Page 43 of Nova


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“Willow?” I call her name a few times, and we stay still, listening for any muffled sounds of reply.

“Downstairs,” Dix murmurs, and we retrace our steps, jumping over the dead Bloodthirsty Devil on our way back to the living room where Ace is beating the shit out of a guy while his fist pounds the ever-loving fuck out of that guy’s face. “We’re good. Willow?”

“Still looking,” Dix updates him just as Shades and another BTD crash into the wall beside the window.

“Keep looking,” Ace says just as Shades takes aim at a retreating BTD and, with one shot, turns him into a dead BTD.

“Come on.” I smack Dix’s shoulder and nod for him to follow me down a dark stairwell. It’s quiet down here, and things get quieter with every step we take away from the chaos in the living room.

“You think she’s down here?”

I listen carefully for any signs of life. Or impending death. Testing the doorknob, I give it a sharp turn, and the door opens with the loudest fucking squeak.

“So much for making a quiet entry,” Dix says with a cautious laugh.

“Dix?” Willow lets out a muffled yelp over her gag, and her eyes go wide.

“It’s okay, Willow. You’re all right,” I tell her with a shaky smile as a man comes out from hiding, but I see him before he sees me, and I shoot, hitting him in the face. Willow yelps again.

“Fuck, you a goddamn sharpshooter or what?” Dix says. The awe in his voice puts a smile on my face.

“Or what,” I growl and remove the tape from Willow’s face, yanking the red bandana out of her mouth. “Hey, Willow. How are you?”

She coughs and gags until she can speak, then says, “I’m okay. So fucking glad to see you guys. How’s Joaquin?”

“He’s okay. Back at the clubhouse waiting for you,” I tell her as I loosen the ropes tied around her wrists and help her up off the dirty floor. “I got you,” I tell her when she damn near collapses on her wobbly legs.

“He’s okay? Alive?”

I nod. “I watched over him myself.”

She wraps her arms around me with a sigh. “Thank you, Nova.”

“Thank me later. Right now, we need to get you outta here.” I lift her in my arms and carry her up the stairs while Dix takes the lead, clearing the way of a few more Bloodthirsty Devils we find lurking in the house. We make it out, and when we’re in the front of the house, I realize our oversight.

No cars.

“Willow, can you ride?”

Her gaze is uncertain but she says, “Yeah,” and sighs. “I’m good. My muscles are sore as fuck, and I’m thirsty.”

I grab a bottle of water from my saddlebag and hand it to her. “Go slowly.” She nods quickly and reaches for the bottle, but I hold it back. “Go slowly if you don’t want to puke.”

Her movements still, and she nods. “Okay.”

I turn to find Ace and Shades marching from the house, looking exhausted and a little bruised and bloodied. “All good?”

Shades nods. “Five dead. I count that as a win.” He grins wide. “Willow, good to see you.”

She nods, still sipping the chilly water, smiling around the bottle.

Ace looks around to make sure we’re all accounted for. “All right guys, let’s get home before the fucking cops show up.”

Dix helps Willow onto my bike, and she wraps her arms around me tight as we haul ass back to the clubhouse. When we get there, she’s nervous. “Is he really all right?”

I hold onto her as we enter the clubhouse, and immediately, the women are all over us after waiting impatiently. “He’ll be so much fucking better now that you’re back,” I say.

“Willow!” Banger’s voice sounds over the music. He’s on his feet, his long legs eating up the distance between him and his woman. “Willow,” he growls again, cupping her face and kissing her like she’s his whole world. And she is. He’s alive, and his woman is back in his arms.

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