When Archer finally let go of her, Zoe took two steps back. Both were glaring at her, both were pissed. “Don’t you dare give me that look! It wasn’t me who started attacking each other like rabid dogs!” Turning to Hector, she slapped him on his shoulder. “I told you I knew him! Why did you attack, you moron?”
Hector looked surprised at her reaction and would probably have smiled if his jaw wasn’t already turning blue. “You’re in a jam. I wanted to make sure that your friend was able to protect you.”
Gaping, she wasn’t sure how to respond. “And you had to fight him to know that?”
Hector looked at Archer and rubbed his jaw. “Well, I wouldn’t have had to if I’d seen his ink first.”
At first, Zoe didn’t understand, but as Archer tensed under her scrutiny, her eyes on his arms and chest, she realized that he probably had more in common with Hector than with his businessman persona he presented to the world. The way he fought, his cold, contained demeanor under fire, that wasn’t acquired in a boardroom.
This wasn’t a world she wanted to be part of. For protection or otherwise. But Hector had shown more honor than Finch would ever have. Archer went to get his coat when the sound of gunfire boomed inside the joint. Hector dropped on her, covering her body, and Archer cursed.
“We need to go now. My ride is outside, come on, Zoe.”
“I can’t, I have to take the car back to...”
Hector rolled off her. “I’ll take care of it, gimme the keys.”
As she fished them out of her pocket, Hector lowered his voice. “I can’t help you more than that. But I know someone, a woman called Gabrielle Thorne, she...”
Zoe’s heart skipped a beat at the name. “I know Gabrielle, and she can’t help me...” Hector blinked and was about to say something when Archer cut her off.
“Come on, Zoe, we need to get out, now!”
The fighting crowd was starting to spill all over the place. This time, Archer didn’t wait and just dragged her out. They both ran out and, as they reached Archer’s motorcycle, she saw a few more bikers turn the corner and parking before the club. This place was a time bomb, and Zoe felt bad for Hector. After all, she had been the trigger of all this. Well, Finch had been because she would never have set foot in this place on her own.
Archer started the engine and told her to get on. As soon as she was in place, her arms tight around his middle, he punched the gas.
The roar hid her surprised yelp and she tightened her grip even more. Archer was going at a deadly speed through the streets, burning all the lights and even accelerating when the road was clear. The wind in her hair, Zoe didn’t dare look where they were; just imagining them crash made her nauseous.
Fear was slowly being replaced by worry. Where was he taking her? It wasn’t the route to reach her apartment. Where were they going? She had to get away, put some distance between them as the more they were together, the more she had to lie. It made her heart grow heavier and an icy ball of anxiety settle in her stomach. A confrontation was brewing, and she didn’t know if she was ready for it.
