Her Pride His Prejudice Read online

  He groaned in pain. He’d be blacking out soon. A car. No…. a truck. He could hear it in the distance coming his way. He needed to keep going. It would give him a chance. If they found him before he could heal……

  Something staggered at the tree line up ahead catching her attention. It sort of rolled down the embankment like large log then stopped at the roadside. A moment later, she realised it was a person not a log and they were trying to stand and not doing a great job of it. It was a man. The closer she got the more he staggered out into the road. Right into her oncoming truck, he kinda waved his arm, but the other one didn’t look like it was working. She slowed taking in that he looked a mess and was clearly in pain.

  Will slowed more, he was barely on his feet, weaving from side to side, coming towards her dragging one leg and holding one arm, he looked hobbled as he dragged that leg towards her. He looked like the Zombie Billy had been waiting for.

  Holy shit! His body looked broken. His clothes were torn, and he was covered in blood. His face was a mass of bruises and cuts. One eye was so dark and swollen, she couldn’t see the eye at all. She choked sob hit her throat. He’d been through hell she had no idea how he was standing. She stopped the car just in front of him.

  What the hell happened to him? “Jesus,” she whispered. “Hay,” she shouted at him. “Did you have an accident?” she waved him to her as she called out through the windscreen looking for a car or cars, or other people, something to explain his condition. “Should I call 911?” she asked as he staggered to the bonnet and leaned on it. Then slowly around to the passenger door.

  Fuck he looked at death’s door. He was so damaged. How he was standing she’d no idea.

  “Thank….. you. Thank you…. for stopping.” He was sweating and out of breath but that was the least of his worries. “I … need help. Off this road. They’re coming. I can’t fight them off again. Not much time.” He grimaced and held onto the door. “Please, we need to go. If they see you, they’ll kill you for stopping.”

  Will took one look at him, her gut told her it was genuine, his fear was real. Whoever they were, if they were responsible for this, he needed to be gone.

  She popped the locks and leaned over opening the passenger door. He was so relieved, she thought she saw tears, then the emotion was gone. He hardened himself, got a hold of handle and yanked. He hadn’t thought he’d live, she realised. She checked the road, how bad was this?

  He took his damaged T off gingerly and with the good arm of a professional footballer threw it into the trees to the side of the truck, then climbed in awkwardly barely half on the seat and half laying down. God he was a mess. How he was seeing out of that eye she had no idea. She went to get out to help him but he told her ‘no’ and pulled the door quietly behind him, telling her to go.

  “Go, don’t stop no matter what. That might give us a few minutes head start. They’ll be coming.” He grimaced and moaned.

  Fuck. She didn’t need telling twice. Will stamped her foot down and looked around her. She didn’t see anything, then looked back at her passenger. Was this a case of Deliverance where the hero hadn’t come out so well?

  She eyed him again as he moaned louder. This was no movie. “Can you handle a shot gun?”

  He panted. “Normally… yes, right now, no.”

  Bloody hell, what had they done to him?

  Even sweaty and damaged, the guy was a stunner, she could see that. His face couldn’t hide the pain he was in. From the discolouration that eye socket and cheek looked broken, but she could still see that he’d won the DNA lottery when it came to looks. Both his arm and leg looked like they needed plaster, his torso looked like it needed emergency surgery. It had so many holes in it she was scared he’d die on her seat.

  “You’ve been through hell, you need a hospital,” she told him gripping the steering wheel.

  “Faster, they could catch us.”

  Will put her foot down harder. “I think we’re ok I can’t see another car. Who’s they?”

  “No….. hospital. Too risky. They don’t need a car. Do …you have …phone?”

  He tried to hold back the pain. He was failing. His organs were shutting down.

  They’d been repeatedly smashing a baseball bat at his face. He knew bones were broken. His eyes were watery, and he had no vision in one eye. He was a mess. He didn’t know how he’d carried on walking for as long as he had. The bone in his leg was broken from their last round of ‘talks’. Fucking assholes. Someone would die for this…. They’d bled him consistently to keep him weak. No food or water to stop him reviving. They were good, but he’d been better. He’d only needed that one slip and he was out.

  He looked up at the female. He hadn’t wanted to put another person in danger but he’d no choice. His system was crashing, he couldn’t let them take him again. He’d had to take the chance and hope the human could help. It was a risk. He was putting her in danger just by being in the truck. If they caught them…. They’d kill her or worse, take them both.

  She passed him her phone turning it on for him. “Can you dial?” she asked. He nodded making quick work of dialling who he needed.

  “It’s me. Yeah. Not so good. Four of them. Need pick up. Track phone location.” He seemed to wait a moment. She guessed someone was looking for him. “Good. Hurry.” He disconnected the call and passed it back to her. “Thank you. My…. friends will find me.”

  Leaning behind her, she grabbed a water bottle and a blanket giving them to him.

  “Here.” She always kept water bottles, granola bars and a blanket in the car. You never knew when you might need them. In the back woods you could get caught out all year round with one thing or another and the nearest tow truck was half a day away. He grasped the water, ripped off the lid and drank it down.

