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Skyla was dead on her feet by the time the last customer left and she’d closed down the bar. It was after two o'clock in the morning and the only thing she wanted to do was go home and crash. Madigan’s was closed on Tuesdays, her only real day off, but she had a meeting with Hallie in the afternoon to finalize the plans for their upcoming Books and Booze event that was quickly coming up.
As soon as she got in her car, her phone buzzed inside her purse. A sinking feeling came over her. No one she actually wanted to hear from would be messaging her this late, which meant it had to be AJ. She pulled out her phone and sure enough, there was a message from him.
AJ: Need you now. Come to the club.
Skyla had never been to the Deathly Hollow Motorcycle Club headquarters before and she had a feeling he wasn’t going to let her make it all the way there. This was just his way of ensuring he would know where she was going so he could intercept her.
The next message included an address, and she copied it into her phone’s GPS. It looked like it was going to be a half hour drive. With her eyelids heavy and her body craving sleep, she threw the car in gear and drove to the nearest twenty-four-hour mini mart where she loaded up on coffee and two energy bars. Healing someone when she wasn’t tired was hard enough. Doing it after a full day at the bar, nearly being clocked in the face by Hank, and going toe to toe with Blake, was definitely going to be a challenge. But she didn’t have a choice. Skyla knew the deal she made with AJ, and she knew the terms. That meant she understood what he’d do if she broke their agreement.
She drove the nearly empty roadways, her thoughts drifting to Blake. She had no idea why she’d invited him into her office instead of just bringing the ice pack out to him. But she wouldn’t make that mistake again. She’d felt the energy sizzling between them. Hadn’t missed the way his eyes had gone molten the closer he’d inched toward her. But it was his words, his accusations, that had stunned her the most. No matter how much she disagreed with her father’s ways, she’d never go against him, and she’d sooner die than do anything to hurt Madigan’s. That place meant everything to her. Blake could never understand.
After driving for nearly twenty minutes, Skyla pulled off the highway and onto a smaller two-lane road that was surrounded by fields and some tall trees. She kept going, following the directions of her GPS for what seemed like an eternity until she spotted the headlights of a large SUV quickly approaching behind her. Her phone buzzed with another message.
AJ: Pull over.
Skyla sighed and did so, parking her car as far onto the shoulder as she could. The SUV pulled up behind her and stopped. She got out of the safety of her car and walked back, getting in on the driver’s back side.
Her gaze landed on a blindfolded man with a knife sticking out of his shoulder. It looked painful and was leaving a blood stain on his shirt. A puddle was already forming at his feet.
“He needs a hospital and a doctor,” Skyla bit out, honestly not sure if she was up to this kind of healing tonight.
“That’s why I have you, or have you forgotten our deal. You still owe me, so pay up. Now.” AJ’s tone was punishing and cold enough to freeze stone.
Not bothering to argue with him, needing to save her strength, Skyla got to work. She carefully tore a slit down the man’s shirt, starting from where the knife had already cut into it. The man moaned and muttered curses under his breath. She felt bad for him, but reigned in her pity to channel it into the healing energy she would need.
Taking a few cleansing breaths, Skyla placed her hands on him, ensuring her fingers touched his wound, his blood, and waited for her healing energy to meld with his life force. It didn’t take long before it started to work. She pulled out the knife with her free hand and let it fall to the floor. Then her body sagged against the seat, her arms grew heavy like they were made of lead, and her chest felt like someone was slowly pouring cement into it, making it harder to breathe. Her heart pounded slow and steady, but as she pushed her healing energy into the stabbed man, it slowly started to beat harder and faster. His wound was deep and had damaged a lot of muscle and other soft tissue. It would’ve needed hours of surgery and hundreds of stitches.
Skyla forced herself to stay connected to him while letting her mind drift to something else. Blake. He seemed so angry with her earlier and she had no idea why. He seemed to be accusing her of something, but she didn’t know what. He said something about her wanting to get back at her father by taking down Madigan’s, but that made no sense. She loved Madigan’s. It was her baby - everything she’d worked for since she was twenty-one, and had officially taken over as manager. Even before she could serve alcohol, she was managing the staff, placing stock orders, and doing what needed to be done to grow the business. She was the one who’d done her research on what foods to serve, what mixed drinks people liked most, and what specials sold best on which nights.
Skyla put everything she had into Madigan’s. So why in the world would Blake think she would use it to get back at her father? She might want to go out on her own and experience the world, but she would never do anything to hurt Madigan’s. The real question was, what did Blake think she had against her dad? He couldn’t possibly know about her secret, or the threats her father had made. His words still cut deep. That he would turn his own daughter into the FBI and expose her healing ability was downright cruel. She hoped he hadn’t meant it. That he’d never stoop that low.
“You still with me there?” AJ’s voice penetrated her thoughts. She looked over at him, and realized her hands had slipped down into her lap as her head rested against the back of the seat.
The man sitting next to her looked a lot better. He had color back in his face and didn’t seem to be losing any more blood. There was still a mark where the wound had been, which meant Skyla hadn’t healed him completely. Still, it was more than enough to ensure he lived. All the internal damage had been healed.
Skyla nodded weakly. “I need a few minutes before I can get out.”
“You got two minutes on the clock. I have somewhere I need to be.”
If she’d had the energy, she would’ve smiled. Even after all the people she had healed for this guy, he was still, and always would be the jerk she knew him to be. Not once did he thank her or show the slightest bit of appreciation for her services. It was all just a business transaction to him.
“So, while you’re sitting here, why don’t you tell me about the FBI Agent that’s been coming around your place lately,” AJ’s tone was even, but Skyla sensed the threat behind it.
She had no idea how he knew about Blake, but there was no mistaking who AJ was talking about. “He’s no one. Just a friend.” Was he a friend? She hadn’t really thought of Blake in that way until recently, with all their heartfelt chats, but after tonight - she had no idea where they stood.
“I don’t like your friend. Get rid of him or I will.” AJ’s eyes glared at her in the rear-view mirror until she felt her stomach turn and her skin break out in tiny beads of sweat.
She wasn’t a big fan of Blake after tonight either, but the way Arlo J said it, Skyla knew he meant business. “He doesn’t know about you. Or me.” She wanted to ask how AJ even knew about Blake, but decided against it. Besides, her words didn’t seem to reassure him in the least.
“You decide. Either you get rid of him, or I will.” He tossed her a rag to wipe her hands, then motioned for her to get out.
Not having much of a choice, Skyla wiped her hands and left the rag on the floor by her feet. Then, with the last of her strength, she stumbled out of the dark SUV and practically crawled back to her car. She didn’t want to sleep in her vehicle out here in the middle of nowhere, but she didn’t have a choice. Her eyes closed before she was even inside with the door securely locked.
Chapter 10
The blaring of a passing semi truck’s horn woke Skyla from a deep sleep. Her hand instantly flew to the massive kink in her neck, and it was only then she realized she was still in her car. She squinted at the morning sun shining through her windows, and reached for her keys on the seat next to her. It was a few minutes after seven in the morning. Not that Skyla needed to be anywhere, since Madigan’s was closed today, but now that she was awake, she wanted to get off this road.
It took almost an hour to get home in rush hour traffic, and she made a beeline for her bedroom as soon as she got in the door. She changed out of her clothes from last night and pulled on a pair of shorts and a plain t-shirt. She pulled her hair up with a clip and headed into the kitchen to start a fresh pot of coffee. Her father was already sitting at the kitchen table with a steaming cup.
