Vicious Rebel (82 Street Vandals #2) - Heather Long Page 0,3
it meant trusting him.
Taking it meant taking a risk.
“It’s cold out here, Little Bit,” he said. “Let’s at least get something warmer in you again, and we’ll take some time for you to make your decision.”
“Jasper won’t like it.”
“I don’t care.” His words practically echoed Liam’s, and a small smile escaped me. “Let me help you.”
“You already have.”
“Fine,” he said with an impatient sigh. “Let me help you more.”
I blew out a breath. “I have nothing to pay you back with right now…” And honestly, I had no idea what I was getting him into if he was in the middle of all of this. He wasn’t a Vandal, right?
“Tell you what, you let me worry about me while I worry about you. Then you can focus on what you want to do next, but in the meanwhile, I got your back.”
Sometimes, you have to fall before you fly…
And every flight required a leap of faith.
When he held out his hand this time, I took it.
Chapter 2
Emersyn
Doc led me to his truck and tucked me inside, snapping the belt into place before he closed the passenger door and circled the truck to get back behind the wheel. The cold barely touched me anymore. Not saying a word, he started the engine, and then we were back on the road. He’d parked a block away from the hotel.
Traffic seemed heavier leaving than when we’d driven in. Course, it was later in the morning. Rush hour, maybe? It occurred to me I didn’t even know what day of the week it was. I’d lost all track of time and reason. I could still feel the weight of Vaughn’s hands and the heat of his kisses. I was in the passenger seat of a truck not only heading away from my own escape, but also back toward the people who kidnapped me.
Irony could go fuck itself.
I flicked a look at the side mirror and caught sight of a motorcycle behind us. Liam? I only paid attention because it was a stunning shade of blue. Pretty. Then I looked forward again. Doc left me to my thoughts. He’d taken us through another drive-thru for coffee, huge cups for each of us. I warmed my icy hands on the cup as he pressed it into them. The heat of his hands on mine lingered as he closed my fingers around the beverage.
For a split second, I glanced up to find him watching me. I licked my lips and glanced down and away. Doc saw way too much. “I suppose I should ask where we’re going.” It wasn’t really a question, it was just me giving voice to some words. I still couldn’t believe how close I’d come to walking right into my uncle.
“I’m taking you to the clinic,” Doc said. “Let you have some time to figure out what you want to do.”
His clinic. “Oh fuck, I’ve kept you from your work.”
“Stop,” he ordered in a soft voice before his hand settled on my knee. There was nothing suggestive about the contact. If anything, it was a source of deep comfort. His hand rested there, offering strength not demanding anything. “You haven’t done anything to me. You haven’t done anything to anyone. I told you I would help you, and I meant it. You got out of there on your own, but Liam’s not wrong—they are going to start looking for you the moment they figure out you’re gone.”
My stomach bottomed out.
“The clinic might be one of the places they look, but we have some time and my place isn’t far. I’d offer the apartment, but I’m doing immunizations this afternoon and I want to be there before the line starts. I can get you inside without too many eyes on you. I also want you somewhere you can feel comfortable, that isn’t another cell.” Maybe he didn’t want to leave me alone at his place in case I disappeared?
The flutters in my belly gained some altitude. I slanted a look at him and sighed. “Thank you. I really don’t want to get in the way of your work.” At least this way, I’d find out the name of his clinic and stuff. “Are you the only one who works there?”
“Most days,” Doc said easily, driving one-handed and keeping his eyes focused on the traffic. “Two days a week, I have a nurse volunteer come in so I can see female patients without them being uncomfortable. If I have one that really needs an exam,