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Applause and shouts erupted from Dog’s brothers. He released his hold on Nate’s neck. Breath coming in ragged gasps, he spit on Nate’s slack face.
Someone in dress pants dropped at his side, drawing his attention from the unconscious man beneath him. The fight organizer? What the hell?
The man placed his fingertips on Nate’s neck. “He’s alive.”
Sirens howled in the distance. The fight organizer got to his feet. “I gotta bolt before the cops show. I’ll get your payout to Cutter.”
As the rage drained from Dog’s body, his tunnel vision on Nate diminished, and voices forced him to look around. At least twenty of Charley’s neighbors had gathered on the street, and they pointed at Dog and the body he was covering. One of them must have called the cops.
From another group, his brothers gave him the ‘okay?’ hand signal. No need for them to get involved with the police. Dog nodded but signaled for a cage. He got a thumbs up from Prez, then they climbed on their bikes and rolled out.
Managing to get to his feet even though his muscles were trembling, Dog found Charley. Cutter had carried her close to the house and was propping her up on the ground. Her eyes were open, and she was staring at him.
Dog crossed the grass and crouched in front of her. “You okay?”
She nodded. “I think so, but I have a massive headache.”
Dog’s throat tightened, and, gripping her chin, he turned her face to the side for a better look. The streetlight exposed a bruise already forming around her temple. “You know we gotta take you to the hospital.”
She raised a hand to her face. “Oh, yay. Another visit to my favorite place.”
Dog stroked her cheek. It wasn’t in his nature, but if necessary, he’d grovel to win this woman back. He leaned forward, placed a light kiss on the spot, and took her fingers, lacing them with his. “Can’t be too careful. I’ve waited a long time to find you, and I’m not letting anything take you from me again.”
Her eyes widened. “But you said—”
He cringed. “I know what I said. I’ll explain the why later but, for now, just know I didn’t mean any of it. I’m sorry I hurt you. I thought it was the only way to protect you.”
Her expression read sudden comprehension. “You knew he would come for me.”
Dog’s chest squeezed. She might hate him for the truth, given what had almost happened, but he owed it to her anyway. “I thought it was likely. And I…well, I had some shit of my own to deal with. I wanted you out of town where he couldn’t get to you.” He tempered his words with a smile. “You, as usual, didn’t follow orders. But it’s all over now. If you can forgive me, that is.”
Charley frowned. His chest squeezed even tighter. He wouldn’t forgive him if he were her.
“You were here when Nate left my house, weren’t you? I heard voices but never dreamed it was you. You didn’t have time to get his text. How did you know to come?”
Nate had mentioned a text. Dog reached into his cut for his phone while he answered her. “I’ve had a prospect—Poke—on Nate since early this afternoon.”
Charley sucked in a loud breath, surprise etched on her face. “You have?”
“Yeah. I had a bad feeling about Nate. He’s done some stuff in the past, hurt women. No one’s been willing to press charges. I only know of one woman for sure, but she’s asked me to keep quiet. That’s why I didn’t tell you. It just wasn’t my story to tell.”
“Krystal,” Charley whispered.
Cutter and Dog shared a glance. “How did you know that?”
“Nate talked about her. How taking me was payback for you taking her. ‘An eye for an eye,’ he called it.”
Dog clenched his teeth. Shit. What a sick fucker. He wished he could beat him all over again.
“Anyway, Poke let us know when Nate showed up at your house. I left the fight immediately.”
Dog touched the home button on his phone, and it lit up, displaying Nate’s text. A growl erupted from his throat. “If he weren’t already out, I’d kill that motherfucker.”
Cutter laughed. “For a minute, I thought you had.”
Charley tugged on Dog’s hand. “You mentioned other women as you hit him. Are you saying he makes a habit of this? Holding women hostage and…” Charley’s eyes squeezed shut, and she dropped her head to her hand.
“I can’t prove it, but I have my suspicions. That’s why I had to get here fast. Ran a few lights and broke some speed records. Didn’t matter. Only you did.”
