Chapter 1 - Lyla
"I'm sorry, Lyla."
That was the last thing I heard before I bolted through the hospital doors and never looked back.
At 18, I had planned on taking a bus across the country and starting over. I bought an early morning bus ticket in Phoenix and waited for the steel carriage that would lead me to my new life. I was looking over the map on my phone with music blaring through my earbuds when a man walked too close and knocked my phone out of my hands. When I knelt down to pick up my shattered phone, I felt a hand grab me by my hair and another cover my mouth as I was dragged into the nearby men's restroom.
"Scream and I'll slit that pretty little throat of yours." I felt the cold bite of steel on my neck and could see nothing more than his bloodshot green eyes directly in front of my panicked blue ones. I slowly nodded to the man crouched in front of me as the other released me. "Good girl" he said as he pushed me to the corner of the room.
The one that had been holding me rushed to the door just in time to run face first into a burly man wearing a Darkblood MC cut. The knife lowered away from my neck as my captor looked over his shoulder, just enough of a distraction for me to kick him in the balls and scramble to my feet. He dropped his knife and fell to the ground in pain. I quickly grabbed the knife and held it towards him as I heard a loud crack behind me. When I turned my head to look, I felt the air leave my lungs as I smacked into the wall. And then it all went black...
I woke up in the hospital with a pounding headache. The man from Darkblood MC stood by the door on the phone. He seemed angry, but I couldn't make out what was being said. He ended his conversation and sighed towards the ceiling. He looked over, and seeing I was awake, came into the room and sat in one of the chairs across the room.
"You took one hell of a hit to the head, Sweetheart."
"Don't call me that. What happened back there? What happened to those men?" My mind was racing to recall my last memories before I woke up here. I remembered hearing that sickening crack, but I couldn't remember what happened after that or what the sound had come from.
"If that's your way of saying thank you, then you're welcome. The name's Sid by the way." He paused waiting for me to say my thanks, but I was too interested in what exactly I was thanking him for. He sighed again, "Look, I really can't talk about this, at least not here. Let's get you checked out then we'll talk over some drinks."
I stared at him in shock, not only had he basically saved my life but he had just offered to buy me a drink as well. Before I could respond, the doctor came in with a warm smile.
"Well, I see our patient is doing well. I've already explained the terms of your discharge to your friend over here so if you'll give me a moment to get the paperwork together you should be free to go Ms. Braise." With that he turned and left as Sid handed me my backpack and pointed me to the bathroom.
"You're better off holding your questions until we get out of here. All you need to know right now is that you can trust me." I narrowed my eyes at him and grabbed my bag out of his hands.
I walked into the bathroom and immediately dropped to the floor. With my back to the door, I took a few deep breaths to settle my mind. Slowly I stood back up and gripped the sink, staring at my dirty blonde hair. Mum had always said how much she loved it long, and after last night I was starting to think twice about that. I splashed some water on my face and got dressed. I checked my shattered phone realized that I had only been out for a few hours.
After signing myself out of the hospital and briefly fighting with Sid about riding on the back of his bike, we made our way to a run-down bar called Haven. From the outside, it looked like a plain red brick building. There were no windows and one set of heavy-duty doors in the front.
"Oh don't look so freaked out, this is neutral territory. Thugs won't pick a fight on the property and MC members are considered lawful citizens. The owner doesn't like violence much, but Jynx will do just about anything to protect her own." He got off his bike and pounded on the doors until a small window on the door slid open. "Hey Jynx, I know you're not open yet but I need a favor. I found this girl being targeted by some thugs at the bus station and we need a place to lay low." The woman on the other side looked over at me and nodded her head before sliding the door shut. A few seconds later we heard the locks on the other side turning then the doors opened.
The inside was not at all what I was expecting. There were skylights throughout the entire bar making it feel bright and airy. Candles lit the rest of the room giving it a warm glow in the darker parts of the bar. The booths and tables were wooden with hand carved Celtic knots adorning each set. The bar top looked like the center slice of a tree trunk complete with wicker bar stools. All along the ceiling were tiny strings of lights that glittered like the stars. Jynx had made this place look like something out of a fairytale. I heard Jynx and Sid speaking softly to each other but was too awestruck by the decor to listen in on them. Finally, Jynx cleared her throat to get my attention.
"I hear you been through some shit today. If you want, I got an extra room you're welcome to for the time being." Jynx was a small but lean woman with fair skin and dark red hair. From what Sid had told me on the way over, she was a woman you didn't want to cross. And I definitely didn't want to find that out for myself.
"Thanks, but I wouldn't want to cause you any trouble."
"No trouble at all, in fact if you'd like to stick around I could use an extra hand." She looked at me with knowing eyes and walked behind the bar. "So what are we having? I'm sure Sid wouldn't have brought you here without first offering you a drink."
"Captain and Coke for us both, and that'll be all Jynx. Wouldn't want to intrude on your prep time too much." He said with a wink in her direction. She rolled her eyes, made our drinks and disappeared into the back.
