Malice's Possession(28)

She put everything else to the back of her mind and just focused on what concerned her. She was awake now and watched the large cabin-like compound come into view. It resembled a lodge, and Malice pulled the van up to a gate and waited for two guys to open it for him. Malice then drove the van up the unpaved dirt road. She couldn’t help the way her belly tightened and her heart raced the closer they got. This was a totally new experience, and she was doing it with a man she hardly knew, but one she realized she felt more comfortable with than anyone else in her life. But for as strange as all of this was she felt that it was the right thing for her to do. Besides, it couldn’t be any worse, right?

Malice pulled the van to a stop in front of the cabin and cut the engine. It was still dark out, but the sun would be rising soon. Adrianna felt dirty and gritty from being in that car for so many hours, and from not bothering to shower after the Phillip and cop situation. Sleep sounded much better right now than getting cleaned up anyway. Besides, she was curious to see what this place looked like on the inside, and was nervous to see how Malice’s friends and the members of his club thought of her staying there. Before she could exit the car there were a few bikers coming out of the front doors of the cabin. They looked just as intimidating as Malice, and the closer they got she noticed the patches they wore on their leather vests. Of course they all said The Brothers of Menace MC, but the two men that were in front of the other bikers had patches that read PRESIDENT and V. PRESIDENT stitched into the chest part of their cuts.

“That’s Lucien, our club’s president, and Kink, the VP.”

She turned and looked at Malice.

“Don’t worry. They look meaner than they actually are.” Malice smiled, but even Adrianna could tell that his words weren’t entirely true.

The one named Lucien opened up the back door and the girls got out. There were a few low murmured words from the bikers and then responses from the women. But Adrianna hadn’t been able to really gauge what was going on by what they said. When the last woman was out Adrianna glanced over her shoulder and locked gazes with Lucien. He was a big man, just as big and imposing as Malice. His hair was short and dark, and he had these eerie silver colored eyes that made her feel like he knew what others were thinking without anyone saying anything.

“The trip went off without any more shit happening?” Lucien asked.

“Surprisingly, yeah.”

She looked over at Malice after he had spoken, and she could see he was now tense when just moments before he had been relaxed. He had since moved to the passenger side of the door, and before she could roll down the window, Lucien had her door opened. The breeze blew by her face, rustling her hair and bringing the scent of booze, marijuana, and motor oil.

“And you’re good?” Lucien asked her.

She looked at him, and nodded. There was a very dangerous air around him that seemed charged with this deadliness. Malice was the same way, but she couldn’t quite explain why she felt so comfortable with Malice and not this man. “Yes, for the most part. Thank you.” Adrianna didn’t miss how he scanned her face with his gaze, and then looked at her neck. She knew how she appeared, knew the bruising and marks on her face and throat were nasty and telling.

Lucien didn’t say anything else to her, and lifted his gaze to Malice, who still sat right beside her. “Once everyone is settled in and had some rest we need a meeting.” There was this cryptic quality to Lucien’s voice.

Malice didn’t verbally respond, just nodded, and then Lucien did the same. She saw the way Malice still had his hands on the steering wheel, and how tightly his hands were clenched around it. Lucien left her door open and turned to walk back into the cabin where the rest of the men and women had gone. The silence descended upon them, but this wasn’t the comfortable kind they had shared before.

“You can rest up here for the time being, but I am going to look for other accommodations for you.” He turned and looked at her. “You’re safe here, and no one will hurt you.”

“Okay, thank you.” She looked over at the cabin again. “Just as long as it isn’t an inconvenience to anyone—” Before she could finish her sentence Malice had a hold of her hand. Adrianna glanced down at where he had his much larger hand over hers, and then looked at his face.

“It isn’t an inconvenience, and if I didn’t want you here I wouldn’t have even suggested it, Adrianna.” There was this hard, angry edge to his voice.

“Okay.” That was all she could say. She knew that her attitude was timid and standoffish, but this whole situation was different from what she had ever known. Someone was going out of their way to make sure she was safe. Maybe it was her being a doormat, or not standing up for herself and thinking more highly of what others were doing? She might not be able to fully express how much all of this meant to her, but it meant the world. “Malice?”