Page 20

Chief

I sat beside Cora’s bed, watching the rise and fall of her chest as she slept.

Doc had given her something stronger for the pain, and she’d drifted off mid-sentence while telling me about some surfboard she wanted to buy for Beckett. The thought of her planning for the kid’s future even while she was laid up in bed, battered and bruised, made something in my chest squeeze tight.

My fierce, stubborn woman had a heart of gold.

I ran my hand lightly over her forearm, careful to avoid the IV line and the ugly purple bruises that circled her wrists. The evidence of what that motherfucker had done to her was written all over her body—the swollen eye, the stitches at her temple, the deep dog bite on her calf. Each mark was like a knife in my gut, a reminder that I’d failed to protect her.

The door creaked open slightly, pulling me from my dark thoughts. A small face with big jade green eyes and dark hair peered around the edge. It took me a second to recognize her. She was the brunette from Spike’s warehouse, the one Killer had been guarding like a junkyard dog for the past week. Memphis. That was her name.

When her eyes came to mine, they went wide with alarm. She jerked backward, trying to disappear behind the door.

“Stop,” I said, keeping my voice low enough not to wake Cora but firm enough that the girl froze like a deer in headlights.

She remained half-hidden behind the door, one slim hand clutching the doorframe so hard her knuckles were white. Fear was radiating off of her in waves. Jesus, I knew what those bastards had done to her, but seeing the fear firsthand wasn’t something I’d get used to.

Still… I narrowed my eyes. “What are you doing sneaking around?”

Memphis trembled, her big green eyes darting between me and Cora’s sleeping form. When she spoke, I wasn’t surprised that her tiny soft voice fit her tiny form. No wonder my Enforcer was stomping around like a madman. I didn’t know her from Eve, but even I could see that the little thing needed someone to look out for her.

“I heard what he did to her. What Spike did. I wanted... I needed to make sure she was okay.”

A mix of emotions flickered across her face. I knew what’d been done to the girls we’d rescued, but seeing the scars with my own eyes wasn’t something I’d ever get used to.

The tension in my shoulders eased somewhat.

“She’s gonna be fine,” I said, deliberately softening my tone. “Doc patched her up. She just needs rest now.”

Memphis nodded jerkily, her eyes lingering on Cora’s bruised face.

“Thank you for checking on her,” I added, surprising myself with the gratitude I felt toward this skittish woman. “But I promise you, Spike and his men will never hurt anyone again.”

Something dark and haunted flashed in her jade-colored doe eyes. “And Nikolai?”

My head jerked back, every muscle in my body going rigid as I stared at her. “How do you know about Nikolai?”

Memphis’s face shut down instantly, all expression wiped clean as if someone had flipped a switch. Her entire body began to tremble more violently, and she took a step back into the hallway.

Fuck. The last thing I wanted to do was scare her.

I rose from my chair, moving toward her, and she shrank back, making herself smaller.

“Hey, hey, it’s okay,” I said, holding up my hands. “You’re safe here. The Saints will protect you.”

A single tear slipped down her pale cheek, leaving a glistening trail in its wake. “Nobody can protect me,” she whispered.

Before I could reply, she turned around and walked out of the room. I stood there for a moment, staring at the empty doorway as unease crawled up my spine.

How the fuck did she know about Nikolai Sidorov? Foxy’s intel had only come in a couple days ago, and we’d been careful about who we shared it with. Had Killer told her? Unlikely. That brooding motherfucker barely spoke to anyone, and he’d never share club business.

As I was racking my brain, trying to figure out how Killer’s obsession knew about the Russians, Beckett appeared in the doorway. The bruises on his face had darkened to a deep purple, but he looked better than he had yesterday. More rested.

“Hey,” he said, his eyes immediately going to Cora. “How is she?”

“Sleeping,” I replied, running a hand through my hair. “Doc gave her something stronger for the pain.”

He nodded, shifting awkwardly from one foot to the other. “Zero’s teaching me about cybersecurity. It’s pretty cool.”

