EVERNIGHT PUBLISHING ®

  www.evernightpublishing.com

  Copyright© 2023 Lila Fox

  ISBN: 978-0-3695-0775-4

  Cover Artist: Jay Aheer

  Editor: Lisa Petrocelli

  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

  WARNING: The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. No part of this book may be used or reproduced electronically or in print without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in reviews.

  This is a work of fiction. All names, characters, and places are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  DEDICATION

  I would like to dedicate this book to the editor and publisher. You guys are fabulous. I couldn't do this without you.

  EMILY’S ESSENCE

  Viper’s Crew MC, 6

  Lila Fox

  Copyright © 2023

  Chapter One

  Hawk looked up at the commotion by the door of the bar. He and his men watched as four bikers dragged a woman in, and Hawk could tell she didn’t want to be there and was terrified.

  Brick nudged him. “Yo, man, look at that.”

  Hawk nodded. “I see it.”

  “Are we going to do anything to help her?” Ink asked.

  Hawk nodded but kept his gaze on the men and woman. What the fuck were they thinking terrorizing someone so much smaller than them?

  One of them grabbed onto her breast hard, making her scream.

  Hawk slammed back the rest of his beer, and headed toward them. He stood with his hands on his hips, knowing his men were behind him. Not that he needed them because these guys were his, and they knew not to get involved unless he asked.

  “What the fuck do you want?” one of them said.

  “I wanted to know why you’re such a pussy. Does it make you feel like men hurting a small person?”

  One of them got in his face making him smile. “Stand down, men,” he said to his guys, hearing a few of them groan.

  “He never lets us have any fun,” Brick said.

  Hawk rolled his eyes. They sounded like preschoolers.

  He concentrated his attention on the fuckwad in front of him. “How about this? If you let her go now, I won’t hurt you too badly. If you don’t … well, you won’t be seeing another sunrise.”

  The man snorted and looked over his shoulder at his friends. “Did you hear that? This fucker is going to hurt us.”

  Hawk smiled at the fake whiny tone of the man. “I guess that means you want it the hard way.”

  “What the fuck does that mean?”

  Hawk slammed his head into the man’s nose. When the guy cried out, he rammed his knee into his groin, making him fall to the ground and wither. One of them rushed toward him only to land on his back unconscious from the blow. The guy holding the woman in front of him as a shield was next.

  “Fucker, back off, or I’m breaking her neck.”

  “No, you’re not.” Hawk moved fast, whipping his knife from his belt and throwing it at the man catching his throat.

  The man released the girl to grip the hole in his neck. Hawk guessed he had a minute to live before he bled out. He turned and concentrated on the last one.

  Just as he expected, the man roared and came at him. Hawk sidestepped at the last moment bringing his hand down on the back of his neck. The man fell to his face and groaned. Hawk kicked him hard in the side, making him grunt. He stood off to the side, looking disgusted. “That was pitiful. You should have listened to me, fuckers.”

  “Can we have them now, Boss?” Razor said.

  Hawk looked toward the woman who stood shaking against the wall. “Yeah, take them out back first. I don’t think the owner of the place wants more blood on the floor.”

  His men whooped and dragged the men off the floor and outside.

  He walked closer to the woman. Fuck, he could tell she was trying hard to hold it together and even raised her chin.

  “I … I’ll fight you. I’d rather be dead than gang-raped.”

  Hawk rolled his eyes. “Babe, that’s what I just saved you from.”

  Her eyes flickered around the room. “But you guys…”

  “Won’t do a damn thing but get you where you need to go.”

  He could tell she didn’t trust him, but he didn’t blame her.

  “What’s your name?”

  “E … Emily.”

  “I’m Hawk.”

  She looked a little confused.

  “What?” he asked.

  “It … it’s an unusual name.”

  He snorted. “Where are you headed?” He was impressed because she held herself together where other women would have fallen apart. She held the shirt they ripped together and tried to wipe the blood that came from her split lip. Her eyes were swollen, and she had bruises everywhere. She was a tough little shit. He respected that.

  “I don’t know.”

  “Where did they get you?”

  “Coming out of a convenience store.”

  “Can we take you home?”

  She shook her head. “No, that’s what I was running from. If you can just give me the backpack they took from me, I’ll be on my way.”

  Jesus, he had so many questions and would damn well get his answers before he let her go.

  “Let’s go find it, and then we’ll take care of you.”

  Hawk grabbed her upper arm, careful to be gentle. They walked outside to see his men come around the side of the building, grinning.

  “They took her bag, guys. Let’s find it and then head out.”

  The men walked to the bastards’ bikes.

  “I’ve got it,” Brick, his vice prez, called out. He held it up.

  “There’s a motel several miles down the road. Let’s stop there for the night. I want Doc to look her over.”

  “Wait,” she said and tried to tug her arm away from him. “If you just give me my bag, I’ll go my way.”

  Hawk shook his head. “No, you won’t. You’ll let us take care of you.”

