“If you want to survive this, listen carefully and do exactly what I tell you.” Panting, she struggles against me. I slap her face harder, and she gasps. “Focus, Nadia.”
Her eyes widen, and her lips tremble. “C–Cutter.”
“Yes. And I’m going to get you out of this, but you need to ride out with me.”
“No. My father.” She tries to look around. I press her face to my chest.
“You don’t want to do that, Nightingale.” A pained whimper leaves her throat. “Keep it together now, or neither of us will walk out of here whole.”
“I can’t leave like this.” She squirms. “This is my family.”
“Dying with them won’t change a damn thing,” I growl, impressed and frustrated by her loyalty.
Her blown-out eyes fill with tears, and she chokes on her sobs as I walk out, leaving the wake of destruction behind me. We have people bringing up the rear who’ll scrub our presence from the place before it turns into kindling. I pause by my motorcycle and lower her to her feet. She wobbles and clings to my vest to remain upright.
Gripping the back of her neck, I lean in to whisper in her ear. “If you make me chase you, it will end badly. You’re going to get onto the bike behind me and hold on while I ride out of here. Do you understand?”
“Yes.” Her voice cracks and I pull back to study her dazed expression. Shell-shocked, she nods her head in agreement.
My brothers eye us curiously, but no one says a word as we mount our bikes, and she climbs on behind me, holding me loosely around my waist as I turn on the engine. I pull off quickly, forcing her to tighten her hold and I place a hand over hers.
I pull up in front of the clubhouse, and she slips off the back of the bike and runs toward the wooded area that gives us cover. Son of a bitch. Killing the engine, I put the keys into the inside pocket of my cut and move to stalk my prey. She’s going to learn her lesson the hard way. Climbing off the bike, I hang back, letting her run through the adrenaline that must race through her veins. She needs this. Keeping her in my line of vision, I match my long strides to the double steps she’s doing as she forces her body to run. I spot the signs of exhaustion in her clumsiness. Stumbling over roots and her own feet, she’s a disaster waiting to happen.
“You done yet?” I call.
“Leave me alone.” She glances over her shoulder and increases her speed.
“Where do you think you’re going, Nightingale?” I ask, amused.
Turning away, she picked up the pace, and I laughed darkly. I will enjoy showing her exactly what happens to hard-headed little girls who make me chase them. I glance over my shoulder at the club. Our time is running out. Soon the others will arrive. We’ve got to work this clusterfuck out between us before we face Tank.
“Times up.” I break into a jog, quickly catching up with her.
I snag her around the waist, bringing her to the ground. Twisting to land on my back, I take the brunt of the impact. I lie in the overgrown greenery of the forest floor with the wind knocked from me. Getting a second wind, I reverse our rolls, rolling over to put her beneath me. I pin her arms above her head. Chest heaving, she wiggles, and I tighten my hold.
“Stop.” I snap, slamming her hands against the ground to drive home my point.
“No,” she responds breathlessly as she continues to squirm.
“I’m not your enemy, little nurse.”
“You killed my family.”
“They signed their death warrants when they partnered with the Red Spiders and MCX.”
“What?” Freezing, she shakes her head. “No. They wouldn’t. Why would they do that?”
“Yes. We don’t make moves like this without being certain. This can go two ways. You can get on the same page as me and survive. Or you can get cut down and put me in a critical position.”
“Why are you doing this?” Her shaky voice cracks.
“Because I owe you, Nightingale, and I always pay my debts.” I move into her personal space, stopping millimeters away from her trembling lips. “I can’t save someone who doesn’t want to be saved. Do you want my protection?”
The puff of air from her lungs, teasing my lips, is sweet. I want to capture her sweet little mouth and steal it for myself. I wanted to taste her and sate my curiosity. Hell of a time to think with my dick. Everyone has their way of burning off the extra energy club runs and battles bring. Sex has always been my release of choice. Studying the girl fifteen years my junior, I can’t stop the flow of filthy imagery with us as the stars. The blood rushes to my dick, and she stiffens, feeling the swelling.
“Are you with me or not, Nadia?” I ask huskily. “Because I’m not letting you die, period. I’ll take your hate as long as you remain breathing. I can treat you like a treasure or as a prisoner. The choice is yours.”
“What do you want me to do?” She whispers.