Damaged and the Saint
Damaged and the Saint
Bijou Hunter
Copyright © 2014 Bijou Hunter
Kindle Edition
Dedication
Freckles, Tigger, Pooh, and Roo for owning my heart
Mustang Sally and Marvelous Miranda for having my back
Saucy Sarah, Hardcore Patty, and Seductive Stacie for knowing the genre
Cover Design
Image from Shuttershock and Aleshyn Andrei
Damaged Series
Damaged and the Beast
Damaged and the Knight
Damaged and the Cobra
Damaged and the Outlaw
Damaged and the Dragon
Damaged and the Bulldog
Little Memphis MC Series
Little Memphis
Broken Memphis
Standalone Books
Gator
Used
*****
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
Table of Contents
Harlow
Vengeance was a dish best served cold. I wanted my payback. Hell, I needed it really. No doubt destroying those who ruined my childhood would feel righteous. I’d never know though. The evil bastards were dead. The monster known as Playboy paid in blood for his sins, yet I didn’t take his life. What could a person do with a lust for revenge they’d never satisfy?
For me, I worked out my anger while fighting in the Thunderdome for money. I also trained at the local martial arts studio three times a week. Every evening, I ran five miles. Every morning, I worked out at the Reapers’ club gym.
I liked to think of myself as a badass, yet I wasn’t sure what to do with all of my cool moves. One goal was to prepare for the big paintball battles at the Johanssons’ place soon. Yeah, I would kick some badasses’ asses.
Even thinking I was nuts, my parents knew they needed to allow me to grow up. If I wanted to embarrass myself, who were they to interfere? Stepping back allowed Winnie to find love. Now my turn had come to leave the nest.
One of my new routines was running through the woods surrounding Ellsberg. The uneven ground made me focus more than running through a safe neighborhood. I’d suffered plenty of setbacks though. During my first outing, a bird attacked me when I startled it. On my third run, a squirrel dropped a nut on my head as I passed under its branch. On my sixth visit to the woods, I lost my balance near the river and toppled face first into a mud puddle. I was quite the badass.
On my tenth outing, I was on fire. Jumping over rocks, dodging low hanging branches, avoiding animals, I felt invincible. Until I raced up an incline and nearly ran into a man.
Scrambling to stop in time, I gawked at the fearsome figure. He wore a gray hoodie over short brown hair, shadowing his dark features. Wide shouldered and tall, he must have been over six four. Even knowing dozens of tough men, I'd never seen anyone so imposing.
Despite my fear, I refused to be intimidated. I rolled my shoulder into his gut. Yet even using all of my strength, my impact met a brick wall. He never swayed or struggled to remain balanced. Like a gnat crashing into an elephant, the attack didn’t even cause him to change his damn expression. He only stared at me as if bored.
I threw a punch he easily brushed off. My kick was effortlessly dodged. Wearing a smirk now, he was no longer bored by me. Now, I was funny.
Less skilled warrior and more ferocious wolverine, I attacked with hard kicks and punches. He dodged, blocked, and pushed me away. So desperate, I even considered shoving back his hoodie and yanking at his hair like we were chicks fighting in high school. Instead, I kicked at his crotch. No matter how badass he was, a shot to the balls would bring him down.
Instead, he snagged my foot before it made contact. For a moment, he held me still before shoving me back onto the ground. I landed hard on my butt and frowned up at him.
“Sloppy move, little girl.”
Pissed at the world and hating all men, I needed to find a way to defeat this scary bastard. The rational part of me that didn't want to be raped and killed decided to run for my life and warn the world an unkillable monster existed in Ellsberg. Lock your doors! Get out the pitchforks and torches!
His dark eyes convinced me I couldn’t defeat him. If I pulled a knife, he’d take it away from me. If I had a gun, he’d steal it away easily. Unable to win this fight, I ran as if my life depended on it.
Up a slight hill, my dad’s Harley was parked on the road. The hoodie guy might have been right behind me, but I refused to look back. I didn’t even slow down when I reached the bike. Once it roared to life, I glanced over my shoulder to find no one following me. I gave myself a second or two to catch my breath before speeding towards town.
I wasn't sure where to go. Home felt like the safest bet, but I couldn’t think about myself. This guy was dangerous. A stranger like him in Ellsberg could be a threat to Cooper Johansson who was the new president of the local Reapers Motorcycle Club. Hell, this guy could be a threat to anyone.
Though I considered he might be a biker from Memphis in town for the paintball games, I immediately blew off the idea. I’d seen the guys coming into Ellsberg and they were all white. The Memphis visitors were also full of bravado as if the next dick-measuring contest was forever on the horizon. The guy in the woods didn’t care if everyone had a bigger dick. He would still win. Defeat wasn’t an option for him.
