Page 62 of The Biker and the Loner
She never came back out. She never came back out. She never came back out.Like a mantra, I repeat the words over and over as I drag on a shorts and a sweater. Whether the articles of clothes are mine or Scratch's, I don't know.
I'm about to dash through the bedroom door when I'm snatched around the waist and pulled back against a big, hard body.
"Scratch—"
"Whoa, baby," he says, voice gruff and groggy. "Talk to me. What's going on?"
I'm damn near hyperventilating when I tell him, "She never came out."
"Who never came out? From where?"
"Kathy. Sh-she...she went into the bathroom and she never came out."
He pauses for a brief second, then, "Gimme a sec to throw some clothes on."
I nod, but as soon as he releases me, I bolt out the door and dash downstairs. His curses follow me down, but I don't care. I can't wait. She's been inside that bathroom for four days. Did she fall and break something? Hit her head? What happened? What happened?!
I stuff my feet into my red rain boots by the door and snag my keys from the side-table before wrenching the door open, hurrying down the steps.
Hitting unlock on the key fob for the Rover, I’m about to jump in when the keys are snatched from my hand and I'm jerked back.
I whip around to rail at him, but he covers my mouth with his palm before I can. "Peach, calm down. Stop thinking the worst." He doesn’t yield when I try to rip his hand from my mouth. "Listen, I'm not letting you drive while you’re like this. So when I move my hand, you're gonna go around to the passenger side, get in, andcalm down. I'm with you. I'm hereforyou. You're inside of me, so whatever worries you worries me, too. Get that?"
If only to shut him up so we can get moving, I nod.
"You promise to calm down?"
"Mhphmhmnm!!" I scream into his palm.
He removes his hand. "I'm sure she's fine, babe."
I would've believed him if the pity in his eyes and the apology in his tone didn't betray his words.
My fingernails are chewed down to the flesh by the time we arrive at the house. The electronic gates take too damn long to open, and the drive from the gates to the house is so freaking far. How come I never noticed that before?
Before the jeep can come to a full stop outside the house, I wrench open the door and jump out. Scratch swears loudly and calls after me, but I ignore him. I bound up the crescent steps, fumbling with the keys to get the door open.
I can't. I can't get it open! Which key is it? Why can't I get it open?!
I kick and punch the door, on the verge of losing it, when I feel him behind me. One strong arm wraps around my middle and presses me back against the fortress that he is.
"Baby, breathe. Please."
I can't breathe. I can’t breathe until I know she's okay. And I can't even find the breath to tell him that.
With his free hand, he reaches around and takes the jingle of keys from my hand. "Which one is it?"
"I don't..." I shake my head, my chest heaving up and down. "I don't..."
"It's okay, baby. It’s okay," he assures me.
While keeping me tucked safely against him, he leans forward and tries the keys one by one. The fourth try gets us inside. But this time Scratch doesn't give me a chance to flee him.
"Mom!" I shout, struggling to get away from him.
Outmatching me in strength, he shifts me to his side and locks his arm around my neck, keeping me tight to him. "We're doing thistogether."
"We need to—need to get—" I point to the winding stairs. "Up there."
