Page 12 of Xane

Six club members and a prospect were the only young guys left when I took the gavel.The older members all left after my father’s funeral.They never gave a reason, other than saying it was time for them to move on.Neo is the son of the former VP.All the members standing here with me have concern written all over their faces.

It’s time for me to trust them and for fuck’s sake, what other choice do I have?While I’ve been looking into Neron he or his son did something to Zora?What the actual fuck?Angie leaves and I glance at the diner.

We definitely need to talk things through, and we came here to eat.Might as well combine the two so we don’t jump into things without a damn plan.

“Come on, there are a few things I need to tell you guys about Neron.”I point at the diner.“Let’s grab a burger and decide our next move.”

It’s hard to get those words out.I want nothing more than to jump on my bike and swing by her place.Shit.I would have to ask Roux to run her name and get me her damn address.My fingers curl into fists.I should have returned to see her days go, just like I told her I would.

Instead, I focused on the case and lost track of time.I should have made time to go see her.Fuck.She’s not mine to take care of, and yet she’s connected to me through my past.She’s not just a woman or an acquaintance.Seeing her for the first time in over a decade flared up feelings inside me I only experienced with her.

Roux opens the door of the diner and holds it open for me to pass.

My gaze slides around the place and I instantly notice the couple sitting in a booth in the back.My first instinct is to walk right up to them.

Yet, I turn and whisper to my club brothers, “In the back on the right.Don’t look, don’t interact.We’ll observe only.”

Quickly moving along, I take place at a long table on the other side of the room.This gives me a direct view of Ramiro sitting right next to Zora.Anyone who looks at them might see two people sharing a meal and keeping to themselves.

Me?I recognize something I’ve seen in cases while working for the government.The domestic violent kind.Zora is cornered by Ramiro, her head is down, and her hands are under the table.Shoulders turned in, and she’s making herself as fucking small as possible.

Never have I fucking seen her act like this and everything inside me is screaming at me to go to her.Lunge across the room to rip the fucker away from the booth so she can get out of her seat...because she looks beaten and broken...like a little damn bird needing to fly away from a fat cat pressing his damn claw on her neck.

CHAPTER SIX

–ZORA –

Reality, nightmare, awake, sleep...everything is a blurry world where nothing makes sense.My eyelids feel heavy, my mind feels clouded, and my body doesn’t feel like my own.

“Take a bite, kitten,” the voice from my left makes me wince, and instead of eating I want to hurl.

I try to suppress it, knowing how much I disappoint and anger him if I do.Yet, I can’t help it.My body might not feel like my own, but I do know the man sitting beside me is the reason.The why and how I got here is a giant gap in my brain, while the pain this man inflicts is suppressing me into the shell of a person I am now...someone I don’t even recognize.

A gasp rips from me when I feel a sharp tug on my bound wrists, along with the word voiced as sharp as a whip, “Eat.”

I’m about to lean forward and let my lips part when I hear another voice.“You have her eating out of your hand, eh?Weird.She normally isn’t the docile type.”