Page 35 of Bolt's Flame
Devil went striding toward her and the rest of us followed, but my eyes stayed locked on the woman. She had shoulder length dark hair that was tangled from the wind, and her clothes—nothing fancy, just jeans and a hoodie—were smeared with dirt like she’d been in the thick of it. She wasn’t panicking, though. No, she was too calm for that. Like she’d seen things like this before.
“Who’s she?” Thunder muttered, coming up beside me, his eyes narrowing as he watched Devil approach her.
“No idea,” I replied, still watching as Devil spoke to her.
Her voice was soft, but I could catch snippets of the conversation. Something about her finding Spinner and calling in the location. We didn’t recognize her, and she didn’t look like she belonged to a club, but she wasn’t acting like a civilian either. She was too... composed. Like she’d been around trouble before and knew exactly what to do when she saw it.
I moved closer, keeping one ear on what was happening with the woman. She barely glanced our way, her gaze locked on Devil, answering his questions with quick, measured words. And that in itself raised flags, because Devil tended to scare the shit out of most men, and this woman was too calm by half.
“Name’s Lucy,” she said calmly, her voice steady but with a slight edge. “I was passing through. Saw him on the side of the road and called your club. Figured that’s how you’d want it.”
“Passing through?” Devil’s voice was gruff, skeptical, looking around the desolate area. “What made you think you should get involved?”
She didn’t flinch, her eyes locked on his. “I’m not getting involved. Just didn’t want to leave someone bleeding out on the side of the road.”
There was something about the way she said it that got to me. She wasn’t telling the full story. But then again, none of us ever did.
“You didn’t see who did this?” Devil pressed, his eyes boring into her.
“No,” she answered quickly, too quickly. “By the time I got here, it was just him and the burning bike, I helped move him away from the flames and there was no sign of others.” She pointed at her car. “I would have already bailed except my car won’t start.”
I caught Devil’s eye as he looked back at us, and I knew we were all thinking the same thing. Something was off about this woman. She wasn’t just some random good samaritan passing through. No one was that calm about finding a guy beaten and left for dead.
“Why’d you call us?” Devil asked, his voice dropping lower. “Most people would’ve called the cops.”
She hesitated, her jaw tightening just a fraction before she answered. “I know how things go with clubs like yours. Thought it was better to call you than bring in the law. I already told you that.”
Smart. Too smart. Whoever this woman was, she wasn’t as innocent as she was trying to look.
Spinner groaned as he was lifted to his feet, and Lucy’s eyes flicked to him for the first time, a glimmer of concern flashing across her face before she quickly masked it.
“You did good, finding him,” Devil said, his tone more neutral now, but his eyes still wary. “Gearhead, take a look under her hood so she can be on her way.”
Lucy nodded at Gearhead as he popped her hood, stepping back like she was ready to disappear into the night. But something about her told me this wasn’t the last we’d see of Lucy.
As we got Spinner situated and ready to haul back, Gearhead worked his magic and Lucy’s car roared to life. Devil shot me and Chain a look. “We’ll need information on her.”
“Yeah,” I muttered, watching as Lucy faded into the darkness, slipping away without another word. “I’ll bet there’s more to her than she’s lettin’ on.”
But for now, we had bigger problems. Dragon Fire had made their move, and we weren’t about to let it go unanswered.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
THE CLUBHOUSE WASsilent when we got back.We had spent hours trying to find the scummy lizards, but with no luck. Most of the brothers headed straight to bed, ready to pass out, the adrenaline of the night giving way to exhaustion. My mind was still buzzing with the image of Spinner’s busted-up body and the wreck of his bike burned into the back of my skull.
Plus, I couldn’t stop thinking about Fiona. She was supposed to be the last thing on my mind after a night like this, but here I was, standing in the middle of the clubhouse, wondering if she was okay. Wondering if I should go check on her. The way we rushed out, I hadn’t got to talk to her after we spoke outside.
I told myself I was doing it for her safety, that with everything going on, keeping an eye on her was just being smart. But deep down, I knew that wasn’t the full truth.
I made my way down the hallway, the faint sounds of snoring coming from behind some of the doors. When I reached Fiona’s room, I hesitated for a second, listening. No sound. She was probably asleep, and I should’ve walked away right then. Should’ve gone back to the bar, poured myself another drink, and focused on what the club needed from me. But instead, I cracked the door open just enough to see inside.
Fiona was curled up in the bed, her face soft in sleep, her hair spread across the pillow. She looked peaceful, like the cruelty of the world outside hadn’t touched her. For a moment, I just stood there, watching her breathe, my heart doing that strange, tight thing it had been doing since the first time I saw her.
You’re getting in too deep, that stubborn voice in my head warned.
But I told it to shut the fuck up.
I was about to step back, close the door, and walk away when she stirred, her eyes fluttering open. She blinked, her gaze finding mine, and for a second, neither of us said anything.