Page 5 of Bolt's Flame
Horse pulled back, his voice gentle but firm. “Bolt’s gonna take you to the truck. I’ll pack you some things, and we’ll head back to the clubhouse. You’ll be safe there, okay?”
Fiona glanced at me, her eyes wide and uncertain, like she didn’t know if she could trust me. I didn’t blame her. I’m sure my eyes were cold since I was letting the past surface, trying to keep a lid on my own shit while dealing with hers. But I nodded, trying to offer some kind of reassurance.
“C’mon,” I said, keeping my voice soft as possible. “Let’s get you out of here.”
She hesitated, then nodded, stepping away from Horse and moving toward me. I couldn’t help but notice how scared she looked. Fiona was a small woman with the biggest and deepest blue eyes I had ever seen. She made something twist in my gut—something I didn’t want to examine too closely. I was here to get her out, plain and simple.
As we stepped outside, the cool night air hit us, and Fiona shivered, pulling her thin sweater tighter around her. I led her to the truck, opening the passenger door for her. She climbed in, her movements slow and hesitant, like she was expecting something to go wrong at any second.
I slammed the door shut and walked around to the driver’s side, my mind still spinning with questions. She shivered again, and I pulled a blanket from the back, handing it to her. “Wrap in this to get warm,” I said, starting the truck and turning on the heater.
“Thank you,” she murmured, wrapping the warm blanket around herself.
I found myself just staring at her, trying to figure this out, shit her old man would protect her with his life, why she hadn’t just left the first time he raised a hand to her? I knew I shouldn’t be thinking like this—I knew there was more to it than I understood—but it pissed me off all the same. It brought those old memories out that I tried so fucking hard to bury. My mom always making excuses, always staying when she should’ve run.
But this wasn’t about me or my mom. This was about Fiona, and I needed to remember that and stop fixating on the whys of her situation, it was fucked up to be thinking this way.
Horse came out of the house with a suitcase and threw it into the bed of the truck. Fiona moved over to the middle when Horsegot in, her warmth seeping into my side. “Let’s get rollin’,” Horse said, his arm going around Fiona.
I gunned the engine; the truck rumbling to life beneath us, and started the drive back to South Carolina and the clubhouse. Fiona sat beside me, silent, her hands clenched tight into the fabric of the blanket. I could feel the tension rolling off her in waves, and it only made me grip the steering wheel tighter.
“Why didn’t you call sooner?” The question slipped out before I could stop it, my voice sounding harsh to my ears.
She didn’t answer right away, and I could feel her eyes on me. When she did, her voice was barely a whisper. “I was scared. I... I...”
“It’s okay Fiona,” Horse said, jumping in to speak for her. “I’m just glad you finally did and you’re never going back to that bastard.”
“Just know,” I said after a long silence, realizing it wasn’t my place to ask shit about her reasons and needed to back off. “you’re safe now.”
She nodded, but she didn’t look at me again, probably wondering why I asked such a question with an almost hostile tone. Hell, I was wondering the same thing, why I couldn’t just shut the fuck up.
CHAPTER FOUR
WE HAD BEENon the road for a few hours and Fionawas huddled in the seat, curled up like she was trying to make herself as small as possible.
The truck hit a bump, and Fiona flinched, grabbing my arm—fucking South Carolina roads—one big pothole. I glanced at her, catching a glimpse of her wide, pained eyes before she looked away. My grip tightened on the steering wheel, the frustration and anger bubbling just beneath the surface. I knew I shouldn’t be pissed at her, but I was. I couldn’t help it.
Shelethim hurt her.
Horse hadn’t said a word since we hit the interstate. He was wound up so tight I thought he might snap like a rubber band stretched one too many times. Revenge on his mind, noquestion. But I wasn’t about to break the silence—not with Fiona sitting right there, bruised and terrified. I could feel the questions burning in my throat, but I swallowed them down. For fuck’s sake, let it go, I told myself.
“Does he know about the clubhouse?” Horse’s voice finally cut through the silence, making me sigh in relief.
Fiona shook her head, her voice small. “I don’t know. He... he shouldn’t.”
Horse exhaled a long breath, his hand clenching and unclenching in his lap. “Good. That gives us time. We’ll figure out the rest later.”
I could hear the strain in his voice, the barely contained rage. Horse was a tough son of a bitch, always had been, but this was his daughter we were talking about. And I knew that scared him more than anything we dealt with in the club, because he loved her.
The truck hit another bump, and Fiona let out a small gasp, her hands clutching my arm once more with her pain. I caught Horse’s eyes for a second, then back to the road, his face a mask of rage at what had been done to her.
“We’re gettin’ you out of there for good,” Horse said, his voice firm, the promise iron clad. “I’ll take care of you, and you’ll stay with me.”
Fiona didn’t respond, just seemed to curl up tighter inside the blanket, still trying to disappear.
The clubhouse came into view, and I felt some of the tension in my shoulders ease up. We were almost there, almost out of the woods—for now, at least. But I knew this was just the beginning. There was a lot more to deal with, but it wouldn’t be my problem, at least not directly. I needed to distance myself from Fiona; she brought too many memories to the surface, memories I wanted to forget.
“We’ll figure it out,” Horse muttered, more to himself than to anyone else. He turned to look at Fiona, his eyes softening just a bit. “You’re gonna be okay, honey. We’re gonna take care of you.”