Page 15 of Trip
“Are you hurt anywhere?” I ask, my hands roaming over her body as I check for any blood or sore spots. “Did he do anything to you?”
“Just tied me up,” she says with a sniffle. “I’m not hurt.”
“Are you sure?” I say as I gently push her back so I can search her pretty blue eyes for any signs of discomfort. “If you’re hurt, please tell me. Let me take care of you.”
“I’m okay, I promise,” Julia replies, her gaze turning watery. “I’m just glad you’re here to keep me safe. I was–”
She cuts herself off, scrubbing at the tears that are threatening to fall. I rub at her back softly, comforting her as best I can. Wishing I had more experience with this, I say, “I’ll always be here to keep you safe, Julia. I love you.”
“I love you, too,” she says, the words leaving her mouth quickly and without thought, warming me from the inside.
I disregard the situation at hand, the man knocked out on the floor, and lean into Julia. Our lips connect, the tastes of her mouth even sweeter with the declaration of love still there. I want to dig in deeper, but I know that’s for later.
When we pull away, I run my fingers through her hair and ask, “Do you think you can drive?”
“Yeah,” she murmurs after a few seconds. “I think so.”
“Good,” I tell her, continuing to stroke her hair. “I want you to get your sisters, wherever they are, and drive to my place. I left so fast that I left the door unlocked. Get in there and I’ll take care of this, okay?”
“Okay,” she says. Then, as I’m helping her to her feet, she says, “There’s something you should know before we go, though.”
“What is it?” I ask, glancing over my shoulder to make sure the man is still out cold.
“Um,” she starts. “He uh, he said that he’s the man that killed my parents.” She shakes her head. “I… I guess that my dad did do something shady in the past. He said that he was here to settle a debt that my dad owed his family. He was going to take me and my sisters.”
I look back at the slimy motherfucker and realize that killing him isn’t going to be an option, at least not right away. I was going to call the Riders of Retribution to help me dispose of the body, but it looks like we’ll need to conduct some kind of investigation instead.
“I already told you before,” I say when I see her getting more and more upset at the information, “it doesn’t matter what debt he owed, he didn’t deserve to die for it, and you and your sisters shouldn’t still be paying for it.”
“I know, I’m just…” she trails off.
“It doesn’t matter,” I tell her with another glance at the man. We don’t have much more time before he comes to. Not that he’ll be any kind of threat with that head injury; I just don’t want Julia to see what I’m about to do to him, or learn what he was planning on doing to her. “I’m going to take care of it. But you and your sisters need to get out of here. I’m going to move him out of the way so they don’t have to see him when you leave. I promise as soon as I’m done here, I’ll be right there.”
“What are you going to do with him?” she asks as I retrieve her phone from where it fell when the man first broke in.
“You don’t need to worry about the details,” I say, passing the device back to her. “I’ll tell you everything as soon as I get back to my place. For now, just focus on getting yourself and your sisters out of here.”
When Julia nods, I grab onto the man’s ankles and drag him into the kitchen. As soon as he’s completely out of sight, she heads to get her sisters. I stand over the man, listening as Julia speaks with her sister and ushers them out.
Once I figure out who’s involved, I’ll take care of this guy. Julia and her family’s safety is my number one priority, and this bastard has information. So, as soon as Julia’s car, loaded up with her two sisters, pulls out of the driveway, I call the president of the MC. We have members who areveryskilled at getting people to talk.
Chapter 9
Julia
I glance at the clock on Trip’s microwave for the third time in the last ten minutes. It’s nearly two in the morning, and he still isn’t back yet. I have no idea what I’m supposed to do in this situation. I’m freaking out internally, but I’ve had to put on a brave face for my sisters.
Right now, they’re passed out on Trip’s couch. I don’t think the position is anywhere near comfortable, but they didn’t want to be away from me. And, honestly, I can’t blame them. I suggested they take Trip’s bed, but I was secretly relieved when they opted to stay close to me.
With them asleep, I might as well be alone. I’ve taken to pacing Trip’s kitchen. It’s not very big, and I’m fairly certain that if I’m at this any longer, I’m going to wear down a path in the floor. But if I don’t keep moving, I’ll go insane.
Finally, after what feels like another hour, but is likely only three minutes, the front door swings open. Even though I know it’s Trip, I still jump. With my heart still racing, I rush toward the sound of his boots being kicked off.
He smiles at me, glancing over at my sisters before whispering, “I thought you’d be asleep.”
“I don’t feel tired,” I whisper back. “I guess too much happened. My mind won’t slow down.”
“I’m sure,” he replies as he pulls me into his arms. “I’m sorry I took so long.”