  “You might want to go easy on that. Too much if you’ve not had any for a while could make you sick.”

  He ignored her and finished the bottle. She passed him another one and several granola bars. He inhaled the granola and opened the second bottle taking it easier.

  “Okay then, if not the hospital where too? The hospital is five hours away. I could call out the paramedics?” It was the only downside to living in the sticks. If you were badly injuried, a helicopter was your only hope. She had plenty of medical supplies…... Billy had stored those too.

  “No hospital too far and wouldn’t…. be safe.” He grimaced. “Need somewhere nearer. My people aren’t far …. they were looking for me.”

  The nearest place she knew of was….. hers. Glancing at the guy sitting on her bench seat she wasn’t sure. He wasn’t a threat that was for sure. The call was real, she’d checked taking the phone back. He was clearly in some deep shit. Opening the glove box, she took out her first aid kit and handed it to him.

  “Put pressure on those wounds, it will help to stop the bleeding.”

  He took it breathing hard. “Just… don’t stop.”

  She wasn’t going to. She couldn’t stop looking at him. He had all that bad boy image going on. Floppy burnt golden hair, or that could have been sweat and blood but there was no mistaking the muscle bulk on display he clearly worked out, had good build and height from what she could tell. The size of his thighs and biceps told their own story. That probably saved him from even worse injuries, she thought. Helped to cope with the pain. He had to be in hell.

  His eye worried her. He could lose his sight. It hit her then that he looked like he was no stranger to pain. There were other marks on his body. Older ones and he still looked strong even though he’d taken a heavy battering.

  She reached into the glove box again and pulled out some pain killers. She always kept them in the car too. Headaches and driving did not compute.

  “Take a couple of these, it might help.”

  He took them with the water. “Do you see anyone?”

  She checked her mirrors again and shook her head. “No.”

  What was an injured male model doing in her car? She should
call the police.

  “We should call the police.”

  “No. Wouldn’t be safe for you.”

  Will frowned. Wouldn’t be safe for her? What the hell had she got caught up in?

  She glanced back and forth between the rear view mirror, the road and at him. Making sure he kept drinking. She turned up the heater. He might look the worse for ware but even she could see the similarities to Brad Pitt, Charlee Hunnan and Travis Fimmel. Well Travis pre his middle-aged Viking look. That, didn’t do it for her. Now in Tarzan the TV series, that was ….. no, no, no, focusing on the important stuff here!

  She blinked, but still, even beaten up and near death’s door and she’d no doubt that is what had happened here, this guy was sizzling and had taken a hammering. Jealous husband? Lover?

  “Jesus, who gets the hots for a beaten-up dude near deaths door?” she whispered shaking herself. Only when he chuckled did she realise she’d said that out loud. Will groaned. She needed to stop doing that. “Sorry, totally inappropriate just trying to make some sense thinking out loud. I’m a bit on edge.”

  He chuckled again and sighed. He didn’t look good. “I need to sleep, I’ll heal faster.”

  Her scent, the food, water and painkillers were all helping him. He needed blood but couldn’t take the chance his control wouldn’t slip. He needed her driving more than he needed her blood. He breathed her in. Just the scent was enough. It would have to be.

  Will didn’t think sleep was going to heal that anytime soon. “Sure, you go ahead.”

  He settled back and closed his eyes. Will checked her mirrors again as the road turned to the right. Suddenly in her rear-view mirror she saw three dots coming out of the trees where she’d picked up sizzling. Chills ran over her body.

  Will gripped the steering wheel tightly. Was that them? They walked into the road, splitting up as she disappeared around the corner of the road.

  Fuck. That confirmed he’d not been spinning her a line. He was being followed. Chills flowed over her body once more. This was real….

  She put her foot down more. The rest of what he’d said made sense then. Were they mafia or something? Had she got herself caught up in a turf war of some kind?

  She’d not heard of anything out here. By the look of him, those chasing him weren’t law and anyway, law didn’t take knives to people like that or break limbs.

  Well not that she knew of. People gossiped; she’d have heard if that was going on. Breaking arms and legs, cutting someone up with a knife was extreme for the worst of nutters.

  Her own fears cascaded. She put her foot down a bit harder. From that distance they all looked in black, but she couldn’t see much. Just three dotted lines walking down the embankment and then standing in the road before splitting off in three different directions. One in the direction of her companions T. He’d done that to take them off his scent. It was smart. Even in all that pain he’d thought clearly.

  If they were good trackers, they’d figure it out. Hers had been the only car on the road. When they didn’t find him, it wouldn’t take long for them to put two and two together. Could they see her plate from that distance? If they were as fast at getting to people as he’d said, she needed to get him long gone, get him somewhere his people could pick him up and be on their way fast.

  Will sighed. Her place it was then. They could do worse. Billy had been a ‘Prepper’ after all. She just had to hope they didn’t have her car plate. They’d not actually seen her right?

  Will kept her foot down never gladder that she’d paid for the bigger engine.