I felt my lips quirk up. “You into computers, kid?”

“Yeah, I guess,” he shrugged, but I could see the excitement in his eyes. “Zero says I’m a natural.”

Something warmed in my chest at the thought of Beckett finding his place here with us.

“Look, I need to handle something,” I said, deciding I needed to talk to Foxy and see if she’d heard anything more from her contact in St. Louis. “Could you sit with her for a bit? I won’t be long.”

Beckett nodded, already moving toward the chair I’d been sitting in for the last two days. “Yeah, of course. I’ll stay as long as you need.”

“Thanks, kid.” I clapped him on the shoulder as I passed.

As soon as I stepped out of Cora’s room, I groaned. Fuck my life. Viper, Sparrow, and Knox were leaning against the far wall in the hallway, clearly waiting for me. Sparrow’s eyes narrowed as they landed on me, but there was something different in his expression. I didn’t give a damn what he had to say about it, Cora wasn’t leaving Jacksonville. She belonged to me now, and he was going to have to get the fuck over it.

I crossed my arms over my chest, bracing for whatever was coming. “Gentlemen.”

The hallway was silent for a long moment, the tension thick enough to cut with a knife. Finally, Sparrow pushed off the wall, taking a step toward me.

“Been thinking about this shit,” he said, his voice gruff. “And as much as I want to rip your fucking throat out for touching my sister...” He paused, jaw working. “I shouldn’t stand in the way.”

I stared at him, surprised as shit at the change in his tune. Not even twenty-four hours ago he was determined to keep me away from her.

Viper laughed beside him, shaking his head. “He called his wife to tattle and she told him to mind his own fucking business and stay out of his sister’s love life.”

Sparrow growled, shooting a murderous glare at his president. “Fuck you, Draven.”

The Miami president just grinned, clearly enjoying his VP’s discomfort.

Sparrow turned back to me, his expression dead serious. “I know you want us out of your hair, but I can’t leave until Spike has been handled.”

The monster inside me raised his head at the mention of that motherfucker’s name. My lips curled. “Then let’s go end this motherfucker.”

Without waiting for a response, I headed down the hallway. The sound of heavy boots on the concrete told me that Sparrow was following. All eyes were on us as we moved through the clubhouse. My men knew exactly what was about to happen.

Exiting through the back door, we headed across the sand dunes toward the small warehouse we’d built next to the boat dock. It was one of our more secure locations. Didn’t hurt that it was also soundproof, isolated, and had a concrete floor that was easy to hose down. Although my sister always complained when it was time to handle cleanup. I smirked just thinking about the mess I was going to make of Spike.

Havoc was standing outside the door when we approached.

“All quiet?”

“Fucker finally stopped screaming about an hour ago,” Havoc said, a sinister smile twisting his features as he unlocked the heavy metal door. “Killer’s had some quality time with him.”

Good. Killer had a talent for making people talk, and I wanted to know everything Spike knew before I sent him straight to hell where he belonged.

Stepping inside the warehouse, I was hit with the metallic scent of blood. Oh yeah. Killer’s been busy.

Moving around the shipping crates we’d taken off Spike’s hands, I came to a stop. “There he is.” I gestured to the cell in the corner. Viper looked around the space, his dark brow going up when he noticed the drain in the middle of the concrete floor.

“Bet that comes in handy,” he said conversationally.

I nodded. “It really is. Makes cleanup a breeze.” Although the floor around the drain was stained dark with what was obviously years of blood. Foxy used some concoction she’d Frankensteined to eliminate any trace of DNA, but it didn’t do shit for the stains.

“You know who I am, motherfucker?” Sparrow asked, taking off his cut and laying it on a crate.

Inside the cage, tied to a chair with thick rope, was Spike. Or what was left of him. His face was barely recognizable. One eye was swollen completely shut, the other reduced to a slit. Blood had dried in a crust around his nose and mouth, and several of his fingers were bent at unnatural angles.

