Free Man of Honor (Passion in Paradise Book 4) by Sarah O'Rourke

cubicle, Wrath hissed a breath in through his teeth as he got a good
look at the woman in the bed.  “Fuck, man,” he winced, his nostrils flaring as
he stared down at Honor’s body. 
    Zeke knew what the
other guy was seeing.  Mottled with bruises and scrapes, his Kitten looked like
a fragile broken doll.  “Yeah.  Now maybe you understand my current mood a
little better,” he remarked drolly.
    “Is she gonna be
okay?” Wrath questioned, his voice almost inaudible.
    Dropping a gentle
hand to rest on Honor’s forehead, Zeke swept his thumb tenderly against her
temple.  “She’s gonna get through this,” he confirmed before offering Wrath a
hard look.   “But I want the bastards that put her in this bed, Wrath.”
    Wrath nodded
somberly.  “For Honor, me and the boys will help any way we can, Sheriff.”
    “Really?” Zeke
asked mildly, his gaze silently assessing the man’s sincerity.
    “We might have our
problems, man, and I know you got issues with the Hounds of Hell.  But NONE of
us have a problem with that woman there,” Wrath continued, pointing a finger at
where Honor rested.  “Shit, Zeke, when everybody else was looking down there
nose at the Hounds, your girl there…she was sweet as sugar to every last one of
my guys.  And I know how hard that was on her.  Especially since we’re not
exactly a bunch of suit-wearing Nancy boys.  I know we had to scare her… but
she refused to treat us any… less, you know?  Even after everything that
happened to her, she was fair.”
    “I know.  She
swears you’re all just a bunch of teddy bears that ride motorcycles while out
helping little old ladies cross the road,” he chuckled, shaking his head. 
“Your club has been the cause of many a skirmish between me and her.”
    Wrath grinned. 
“Yeah, well… for her, that’s all we are, Zeke.  Any one of my men would step in
front of a bullet for her.  You should know that.  If she needs us… for
anything, we’re in.  All you gotta do is ask.  The Hounds of Hell owe her, and
we believe in paying our debts.”
    “I’m not exactly
in the habit of askin’ vigilantes for assistance,” Zeke grumbled.
    “You say
vigilante.  I say we’re just very concerned, involved citizens.  But even if
what you say is true about us, I’m pretty sure that where Honor McKinnon’s
concerned, there’s not a rule you won’t break.”
    “You’d be right
about that,” Zeke acknowledged softly, staring down at Honor’s still face. 
“She’s worth breaking any rule that stands in the way of getting some justice
for her.”
    “Tell me what you
know, Zeke,” Wrath urged, propping his body against the one wall in the room.
    Quickly filling
the man in on the details surrounding the wreck, Zeke watched Wrath shake his
head in denial.
    “No.” Wrath stated
firmly.  “What you’re describing isn’t possible.”
    “Patience says
they had no brakes, Wrath.  That when the vehicle behind them tried to run them
off the road, and Honor tried to slow down to let it get by her, her brakes
went out.  Is it possible one of your mechanics overlooked…”
    “Zeke, I took care
of Honor’s vehicle myself.  I always do.  Nobody else in the shop even touched
it, and I went over it with a fine tooth comb.  I even added brake fluid.  Her
lines were fine.  If her brakes went out…”
    “Somebody cut
them,” Zeke surmised, his muscles tautening as he recognized just how much
danger Honor was facing.
    “Won’t know until
I get underneath the car, but….yeah.  That’d be my guess.  Any ideas on who…”
    “We both know the
answer to that, McKay,” Zeke replied tightly.  “There are still two bastards
runnin’ free out there.  Tanner Suarez took a great deal of joy in making sure
that Honor knew it, too, before that fucker took his last breath.  My guess is
that those animals are runnin’ scared now, afraid of what she’ll remember
next.  So, they’re gonna try and ensure that she’s