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I was so tired of fighting all the time.
8
Whiler
“Cannon!” a male voice roared, jerking me out of my sleep. My eyes slammed open, every one of my senses on full alert at the rage that had been in that man’s voice. The spot beside me was empty and cold. Cannon had been up and gone for a while, and a glance at my clock told me it was almost lunchtime. No fucking wonder she was already out of bed.
“Mother fucker, I’m not scared of a pussy like you—” A crash followed the unfamiliar man’s words, and I lurched out of bed. Quickly, I tugged on a pair of jeans and yanked on a t-shirt before running down the stairs, my feet still bare. I didn’t know what the fuck was happening, but the only thing on my mind was protecting Cannon, especially since this asshole had just yelled her name like it was a curse.
I emerged down the stairs just as Cannon screeched, “Get out, Jeffrey!” from behind the bar, her eyes wild and panicked. Her pulse was fluttering at the base of her throat, and her chest was heaving. Alejandro was calmly leaning against the end of the bar, his gun in his hand—a perfect position between this jackass, Jeffrey, and my woman. Joey was snatching the cock sucker from off the floor. The man’s nose was bleeding, and his eyes were wild and crazy.
“Cannon—” he snarled.
“First of all, keep my woman’s name out of your fucking mouth,” I told him calmly as I stepped forward. The man swung his unhinged eyes to me. “I don’t know why the fuck you’re here or how you know Cannon, but I’m going to make one thing fucking clear.” I gripped the front of his shirt and snatched him from Joey before heaving the asshole toward the door. He stumbled, trying to keep his footing, but I moved too fast. I threw him outside onto the gravel. “Forget this place and my woman fucking exists,” I warned him, pointing a finger at him. “Next time, it’ll be a goddamn bullet in your skull.”
He got up off the ground, clenching his jaw. “This isn’t over.”
I shrugged at him. “If you want to be stupid, be my fucking guest,” I told him coolly. “I’ll be here waiting.”
He spat at my feet and turned on his heel, limping off the lot. Once he was gone, I walked out and slammed the gate shut, locking it. When I got back inside, I looked at Joey. “That fucking gate stays locked.” He nodded once, not even bothering to tell me to watch my mouth. “Who the fuck was that?” I asked as I strode over to Cannon.
She was pale and shaking, and when I reached her, she collapsed into my arms, sobs wracking her chest. I held her tightly, hoping she felt safe with me still. Hoping I was enough to give her the security she needed.
Whoever that fucker was, he was bad news. And he scared the hell out of her.
“That would be her husband,” Joey told me as he climbed onto a bar stool. Jessie set a beer in front of him as if nothing had just happened. But Ink was standing near her, their little girl on his hip. Probably why she was so calm and collected. “She’s on the run from him. She tried filing divorce papers, and when he received them, he beat her so fucking badly, she almost didn’t make it. Ink found her on the side of the road and brought her here. She’d passed out behind the wheel and run her car into a tree.”
“Fucking hell,” I swore, my heart stopping in my chest for a moment as I imagined a world where this woman in my arms didn’t exist. I lifted Cannon onto the counter and clasped her face in my hands, forcing her teary, bloodshot, blue eyes on me. “I want you to hear me clearly, understand?” Sniffling, she nodded, her lips trembling. “I will never letanyonehurt you. Over my dead body will that fucker touch you ever again. You’re safe here, and you’re safe with me. I’llalwaysprotect you. I fucking swear that on Helena’s grave.”
I noticed Joey freeze at my words out of the corner of my eye. Cannon ran her eyes over my face as silence rang in the clubhouse. “That’s your little sister, isn’t it?” she croaked.
I nodded, my hands shaking as pain bloomed in my chest, slicing through my veins. “Yes,” I rasped, my pain clear in my words. “So know I don’t fucking take that vow lightly.”
She wrapped her arms around me and buried her face in my chest. I wrapped one arm around her back, and with my other hand, I cradled the back of her head, holding her to me. When I looked up, Helena was sitting on top of one of the tables, a smile on her face.
Let her heal you, big brother, she said.
A rough sound ripped from my throat, and I shut my eyes, burying my face in Cannon’s hair.
I hadn’t been able to save Helena, but Iwouldsave Cannon. Or else, I’d fucking die trying.
They wouldnotface the same fate. I would die first.
9
Cannon
Sirens reached my ears at the same time Whiler emerged from the gym room, his jaw clenched, his towel slung around his neck. Sweat made his shirt plaster to his chest, and one side had ridden up a little, showcasing that perfect V that I desperately wanted to lick. I mean, I’d done so the night before, but fuck, one night was not enough when it came to this man. It never would be.
“Goddammit,” Joey cursed as he peeked out the window. “They’re coming onto the lot.”
“What the fuck for?” Ink snarled, passing off his daughter to Jessie, who took her to Antonio’s room to play. Alejandro came out of the back hallway, Elaina’s hand clasped in his. Loud banging sounded on the clubhouse doors a moment later, and Whiler stepped up close to me, plastering his sweaty front to my back, his arms crossing over my chest to hold me against him. I didn’t even mind his sweatiness. Might have even appreciated the scent of him if I didn’t have such a bad feeling in the pit of my stomach.
“Can I help you?” Joey snapped as he opened the door, revealing four fucking officers.Four. Why the hell were four officers needed?
“I’m looking for Whiler Casey,” the one in front said. He thrust a piece of paper in Joey’s direction. “And we have a warrant to search the premises for him, if need be.”
“No,” I whispered in horror, turning to look up at him. This wasn’t happening. Thiscouldn’tbe happening. Not when I finally got him.