  Her spider sense was telling her to get as much distance between them and her as possible. She glanced at sleeping beauty, she needed to give him a fighting chance, enough time for his people to turn up and save him. Determination set in. She wasn’t going to be the cause of anyone’s death. Not today.

  Will glanced at her passenger again nervously. He was still breathing, looked to be asleep. His poor face…. though his skin did look a bit better. Maybe. Not so grey. The damage to his face and body was the bigger concern right now. He had several stab wounds that she could see around the blanket. His torso covered in blood. The band aids he’d put on not doing much. He was probably bleeding all over her seat, but she couldn’t find the energy to care about that right now. She shook her head in disgust. How did that kind of thing happen? She didn’t want to process that too much. It was too real.

  He surprised her though. After what he’d been through, to go to sleep with a stranger was something. How’d did he know he could trust her? He’d obviously thought she was on the up and up he guessed. A kind of peace came over her. It felt good to be trusted with his care. What that must have taken for him to do that …..

  Having endured god knows what. She wasn’t sure she could have been so trusting. His life on the line like that. What was to say she wasn’t with those men?

  She glanced at him. She couldn’t seem to stop looking at him. It was such a brave and risky move. Going to a stranger. She guessed that showed just how desperate he’d really been. He’d been on the rails that was for sure. Down but not out. She felt a sense of pride in that, he was a survivor.

  How could someone who looked like that, be in so much trouble? Her mind battled for rationale.

  Let’s be honest, when was the last time, a past their prime boy band member who was probably in their early thirties flagged down your car? I mean honestly, like never.

  Psycho fan gone wrong scenario. Its, possibly right? And a whole new meaning to the film Misery. But she didn’t see any Katy Bates look-a-likes back there, not that she could tell from that distance anyway.

  With these looks he could easily pass for an actor. No. If anything, he’d have been in a harem of woman fighting over that body, not trying to kill it. She swallowed the lump in her throat.

  God, was he the source of that smell? She leaned towards him. Even covered in blood, he smelt so good. Damn. What the hell was wrong with her? She nearly moaned and shocked herself. How long had it been since she’d got laid? She did the math. It wasn’t hard. More than a couple of years. Not since….. Drew. She shuddered. Another reason to be solo right there. It was officially no longer a dry spell, it was a fucking drought. Scratch that, a fucking desert.

  Where the hell were all the decent men anyway? Granted, she’d placed herself where there were few actual men, let alone attractive ones. Her bad but really, even when she was in town, nada. Nothing. No one. Leeson? Just Ewww. She wasn’t going there! That was all kinds of wrong! Just the thought was enough to bring up vomit. He was a weird kinda sweet old man, if you got past the crochety attitude. You didn’t fuck that. You got it its walking frame.

  Will shrunk in her seat. She was losing it, so off her game it was pitiful.

  What fucking game? Did she ever have game? What the fuck is game anyway? She hit the steering wheel, then remembered she had a passenger and looked over. He hadn’t moved. She blew out a breath and looked back at the road. Her life sucked.

  When she’d mentioned it in passing to Leeson on one of his shopping trips to her bunker, he’d hinted she might like to try the bars in the town one over. He’d told her one did a nice dinner. Not that he’d been offering to take her mind, he was just pointing her in the right direction. Well shucks. At the time, she’d thought he wanted her out the house so he could stock take, but she could have been wrong.

  Did she look that desperate? Sad she realised she probably did. Or he felt sorry for her. Or both. It had been a while that was for sure. She got her hair trimmed a few times a year, slapped on some face cream and lip gloss that had more to do with chill factor than a beauty routine but she as breathing, had pretty good legs. In the dark, who cares! They weren’t all princes!

  She glanced down to the seat and the man on it. It was probably why sizzler hadn’t said how nice she looked when he got in the car, he was sure to have noticed. After all, not much going on there now was it! Will smiled at her own joke. Yeah, she sighed. She couldn’t
blame him for that one. Not even a near dead guy could see her potential and lets face it, he had his own priorities.

  She took the exit she needed and floored it. She thought about taking sizzler to Leeson’s but dismissed it. It was actually four miles on from her place and she didn’t want to put whatever this was, on Leeson’s plate.

  She made good time.

  The point he’d made about them not needing a car kept surfacing. It kept her focused. That feeling of every second counts, wouldn’t leave her. Eventually she careered up the dirt road to her place on a relieved breath.

  She stopped and took a beat before looking over at her guest. He was still sleeping. She hated to wake him hoping the sleep was doing him good like he said, but she knew if those people somehow tracked them, being in the truck wasn’t going to be useful. She might as well hand him over and that, wasn’t happing.

  Grabbing the shotgun from its rack, she opened the door, closed it and came around to the other side. Gently opening it, she touched his arm.

  “Hay, we’re here.”

  He came to lightning fast focusing all on her. She looked him over. Did his face look better? “Let me help you into the house, then we can do some proper first aid, I’ll get you some more water and food while you tell your people where you are.”