After nearly crashing while speeding around a corner on the way to Whiskey’s Kirk, I pulled into a grocery store parking lot and settled my nerves. I knew running into Kirk’s place and babbling about a strange man would make me look nuts. The Reapers would lose respect for me and I’d embarrass my dad. If the Memphis guys were around, I’d feel even worse. No way would I humiliate Cooper or myself.
Five minutes passed before I started the engine. Another five flew by while I imagined what to say to Cooper.
Arriving at the bar, I spotted Cooper’s Harley parked next to Tucker’s. Inside, the big, blond brothers shared a beer.
“I was attacked by a guy in the woods,” I announced, walking up to them.
“Why were you in the woods?”
Ignoring Tucker, I focused on Cooper. “I’d never seen him before and he didn’t move like any college student.”
“Describe him,” Cooper said, crossing his arms.
“Dark hair and eyes. Dark skin too. Big guy.”
“Did he look like him?” Cooper asked, gesturing behind me.
The guy from the woods stood at the doorway. Despite being surrounded by allies, I backed away in fear and bumped into Cooper. I stared into the eyes of the smirking stranger.
“I forgot to mention,” he said, looking over me to see Cooper. “I went for an innocent run today, only to be assaulted by this woman in the woods. You sure grow them crazy around these parts.”
The guys around me laughed. Even the waitress snickered. The laughter pissed me off and I stepped closer to the stranger.
“I didn’t attack you.”
He grinned down at me. “I startled you, causing all those womanly feelings to get riled up in your pretty head. You reacted by attacking me.”
Glaring hard at him, I wanted another chance at landing a punch. “Womanly feelings?”
“You missed the part where I called you pretty,” he said, nearly laughing.
My hands were in fists when Cooper stepped behind me and leaned next to my ear.
“Harlow, this is Saint.”
I stared at the smirking assassin for what felt like an eternity before speaking. “I know I should be afraid, but I still want to kick your ass.”
“Don’t worry,” he said, strutting past me. “I hear that a lot.”
Paintball games in Ellsberg, Kentucky weren't my idea of a vacation. I was paid to shoot people with bullets. While this job wasn’t my normal deal, the bosses in Memphis wanted me around. My presence had more to do with the other guys in the games than testing Cooper Johansson. No matter the reason, the job was an easy paycheck.
The college town was what I expected. Old time flavor mixed with new builds. The population consisted of bikers and college kids. The cops never made eye contact, proving they were owned by the club. When passing me on the street, the college girls giggled as if I was a frat boy looking to party.
Smelling another predator in the mix, the dangerous men in town gave me more respect. The college guys bumped into me though, too busy checking out the barely clad coeds to know I’d killed people for less than an inconvenience.
The only appealing part of Ellsberg was the woods. Bored, I trained harder by running through the dense brush and over fallen trees. My mind was on leaving Ellsberg when I ran into a girl who refused to giggle at me.
I could have ended our little fight in the woods by explaining who I was and how I knew who she was. A lot of guys might have taken the easy way out, but I wanted to fight with a cute wannabe badass. Realizing she was whipped, Harlow looked at me as if I was a monster. I didn’t enjoy her fear as much as the tussle. Yet, I got a little hard when she refused to back down at the bar. Harlow Todds might be unstable, but I couldn’t look away.
I laughed at Harlow’s glare, causing her to bolt out of the door. Any normal man would let her sulk and I considered heading back to the apartment complex for a shower. Chasing a pissed woman was a pathetic move. I followed her anyway.
What I knew about Harlow was sketchy. She was tied up with the Devils in Arizona before Vaughn Majors brought her to Ellsberg. A year earlier, I was sent to Phoenix to eliminate most of the club while Vaughn killed the members who showed up in town. Harlow was nineteen, fought at the Thunderdome, and lived with a member of the Reapers. Before I arrived in Ellsberg, I didn’t need to know more about her. She wasn’t a threat whether in or out of the paintball matches. Now I was curious.
“You’re welcome,” I said, following her out the door.
Harlow spun around, nearly losing her footing on the gravel covered parking lot. Her eyes were green or blue. Maybe both. All I knew was they were glaring at me. Her expression would likely make a lesser man squirm. I nearly laughed at the thought of some poor sap wetting his pants over that glare.
“Thank you for what?” she finally growled.
“You know who I am now and what I could have done to you in the woods. I showed mercy for a misguided youngster. I think I deserve a hint of gratitude for my patience and self control.”
