Page 14

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

HENDRIX

“H ow long has it been since Anna spoke to you?” Diablo asked, tipping his beer bottle up to his lips.

“Five days,” I muttered drily.

Iceman’s lips twitched.

Trick snickered.

I shot them all glares and took a sip of Bud. “She’ll come around.”

“Course she will.” Ice rolled his lips inwards to hide his grin, grabbing his bottle from the bar.

“Yeah,” Gambit concurred before muttering quietly, “Next year.”

“Who’d have thought a woman would be so angry about getting kidnapped?” Blade said sarcastically, leaning his arm onto the countertop.

“I didn’t kidnap her,” I argued. “I just locked her in our suite for three days.”

Barks of laughter filled the air.

“Assholes,” I muttered, tipping up my bottle.

“To be fair,” Diablo interjected. “Arizona said kidnapping Anna so she couldn’t leave and locking her away so she couldn’t try to escape was hot.”

“Arizona’s a fuckin’ sex addict,” Blade muttered. “She’d be fine with that shit as long as she got some dick thrown in.”

“True.” The SAA shrugged.

“So, what ya gonna do?” Blade asked. “We’ve been told by the ol’ ladies in Wyoming that if Anna isn’t on a flight by tomorrow, they’ll jump a plane and get her themselves.” He shuddered at the thought. “Maybe you should’ve kidnapped Tristan too instead of making us escort him to the airport and putting him on the first flight out. At least he wouldn’t have gone back to Wyoming tattle-tellin’.”

“Yeah,” I admitted. “I didn’t think that one through.”

“No,” he deadpanned. “You didn’t. He wasn’t fuckin’ happy, Prez. You ever seen a gay man lose his shit? He’s gotta smart mouth, and his insults about my hairline almost had me in goddamned tears.” He smoothed a hand through his full head of hair and sniffed. “He was a total bitch.”

“He reminds me of that Daniel Rene dude,” Gambit pointed out.

“Who the fuck’s that?” Diablo asked.

“You wouldn’t know,” Gambit replied. “He’s a perfume and cologne reviewer on Insta.”

“Marney used to watch him,” Ice stated. “Is he the ‘no vieja cuchi’ dude?”

“That’s him.” Gambit snickered.

“What the fuck’s he talkin’ about old lady coochie for?” Diablo sniffed.

Gambit shrugged. “That’s what he calls some of the perfumes he smells.”

Diablo's face turned green. “You watch some shit on the socials. What the fuck you even interested in perfume for?”

“You say that, asshole,” Gambit bit back. “But I smell good, unlike you.” He raised a fist to his mouth and coughed, “Vieja cuchi boy.”

Diablo’s eyebrows hit his hairline, and he lifted an arm to sniff a pit. “I smell okay.” He reached out and grabbed Tia’s arm as she walked past. “Babe. Who smells better out of me and Gambit?”

“Gambit,” she stated, cocking a hip. “Hands down. He smells amazing. Best out of all of you guys. I mean, none of you are slouches or hard to fuck, but Gambit’s somethin’ special.” Her eyes drifted to the secretary, and she smiled dreamily. “We fight over him some nights. Fucking him is like fucking a slice of heaven. He’s delicious. Even his cock tastes good. We all love going down on him. It’s like a goddamned addiction. Sometimes two or three of us suck him off together ‘cause we can’t wait to get some of that gorgeousness in our mouths.”

Gambit smiled lazily, shooting her a wink, and drawled, “Damned straight.”

Tia blew him a kiss and wandered away as every eye turned to the club treasurer, whose expression turned cocky as fuck.

“What’s the cuchi dude’s name again?” Diablo demanded, adjusting the crotch of his jeans.

“Daniel Rene,” he replied.

All the men pulled their cell phones out and began to tap.

“Following,” Blade declared.

“I got him, too,” Ice muttered.

Diablo stared at the screen. “I see what you mean about Tristan looking like him.” He clicked on the screen and shrugged. “I’m following. Wanna smell so good that the whores fight over sucking my cock, too.”

I tipped my head back and stared up at the heavens, wondering how the fuck we won wars with these idiots in charge of the goddamned guns.

“Prez,” Ciara called softly from down the bar, nodding toward the door.

I craned my neck to see Freya enter the bar, then froze as Anna entered a beat later with Carina. Her eyes met mine, but she looked straight through me, instead focusing on Freya as she led her to an empty table.

The doghouse wasn’t a place I was used to being.

Usually, women fell over themselves to make me happy. It was typical that the one woman in the world I wanted hated my guts, even though I’d done everything in my power to make her happy. Over the last few days, I’d spent a fortune on clothes and women’s shit for her. One face cream she used was almost a hundred bucks, but I’d sucked it up and told Fifi to order it regardless, along with all of the other expensive shit she apparently needed. I wanted my woman to have everything she wanted, but she acted like I’d shit in her cereal.

Anna had even recruited the other women onto her side. I’d always got along well with Carrie and Cece, and over the last few years, I’d even cultivated a decent friendship with Freya.

