“Ready?” she asked in a low voice.
Malice nodded and pushed off the wall. His t-shirt was untucked, so at least he had that going for him to hide his semi-hard cock. “Yeah, come on.” He walked over to Ruin. “Let me have the van keys. I don’t want her riding on the back of my bike injured like she is.”
Ruin grabbed the keys out of his front pocket and handed them over.
Malice turned and gestured for Adrianna to follow him. They walked to the van, and he opened the door for her. He didn’t miss the wince that covered her face, and so he wrapped his hands around her waist and gently lifted her into the seat.
“Thank you.” The way she looked at him sideways, the lower half of her face partially shielded by her shoulder, made her look innocent and alluring all in the same breath.
He didn’t respond, but nodded and shut the door. Making his way around the front of the van he climbed in, started the engine, and told him that leaving her like she wanted was the best thing to do … wasn’t it?
Chapter Seven
They sat in silence as Malice drove them back into the square of town. Adrianna didn’t bother trying to strike up a conversation, because her mind was focused on what her next step would be once Malice was gone and she was alone. She did think about his offer for a job, but how smart was it to go with a man she knew nothing about, was in a motorcycle club, and had told her that he would be delivering some kind of retribution to Phillip, if she hadn’t already killed him? She was a wreck mentally, was emotionally unstable, and didn’t think just leaving with him would solve any of the problems she currently had. But it wasn’t just that. She had a lot of shit that he surely didn’t need dropped in his lap. She already had enough worries and drama in her life, and getting involved in something else, even if he had been nothing but kind to her, was probably not a step in the right direction.
They finally got into town fifteen minutes later, and Malice pulled the van to a stop at the curb in front of the bank. For a moment she didn’t know what to say. Did she tell him goodbye? It seemed so ungrateful to just leave this way, but it wasn’t like she had a relationship with him or his club. She had known him less than twenty-four hours. Surely he had a life to get back to, maybe even had a wife or girlfriend and children? Turning so she was partially facing him, she licked her lips and saw the way he had a tight hold on the steering wheel. “Thank you so much for the ride, and for everything else.” Looking away from him and out the passenger side window she saw a few people walk into the bank. “Please tell everyone else I said thank you, and if not for you and them I would probably be dead right now.” She heard him grind his teeth and glanced at him again. “I tried finding the other guys to tell them thank you as well, but the inside of the club was deserted.”
He was watching her, but still had that white knuckle grip on the steering wheel. “No problem. I’ll let them know.” He smiled, but it looked a little forced. “You sure this is what you want?”
She nodded. “I don’t know if it is what I want, but it seems like the smartest thing to do right now.”
He nodded. “You take care of yourself.” He shifted so he could grab something out of the inside of his leather vest. It looked like a small piece of paper. He grabbed a pen from the center console and wrote something down on it before handing it over.
Adrianna held the small slip of paper in her hand and looked down at the phone number written in a masculine scrawl on it. “Your phone number.” She didn’t state it like a question. He would never know how much those ten digits would mean to her.
“You need anything at all just call.” He nodded once more and faced the front once more.
“Thank you again.” She reached out and placed her hand on his bare forearm, felt the hard muscles clench under her touch, and felt the tendrils of desire fill her. She quickly took her hand back because her desires were unwarranted and totally inappropriate given the situation. She grabbed the door handle, about to leave all of this behind her, when a sight from across the street had her stilling. Coming out of the convenience store was Phillip. He had a stark white bandage wrapped around the side of his neck, but other than that he seemed fine. Had she totally thought she hurt him far worse than she actually had? She must have, because compared to her he looked in fit condition. Her hand not holding onto the door shook slightly, but it wasn’t because she was afraid of Phillip, not really. Her nerves were already shot, and seeing him walking around and laughing with the woman he was with was kind of a relief. She had worried she had killed him, and despite all the things he had done to her, and how she had fought to stay alive, having someone’s death on her hands was still a heavy burden.