Authors: Avery Gale
Before Micah had even finished speaking Kyle had signaled Kent to come over. He was already on the phone putting every one the club’s employees on alert before Kent made it to his side. Kyle had made sure the guys in the gatehouse knew what was headed their way and quickly explained what little he knew about the situation to Kent and Tobi. When Tobi turned and started running to the front door, Kent had cursed and taken off after her. Kyle had to laugh at Tobi’s shriek of surprise when Kent scooped her up after taking less than a half dozen steps. “Damn it to Hades, put me down you big lug. Boy, I really fracking hate being portable. Put me down, Kent, I’ve got to get to Gracie. She never asks for help so something has to be horribly wrong.” Kyle walked alongside Kent as they quickly made their way through the crowded club.
Kent’s voice broke no argument when he finally spoke, “Tobi.
Stop
. You are already in a peck of trouble, love, so I suggest you stop talking. I’d like you to stop and consider that there are several former Special Forces soldiers on our security team.” At that moment they walked into the reception area just as the front door opened.
“And another one just walked in the door.” Kyle couldn’t keep the smile from his face as they came face to face with Jax McDonald. “Glad to see you, brother. Drop your bag over there and Tank will take care of it. Let’s go.” Jax didn’t miss a beat. Dropping his bag, he turned and followed Kyle.
“What’s up? I met several cars racing toward the road and the front gate was open and the guys up there just waved me through like they wanted me out of the way.” Kyle knew he and Kent were both tall, but at six foot eleven inches, Jax dwarfed everyone around him. The man would probably be intimidating as hell if it weren’t for the southern boy charm he could turn on and off like it was connected to a switch. His black hair was longer than Kyle had ever seen it, letting him know his friend had probably been working off-grid for a while.
“Has Micah mentioned a woman named Gracie to you?” Kyle tried to keep his voice lowered so Tobi wouldn’t hear, but considering the quick look she’d given him, he knew he hadn’t been successful.
“Yes, on several occasions as a matter of fact.” Kyle could hear the amusement in his voice and had to smile.
“Well, she is incoming. Status unknown, but Micah cleared a path for her and she should be—” he stopped speaking just as they heard the sound of a car—or at least he assumed the high pitched whining mechanical racket coming up the drive was a car.
Christ, how on earth did she make it this far in that wreck?
Obviously Kent hadn’t kept a good hold on Tobi because she was moving across the open concrete in front of the stairway before the car had even made the turn to park in front of the club. All three men lunged for her, but Jax’s long stride and arms reached her first, and he plucked her up just as the tiny car rocked to a stop exactly where Tobi had been standing.
Kyle and Kent both growled at her behavior and Jax laughed, “Oh, little sub, you are in it deep. Hope you can swim, sweet cheeks.” Jax turned and handed Tobi off to Kyle before returning his attention to the woman in the car.
Kyle tightened his hold on Tobi when Jax opened the door and a battered young Latino woman fell into his arms. Kyle heard Jax’s softly muttered curses as he scooped Gracie into his arms. “
Cariño
. Careful. Let’s get you inside where we can check you out, okay?”
Gracie’s eyes widened as Jax started to scoop her up into his arms. Kyle knew Jax hadn’t missed the look of panic in her eyes and he stopped moving immediately. Without ever taking his eyes off Gracie, he addressed Tobi. “Sweet cheeks, my name is Jax McDonald. I am a friend of your Masters’ and also Micah’s. Please assure Gracie that I would never hurt her.”
Kyle felt Tobi go lax in his hold as she let out the breath she’d been holding. Both he and Kent had told her that Jax would be arriving. They had also mentioned the fact that Jax and Micah had been looking for a sub to share since deciding to retire from the teams. “Gracie, it is okay honey. I know he’s a big guy, but he’s a friend of Micah’s and…well, the men I’ve been telling you about. Please, let us get you into the club.” Kyle watched as Gracie dropped her gaze and nodded. Jax didn’t waste any time repositioning her so he could slide his arms gently around her shoulders and under her knees. He took the wide steps two at a time as he quickly made his way inside.
