His Loyal Rebel - Debra Kayn Page 0,44

manager had available rooms but refused to let her pay for one in the middle of the night.

Picking up the matchbook again, she closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Slow and steady.

She opened her eyes and ripped off a match. Her hand shook. Why had Whip lied? Out of everyone who could hurt her, why him?

With everything they'd shared, she assumed he'd be honest with her. Tears clouded her vision. Whip had made her want to take a chance on love, to trust what her heart was telling her. To believe that someone wanted her—faults and all.

The rumble of a motorcycle dried her tears. Hugging her middle, she stayed kneeled on the ground as the rider approached.

Deep down, she knew Whip would show up. He wasn't a man who would lose an argument.

She was done fighting.

Whatever excuse he had no longer mattered.

She'd said her peace.

A lone headlight in the distance hardened her resolve. Whip's lack of respect for her cut any ties to him. She'd wanted to stay with him because she was falling in love.

But, he'd never know that.

She looked away from the bright light. He certainly wasted no time. She'd only stopped driving around and parked ten minutes ago.

Rubbing her bare arms, she thought about running to the car and locking herself inside to avoid more of Whip's lies.

They weren't even good lies. They were lies that were told without any thought of what he was doing to her. That's what hurt.

She thought he cared about her. Truly cared.

He stopped the motorcycle close to her. She shielded her eyes, and he shut off the headlight, blinding her to the darkness.

"Whatever you have to say, I don't want to hear it," she said.

"I think you do."

She scrambled to her feet at the voice, knowing it wasn't Whip but Big. "What are you doing here?"

"I came to get what's mine."

The crunch of dried pinecones and needles under his boots sent a chill up her spine. She moved sideways toward her car.

"I'm not yours." She swallowed. "I never was, and you know that. You have lots of other women in your life. Go bother one of them."

He grabbed her arm. She swung out, trying to dislodge him and her knuckles scraped the chain that hung from his vest.

Pain radiated through her hand. She groaned, stopping her struggle.

"I don't want you, bitch." He pulled her to her tiptoes. "I want my pistol."

She recoiled with a snarl. One hit to her self-esteem after another today, she regretted running out of the Tarkio clubhouse without planning ahead. If she'd known Big would seek her out as soon as she was away from Whip, she would've left the stupid gun behind at the clubhouse. Big could go to Tarkio and ask for it back. That would make Whip happy, and Big would leave her alone.

Big's body stiffened, and his hand tightened on her arm. Only then had the roar of a motorcycle broke through her frustration.

"Are you expecting your new boyfriend?" asked Big.

She pressed her shoulders back and looked up in his face, barely making out the whites of his eyes. Through Whip's lies and manipulation, had he spoke the truth about Cusclan wanting to hurt her?

Big shook her, snapping her teeth together. She cried out, yelling for help, taking her chance that whoever was coming would side with her and not Big.

"You dumb bitch, where's my fucking pistol?" He threw her to the ground and marched to her car.

Her hands smarted, abrased by the rocks on the ground. She sobbed out in pain, scrambling to her feet and running toward Big. If he got ahold of the gun and the incoming rider was Whip, Big would use the pistol and shoot him.

The biker rode closer. She ignored the new arrival and grabbed the back of Big's vest with both hands, using all her weight to pull him away from the driver's seat.

"Get out of my car." She groaned as her muscles protested.

Big was triple her size. She couldn't budge him.

Bang.

Her ears rang, deafening her to all noise except the incessant ringing tone.

She let go of Big and covered her head, dropping to her knees.

Her heart raced, and panic filled her. Prying her eyes open, she caught sight of Big's boots moving past her. He ran toward his motorcycle.

Aware that someone had shot a gun, she looked in the other direction. The oncoming biker roared toward her. She tilted her head, squinting, trying to see who it was when bright flashes came from