Page 34

CHAPTER 34

Camila

K ilo’s arms wrapped around me and I buried my face in his chest. The shaking had stopped somewhere between Drifter bandaging up my head and us eventually loading into the SUVs. Most of the guys had stayed behind to get rid of the evidence that anyone had been out there. I didn’t ask Kilo what that meant because I didn’t need the specifics. I knew it meant getting rid of the bodies.

Kruzman was dead. So was Ashley. And despite the fact that I’d never been a violent person before all this, I was glad. So relieved. We were safe. In fact, I was a bit numb. It seemed strange that after four years of fear and running, it was over. It would sink in eventually, but for now, I was just glad that Kilo was holding me.

I was clinging to him, but not because I was scared or traumatized. I was just so glad he was safe. Drifter had patched up a couple of others. Code had a bullet graze his leg. And Flir had been shot in the arm, but neither seemed worse for wear. Overdrive and Flir were in the SUV with us as Ruck drove us back toward the city.

No one was speaking, but I caught them giving me glances. “I’m fine,” I said, looking up at Kilo and smiling. “Thanks for the rescue.”

He chuckled and brushed his hand over my hair, being careful not to hit my bandage. “Anytime, Mercy. Never felt much like a white knight, but I won the prettiest princess anyway.”

I shook my head. His smile was infectious, so I returned it. A loud noise made me jump in his arms.

“Sorry,” Ruck muttered, tapping the phone that was secured to the dash of the SUV. “Yeah?”

“Oh shit, wasn’t actually expecting you to answer-”

“Give me the phone, Toxic,” another voice said. “Ruck? It’s Lockout.”

“What’s going on?” Ruck asked.

“We’ve been trying to call you. I’ve got my men out searching for Camila. Some fucking asshole showed up ten minutes before us, took her from Roger’s place,” Lock told him. “I’ve had Riptide trying to track the car he put her in through different cameras around the city. Found a house we think he had her in, but they’re not here.”

“Don’t touch anything in that house,” Ruck told him, “or if you have, wipe it all down. That asshole was an FBI Agent.”

There was a pause, then Lock asked, “Was?”

“Yeah, he brought Camila out to the desert to Kruzman.”

“He dead?”

“Yeah. They both are. We have Camila and are heading back to Roger’s.”

“Good. So will we. Her family will be relieved.”

“My gun,” I said, grabbing Kilo’s arm. “It’s somewhere in the wash behind Ashley’s house. I shot him.”

Kilo grinned and ran his fingers over my cheek. “Good girl.”

“We’ll find the gun,” Lockout said, before Ruck even had a chance to ask.

“Is Roger okay?” I asked. Everyone looked at me and I gave Ruck an apologetic look for interrupting again. “Ashley hit him pretty hard in the head with his gun.”

“Yeah,” Lock said, answering my question. “Got a nasty bump, but otherwise he’s going to be fine.”

“We’ll see you back there,” Ruck told him and hung up the phone.

“Who the fuck is Ashley?” Overdrive asked the moment the call ended.

“That was the FBI Agent’s name,” I told them.

Silence descended, then they began laughing.

“His name was Ashley?” Kilo asked.

“It was his last name, apparently,” I said with my own laugh.

“Fucking stupid name,” Ruck said with a chuckle. “No wonder he was a little bitch.”

“And you got your ass handed to you by a bitch man named Ashley,” Overdrive taunted Kilo.

“I didn’t get my ass handed to me,” Kilo replied, scowling at his friend. “You’re just pissed that I won this round.”

“Won?” I asked.

“Little game we play sometimes,” Overdrive told me. “And you didn’t win.”

“The fuck I didn’t.”

“Kruzman doesn’t count in your favor. Ruck saved him for you. And a man named Ashley counts for negative one. I win.”

“Bullshit! You don’t get to count someone as a negative. I still won without Kruzman,” Kilo declared, squeezing me close. It was as though he somehow knew I needed comfort at just hearing Kruzman’s name.