****
Jax had felt a red hot rage boil inside chest at his first sight of Gracie Santos. The bruises on her slender neck were clearly made by someone who had been trying to choke her. He was worried about the swelling that had probably already started restricting her ability to speak and swallow since she had simply nodded rather than spoken her answer to Tobi. All Special Forces soldiers had medic training and Jax had seen a woman in Kazakhstan die after her airway swelled closed several hours after her husband tried to choke her before he’d left her along the side of the road.
Jax hadn’t wanted to set Gracie down on the exam table when they’d reached the club’s first aid station so he’d just held her until Kyle led in a physician dressed in leathers. Obviously the man was a member of the club and had already been on-site. Jax had heard so much about Gracie from Micah that he felt as if he knew her already, but he reminded himself that didn’t mean she knew him.
Kyle introduced him to Brian Bennett, and explained that the Dom was also a local physician specializing in the care of women. When Jax had settled her on the table and started to step back Gracie had grasped several of his fingers and held tight. He stood alongside the table and leaned over to brush a soft kiss over her scraped forehead. “
Cariño
? Do you want me to stay with you?” His heart soared at her quick nod, but her moan of pain at the sharp movement made his heart clench.
The doctor smiled at him and nodded his approval before he started speaking softly to Gracie. It was obvious she wasn’t able to speak but he noticed she kept making movements with her free hand and he picked up her fingers and kissed them. “
Cariño
, are you signing?”
Tobi stepped forward quickly and smiled. “Gracie works with deaf Spanish speaking children as a volunteer. She understands their difficulty reading lips when they don’t know English because her younger brother had the same problem when their family first moved to the U.S. when they were young kids.” Tobi looked up at Jax, “Do you sign? Because Gracie has tried to teach me, but I’m really miserable at it.” Jax saw the fire in Gracie’s eyes as she shook her head back and forth before wincing. Tobi giggled, “Don’t get snarky with me, my friend. You know I suck at signing.”
Jax nodded, “As a matter of fact I do sign and for a similar reason. I learned when my sister lost her hearing after she had meningitis.” He kissed Gracie’s slender fingers again before nodding to the doctor. “Go ahead, doc. You ask and I’ll relay Gracie’s answers for you.” Just as he spoke the words Micah burst into the room. His friend took in the room in a heartbeat noting Jax’s proximity to Gracie and Jax saw the relief in his expression until his gaze settled on the deep purple bruises on her neck.
Before anyone else could react, Tobi had placed her hand on Micah’s arm. “Micah, she is already frightened and injured. Please be careful. You are my friend and I don’t want you to make a mistake.” When he looked down at her, Jax saw the fire in Micah’s gaze immediately start to cool. Tobi was definitely going to keep the West brothers on their toes. When she seemed satisfied that Micah had calmed down, she took her small hand from his arm and turned to Gracie. “Sweetheart, you are in wonderful hands. I’m going to step outside so Dr. Brian has room to work. If you need anything please send Micah or Jax to get me.” Jax appreciated that Tobi hadn’t given Gracie a chance to stop her, she had simply turned and walked from the room.
His first impression of the tiny blonde had been that she was reckless, but now he could see she had just been frightened for her friend. Her loyalty had just gone a long way in earning his respect and he made a note to tell her as much. First he wanted to help the doctor find out as much as he could about her friend’s injuries.
****
Kent shook his head as he settled Tobi on his lap. He’d sat on a ridiculously narrow sofa in hallway outside the club’s first aid station. She had squeaked when the plug pushed in deep and he wondered how much longer they should leave it in. Deciding it was the only thing keeping him from upending her and paddling her ass he let his concern about the plug go. “Honest to God, love, I don’t know whether to beat your ass or hug you. You took off running from your Masters and called me by my first name inside the club’s main room. Then you called me a big lug as you tried to move out of my hold. But the worst of it was putting yourself in danger by stepping in front of a car that was approaching rapidly. Fuck. I don’t even want to consider what would have happened if Jax hadn’t gotten to you when he did. I swear I’ll never tease him about his damned monkey arms again.”
