliner finished the décor. Minimalistic to the extreme.

"Come here," he said, and sat down on the couch. The handcuff dragged her down next to him. She shifted, not wanting to touch him, but he was so big and muscular his hip and leg pressed against hers. "Tell me about your … gift."

She didn't want to talk to him at all. She hated him, and she hated he had dragged her from the small world she'd built. Leia turned her face away, but one of his calloused fingers brought her head back around. She looked up at him, realizing how close he was, and her heart stuttered. She moved her chin away, breaking contact.

"Why?" she demanded. "You won't believe me anyway."

"Have you ever met any of my club brothers?"

Leia sighed. "The only thing I know about bikers is what I've watched on television, and you are no Charlie Hunnam."

He gave a ghost of a smile. "Humor me. Why is someone as gorgeous as you working as a cleaner in a bar like that?"

"The bar…" She blinked. "You think I'm gorgeous?"

"Not the point. You were like a little lost sheep in a wolf den."

His words warmed her, although she didn't know why. She didn't find him in the bit attractive. Did she? It was hard to tell because a sliver of fear still shot through her every time she looked at him.

"I work there because I can't be around people," she admitted softly. "Do you know how many people die in a day?"

He gave a one-shoulder shrug.

"Thousands," she answered. "And all walk around with the shadow of death on their shoulders. I see it everywhere."

He cocked his head. "Tell me what it looks like."

"Like … a black swirling mist. No face. No defining features. Just an empty black hole waiting to suck up the soul, and it's horrible when it happens."

Brim was quiet for a moment. His brow furrowed.

"And you saw that on me?"

She nodded. "The only difference with you is that it went away without its conquest. I've tried to help save people before, but the shadow lingered. With you … it disappeared entirely."

"Probably because I neutralized the threat."

"You mean you killed the man who was going to kill you."

"I certainly wasn't going to allow him to put a bullet in my head," he said dryly.

"So you believed me in that moment?"

"I believed I should check out your claim. Now, I want to make sure you weren't in on the plot to kill me."

"I wasn't," she stressed. "Who else knew you'd be at the bar?"

"No one," he replied. "As you could tell from the ride, it's not exactly close to this place."

"So that means someone leaked where you were, or they tailed you."

"Yeah," he grunted. "I'd already thought of that."

"If he was part of your club, then who in your club wants you dead? Or did he act alone?"

He scratched the side of his bearded jaw. "Like I said, I went nomad a few months ago. Left my V.P. in charge."

"I don't know what that means."

"Nomad is taking off. Wandering around. I had received … really bad fucking news, and I needed to clear my head."

"Then it must be your V.P."

He immediately shook his head. "Thorn's been with me from the beginning. We've got almost thirty years behind us."

"Thorn?"

Brim grinned. "I gave him that name. We prospected together, competing our way into being a club member. I said he was a thorn in my side, and it stuck."

"And he's your friend?"

"With all the shit we've been through, I trust him with my life."

"Maybe he doesn't value your life quite as much as you think," she said softly.

His jaw flexed as he digested her answer. She didn't want to be drawn into his story. She didn't want anything to do with him.

"I can't disprove your assessment right now," he muttered. "I'm going to have to go back."

"Yes, you do that."

"And you'll come with me."

"What? Absolutely not." She sucked in a deep breath. "I have a job I have to get back to before I lose it. I don't know about you, but I have to—"

"I'll pay you."

She blinked. "What?"

"You can be my personal bodyguard against death. If you see that swirling, soul sucking black hole, you warn me, so I don't die."

"I don't understand. You don't trust me or believe me."

"I trust my instincts and right now it's asking if I can I afford not to believe you. So how much?"

"I don't want anything to do with you or your club."

He held up their shackled arms. "You don't seem to understand you're not going anywhere. So, your options are to go with me and earn no money or name a price."

Leia frowned. "God, you're so annoying."

"Right now, the feeling is mutual. How about a thousand?"

She raised one eyebrow. "Five."

"Five thousand dollars?"

She shrugged. "You want me to head into a room full of bikers to ferret out a would-be assassin. That's worth five thousand to risk my neck. Besides, you probably made me lose my job."

"All right," he reluctantly growled.

"Just so we're clear, I help you find the assassin and you take me back to my world. You vow that I won't be harmed or raped."

"Do you believe every stereotype?"

"Yes. Are you a man of integrity?"

He narrowed his eyes. "Yes."

"Then make me that vow. I won't be harmed—"

"Or raped," he said, interrupting her. "I vow you'll be under my protection."

"That won't mean much if the assassin gets you," she muttered, but she held out her hand anyway. "So we have to make sure he doesn't, to get me back where I belong."

Brim took hold of her hand. "Deal."