Page 14 of Dusty and Dented (Fallen Angels MC #2)

D agger stood on the side of the highway with Andy pressed against him, watching as his brothers bound the two men—Shadow and another he didn’t recognize—with duct tape.

The man he didn’t know also got extra tape wrapped around his bloody shoulder.

He wondered how the Crow had been wounded but wasn’t willing to ask with Andy right here and he wasn’t willing to leave her to find out.

He’d get someone to give him all the details later.

“Why don’t you take her home,” Raven said, approaching them. “Gather up what she’s going to need for a few days and take her to the club house to stay until we can make sure whatever caused this is taken care of.”

Dagger glanced down at where his little spark stood, her face still buried against his chest, then back at Raven.

He looked at where his brothers were tossing the Royal Crows who had taken her into the van, much as he suspected they’d done to her, and could find nothing but anger towards them.

He wanted his shot at them and knew it would be easier for him to get it if they were at the clubhouse.

But it wouldn’t be easy to convince her.

After a single nod from Dagger, the president turned away to deal with something else and Dagger turned his attention to the woman in his arms.

“Hey.” He kept his voice soft so as not to startle her, but she didn’t respond or move in any way. “Sweetheart, are you ready to leave?”

She still didn’t reply but she did press herself closer against him, as if she didn’t want to be separated from him. He couldn’t blame her for that. He didn’t want her getting too far from him either.

“Come on, Andy, we need to get out of here.” He decided if she didn’t answer this time then he would just pick her up and carry her to the car.

He hated seeing her non-responsive like this, it reminded him of the way she’d lain in bed sobbing after the service this morning.

Had that only been a few hours ago? It felt like more.

Andy lifted her head and looked at him. “You’re going too? You’re not going to leave me?” The vulnerability in her voice made his chest ache.

“I’m not going to leave you. Where you go, I go.” On impulse he bent and kissed her forehead. “Come on, I brought your car.”

“I saw that.” She loosened her grip around his waist. Dagger walked her to the car and helped her into the passenger’s seat, making sure she was buckled in before closing the door and going around. As he reached the driver’s door, a truck pulled off the highway and to a stop behind the car.

He tensed for a moment wondering if more trouble had found them, then he spotted who was driving and relaxed. Tiny was driving with Grinder in the passenger seat.

He realized they’d probably left at the same time as everyone else but had driven at a more reasonable speed. He wanted to know what the plan was but didn’t want to leave his little spark alone to ask.

When had he started to think of her as his? The thought stopped him cold.

He stood next to the open car door on the side of the highway wondering when she had become his, if only in his mind.

“Is everything okay?” Andy’s voice from inside the car brought him back to what he was doing.

“Everything’s good.” Dagger said as he ducked his head and slid in behind the wheel. “Are you really okay? They didn’t hurt you?” he asked as he started the car, checked the road, and pulled out, flipping a U-turn.

“My head hurts from where they knocked me out, and from the way I ache, I’ll probably be bruised from being thrown around as they went off the road, but nothing serious and nothing that will last.”

They rode in silence for a few minutes

“Do you want to stop for any reason?” Dagger asked as he slowed down at the outskirts of West Yellowstone.

“Maybe to use the restroom or even get food or something to drink?” he asked.

He had been planning to make dinner tonight but having to chase down her kidnappers to get her back changed things.

He glanced across the car and found her staring out the windshield, watching as they reached town.

“We can sit down somewhere, or we can pick something up to eat in the car, it’s up to you.

” He wanted her to be comfortable. “I know you weren’t planning to go out, but we can make it work,” he said when he realized she was wearing leggings and an oversize t-shirt and that she might not want to be seen in them.

He didn’t care. She was beautiful to him just the way she was, but he knew most women were particular about how they were seen and how they looked when in public.

“I could eat, but nothing jumps out as something I have to have right now, so whatever you want is fine.”

“Do you want to go sit down somewhere or would you rather pick up something to go so we can get back to Craven’s Creek faster?”

“To go sounds good. But I need to use the restroom, so not drive through, if you don’t mind.”

“Not at all.”

He reached into his pocket and handed her phone to her.

“Here, look up what they’ve got here.”

“How?” She looked at him, her brow creased as she glanced down at her phone then back up at him.

“They must have found it on you and tossed it. I had Hawkeye track it while I was trying to find you.”

“Thank you.” She hugged it to her chest. “I hadn’t even realized it was gone but it’s got all my pictures of Travis on it.

I would have been devastated if it was lost.” She pulled it away from her chest and turned it on, doing as he’d asked and finding them somewhere to stop, he hoped.

“It’s a little out of our way but there’s a McDonalds. ”

“Are you okay with that?”

She lifted one shoulder and let it fall. “It’s not my favorite but it will do in a pinch. And their fries are good.”

“That will work then, give me directions.”

She instructed him where to turn and in just a few minutes he pulled into the lot at the restaurant.

She went with him to the counter to order, then while he waited for their food, she went to the restroom.

When she returned, she stepped up beside him.

He looked down and saw she’d washed her face, and several tiny locks of hair on the edges of her face were wet and clinging to her cheeks.

He hooked a finger and dragged it gently down her cheek, smoothing the stray strands away from her face.

“Thank you. It’s not ready yet?”

“Not yet.” He handed her one of the paper cups that had come with their meals. “I didn’t know what you want to drink.”

He watched as she went to the bank of machines and chose her drink, wondering how much she hated him for what had happened to her brother and if she could ever get past that to see him as a person, as a man, instead of just someone who was part of the group that got what was left of her family killed.

His number was called. He went to the counter and picked up the bag before turning to find Andy already beside him.

“Come on. Sparky, let’s hit the road,” he said as he threw one arm around her shoulder. It wasn’t until the words slipped out that he realized what he’d called her. He held his breath waiting to see how she would react. He hoped she wouldn’t hate it.

“Sparky?” She sounded more intrigued than annoyed by his slip.

“Yeah, when you start to get riled up, you get a spark of defiance in your eyes. It’s hot as hell.

” He had no clue how she’d take it, but he wasn’t the kind of guy to hide shit.

If he was feeling it, he would say it. Just like he always did.

He would leave it up to her to tell him if she wasn’t interested, or if it was just too soon.

He would honor whatever she told him. He wouldn’t harass her or any woman with attention they didn’t want, but how could they know what he was thinking if he didn’t lay it out there?

He felt her eyes on him as they made their way out to the car, but she didn’t say anything more about it. In the car, he started the engine and got them back on the road.

“You want your food now or you want me to eat then drive while you eat?” Andy asked.

“I can eat and drive.”

She started digging through the bag, pulling things out one by one and deciding who they went to.

“Here’s your burger,” she said, handing him the wrapped sandwich. “And these are your fries.” She indicated the carton she’d stuck down in the cup holder between the two seats.

“Thank you.” He took advantage of the slower speeds while they were still in town to unwrap his burger and get started on it.

They still had a bit of a drive until they got back to her place, and he knew he’d have to talk her into staying at the clubhouse, but he wanted to make sure she ate before he got into that.