Salvation MC: Bought by the biker

Chapter 5

-AUDREY-

Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God.

I twisted my hands over the sweatshirt, feeling something wet trickling underneath it. Luther’s eyes dropped to the crimson spot on the fabric before widening.

"f**k. You’re bleeding."

My breathing came in shallow puffs, my skin damp in the cold air. My gaze slid to the crumpled body lying on the dirt at a weird angle.

"Is Ed..."

I couldn’t finish the question. My brain wasn’t working. My whole body trembled from the encounter, high on adrenaline.

Ed was a lowlife who liked to abuse small women. If Luther had killed him when he ran his bike over him, he’d done the world a favor.

My knees buckled, but before I hit the ground, strong hands caught under my arms and lifted me up.

"Jesus, dove. You’re hurt." His breath fanned my face, warm and rough, his tone edged with worry.

"The men... Vipers... auction."

My tongue felt thick. I couldn’t organize my thoughts or connect them to my lips. I felt like I was about to explode or pass out from the adrenaline spike.

"s**t. You’re in shock. Let’s calm you down. Deep breaths, okay?"

One of his hands cradled the back of my head, pulling it against his chest. The other pressed my back under my sweatshirt, his thumb making slow circles the same way he did the day we met.

I rested my hand on his shirt, trying to drag air into my lungs. It felt impossible, but the more his musky, fresh scent filled my nose, the more I felt myself retreating from the panic.

"You’re doing great. You’re safe, dove." His chin rested on the top of my head. "I told you, they’ll never get you again." His voice was a low, threatening rumble.

I sank into his embrace, feeling oddly protected for the first time in months.

He moved a few steps, then started lowering me. Panic shot through me, and I clung to him like a baby koala. The idea of losing his warmth sent my nerves into overdrive again.

"No, please. Don’t leave me." My breathing spiked. "I promise, I’ll behave."

The Vipers knew my full name and my address. If Luther left me alone, they’d find me again. I’d rather die than be sent back to that hellhole and sold to some sicko.

"I’ll stay with you as much as you want," Luther whispered, his tone warmer now. "I’m just setting you on my bike so I can make a call, okay?"

"Kay," I breathed, wiping tears with the back of my hand.

Luther settled me sideways on the seat of his bike and stepped between my legs. He pulled his phone from his pocket, tapped the screen a few times, then held it to his ear.

"Yo, Tank." A pause. "Yeah, I found her after the bend with the giant agave." He nodded, humming. I could hear someone talking at the other end. "I ran over a motherfucker Viper. He’s unfortunately going to live. Can you get him to the compound?"

"Ed is alive?" I mumbled, watching a muscle pulse under Luther's stubble.

Luther nodded hard, like the idea of Ed still breathing was an insult. His eyes flicked toward the spot where Ed had landed, then he kept talking to Tank.

"I want to interrogate that piece of s**t later. Right now I have to take Audrey to a hospital. That snake hurt her."

He ended the call and tucked his phone away. "I'll put you in the front. It's less safe, but I don't trust the way your body is right now to sit on my back."

He arranged my legs, and I just obeyed like a rag doll. But when he settled behind me, I started shaking again.

"Please, no hospital." I shook my head, fresh tears spilling. "Please."

His hand tilted my chin up. "You need help. They’ll fix you, dove. That’s all."

"No, Luther. My name will be in the system. The Vipers will find me. They’re looking for me. Please, please," I begged, my voice catching.

"Shhh, dove." He cupped my cheeks, his thumbs wiping the tears. "Let me see the damage, okay?"

I nodded, barely an inch, and he lifted my clothes enough to expose a small cut above my hip. It was still bleeding, angry and red, but not too deep.

His face twisted with anger again, making him look even more dangerous. My pulse jumped, my chest rising and falling as if I had just run ten miles.

"I only need a Band-Aid," I mumbled, trying to stop the tears while taking deep breaths.

"No. You need stitches. Alice's a nurse. She can mend you." He tilted his head slightly, his hand still on my cheek. His brown eyes roamed over me, assessing my injuries. "Are you sure you don’t want a hospital? They have plastic surgeons there. Alice's good, but it may scar. And your skin is very pale."

I didn’t care about a physical scar. I had emotional ones for a lifetime, and they hurt way more.

"Positive."

Luther started the bike, his body pressed against my back. His heat wrapped around me, making me feel protected in a way I hadn’t felt in forever. Like nothing could get through him to reach me. It soothed something deep.

Even driving at a very low pace, we reached the compound fast. When I tried to slide off the bike, Luther didn’t let me. He slipped an arm under my knees and another behind my back, lifting me in a full bridal carry. My head fell into the curve of his neck, fitting there like two pieces of a puzzle. My ear pressed to his chest, and the strong thumping of his heart worked like a lullaby.

"I can walk," I protested weakly, because deep down I loved the bear-level protection.

Even if he turned out to be a complete asshole later, at that moment I didn’t care. I was so starved for basic human decency that if someone said thank you I’d probably cry.

He didn’t answer. He just kept moving in that commanding way that apparently was his normal.

We left the parking lot behind and entered the main house. He set me down carefully on a big sofa and took a step back.

"Just a bit. I’ll get Alice," he said quietly, like he was afraid I’d bolt like a scared animal.

Luther disappeared down a back corridor, his boots thumping against the hardwood floor. I heard him call for Alice somewhere deeper in the house before the sound faded away.

I stayed put, trying to shift into a position that didn’t press on my angry knife wound, waiting for him to return.

The house was quiet. Most likely the bikers were still in the confrontation with the Vipers, because the front room was empty besides me. I rested my head against the seat and closed my eyelids for a beat. Now that the pacing had slowed, the blood was starting to thicken, and pain from the knife wound started to bloom. It made me despise Ed a little bit more, if that was even possible.

I was so focused on not bleeding on the leather that I didn’t notice the stunning brunette standing a few feet away. She wore a wraparound dress that showcased curves in all the right places, a perfect, beautiful face framed by long, shiny black hair that reached the top of her round butt.

Full lips shining with lip gloss were twisted in an angry scowl.

"Who the hell are you?" she spat, venom dripping from every word.

"I'm just a nobody," I answered honestly. This woman clearly didn’t like me, and the last thing I wanted was more attention.

"So why the f**k was my man carrying you like a bride?"