Killer emerged from the shadows where he’d been leaning against the wall, twirling a set of keys around one massive finger. Without a word, he unlocked the cell door, swinging it open with a high-pitched creak that echoed through the space.

I crossed my arms over my chest, turning to Sparrow. “He’s all yours.”

A cold smile spread across his face as he and Knox moved into the cell. Knox cracked his knuckles. “This is for putting your fucking hands on my sister, you piece of shit,” Sparrow growled.

What followed wasn’t pretty, but I watched every second of it. Every blow, every snap of bone, every scream that escaped Spike’s broken lips. It was what he deserved for laying hands on Cora, for the bruises on Beckett’s face, for the women he’d raped and tormented.

When Sparrow and Knox finally stepped out, both of them were breathing hard and Spike was barely conscious. His head lolled to the side, blood dripping steadily onto the concrete floor.

I unsheathed the Bowie hunting knife at my hip as I moved into the cell. Grabbing a fistful of Spike’s filthy hair, I yanked his head back, exposing his throat. His one functioning eye rolled up to meet mine and I could see that he knew his time was over.

“This is for Cora,” I said, my voice surprisingly calm despite the fury I felt for what he’d put so many innocent women through.

In one swift motion, I drew the blade across his throat, opening him from ear to ear. Blood sprayed in an arc, splattering across the cell like a geyser. I stepped back, watching dispassionately as Spike’s body convulsed, his life’s blood pouring out onto the concrete.

“Jesus fuck,” Killer growled from behind me. “Your sister is going to throw a bitch fit when she sees this mess. You know that, right?”

I turned, smirking at my Sergeant-at-Arms. He was right, but I couldn’t be bothered to care. The man who’d hurt my woman was dead and nothing else mattered.

Killer muttered something under his breath, but I could see the satisfaction in his eyes. For men like us, this was justice. An eye for a fucking eye. His life for the pain he’d caused.

I stepped out of the cell, wiping my blade clean on my jeans before sheathing it. When I looked up, Sparrow was watching me with a new expression on his face. Respect.

“It’s done,” I said simply, extending my hand to him.

He took it without hesitation, gripping my forearm. “You take care of my sister,” he warned. “You hurt her again...”

He left the threat hanging between us, but I understood him loud and clear. “I’d cut off my own arm before hurting her again,” I answered him honestly, meaning every word.

Viper clapped me on the shoulder. “We’re heading back to Miami. Got our own shit to deal with.”

I nodded. “Appreciate the help. You’re always welcome in Jacksonville.”

“Sparrow’s gonna say goodbye to his sister before we roll out,” Viper added with a significant look at his VP.

“Yeah, yeah, I’ll fix it,” Sparrow grumbled, already heading for the door.

Once Miami was out of the warehouse, I turned back to Killer, who was already pulling out plastic sheeting to wrap Spike’s body.

“Memphis came to Cora’s room earlier,” I said, watching his face carefully.

His expression remained impassive, but I didn’t miss the slight ticking in his jaw. “She shouldn’t be wandering around alone.”

“She knew about Nikolai,” I continued, dropping the bombshell. “Asked me specifically about him.”

That got a reaction. Killer’s head snapped up, his eyes narrowing. “What the fuck? How?”

I shook my head. “I was hoping you’d know. She shut down the second I asked her. Scared shitless.”

Killer cursed under his breath, his massive hands stilling on the plastic. “She hasn’t said a word to me about any of it. Barely speaks at all, actually.”

Well, that made two of them. Though he’d been rather fucking chatty since he brought her here and started hovering like a helicopter parent.

“Find out what she knows,” I said, keeping my voice level. “If she’s connected to Sidorov somehow, we need to know. We’ve got enough problems without walking into something blind.”

He nodded, his expression hard. “I’ll handle it.”

As I headed back toward the door, leaving Killer to deal with the mess, my thoughts returned to Cora. I’d done what needed doing. Spike would never hurt her or anyone else again.

Now I just needed to focus on helping her heal and figuring out what the fuck was going on with the Russians.