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“Cute.” He chuckles, and it turns into a roaring laugh until he forces himself to stop and grabs his ribs. “Christ, that hurts.” After a few dep breaths, he says, “I’ll make you a deal. You let it go and I’ll do the same. When it gets to be too much, you come to me, and I’ll do the same. We’ll work through it together. Although, I’m telling Wildcard. Last thing I need is a jealous man on my ass.”
“Deal,” I say, stretching out my hand to seal the deal. Then I bend at the waist and kiss his cheek. “One day, you’re going to meet a woman who’s going to appreciate all that you are.”
“Yeah, yeah. Whatever. Take me inside. I promised Noah I would teach him the ins and outs of bounty hunting.”
“He’s not becoming a bounty hunter!” I declare. Good God!
“Don’t worry. It’s not his gig, but he should have every Pride option open to him. Whether it’s carpentry or bounty hunting, he’ll choose something that suits him. He might be like Saint and go after something completely different. Either way, it’ll be his choice.”
* * *
Wildcard
We came,we kicked ass, and we conquered. All of Risk’s planning and Demon and Orion’s information gave us the edge we needed. Vega was stunned when we burst through the abandoned factory entrance. He made a beeline for the back exit, only to find War, Roscoe, and Thunder waiting for him and his second-in-command.
With nowhere to go, Vega’s men had no option but to defend themselves. As good soldiers would, they tried to protect their leader, but the Pride brothers were furious and we were out for blood. Hammer and I quickly subdued the guards. Hammer made it easy for himself, slashing the throat of the man he had pinned against the wall, while I used my fists to beat the gang member with him to the ground, like they did Priest, and twisted his neck, crushing the life out of him.
War and Thunder took their frustration out on Vega’s second. It was slow, and the screams and pleas for mercy reverberated through the empty factory, echoing off the walls, to no avail. The Pride was wronged and our enemies must know that there’s no mercy when you attack Satan’s Pride. Risk is a very effective torturer, and before long, Vega’s second was begging for death. Risk ended him with a shot to the head.
Guard went straight for Vega. Vega pulled out a gun and took the first shot, hiding behind some old steel barrels. Guard would not be deterred. Taking out his own pistol, he crouched down, moving stealthily across the floor. Guard’s a patient man, while Vega was a hothead, firing continuously. Guard waited until Vega’s magazine was empty and then, with the speed of a jaguar, he was on him. Not taking any chances, Guard shot Vega in the hand, and Vega dropped his gun with a cry of pain. When Guard reached him, he literally dragged him by the collar across the floor, around the lifeless bodies of his men, and sat him in a chair. Not giving Vega a chance to react, Guard wrapped his hand around Vega’s throat and squeezed until he started turning blue, then released him.
“You beat one Pride brother, and twenty more come calling for you,” Guard said, his face inches from Vega’s. Vega gasped and coughed, trying to get air into his lungs. With a quiet, menacing voice, Guard said, “No one, fucking no one, puts their hands on my men and lives to talk about it. You’re going to die, that’s a fact, but the way you die is my fucking choice.”
We took no prisoners and Guard did not hold back. Before we ended Vega, Ghost confirmed where the rest of his gang was hidden. An anonymous call to the police about their drug warehouse was made. A short time later, Hammer, Thunder, and Steady watched from afar to see the cops drag out the gang members, cuff them, and put them in the backs of their police cars.
Instead of returning to the compound, Saint suggests that we go to the clinic first. He’ll stitch us up there, and we can clean up. I’ve got four stitches in my side and some nasty bruising to my back from when I tussled on the concrete with one of the motherfuckers, but other than that, I’m good. Demon got the worst of it this time with a nasty slash to his biceps. After twenty-four stitches, antibiotics, and a phone call from his wife telling him to come home, he is on his way back to Sofia.
Guard’s low rumble when he walks through the main room at the compound immediately catches Ava’s attention. “Angel, time to go home,” he says. He looks to our ally brothers. “Can I ask you to hang around till morning? We can talk then.” The leader of our sister club, Spike of Mayhem MC, gives him a chin lift in agreement.
We all make our way to Priest, one by one. He knows vengeance for what happened to him was complete. Priest decides to walk to the car outside the club, with Steady’s help. He’s going home with his family tonight. Saint can use the break and some alone time with Izzy.
Charlotte’s driving Noah home, and I’m following behind. Noah’s exhausted and literally falls into his bed. I check in on him and think he must have fallen asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow. Out of habit, I lock down the house before I go to the bedroom.
Charli’s curled into a ball, sleeping. I need to shower the night off before crawling in beside her. I let the warm water run over my head, washing the stress and ugliness of the night away. I lean my palms against the tiled wall to hold myself up. I hear the creak of the bathroom door and glance over my shoulder. It’s Charlotte. She strips off her nightgown and comes into the shower with me, her front to my back as she holds me. Her breasts and cheek are pressed between my shoulders. She places soft kisses along my spine, but stops when she sees where the skin is torn from being knocked into a sharp edge, ripping my cut. I didn’t even notice the cut from the adrenaline coursing through my veins. Gentle fingers trace the raw wound.
Taking the soap in her hand and being careful, she washes me. She reaches around me and shuts off the water, then steps out of the shower and wraps a towel around herself. She waits for me to step out and dries me so lovingly that it brings a lump to my throat. She re-dresses my wound and leads me to our bed. Charli lies down, pulling me to the mattress with her.
“Sleep, Em. It’s my turn to take care of you,” she says. She runs her fingers over my face and across my lids, closing them. “Good night, my love.” The soft whisper of a kiss on my cheek is the last thing I remember as I sink into a blissful abyss.
* * *
Charlotte
I let Emmet sleep in.Normally, his eyes open as soon as I move to get out of bed. Not this time, though. As I walk into the living room, I find Noah lazing on the sofa. He turns his head when he hears me coming.
“You’re up,” I say, ruffling his already messy hair.
“Yeah.” I know that look. Noah’s thinking, and whatever he’s contemplating seems pretty serious.
I tap his temple. “Want to tell me what’s going on in here?”
“Nothing.” He shrugs.
“Right.” I come around and plop down in the space next to him. “You’re a horrible liar. It’s okay if I’m not the person you want to share your thoughts with, but I’m going to urge you to talk to one of the guys.”
Noah blurts, “I’m going to be eighteen, and you’re still watching over me. Guard, Roscoe, Wildcard, they’re looking after me. What do I give them back? Nothing, that’s what. I asked if I could go yesterday, and Guard said no. They don’t trust me.”
“Did Guard give you a reason?” I ask quietly.
