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“Night, everyone,” I said softly, not wanting to disturb Charley.
They softly said goodnight as I left the main den. Martin was still by the front door of the club, and when he saw me, he followed me toward the back exit. We walked in silence as he opened the back door for me to walk through, holding his sister.
“I want to ask her to marry me,” I whispered as we went out into the muggy night air.
“So soon?”
“She’s it for me, Martin. Since she doesn’t have a dad around to ask for her hand. I figured her older brother would be the one giving her away, anyway.”
“That’s a little old-fashioned, isn’t it, Hunter?”
“Maybe, but with or without your permission, I’m going to ask her. I just wanted to give you a heads up and ask for your blessing as my friend and future brother.”
Martin grinned. “If I didn’t approve of you, I wouldn’t have let you start things with her in the first place, Hunter. You have my blessing.”
I nodded but came up short when I saw the man standing against the back of her car. Gates. He was out, and he had a gun in his hand and murder in his eyes.
Martin’s gaze followed mine, and he stepped in front of me, protecting Charley.
“What are you doing here, Gates?” Martin’s voice was full of fury.
“Charley, wake up, Angel. Stay quiet and wake up.”
I jostled her slightly, so I didn’t scare her, but got her to wake up. “What?” she asked, confused. I dropped her legs quickly and covered her mouth before she could squeal in surprise.
“You need to get out of here, Gates. You’ll only make things worse for yourself.”
Charley’s eyes widened in fear. “Get behind me. Here’s my phone. When I say so, run for cover behind the cars, and call 911,” I whispered to her.
“Hunter.”
“Angel, listen to me. Do as I said.”
She nodded and moved behind me as I stepped out beside Martin, so she would be that much closer to the cars to our left.
“WORSE!” he shouted. “They’re saying I’m going to do hard time for that bitch that I didn’t even get to fuck. I should have taken what I wanted from her. At least then I’d be going in for more than just stealing her fucking panties and watching her cuddle with that damn zebra at night.”
“That was your choice, Gates. If you weren’t such a sick fuck, you wouldn’t be in the position you’re in right now.”
He huffed out a half laugh. “Since I’m going down, I may as well take the bitch with me.”
“You’re not getting near her,” I said calmly, though I was raging on the inside. The vile shit he spoke about Charley made me want to kill him.
He raised his gun and pointed it straight at me, right where I wanted it. I squeezed Charley’s hand, and I moved toward the cars at the same time she ran behind me. My body shielded hers, and when the gun exploded, searing pain blasted through my shoulder.
I heard a grunt of pain and looked over to see Martin tackling Gates to the ground. He’d been so focused on me and Charley, he couldn’t move quick enough to get to Martin before Martin got to him.
Charley was whispering into the phone, and I knew she was talking to the operator. I slumped against the hood of the car, my shoulder hurting like a son of a bitch. I didn’t look down at the wound because I knew if I did, it would start hurting worse than it was.
“Shit.” I looked over to see Damian running across the back lot from the sequestered drive that led to his private home he shared with his wife and new baby. He had a gun in his hand and quickly assessed the situation.
“We’re good, but Hunter’s wounded.” Martin nodded toward me, as he kept Gates pinned to the ground with his knee resting on his back.
“What?” Charley’s cry of fear had me sending Martin a scowl. I was purposely trying to hide the fact that I’d been hit from her. She didn’t need to see that, but she scrambled around the car to my side, her eyes widening in fear as she saw the sticky wet fabric of my shirt and the blood running in rivulets down my arm.
I didn’t realize I was swaying until Damian grabbed my other arm and lowered me to the ground. “Damn it. This is twice in less than a week that I’ve had to save your ass from something, Hunter. You better not make this shit a habit.”
“Blame that asshole over there. He came after Charley,” I grumbled as the darkness faded in. I could hear Charley’s soft sobs and the sirens coming in the distance.