To suddenly have them not talking to me was a blow, and all because of one tiny little kidnapping. I mean, it wasn’t as if I’d locked Anna in a dungeon and fed her gruel. She’d had the best food to eat and the finest sheets to sleep on, unlike me, who’d had to move into another fucking room because my woman threatened to shave my eyebrows off in my sleep if I dared to lay my head next to hers.

Not the loving reunion I’d expected.

Still, I wasn’t gonna give up at the first hurdle.

Bones had relayed that he wasn’t comfortable with Anna flying for at least a couple of weeks. Daisy hadn’t done any lasting damage, but my woman was still getting stomach pains. Bones wanted her to be close so he could examine her if needed and be on hand to carry out more scans. Ever since I saw the nipper on the sonogram, I’d felt a sense of protectiveness that was fierce, so the thought of anything happening to Anna or the baby made me feel sick.

Plus, there’d been another development, one that was important to broach with my woman, that was if she ever spoke to me again.

“Colt’s here,” Blade told me. “You gonna talk to Anna?”

I drained my beer bottle and slammed it on the countertop.

“Good luck,” Gambit called out as I slipped from my stool and made my way toward Anna’s table, nodding at Colt as he fell into step beside me.

“You got the papers?” I asked him.

He held up a folder. “All in here. Anna’s statement is on file. The Lis family has been informed she left Antoni before the murders were carried out and that she wasn’t even in the same state. Their lawyer insists the cousin wants to make sure she’s okay. I’ve told them Antoni beat her, and she’s recuperating somewhere safe, but they won’t back down.”

Anna looked up, and our eyes locked. Hers narrowed, maybe because she could see the seriousness of my expression, but for the first time in days, she didn’t give me a disdainful glare and look away.

At least it was progress, right?

We approached the table, and Colt leaned down to kiss the top of Freya’s head. “Babe, can you give us a minute? We gotta speak to Anna.”

She shifted uncomfortably in her seat. “What’s wrong?”

I looked between the women. Anna’s face had paled and she looked at Freya nervously. “It’s okay,” I told Colt. “She can stay.”

Colt took the seat next to his ol’ lady while I dropped down onto the chair beside Anna. “Adrian Lis is looking for you.” He opened the file and took out a series of photographs of the man in question. “Do you know him?”

All color drained from her face. “Yes, I know Adrian. Does he know where I am?”

I took her hand in mine and squeezed. “Nobody’s gonna get to you, Anna. Stop worrying.”

Her teeth sunk into her bottom lip. “Adrian’s the top dog of the family. Filip was small time compared to him. Adrian runs North America, and from what I’ve heard, he won’t stop until he gets what he wants. He’s got the men, the money, and the resources to hunt me down.”

“Why would he hunt you down?” Colt asked.

“Because that’s what he does,” she bit back. “He’s ruthless. If he suspects I had anything to do with what happened to Toni and Leon, I’m in trouble.” Her eyes shifted back to me. “We all are. Even Toni was scared of him and tried to lessen our contact as much as possible. You need to tell me exactly what he said.”

Colt leaned back casually in his chair, studying Anna. “He says he’s worried. I told him you left Philly after a fight with your husband got physical. I relayed the pregnancy’s been hard on you, and with your husband’s death, it’s all been a huge shock, and you’re resting.”

“Right,” she breathed, running tremoring fingers through her hair.

I leaned toward her. “Babe. You’re surrounded by some of the most talented ex-military men in the world. The same men that governments would move mountains to have on their payroll. You’ve got jetfighters, snipers, arms experts, ninjas, and bomb makers at your back, and that’s just the officers. Nobody’s gonna get to you or the baby.”

She thought about my words for a moment, her lips pursing. “I guess it means I can’t go home.”

“No,” I agreed. “But I wouldn’t let you go anyway. I didn’t come for you only to let you go again. We need to work this out, baby. We’re three years late.”

Tears filled her eyes. “Oh God. Stop making me cry. I’m like a damned faucet.”

“Will you talk to me, please?” I begged.

Colt stood and tugged Freya up with him. “Come on, Princess. Let’s get a drink.”

Freya’s gaze lowered to mine. “I’ll just be at the bar. You,” she said sharply, pointing at me. “Be nice.” She took Colt’s outstretched hand and walked away.

“Jesus,” I murmured, watching her head toward the bar. “It’s like you’ve got your own personal bodyguard detail. Can’t get within five fucking feet of ya.”

“Well,” Anna retorted. “Maybe if you hadn’t kidnapped me and locked me in a room for three days, she’d be nicer to you, and I’d be more amenable to talking. As things stand between us now, I don’t give the first shit about what you’ve got to say.”

“Baby,” I said pleadingly. “Gimme a chance to explain.” I scooted my chair closer and snaked my arm across the back of hers.

She immediately moved her chair away from me and gave me an angry, deadpan look.

“Three fuckin’ years,” I mumbled. “And this is the shit I get.”