Harlow’s glare darkened and I swore she wanted to punch me.
“You made me look stupid in there,” she said, changing the subject.
“No. In fact, you made yourself look stupid. I was only the weapon you used. Don’t blame the hammer because you missed the nail and hit your thumb.”
Harlow shook her head, so angry she couldn’t speak. Wondering if she was always so pissed, I suspected she was making a special exception for me.
Harlow’s expression suddenly shifted and she lost her anger. For a moment, she looked lost. Blinking a few times, she shrugged and turned away.
“Sorry I thought you were a pervert in the woods. Thank you for not killing me. Have a nice day.”
I should have let her walk away. Wanting a cold shot of tequila and a big meal, I had plans that didn’t involve charming angry chicks.
“Who trained you?” I asked, following her to a Harley.
Harlow glanced at me over her shoulder, debating whether to ignore me or take the bait. I honestly didn’t know what she might decide, though my money was on her being tempted by the question. I won that wager.
“Why?” she asked, crossing her arms.
I leaned against a truck and grinned at her frowning face. “He’s doing a shit job.”
“I’m taking classes at the martial arts studio. The instructors are black belts.”
“Okay, then they suck at a black belt level.”
“Just because I couldn’t take down a professional killer doesn’t mean my instructors suck.”
Putting up my hands, I shared her frown. “Hey, maybe you ought to announce that professional killer info on a billboard? Save us the time of wondering if you’ll get me killed.”
Harlow glanced around, her expression changing again. No more teenage tantrum, now a smart woman.
“Sorry.”
Studying Harlow’s relaxed face, I admired her big eyes and those pouty lips. “You like fighting and I assume you want to be good at it.”
“I want to be strong. Fighting makes me that way.”
“You fucked up when you came at me in the woods,” I said, stepping closer. “You gave up your advantage by entering a larger opponent’s sphere. Didn’t your black belt instructors warn you about the male to female body differences?
Harlow frowned darkly. She wanted to complain, even defend her attack moves. Yet, they hadn’t work on me and I doubted they would have worked on a lesser man.
“What should I have done instead?”
“Assuming I was a real threat?”
“Yeah, assuming that.”
“Let me come for you. The ground was rocky and uneven. I would be at a disadvantage. You also would have been able to retreat if I pulled a weapon. Instead, you came at me without knowing if I was armed.”
Stepping closer again, I stood only a few feet from her. Harlow felt the change in proximity, immediately on alert.
“You have an advantage in a fight against a man,” I continued, “especially a stranger. He’ll see a young woman and assume you’re an easy target. You don’t want to give away your advantage until the last moment. They should have taught you that in your classes.”
“It’s not that kind of classes,” Harlow said, now sheepish. “It’s martial arts, not what you’re talking about.”
“I’m talking about winning. Learning how to do a fancy kick won’t win a fight.”
“Well that’s the kind of training I can get in Ellsberg. I guess I could ask Vaughn, but he’s pretty focused on Raven right now. Besides, he doesn’t like me fighting.”
“Vaughn sees you as the little girl he saved years ago, not the woman you are now,” I said, scratching at my goatee. “I could train you while I’m in town.”
Immediately suspicious, Harlow narrowed her eyes. Her angry expression nearly had me laughing.
“Why would you help me? Is this a trick to get into my pants?”
As my gaze darkened, Harlow’s eyes hinted at how she noticed the change in my demeanor.
“Do I look like the kind of man who needs to trick women into his bed?”
Harlow shook her head like a scolded child. Even irritated, I found her interesting. She was beautiful and I sensed complicated layers under her bratty demeanor. My mother was a stubborn woman too, giving me a soft spot for ladies who told me no.
“Why would you help me though?” she asked in a small voice.
I shrugged. “I’m bored in this small town and you entertain me with your womanly rage.”
Eyes narrowing again, Harlow wanted to mouth off. I saw her ready to put me in my place. She kept her womanly rage in control though.
“So you’d do this for free?”
“Yeah, but you’d have to be ready to train hard. I work out a lot,” I said, suspecting I’d need to work out more if I spent too much time around this sexy blonde brat. “I won’t treat you with kid gloves just because you sit down to take a piss.”
“You’re making me want to say no.”
“Say no then. I’ll find other entertainment in town,” I said, taking a step back while hoping she fell for my ruse. “In fact, I’m going back to the bar, having a drink, and finding somewhere to eat. If you change your answer to yes, tell Cooper to give me a call.”
Harlow’s big eyes watched me until I disappeared into the bar. I felt them on me, long after I stopped looking. She was just as curious about me as I was about her. Despite her womanly rage, she would call Cooper.