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“You need anything from her?” I asked Brick as I climbed the stairs leading to the porch.
“I think I got it all from Blaze. If I have questions, I’ll come find her. You stayin’ tonight, darlin’?”
I looked down at the woman in my arms. She was stiff, not relaxed at all, but the second she realized Brick wanted her to answer the question, she wrapped her arms around my neck and buried her face in my chest. I’d be lying if my shoulders didn’t go back just that little bit. On some mysterious level, she already trusted me. I’d given her no reason to, and I was a fucking surly bastard, but she’d thrown her lot in with me and I knew I’d do anything to keep that trust.
“Guess that’s my answer.” Brick gave me a hard look. “You be careful with that girl. You ain’t fit for company since you came back from Grim Road. It’s obvious she’s not up to dealing with your normal charming self, let alone the way you get after that kinda violence.”
“I hear you, brother. I’ve got it under control.”
“Anytime you think you might need a break to regroup, you call Blaze. You can’t get him, call me.”
“Swear,” I acknowledged. “I’m good.”
Brick nodded and I turned to take my charge to Stitches, our club doctor. He must have gotten word from someone we were headed that way because he met us outside the clinic.
“Anything obviously major?” Stitches could be brisk on the best of days, but he was always gentle, especially when he had to treat the women in the compound. As I approached, his gaze was firmly fixed on the woman in my arms. Fuck. I didn’t even know her name!
“Bruised all to shit. Scared out of her mind. Ain’t sure otherwise.”
“Bring her inside.”
She continued to tremble and made one small whimper as I climbed the steps to the clinic Stitches had set up for the club. Once inside, I set her on the stretcher and stepped away. Again, she pulled the shirt I’d given her over her knees, wrapping her arms around herself protectively. Her eyes were wide and wild as she took stock of her surroundings. I got a water bottle from the fridge before approaching her again.
“What’s your name, girl?”
“N-Nyla.” Her voice was almost a whisper, and her gaze zeroed in on the bottle I held. I handed it to her without opening it. She took it gingerly with shaking hands. When she struggled to untwist the lid, she trembled even more, a frustrated, desperate sound escaping her.
“Want me to help?” I didn’t want to push her. “Was afraid you wouldn’t like the seal being broken before I handed it to you.”
She nodded but didn’t say anything. She also didn’t hand the bottle back to me but continued to struggle on her own. When it became obvious that, one, she couldn’t open it herself and, two, she really wanted the contents, I stepped over to her and placed my hand on her shoulder. Without a word, I covered her hand holding the bottle with my own to brace it while I opened the lid with my other hand. Once I let her go, she gripped the bottle in both her tiny hands and guzzled the contents.
“Hey, there,” I said, moving the bottle away from her lips gently. “Don’t make yourself sick.” She looked up at me, and I thought she might growl like a feral kitten. If the situation hadn’t been what it was, I might have grinned at her, but I knew she likely hadn’t had anything to drink in a while.
“What’s going on?” Stitches frowned at me as he entered the room with a blanket and some sweats and a T-shirt. He laid them on the stretcher beside her.
“Just trying to keep her from pukin’. She’s thirsty.”
Stitches grunted but didn’t say anything else. Instead, he took his stethoscope from around his neck and put it in his ears. “Just gonna listen to your lungs and heart. You OK with that?”
Nyla nodded her head but didn’t move. Stitches was patient with her, starting with her back as he listened carefully. Then her sides.
There was a knock at the door.
“Come in.”
Atlas’s woman stepped inside the room and gave Nyla a soft smile. “I’m Rose. Are you with Eagle?” Rose was a few months pregnant and had only recently started sporting a rounded tummy. She caressed the baby bump absently as she spoke to Nyla.
Nyla shook her head, but her gaze darted in my direction briefly. I wasn’t sure what I saw on her face, but it almost looked like a plea. For me to leave her alone? Or for me to claim her? Would make sense she’d want me to leave her alone. She’d likely want to stay as far from strange men as she could. But something inside my gut told me that wasn’t the case. Nyla wanted me to stake a claim on her. Not to make her mine, but to give her my protection. Now, that I could believe.
