Blood (Dark Riders Motorcycle Club) by Elsa Day Page A

looked inside and what I saw made me want to scream. It was a girl. She couldn't have been out of high school for too long. Her body was thin, the limbs looking like they barely fit together. Every place that should have been fat and plump was sunken in and dark.
    That wasn't all. On top of everything else, there were the bruises . They dotted her body like splotches of ink, deep and purple. She looked at me, and I expected her to be desperate. I expected her to plead, cry, anything. But she didn't. Her eyes were dead.
    Finally I noticed the yellow pool beneath her. She didn't even try to avoid it. Of course. That's what I had been smelling.  
    "She ran away that one time, but we taught her never to run away again," Venom said. "So she'll stay put until we're ready to use her."
    Use her for what? I couldn't tear my eyes away from this girl. She had nothing to do with this. There was no reason for her to be there.  
    That's when I saw it. Mav's bandana. Tied around her thigh. The one they made me get. The realization of what they were going to do to her hit me. I tried not to cry.
    "When they find her body-"  
    "Hey, Venom?"
    I was surprised to hear a woman's voice, so I left the peephole. It was Cam.
    "Keg wouldn't tell me what's going on, but he says he needs you upstairs," she said. "Something about the plan you guys have for today."
    Venom looked from me to Cam, and finally started to walk away.
    "You keep an eye on her until I get back," he said.
    "Understood?"
    "Of course," Cam said.
    For the first time, I saw Venom hesitate. He lingered in the hall, looking back and forth between us. Then he was gone.
    As soon as he left, my mind went back to the girl. If I did nothing, she would be dead. I wasn't sure when, or how, but I was certain that was their plan. They'd kill her and plant her at the Dark Riders' club house.  
    Could I let that happen? How could I live, knowing her blood was on my hands? I struggled with my thoughts, then finally came to my answer. I was done being passive. I was going to save her.
    "Cam, you trust me right?"
    "Yeah, you seem like a nice kid."
    "Even though you know I'm supposed to be with a different club?"
    "Yeah but…" Cam looked at me, cocking her eyebrows. "What's up, sugar?"
    "Do you have the keys to the doors in the club?" I asked. By now, the desperation in my voice was probably obvious. Cam backed away from me a bit.
    "Yeah, I have some," Cam said. "Lilly, why don't you tell me what's bothering you, huh? I'm sure we can fix it."
    "There's a girl in there who's going to die because of me!" I screamed. I couldn't hold it back anymore.
    "I'm sure she's not going to die. Keg and Venom wouldn't do that.…"
    "Just give me the keys!" I yelled. "Give them to me and run away. Just go. If anyone asks, say I took them. I don't want you involved."
    "But Lilly," Cam tried to put her hand on my shoulder. I pushed her away.
    "Give them to me!"
    Finally, she gave up protesting. Cam dropped her ring of keys on the floor at my feet. For a moment she opened her mouth and a sound came out, as if she was going to say something. But she never did.
    Cam backed away from me slowly. Then she turned around. And then she ran.
    Now there was only one thing left to do.
    I picked up the heavy ring of keys and got to work. I didn't know which one would fit, so I ran through them one by one. Finally, one clicked in the keyhole and the door unlocked.
    I pushed the door, and it swung open. As soon as she saw me enter, the girl scrambled away. She curled up into a ball and refused to look at me.
    "Hey,it's okay," I said in a soft voice. I held up my hands so that she could see I had no weapons. "I'm not here to hurt you."
    I tried to pat her head, but she hit my hand away.
    "I'm Lilly," I said. "I'm setting you free. We don't have a lot of time, so you have to get out. Now ."
    The girl peeked over her shoulder at me. She looked around to see if anyone else was there.
    "We're alone," I said. "What's your