Tobi’s face flushed bright red and Kent knew she was just now realizing how inappropriate her behavior had been. “Oh my God in heaven. What have I done?” Her green eyes immediately filled with tears and Kent could see the shame in them. When she tried to get off his lap he stilled her. “Please, just let me go. I’m so sorry. I’ve embarrassed you in front of your friends and club members, and I’m completely humiliated that I was so disrespectful. I was so worried about Gracie that I completely lost focus on everything else.” By the time she had finished speaking her tears were streaking down flushed cheeks, but Kent could hear the sincerity in her voice.
“Sit still for a minute and let me get a handle of my frustration before we talk about this. I know that I have to address the behavior, but right now I’m worried about your sweet friend and I am anxious to hear Micah’s report before I make any decisions that we both might regret.” Being a Dominant was all about what was best for the submissive and in Kent’s opinion, and right at this moment, he knew his ability to make a clear decision was being clouded by his anger. A Dom that made emotional rather than rational decisions was dangerous and Kent wasn’t going to take any chance of making that mistake.
From the bits and pieces they had gathered about Tobi’s childhood, it had been filled with loss and abuse, but they didn’t have all the details yet. He and Kyle had talked over the ramifications of that kind of upbringing when they’d been mapping out a strategy to make Tobi their own and they’d agreed that punishments would have to be kept to a minimum until she trusted them enough to feel safe and secure. Her attempt to get off his lap and leave told him that she was already anticipating being rejected, so they were going to have to proceed carefully. On the one hand, she already knew that she’d made a huge mistake and she also knew there would be consequences. But on the other hand, she still didn’t understand that punishments wiped the slate clean. They were meant to reinforce lessons not be purely punitive. He knew it would take time for Tobi to understand they not only wanted her, but they liked and respected her as well.
For several seconds Kent just held Tobi on his lap and tried to rein in his anger. By the time Kyle stepped in front of him, he finally felt like he wasn’t going to explode. “Kitten, you have gotten yourself in some trouble. We’ll deal with that later. Right now what you need to know is that our guys lost the car that was chasing Gracie. It was a black SUV with tinted windows so they didn’t get a good look at the driver. And before you ask, there wasn’t a license plate on the vehicle either.” He had already sent a couple of guys to Gracie’s apartment to check out things and pick up a few things for her. They were hoping her apartment key was on the key ring she’d left in her car’s ignition so they wouldn’t draw attention to the fact she wasn’t returning home tonight by speaking with the super. In that neighborhood, that kind of information was probably an open invitation to every two-bit thief for miles.
Watching Tobi sit on Kent’s lap, Kyle could feel the tension radiating off her. He knew it wasn’t all from her worries about Gracie because she had to know she’d made several big mistakes. He didn’t doubt she was worrying about the consequences of her actions as well as how her friend was doing. He ran his fingers through her hair and smiled down at her. “Kitten, we’ll deal with it. I’m sure my brother will be lighting up your beautiful ass at some point in the very near future. You already know you’ve left us no choice but to punish you. And we won’t deal with it by walking away, that isn’t what we want and it certainly isn’t what you need.”
Kent was glad to hear Kyle reiterate what he’d already told Tobi because she would need to hear it again and again before she truly believed they weren’t going to send her packing at the first sign of trouble. In a lot of ways she reminded him of a fragile bird with a broken wing. Even though he loved her fire and passion, he wanted to help her learn to direct both emotions so they didn’t come back and bite her in the ass. When he wrapped his arms tightly around her and hugged her for long seconds Kent felt her relax. It was if she had been waiting for that reassurance and he was grateful he’d been able to give it to her.
Kyle sat beside him and pulled her onto his own lap. “Come here, kitten. I need to feel your heart beating against mine. You scared the shit out of me with that stunt you pulled outside. Don’t ever do that again.” Kent could hear the emotion in his brother’s voice and understood it completely. His own heart had nearly stopped when Tobi had stepped into the car’s path. All three men had been trained to assess danger in less than the time it took to blink and they’d all known she’d misjudged the distance and angles. Even now, just thinking about what could have happened made him shudder.
When Micah stepped out of the exam room several minutes later his jaw was set and his eyes flashing fire. He pulled a chair up in front of Kyle and Tobi before leaning forward and clasping his hands together. “Tobi, have you spoken to your brother since the fire at your apartment?”