Burned(Devil's Blaze MC 2)(40)

“Have one of the men go to the motel and get this guy. Tell them to treat him like a suspect. We have a witness who said this guy might have kidnapped a woman over in Brownville.”

And cue my time to leave. As much as I want to make sure that trucker gets his ass sewn up, if I have to stay around and be the motherfucker to help do it, Katie will get away. I back away until I’m out of sight, then jump in my jeep and drive off. I take the back road and hold my breath until I find a little mom-and-pop gas station and fill up. There’s been no sign of Katie. I might have picked the wrong route. I thought driving on this back road would be the way to go, but—

I stop when I see her. She’s limping hard, walking along the side of the road. My heart squeezes in my chest.

Motherfucking raindrops in Hell! Until this moment, I refused to acknowledge the fear I felt when I saw the eighteen-wheeler abandoned and Katie nowhere to be found. I didn’t fully believe that she had stolen the damn thing. Jesus.

I pull up beside her. The window is already down. It’s an older model jeep, so the windows zip. How she could like such a thing is beyond me. “Get in,” I order, and my voice might rival Skull’s in being cold right now.





Did I break a freaking mirror? I don’t think I’ve ever had such a continuous run of bad luck, and considering I spent most of my life being a prisoner of my father and grandfather, that’s saying something! When I think someone is finally offering me a ride, only to find Torch sitting in my jeep, I want to scream.

I look around, trying to figure out how I can get away.

“You even think about it, Katie, and so help me God, I will make sure you regret it. I have a headache from fucking hell after getting my skull bashed in by that magazine rack, and I’m not gonna put up with anymore of your shit.”

I want to at least make a run for it, but with the agony in my leg, I know it wouldn’t do any good. “I hate you,” I grumble, then get up in the jeep. My leg protests even that small feat, and I grimace from the pain.

“The feeling is starting to be mutual,” he growls, then makes a hard U-turn, squealing my tires.

I grab ahold of the dashboard, trying to brace myself. “Will you slow down? This isn’t the Daytona Speedway!”

“Shut up, Katie.”

I don’t respond. Something about the tone of his voice tells me it wouldn’t be wise to prod him. I’ve survived knowing how far I can go. I haven’t always listened to the warning in my head, but I’m still here. I guess I should trust my instincts. Instead of going off on him like I want, I sit quietly and rub my leg. It’s cramping and I’ve been without any type of medication for a couple days. The pain is intense.

“Are you even listening to me?” asks Torch, jarring me out of my thoughts.

“I thought you told me to shut up,” I respond.

“I asked what’s wrong with your leg?”

“It hurts.”

“Jesus, does everything have to be like pulling teeth with you?”

“I’m sorry I’m not more accommodating to the man who is intent on taking away the freedom it took my whole life to gain.”

That makes him go silent. Good. He can chew on that for a little while.

“Sweetness, I know you don’t believe me, but we aren’t going to hurt you.”

“You might not be planning on it, but you will.”

“Skull deserves to see his child, Katie. Beth and he need to talk.”

“He doesn’t deserve shit. He lost that chance when he turned his back on her when she almost died. She needed him there. He decided to send her money and a nice goodbye note with a picture of him and his new woman.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Just let it go. Nothing I tell you will make you change your mind.”

“Skull would never do that, Katie. Jesus Christ, I don’t think the man has been with a woman since Beth’s been gone.”

“Yeah, I’m buying that.”

“I’m telling you it’s the truth. I mean, there might have been a few while he was grieving and drunk off his ass, but there’s been no one he’s bothered having a repeat performance with.”

“Oh well, that makes it all better.”

“What the fuck did you expect? He thought she was dead! He thought he killed her!”

“And I’m saying he knew better! I’m saying that while Beth was delivering her daughter, she almost died. I called to let him know that she needed him, and one of your brothers hung up on me!” I’m watching his face the entire time, so I see the exact moment when his face changes. “Oh my God. It was you. You’re the fucker who hung up on me that night!”