Free BLAMELESS: MC Biker Romance (Black Thorns, #3) by Franca Storm Page A

and the light-gray carpet. Jesus.
    It’s been a hell of a long time since I’ve felt what I am right now. Terror.
    What the hell’s happened here? Is she…no…can’t go there. Just gotta find her. Now!
    When I get close to her bedroom that’s when I finally hear something.
    Whimpering.
    It’s coming from beside it. The bathroom.
    The door’s wide open. Looks like it’s half off. One of the hinges has been ripped from the door frame.
    The second I step inside, I see her.
    Jesus fucking Christ.
    Blood.
    Blood everywhere.
    She’s slumped against the bathtub with a white bathrobe wrapped ‘round her that’s more blood-red than white right now. Her hair’s wet and hanging in front of her face. There’s blood all over the white tiled floor.
    And there’s a knife in her hand. A chef’s knife. Stained with blood as well.
    I skid to my knees in front of her.
    She screams, clearly not even realizing I were standing in her bathroom.
    I react quick and grab her wrist that’s holding the knife. I gently ease it outta her grip and place it behind me on the toilet seat.
    “Sarah,” I whisper softly, not wanting to scare her.
    “Zeb?” she murmurs.
    “Yeah, darlin’. Can you look at me?”
    She shakes her head.
    I brush her hair outta her face and lift her chin, needing her to look at me.
    I growl as I see her right eye. Black and blue. “Who did this?” I demand, losing my cool at seeing the mark on her.
    My aggression has her whimpering and holding up shaking hands to her face in a defensive reaction.
    I take ‘em in mine and gently ease ‘em down. “I’m sorry. I ain’t gonna hurt you. You’re safe with me, Sarah. You know that, right?”
    It takes her a moment, but she finally nods.
    “Good. Can you tell me what happened here?”
    That has her crying again.
    Shit.
    “I…I was stepping out of the shower. He came, Zeb. He came!” she cries. It takes her a moment to get a hold of herself and then she goes on, “I heard footsteps in the house...ran to the kitchen and got the...the knife. Made it back here…locked the door. But he’s strong. He broke it…the door. He was yelling. Then he hit me and I fell and….” She trails off and looks behind me at the blade. Her eyes meet mine and I see something hard there that I’ve only seen flashes of before. And then she says, “I…I stabbed him. He staggered away and left.”
    Fucking hell.
    “Who, Sarah?”
    She bites her lip and looks away. “I thought…I thought I was free.”
    And that’s when I know.
    “Torvin.”
    She nods.
    “That fucker is dead. You hear me? I’m gonna fucking kill him, Sarah!” I growl, pulling back a bit.
    She grabs my arm and shakes her head. “No, Zeb. He’s too dangerous.”
    “So am I.”
    She starts screaming then, begging me not to do nothing.
    “All right. Stop. All right, darlin’. You got it, yeah? Won’t do nothing.” Lies. All lies. But she ain’t gonna calm down otherwise. Besides, she don’t need to know what I’m really gonna do to that low-life, sick motherfucker. Ain’t for a sweet thing like her to know ‘bout dark shit like that.
    I look her over. There’s blood stains on her hands, her legs, her robe and on her face and forehead.
    “This blood all his?”
    She nods. “Yeah.”
    Thank fuck.
    I stand up and lean over her to switch on the shower.
    “What…what are you doing?”
    “Need to get you cleaned up. Then I’m gonna take care of your eye.”
    I wrap my arms ‘round her and help her to her feet. She cries out as she tries to stand up straight. I watch her grab her left side.
    “Let me see,” I say, reaching for the belt of her robe.
    She bats my hand away shakily. “No. Don’t. I’m naked underneath.”
    “Sarah, I ain’t looking at you with sex on my mind right now. Just tryin’ to help you. You’re hurt. I gotta see it.”
    She shakes her head and takes a step back.
    Fuck this. There ain’t no place for her shyness right now. I’m a whore. I’ve seen hundreds of