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That’s when I started moving toward her, pulled by concern. She was hurt. And no one was doing a damn thing to make sure she was okay.
As I approached, Abby glanced up and her gaze fell on me. She blinked in surprise. A moment later, her breath hitched and she was striding toward me without hesitation. We met in the middle of the parking lot, her arms sliding around my neck in relief.
“You shouldn’t be here,” Abby whispered with her face buried in my shoulder.
I held her tight, my hand cradling the back of her head. She smelled sharp and sweet, like tangerines, but the lingering scent of smoke was stronger, clinging to her hair, clothes, and skin. She was shaking so hard that I could hear her teeth chattering.
“Just tell me what happened,” I replied.
When I pulled back to look at her and Abby gazed up at me, my mind went completely and utterly blank. Carefully, as if this was only a dream and I might wake up at any moment if I moved too fast, I threaded my fingers through her hair, brushing it back until I could get a clear view of her face, her eyes, the cut at her temple.
How was it possible that she was even more beautiful than I remembered? Laugh lines were beginning to form around her eyes. She was no longer the slim, lean teenager I’d known. Instead, her hips were wider, her thighs soft and full. Her lipstick was slightly smudged and I wiped it away with my thumb.
Abby reached up and curled her fingers around my wrist.
“They threw smoke bombs first to disorient people,” she said. “Then switched to Molotov cocktails. They were racing around the parking lot, howling and laughing. It was so loud and confusing.”
I took her hand, sheltering it between my palms. It didn’t sound like the Desert Howlers had intentionally hurt anyone—not like they did with Diablo—but the gesture of intimidation was unsettling enough.
“What about Cam? Was she with you?”
Abby shook her head.
“No, she’s with friends at a movie. I told her she could stay with them until I picked her up.”
“So, you’re here alone,” I said, my concern growing. To think she endured all this by herself made my stomach churn with guilt. I should have stopped this sooner.
“No, I—”
Abby trailed off and ducked her head. She gestured to a man speaking to a police officer on the other side of the parking lot.
“I have a date,” she said.
He should be with you,I thought. But I kept my mouth shut. I should have been with Abby for the past sixteen years and I’d failed her on that. I had no room to point fingers.
Abby shivered and rubbed her arms. Her date was still wearing his dark blue suit jacket while Abby wore nothing but a thin summer blouse and skirt.
“Did you bring a coat?” I asked.
She nodded. “I lost it somewhere in the cafe.”
Someone cleared their throat behind me. I glanced over my shoulder to see Brewer and Crow a few feet away. Brewer raised his eyebrows and tilted his head in a gesture that said,we’re wasting time, we need to get the hell out of here.
I couldn’t bring myself to leave Abby though. Not after what she’d endured tonight.
“Let me take you home,” I said softly.
She looked up at me for a moment before she shifted her attention toward her date again. Cold certainty settled over me that Abby was a split second away from turning me down.
Then she nodded. Swaying close to my shoulder, she looked practically dead on her feet. I hesitated, weighing the consequences of what I wanted to do, before I finally wrapped my arm around her shoulders and tucked her into my side.
Abby didn’t protest as she sagged against me. Her skin was cool to the touch, peppered with goosebumps. Brewer’s gaze flicked over us with sharp-eyed interest but he didn’t say anything for now.
“I’m taking Abby home,” I said. “I’ll catch you at the clubhouse later.”
After Brewer and Crow were gone, I took Abby to where I’d parked my bike. Fishing a hoodie from one of my saddlebags, I draped it around her, fiddling with the zipper. It was a huge gray sack on her.
“Sorry I don’t have anything that matches your outfit better,” I said.