  She started to struggle.

  He cupped the back of her head and held her steady. “Settle down. We’re not going to hurt you.”

  She sniffed. “All men say that, but you’re all liars.”

  Fuck. “Listen, I’m not sure what’s going on with you, but you’re not in any shape to go anywhere by yourself. You’re hurt and in shock. Let us take care of you. I would swear we’d never hurt you, but I don’t think you’d take my word for it.”

  Chapter Two

  Emily felt shakier and knew she would collapse in the next minute or so. She knew she was probably being an idiot, but he wasn’t going to let her go, so she didn’t have a choice. There was no more fight left in her. Her whole body ached, and her brain was muddled, making it nearly impossible to think straight.

  “I’ll go with you, but I have to do something first.”

  She tugged her arm away and walked over to the bastards’ bikes. She kicked as hard as she could, making them all crash to the ground.

  She looked at him. “You wouldn’t happen to have a hammer on you, would you?”

  “Why?” Hawk asked.

  “I want to destroy their bikes.”

  “Lady, they’re not going to need them any longer, so it’s a waste of time.”

  It took her a moment to understand. “They’re dead?”

  The guy nodded.

  She thought she should feel some remorse, but she couldn’t. The world was a better place without them.

  “Good. Thank you.”

  She knew she had surprised them.

  “Let’s go, tiger,” Hawk said, pulling her toward another bike. He got on and then held out a hand. “Come on.”

  She exhaled and took his hand. She got settled behind him.

  “Hold onto me.”

  She’d be unable to hold her ripped shirt together and him at the same time.

  “Emily,” Hawk said impatiently.

  She let go of her shirt and wrapped her arms around his waist. Hell, the man was solid like a rock, had no fat on him, and smelled like the wind and pine trees. Way nicer than the other men smelled. She gagged a few times at the sweaty, sour smell that came off all four of them.

  The motorcycle started, making her jump. A squeak fell from her mouth when he took off, and she had to tighten her arms around him.

  Within minutes they were pulling up to a fairly decent motel. The men all parked.

  “How many rooms, Boss?”

  “Get four with doubles if they have them.”

  “You got it.”

  Hawk reached back. “Take my hand and let me help you off.”

  She did and would have fallen if he hadn’t caught her. She hated how weak she was. She struggled to stay on her feet and simultaneously hold her shirt together.

  “Easy. I’ve got you.”

  He kept a hand on her while one of his men got them rooms.

  “Hey, man, there’s a hamburger place down the road. How about I go get us some food?” one of the men said.

  “Sounds good. Get some sugary, caffeinated pop for her.”

  The man got back on his bike. “You got it. I’ll be right back.”

  Hawk tightened his grip on her when she swayed. If she didn’t sit down in the next few minutes, she was going to face-plant.

  “Hey, Boss. I got three doubles and one with a king. That’s all they had left.”

  Hawk nodded. “Do any of them have a pullout

?”

  “Yeah, they all do.”

  “Then it will work. Let’s head up,” Hawk said.

  His hold on her tightened as they took the stairs, and she was thankful for it.

  “Yo, Blade, give me the one with the king.”

  They got to one of the rooms, and Hawk unlocked it. When it swung open, she finally realized how this would play out. “Is this mine?”

  “Yes, and me and my vice, Brick, will be in here, too.”

  “Can’t I have my own room?” she asked.

  He shook his head. “No, we can’t protect you that way. Babe, nothing is going to happen.”

  “But those men are dead,” she said. “I shouldn’t be in any danger now.”

  Hawk’s brows rose. “And you think they’re the only bad ones around here?”

  He set her on the mattress. “One of the guys will bring your bag up, and then we’ll get you in the shower.”

  She tensed again.

  He held up his hands. “I’ll be out here unless you need me.”

  Emily exhaled. One of the other men she hadn’t met handed her the bag.

  “Go on in. Call out if you need me,” Hawk said.

  “Okay.”

  She gingerly got up off the mattress and went into the bathroom. She was finally able to relax when the door was closed and locked. Her whole body ached so bad she felt like an old lady because she couldn’t straighten up, and her strides were slow and short.

  A gasp tore from her mouth when she first looked at herself. She had blood smeared all over her face and neck. Her torn shirt was blood-soaked, mostly from the guy with his neck torn open, and she had bruises and scrapes all over. Her hair, which she dyed black, made her look even paler. Her eyes were swollen mostly from crying, she guessed, and her lip was split on the bottom.

  She runs from her hometown to escape her abusive father and ends up getting into a worse situation. How pathetic was that?

  She jumped when there was a knock at the door.

  “Babe, get in the shower. The food will be here soon.”

  “Okay.” She stripped and threw her ruined clothes in a pile. Even her socks had blood and dirt on them. She’d have to make a trip to a store because she only had two more outfits.

  Emily got out her small bag of feminine products and started the shower. She hissed when the hot water hit the scrapes on her body. She scrubbed herself a few times before turning off the water. Grabbing a towel, she twisted her hair up in it and then used another to dry herself off.

