Page 29

Blade

Before I could head back to LA, I first had to make the rounds, explaining to my brothers and sisters that I’ll be right back and tell them that they’re doing a big thing here.

Rogue is far better at keeping the members’ morale high with his natural preacher man flair, but I do my bit, tampering his often-zany enthusiasm with cold hard facts and logic.

For some, that works better. And given that this war we’re currently fighting is none of our own, some need to hear the cold hard facts about why we have to.

As a result, I didn’t hit the road to make the six or so hour ride back to LA until just after midnight.

But I rode fast, imagining Bella waiting for me. In my visions she was in the garden, sipping iced tea, her soft, long, wavy brown hair stirring in the summer breeze, her smile more radiant than the rising sun.

This will not be the reality. She’ll probably be in the small bedroom of the apartment over the garage and there will be no sun in the sky when I get there, but that doesn’t matter, because she’s always sun enough for me.

And if I didn’t already know that, the surge of renewed energy I get as I turn into my mom’s street despite the long ride would be all the evidence I need. If I never slept again, I’d be a happy man. Just as long as it was Bella I was riding sleepless to meet.

The street is quiet in these predawn hours and the expensive cars with tinted windows parked along the curb look like mounds of dirt in the near darkness.

Everyone that lives in this neighborhood is richer than God, so you’d think they have a spacious enough garage to fit all their cars in, but clearly not.

But that’s just a passing annoyance, stemming back from the years I lived here and felt like everyone thought I was only here to steal.

A soft light is on in the living room of the apartment, the stained-glass windows full of butterflies and pretty flowers the only thing in color in this drab darkness. They’re a thing of beauty.

But not as beautiful as Bella.

She’s sitting on the sofa, right below those stained-glass windows.

The fuzzy white blanket slides off her lithe, perfect curves as she stands up to greet me and I swear those stained-glass windows were illuminated just by her, the small lamp by the sofa had nothing to do with it.

This is so much better than any vision of her I could’ve ever dreamed up.

“You’re here,” she says quietly as she walks towards me. “Finally.”

Everything is so calm, so perfect, so right, especially as she wraps her arms around my neck and I lean down to kiss her. Our lips touching sends a surge of waking electricity through me, but other than that, this is some kind of dream. The best kind.

Time stops whenever we kiss. It’s no different now. Except that maybe it is moving now, but very slowly, signifying that we have all the time in the world, that even time itself will slow for us, because we have so much catching up to do.

She slides off my cut and I sit on the sofa, pulling her down into my lap. Since we have all the time in the world, I’m in no hurry and I plan on making every second of my return home count.

She’s in no hurry either, the kiss we’re sharing slow and sensuous, waking cells and nerves in my body I didn’t even know existed.

My cock’s rock hard, it always is for her, but that’s not the most important thing.

The most important thing is getting to hold her, kiss her, feel her body against mine.

“I missed you so much,” she whispers as I trail kisses down her neck. She took the words right out of my mouth.

“My, my isn’t this sweet,” a gruff male voice says. “Did you hear? She missed him.”

A couple of other men laugh harshly.

My mind was so disconnected from reality, so lost in getting close to Bella that it takes me awhile to fully realize what is happening.

By then we’re surrounded by five men wearing black suits and Bella’s eyes are wide open, her breathing rapid and jagged.

In the next moment two of the men grab me and try to pull me away from Bella. But it’s gonna take more than two.

I swing and have one of the guys on the floor clutching a bloody nose in a second, the other one in a choke hold as I debate whether I should toss him out the window and ruin the pretty picture window.

“That’s not how this is gonna go,” that same gruff man who first spoke says, as though answering the question in my head.

He’s got his forearm around Bella’s throat and a huge black gun pressed to her temple. It’s Dante Moretti.

“What do you want?” I ask.

“I’ve come for what was promised me a long time ago,” Dante says. “But I’ll take you too. My new friends will like that. Release that man. Don’t make this messy.”

“Leave her,” I say. “And then I’ll come with you peacefully.”

I have no idea what he wants from me, doubtless it’s something to do with Hydra, but I’d walk into the fires of hell if it meant Bella would be free, no questions asked. But how the hell did he find her here?

“How could you do this?” Bella says looking towards the door, her eyes still wide, but hard with anger and indignation. “I thought you were my friend.”

Her brother Matteo is standing there, larger and somehow taller than the last time I saw him up close. The night him, his bother and their father beat the crap out of me and dragged Bella away.

“You have no friends here, sister,” Matteo says. “I told you that before. You shouldn’t have contacted me.”

“But we’re glad she did, aren’t we Matteo?” Dante says venomously, eyeing him with unmasked hate.

“Fine,” Bella snaps, that fire in her that I fell in love with a long time ago blazing hot. “It’s me you want so just take me. Leave Blade out of it.”

Never gonna happen, but, that’s my girl. No fear. Just fire and fight. Even in the face of utter hopelessness.

Dante looks like he’s thinking about it, but the mean gleam in his black eyes tells me that’s just for show.

“I don’t think so. You’re both coming. And if you don’t calm the fuck down and go quietly, I’ll have to add his elderly mother to the party. And if the noise you’re making wakes her up, this’ll be the last sunrise she sees. Am I clear?”

This asshole really likes the sound of his own voice.

“What do you think you are, some kind of bard?” I ask.

I still think I have a chance to fight all of them off. But that gun barrel is so close to Bella’s head…

“What the fuck’s a bard?” Dante asks, sounding offended.

It’s sad that all I can do is hurt his feelings. What I’d like to do is bash his face until there’s nothing left.

“Fine, we’ll go,” I say. “Just tell me. Are you new friends those Hydra bastards? Is that why you want me?”

Dante chuckles. “They don’t like being called bastards. And Rogue Angels stole a lot of money from them. Having the vice president to bargain with will make them really happy. You mangy dogs really bit off more than you could chew this time. Fucking idiots.”

Everything about what he just told me lands wrong, every fucking word makes me want to rip his throat out.

There’s still the narrow staircase that could give me a chance. And the trek to whatever cars they have waiting for us—probably those black foreign numbers in the street. I really should’ve paid more attention.

My guns are in the saddle bags on my bike. I get to those and it’s game over for Dante and his goons.

But they’re holding me very tightly as they drag me down the stairs and that barrel never leaves Bella’s temple.

There will be casualties if I fight. Innocent ones. And I’m afraid Bella will be the first.

This is one messed up situation.

So I don’t fight. I let them lead me to the cars.

They separate us, stashing me in the car with two goons, while Dante takes Bella into his.

Matteo doesn’t get in the car with them.

I hope he won’t truly let his sister be hurt by that piece of shit.

And if Dante harms her in any way, I’ll murder every member of his family.

And just for abducting her, I’ll murder him.

This is a promise I make myself as we speed down the road, color returning to the world that’s one giant blur right now.

But I’ll make good on that promise no matter how empty it sounds right now.