Broken (Soldiers of Darkness MC Book 1) by Michelle Betham Page A

can’t.’
    I run both hands through my hair and shake it out. ‘What are you saying, then?’
    He looks at me, but he doesn’t seem in any hurry to answer my question.
    ‘OK. Look, I’ll come back tomorrow…’
    ‘I know who killed your fiancé, Izzi. I know who killed your daddy.’
    I stand completely still as my heart starts beating wildly, a painful rhythm that’s making it hard to breathe. ‘Who?’
    He pauses for a beat or two, but his eyes never leave mine, and I know he isn’t about to feed me some kind of bullshit. He really does know who did it.
    ‘Mack?’
    ‘They’re part of a club that’s – they’re one percenters, Izzi. Do you know what that means?’
    I nod. I know exactly what it means. And he still needs to believe that I’m not quite as naïve as I suspect he thinks I am.
    ‘You got caught up in something that had nothing to do with you. You were just in the wrong place, at the wrong time…’
    ‘Yeah, I had actually worked that one out.’ My heart’s still beating like a million drums, the sound pulsating in my ears. ‘Do you have names?’
    ‘I… Look, Izzi… I know the guy in charge of that crew. I do business with him…’
    ‘Then that makes you as bad as them.’
    ‘I’m nothing like them, darlin’, believe me.’
    He’s lying. I think he’s exactly like them. The Soldiers of Darkness are one percenters, too. I know that. I made sure I knew as much as I could before I came here. ‘I don’t have to believe anything.’ I really don’t know what to do now. I don’t even know what to feel. All I’m experiencing here is a cold numbness. ‘Look, I… You can take me home, OK? Which means you’ll know where I’m staying…’
    ‘I’m not making you stay here because I’m trying to be a pain in your pretty ass, darlin’. I’m doing it because I don’t know how safe you are right now.’
    ‘Please, Mack. Trust me, all right? I just want to go home, get some sleep, and tomorrow… I need to get my head around this. Do you understand?’
    His eyes almost burn into mine, and I feel my stomach dip.
    ‘Aren’t you scared, Izzi?’
    ‘The way I see it, I’ve got nothing to lose.’
    He walks over to me, and I look up at him, and his gaze is almost hypnotic. ‘I’ll take you home, if that’s what you want. But I ain’t leaving you alone, you got that?’
    He wants to stay with me. And I’m not sure I like that idea, but at least it means I get to sleep in my own bed. ‘OK.’
    What choice do I have? We’re doing it his way. And, right now, I haven’t got the energy to argue.

Chapter Seven
     
     
    Mack
     
    I haven’t slept for more than a couple of hours, and even those were restless. I can’t allow her to stay here; this place, it’s too remote. She needs to come back to the clubhouse until I can figure out a way to deal with this fucked-up situation. I need time, to convince her that what she thinks she needs to do, I’m not sure it’s gonna happen. I’m not sure I can help her in the way she wants me to, not now I know who we’re dealing with. And that’s what’s kept me awake for most of the night – wondering how the hell I’m gonna tell her that. I can’t go after Viper’s crew, shit! That would be fucking suicide!
    ‘Want some breakfast?’
    I spin around to see her standing there, dressed in nothing but a white T-shirt that just about skims her ass. She looks tired, so I’m guessing she didn’t sleep all that much either. ‘I’m not really hungry. I’ve put some coffee on, though.’
    She grabs the kettle and fills it before placing it on the stove. ‘I prefer tea in the morning.’ She looks at me and smiles, giving me an almost apologetic shrug. ‘I’m British. I like my tea.’ She has a great smile, when she allows it to appear. But I guess she hasn’t had much reason to smile lately.
    I watch her as she moves around the kitchen, fetching mugs from the cupboard and milk from the fridge. I can’t take my eyes off her