The Dangerous Curves Series

Chapter 7

Sarah fumbled in her purse for her car keys, trying to not regret turning Jax down. Sure, it was insulting and offensive to be treated like a piece of ass, but then again, when would she ever get another offer from a guy that hot?

God, girl. Maybe you should have just gone with it, you know? Just relaxed, and had some fun for once. A meaningless, one-night fling. I bet he’d have been amazing in bed.

She got to her car, still searching for her keys. That was when a hand grabbed her from behind, and spun her around. She gasped, dropped her purse.

“Dave!” she said. “Jesus Christ, you scared me to death. What are you –”

It was a total shock when he punched her in the side of the head, so much so that she didn’t even scream, despite the sharp pain. She couldn’t believe what was happening, and so all she did was stand there, staring up at his face, and inhaling the alcohol fumes on his breath, as he hit her again and again.

That was when she let out a cry of fear and hurt, and felt her legs go out from under her. Dave followed her down, still hitting her in the head and the face.

The last thing she saw was his fist coming right at her eyes. She closed them, not wanting to see, and everything went pitch black.

****

Outside, Jax heard Sarah’s shrill scream before he saw her, and he ran towards her voice. Somehow, he just knew that it was that fucker, her ex, and that he was up to no good.

Shit. I should have made sure he actually left. I should have known from the way he grabbed her what he was all about. I misread him, and f****d this one up, for sure, and if she’s hurt, it’s my goddamn fault.

He saw Sarah now. She was way on the other side of the parking lot, lying face-down on the ground, alone, not moving. Jax covered the distance within seconds, launched himself at her, got down on his knees in the dirt. Gently, he turned her over, and almost groaned aloud at the damage: even in the bad light, he saw lots of blood.

“Sarah? Can you hear me?”

No reaction, not even the flicker of an eyelid. She was totally out.

Jax pulled her up to a sitting position, and held her against him. She flopped forward, her long curls falling around her pale face. He breathed in the fresh, clean scent of flowers, and closed his eyes to really take it in fully. He stroked that beautiful hair, buried his hands and face in it.

“Sarah? Hey, are you there?”

Still nothing, and that was when he started to get really worried. He grabbed her purse, and then he stood up carefully, cradling her limp body in his arms. Her head lolled and rested against his broad chest, and Jax glanced down at her.

“Hold on, baby. I’ve got you, OK? I’m going to take care of you, I promise.”

He carried her back to the bar, holding her safe and tight, liking how it felt to have her body resting on his. Jax kicked the heavy door open with a booted foot, and it rebounded off the wall with a loud crash.

The whole room turned to look at him, and then everyone went right back to what they’d been doing. Unconscious women weren’t an unusual sight at Curves on a Saturday night – or any night, really – and plenty of chicks ended up passed out and carried out by their boyfriends. But when the guys saw Sarah in Jax’s arms, they blinked at his dramatic entrance.

“Well, it’s a bit of a caveman approach to courtship,” Aidan said. “But I guess it’s effective.”

“Naw, she’s hurt, man. I need you, Mac.”

Mac came over quickly. “What happened to her?”

Jax shifted Sarah in his arms to show Mac her face. “I think that dickhead ex of hers was waiting for her in the parking lot. I don’t know what he did to her – she’s been out cold since I got to her.”

“f**k,” King said. “What is it with these f*****g frat-boy-types beating on their women? And people say we’re a menace to society.”

“You need some ice?” Aidan said, already moving towards the bar.

Mac had been examining Sarah’s face carefully. “Yeah, ice for sure, some warm water and a clean cloth, and grab my extra bag from the backroom, OK? I think she’ll need some stitches.”

“s**t,” Jax said. “For real?”

“Looks that way. Come on, man. We need to get her lying down, so I can take a good look at what the fucker did to her.”

They headed down the hallway to the crash rooms in the back. The first three doors that Mac tried were locked, but the fourth was unoccupied. Jax carried Sarah in, and then paused.