The only way to find my light at the end of this long, dark tunnel.

PRESENT

“What happened to the man?”

I’m lying in Cade’s bed, my eyes heavy and my body relaxed.

“What man?” I ask, running my fingers up and down his taut arms.

“You said the other day that you’ve only been with a few men, one of them saved you.”

I swallow and turn my face up towards the ceiling.

“He left me.”

Cade’s quiet a moment.

“Then he’s a cunt.”

I snort a laugh, and roll towards him. He rolls too, and we adjust ourselves so we’re face to face, hands tangled together.

“That’s one way of putting it.”

“He left ‘coz your life was too hard, yeah?”

I nod, avoiding his gaze. He reaches up between us and grips my chin, forcing me to look back at him. “That’s a coward’s way out, you know that?”

“Yeah,” I whisper.

“Little prick broke part of you though, didn’t he?”

“He made me stop believing.”

Cade’s eyes scan my face, and his mouth tightens. “No one ever has the right to take that away from another person.”

“He was all I had. He stopped the rape. He made me think I had a way out. He didn’t want to wait. He didn’t understand that I couldn’t just leave the situation I was in. What if it didn’t work out? My mother would have never taken me back.”

“Men with nice lives will never understand what it’s like to live with nothing.”

“No,” I say simply. “They won’t.”

“So he left, and then your ma died?”

“A few months later, yeah.”

“Then you ran?”

“I left,” I correct him, but I hear the lie in my voice.

“Lyin’, babe.”

“Stop telling me I’m lying; you don’t know my story, Cade.”

“No,” he says, rolling to his back. “I don’t know your story, but I can see the fear in your eyes.”

“You see years and years of bad things in my eyes. It’s not fear.”

“It is fear.”

“No, it’s not.”

He rolls again and grips my chin. “Sugar, it is.”

I jerk my chin from his grip and roll off the bed. I get to my feet and yank on my top.

“Don’t go runnin’ ‘coz I raised somethin’ you’re tryin’ to hide.”

I glare at him. “I’m going home because I’m tired.”

He puts his hands behind his head and stares over at me. “You always run when things go bad?”

My anger is boiling inside of me. “Whatever, Cade, I’m going. Thanks for tonight.”

“You wanna leave in a hiss, go ahead. I ain’t chasin’ ya, sugar. It ain’t how I roll. You wanna get into the bed; I’ll talk to you. I’ll fuck you again and I’ll even hold you while you sleep, but if you wanna storm out, I’m not comin’ after you. I don’t play with women. If they want the good side of me, they get in and let me give it, but if they wanna run out in a mood, that ain’t my issue.”

I pick up my purse and then turn to stare at him. “I don’t want or need you to chase me, Cade.”

Then I turn and walk out of the room. When I’m out the front door and walking down the road, my chest seizes because part of me, deep down, wanted him to chase me.

CHAPTER 12

PRESENT

I hear the rumble of a mass of Harley Davidson’s as I near Jackson’s house. I know it’s not Cade, because he’s not likely to be riding in a group only ten minutes after I left him naked in a bed. I turn and stare as the mass of headlights coming up and over the hill. I squint my eyes wondering if it’s Jackson heading home or out on a ride with the guys. When the bikes begin to slow down, I notice right away that it isn’t the Hell’s Knights. It’s another group and my body instantly seizes with panic. I take a few steps back, now understanding why walking home is not safe. I have no chance against this many bikers.

When the bikes come to a stop, the man in front on a dark black Fat Boy, gets off his bike and pulls off his helmet. I feel my eyes widen at the sight of him. He’s gorgeous, no, he’s beyond gorgeous. He’s to die for. He’s very different to Cade. While Cade is dark, dangerous and completely sexy – this man has lighter hair, darker eyes, but is just as completely terrifying to look at. His boots crunch in the dried up leaves on the road as he walks closer to me. When he stops in front of me, I see his eyes are so brown they nearly look black. He has sandy blonde hair that’s ruffled and he is covered in tattoos. I swallow, but square my shoulders. Maybe they’re friends of Jackson’s?

“Let me guess,” the biker purrs, his voice is rough, husky and very attractive. “You must be Jacks’ little girl?”

“I’m nobody’s little girl,” I say back, though my voice doesn’t come out as strong as I’d like.

Blondie chuckles and crosses his arms. He’s broad, not as tall as Cade but thicker across the shoulders.

“Heard all about you. I thought you would be a little more difficult to find though.”

I shake my head. “What are you talking about?”

He grins, showing me one perfect dimple. “Are you familiar with a man named Jasper?”

I flinch and he chuckles. “Thought so. See, I heard you left a bit of a mess behind and Jasper wasn’t very happy about it. So, he hired me. See, I’m a fantastic tracker, and he didn’t want to get his hands dirty. If he came after you, he was riskin’ too much, so here I am.”