  The next time she looked in the mirror, she thought she still looked bad but didn’t have the blood on her skin anymore. She got dressed in the large t-shirt she wore to bed and a pair of yoga pants before drying her hair with the towel the best she could and combing it.

  Emily packed up her things, left the pile of bloody clothes, and walked into the room. She stopped short when she saw all eight men sitting around eating hamburgers. They’d brought in a few more chairs and had a game on.

  “Emily.”

  She turned to look at Hawk, who sat on the end of the bed.

  “Sit here and get comfortable.”

  Setting her things down, she walked over to him and crawled into the bed to sit back against the headboard, pulling up the blanket he held out.

  He handed her a sandwich.

  She shook her head. “I’m not hungry.”

  “You’ll eat anyway. You look like you could blow away with a stiff wind.”

  That was true. She’d never been this skinny before in her life, but running away from home and walking for miles could do that to a person. She unwrapped the sandwich and took a bite. She didn’t taste anything, but she knew she needed the nutrients.

  “Here, drink this,” Hawk said and handed her a can of pop. “It will help.”

  “Okay.” She drank half the can and was surprised when the buzz from sugar instantly started giving her a little energy to finish the burger.

  Hawk studied her and nodded. “I’m going to have Doc look at you.”

  She shook her head. “No, really. I’m fine.”

  “We’ll look anyway.” He took the empty can from her. “Go brush your teeth first.”

  She moved off the mattress, aware of each male’s scrutiny. When she came out of the bathroom, everyone was gone except Hawk, Brick, and Doc.

  Hawk motioned her over. “Let Doc look at you.”

  She shook her head and crossed her arms over her chest. “I’m fine. I promise.”

  Hawk sighed, looked at Doc, and nodded. The man stood, picked up a bag, and walked out.

  “Thank you,” she said.

  “You’ve been through enough tonight. I figured we didn’t need to add to it,” Hawk said. “Why don’t you hop into bed?”

  She nodded and gingerly lay down on her side to face the guys and pulled the blanket up to her chin.

  The men settled back, drinking beer and talking softly or watching a show. Brick had pulled out the sofa bed and was laying back on it while Hawk sat next to her on the king-size mattress. She had no idea why she felt so positive that he’d watch over her. Maybe she had to tell herself that because he was all she had. Her eyelids lowered, and she slept peacefully for the first time in forever.

  Chapter Three

  “Is she finally asleep?” Brick asked.

  Hawk looked down at her and nodded. “Yeah.” It’s what she needed the most. He’d had to hold himself back from questioning her. He wanted the answers to his questions but knew she was at the end of her rope.

  “What are we going to do with her?”

  “Hell if I know.”

  “We can’t let her go on her own,” Brick said.

  Hawk nodded. “I’ll think of something.”

  “I’m going to crash.”

  “Night,” Hawk said. He sat there after the two were asleep and finished his beer. He brushed his teeth and turned off the lights. He pulled his cut, shirt, boots, and socks off before laying down next to her. He stayed on top of the blanket, so she didn’t freak out when she woke up.

  He was just about asleep when an idea came to him. Emily couldn’t stay on the road with them. Women couldn’t handle going for days, not bathing, sometimes sleeping out in the open, and constant movement.

  He and his men had seen every part of the United States except Alaska and Hawaii. They were all getting older and appreciated a nice bed to sleep in, a roof over their heads, and food whenever they wanted. There was one place he thought he and his men would be happy settling down. He would just have to talk to his friend and see. At the moment, he needed sleep.

  When he opened his eyes, the sun shone in the window, and he had a sweet woman plastered to his side. How in the hell had she gotten this close to him without him knowing? It was disconcerting. Everyone who knew him knew not to touch him when he was sleeping, or they were liable to get killed.

  He rolled out of bed and took his clothes and bag into the bathroom to shower and get dressed. When he came out, Brick was sitting up, but Emily was still sleeping.

  He dumped his bag on the floor. “I’m going to make a call. I’ll be right back.”

  Brick nodded and lay back down.

  Hawk dialed the phone and waited. When a sweet voice answered, he couldn’t help smiling.

  “Would this happen to be Striker’s old lady?”

  There was a pause. “Um, yes. I suppose you could call me that.”

  His grin widened. One of his close friends, Striker, was the Viper Crew’s prez, and his woman was Kristina. She was unlike any other woman he’d ever known, and he could sit all day talking to her or just watching. She was incredibly fun to tease and was the cutest thing when she got mad.

  “This is Hawk, honey.”

  Another long pause.

  “Oh, well, I’m sure you would like to talk to Striker.”

  He chuckled. “Eventually. How about you tell me how you’re doing?”

  “Oh, um, fine. How about you?”

  She was always so damn polite, even when she was pissed.

  “I’m very well, thank you for asking,” he said.

  He had to bite his lip when he heard her growl.

  “How about I get Striker for you?”

 

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9