I was determined to rid myself of the stain Kruzman had left on my life, but it was going to take some time. When a man hunted you, and tried to kill you multiple times, over four years, he inspired a good amount of fear.

The drive didn’t seem to take nearly as long as it had when Ashley had been taking me out to the desert to my demise. Crazy how fear seemed to slow things down. Kissing Kilo’s lips with a quick peck, I jumped out of the SUV and ran toward the house.

“Mercy! Wait! There could still be a threat!” He cursed and followed after me.

Pausing at the door, I considered my options. If I burst through, the bikers on the other side could kill me. They didn’t know who I was and even though I looked like Mama and Carmen, they may not recognize that fast enough. I looked up as Kilo caught up and wrapped an arm around my shoulders.

“Good choice,” he told me. “We’re going to have to have a talk about safety, Woman.” He knocked on the door. “Friendlies incoming!”

“What does that mean?” I asked.

“Just letting them know it’s us,” Kilo replied with a wink, but he still stepped in front of me as he opened the door.

The fact that this man was shielding me from harm with his body was profoundly humbling. That he and his family had put themselves on the line was mind blowing. It was the ultimate declaration of love. Why else would he do any of this?

“Kilo, doing good?” One of the men inside the house asked.

“All good, Hellfire. Thanks for watching out for them.”

Stepping inside the house, I placed my hand on Kilo’s arm. When he looked down at me, I swallowed back the tears that wanted to burst free. “I love you.”

His lips kicked up at one corner. “Love you, too, Mercy.”

“Whoa, hang on a minute,” a man with a heavy southern drawl said. A grin was spreading over his face.

“Did he just say love, Hush?” A third man asked, looking perplexed.

“Sure did, Butcher. You know, that thing you feel for Isla? That’s what he’s talkin’ about,” Hush told him.

“Fuck off. I know what love is.”

“Sure, now you do,” the man who’d originally answered the phone said, folding his arms over his chest. “Thanks to us. The man has more than one feeling now. Who ever thought it possible?”

“I like to think I had something to do with it,” the woman Butcher had an arm wrapped around said.

I was guessing that was Isla. Looking around at all the new faces, I tried to take it all in. “Thank you so much,” I said. My voice caused them all to stop their bickering—which sounded exactly like Kilo and his brothers when they were all poking at each other—and stare at me. I twisted my hands together, trying to hold back the waves of emotions that were battering at me. I didn’t want to cry in front of all these tough looking men, and the bad ass woman who was holding a rifle in one hand.

Eyeing the weapon, I gave her a weak smile. “Thank you,” I repeated, “for coming to help us. For protecting my family and searching for me. I… I honestly don’t know how to tell you how grateful I am.”

“Jesus,” Hush drawled, eyes softening as he stared at me.

“She’s too damn sweet for you, Kilo,” the second voice from the phone call said. That was Lockout, the president of the Tucson Chapter of the Viking’s Rampage. Not only did I recognize the voice, but he had the same authority that Ruck wore like armor. Invisible, but everyone here knew the two men standing side by side were in charge of their respective groups.

The men all started agreeing and teasing Kilo, which he took with his signature grin. He nudged me and then jerked his head a little. I looked over and saw my family there, behind the wall of muscles and tattoos the bikers made.

Skirting past a man who was even bigger than Bolo—Kilo had called him Hellfire—though not by much, I threw myself into the waiting arms of my mother and sister. The sound of the men talking as everyone came inside the house was muffled though, because both Prissy and Roger draped themselves over my back, creating a circular embrace with me at the center.

I couldn’t believe that not only were we safe, but now our family had grown by leaps and bounds, and in such a short amount of time. The length of time we’d known these men, and this woman, was insignificant, though. Not when they’d gone to bat for us in such a monumental way. I’d always owe them my gratitude. I’d love them all until I was nothing but dust. Sinking into the hugs, I let the fear and unease I’d known for four years float away.