“Yeah,” Anna snapped. “Three fucking years because you were an asshole to me. Three fucking years because you decided to move across the country to set up a new home and didn’t think I was worth talking to about it.” Her voice began to rise, kaleidoscope eyes flashing. “Three fucking years because you thought you could treat me like an afterthought and I’d always be there for you regardless, and you were wrong .” She rose from her chair, laid her palms flat on the table, and leaned down, getting in my face. “I’m not one of your whores, Hendrix. I’m not some biker groupie who goes dizzy every time the president crooks a finger in her direction. I walked away from you before, and mark my words, honey , I can do it again!”

My cock kicked.

I’d missed this. I fucking loved Anna’s temper. Loved her smart mouth, and I especially loved the way she called me honey, even though, on that particular occasion, it was laced with the intent to stab me.

“Admittedly. I know I may have gone just a little bit over-the-top, but I swear, when you told me you were leaving, I just panicked.”

“You panicked?” she cut out. “Imagine my panic when you threw me over your shoulder, whisked me upstairs, and locked me in a fucking bedroom for days. Then, to top it all off, you take my best friend, the one man in my life who’s never let me down, and you escort him to the airport under armed guard . Jesus, Hendrix, don’t you see how crazy that is?”

I threw her a placating smile. “It worked out for the best, though, right? I mean, with the whole Adrian Lis thing. Imagine if you’d have left and then had to turn around and jump on the first flight back? I saved you time and a load’a cake.”

She sank back down into her chair, a petulant expression on her face. “Why didn’t you just ask?”

My head reared back. “Huh?”

She brought a hand to her temple and rubbed it gently. “Why didn’t you just ask me to stay?”

My stomach roiled because, hand to God, the thought never once occurred to me.

“I’d agreed to leave with Tristan because I didn’t feel safe around Daisy. I didn’t think you’d taken me seriously when I told you what she did. I felt as if you were trying to excuse it. I didn’t want to be around her, and that’s why I agreed to leave. When you got rid of the Daisy problem, you also got rid of my reason for leaving...” Her voice trailed off. “If you’d have just asked me to stay, I would’ve had that conversation with Tristan, so there was no need to be such an ass.”

“Well, I didn’t know that,” I muttered.

“Yeah.” She sighed, her shoulders slumping as if all her fight left her. “Because you didn’t ask.”

My chest twisted at Anna’s forlorn expression and her sudden acquiescence.

I studied her properly, taking in the way her eyes dropped and the paleness of her pallor. Tiny lines had developed around her mouth, and there seemed to be a hint of dark shadows beneath her eyes.

“Are you sleeping okay?” I asked.

Her eyes filled with tears again, and she thrust a hand through her hair. “I’m stressed out. I know I need to relax, and I know it's bad for the baby, but every time I close my eyes, all I see is Toni staring up at me with dead eyes. I’m hungry, but every time I go to eat something, I look at the food, and all I want is tacos.” She closed her eyes. “What I wouldn’t give for a decent fucking taco. Carina tries her best, but Mexican she ain’t. I need an authentic, spicy, meaty taco made by a beautiful Mexican person who seasons fucking taco meat like they mean it.” A tear tracked down her cheek. “Is that too much to ask for?”

My heart pulsed. “But you don’t like tacos,” I reminded her gently.

Another tear fell, and she swiped at her eyes before wailing, “I know!”

“Is it the baby?” I asked softly.

“Yeah,” she wailed again. “I already love him more than anything, but he’s turning me into a hormone-ridden crazy woman.”

“Wanna go for tacos?” I asked.

Her entire face lit up. “Really?”

“I got ya covered, baby. If your ass is with me, it’s gettin’ fed.”

“Oh my God,” she whispered. “I feel better already.”

“Wanna ride on the back of my bike?” I waggled my eyebrows.

“You never let me on it before,” she pointed out. “You said your back was reserved for ol’ ladies only.”

“Yeah,” I said softly. “So what does that tell ya?”

“It tells me that I’ve gone and lost the plot,” she declared. “Because the way I’m feeling right now, it’ll be worth putting up with your asshole ways just to get my tacos.”

Ignoring her jibe, I got to my feet and helped her up from her chair. “You need a warm jacket, gloves, and boots. Meet you outside in five.” Lightly, I swatted her ass. “Go on. Get.”

She let out a little squeal and bounced away, her mood suddenly elevated at the mere thought of a fucking taco, of all things.

My eyes dropped to admire her ass when she suddenly slowed and looked at me over her shoulder. My world tilted on its axis because the expression of pure peace she radiated transported me back to a time when she used to whisper her hopes and dreams, lying naked in my arms with just a blanket covering us.

Emotions swamped me, and something clicked into place.

The world was shifting under my feet. Everything that just a week ago seemed so wrong and fractured suddenly seemed oh so right.

I’d worked hard to achieve my goals, never letting anything get in the way of what I wanted. Even when Erica died, I took four days off before flying back to my unit and volunteering for an extraction mission in Somalia. My determination had worked out because I had everything. A great pad, a great club. My dad, my friends, my bike. I had work that meant something to me, and most of all, I had a purpose.

However, at that moment, I realized that although I’d achieved a lot, I never had everything.

But now I did, and everything came in the form of a kind, beautiful redhead whose entire heart shone in her eyes whenever she looked at me, along with the baby she carried.

And there was nothing sweeter.