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“Help!” My attempt at a scream comes out raspy but no less panicked.

Thud. Thud. Thud.

I continue pounding until the door swings open and I nearly topple inside.

His black combat boots are the first things I see. Then I lift my gaze, and it snags on the leather vest, my heart sinking with each inch I take in.

Well, fuck.

Up, up, up, I force myself to look him in the face. If I’m to die tonight, I want to meet the eyes of the man who could be my savior or my end.

Deep blue eyes, framed by long, dark lashes, stare back.

He looks to be in his mid-thirties. He’s gorgeous in the same way a panther prowling the forest might be. All dark lines and hard edges.

And he’s my only hope.

CHAPTER 2

JUDGE

She’s a slip of a girl. Thin, small. A good foot shorter than my six-foot-two build. Her fiery red hair is matted and tangled but no less of a temptation.

I can already imagine wrapping it around my fist as I pump into her from behind.

Already, I can hear the soft moans that will escape her throat when I make her come.

My cock twitches at the thought, and I shift my weight in an attempt to adjust myself.

I’ve never met a woman who has been able to affect me this way.

Not even the sweetbutts who come and go from our club.

It’s her blue eyes that have me enraptured. There’s a whole galaxy waiting to be explored in those eyes, and for the first time in my miserable life, I want to believe that something otherworldly exists beyond this reality. That perhaps there’s a reason for living.

That after everything is said and done, I might have something to look forward to.

Then my gaze catches on the bruises marring her cheek, and every filthy thought disappears. Someone hurt this woman, and I have a sudden, overwhelming urge to make that bastard pay.

Shouts and curses, along with the familiar sound of engines, shatter the moment I’m having with my Little Mouse. She squeaks and whirls around to face what’s coming.

My head jerks up just as three men emerge from the fields surrounding my home. Immediately, I’m ready to step in front of this woman and protect her from the danger that drove her to my door.

The engines cut off.

I don’t have to go looking for them. I already know they’ve parked around the side of the house.

My eyes narrow on the trespassers, and my spiked heart rate slows slightly when I recognize them.

I’m not concerned about the show of force at all.

Four to one aren’t the best odds, but I didn’t become the President of the Iron Thorns MC by luck alone.

No, I earned my patches, and I’m happy to show these miscreants how I did it.

In a flash, I reach for the hunting rifle leaning against the wall just inside the door.

My Little Mouse gasps when I grab her upper arm, and in no time, I’ve got her tucked in behind me.