Page 36

Chapter thirty-six

After dropping Lyric off with my parents for the day, Bailee takes me back to the place I picked her up months ago.

“You hid it here?” I ask. “How the hell do we know it’s still here, or what kind of condition it’s in?”

She shrugs. “We don’t. I did what I could to make sure it would stay protected until I could retrieve it, but there was always going to be the risk of something happening to it. Hopefully, the moisture and stuff didn’t mess with it.”

“Or anyone else,” I mutter.

“Yeah, that too.”

I pull into the driveway of the abandoned place I’d found her at and take in the damaged house. There’s no way that shit is going to be any good, which defeats the damn purpose of us using it as leverage against Killer.

“Can you make it in there, or do you need to stay here?”

Shooting a glare at her, I climb down from the Bronco. Pain wracks my body, but I keep it hidden behind the mask I’m so damn good at wearing. She doesn’t need to worry about me when there’s so much other shit going on.

“I can make it,” I snap.

Her brows raise, and she purses her lips. “All right, tough guy. Let’s go then.”

The abandoned neighborhood still sits as empty as it was the night I found her, but I don’t let my guard down, knowing Killer could have people staking this place out for just this reason. Despite the way it may seem, he’s not a stupid man, and there’s a good chance he knows she’s probably hidden the pictures.

I slide my gun from the holster under my cut and hold it loosely in my hand. My eyes drift between our surroundings and the woman marching her way to the dilapidated house in front of us.

“This place looks even worse than the last time we were here,” she says, shoving the half-broken door the rest of the way open.

Last time, we had to squeeze through the fucking opening. Examining the door now that we’re in the daylight, I can tell this damage is man-made and not from being exposed to the elements.

“Careful,” I call softly when Bailee stumbles over a piece of wood sticking up from the floor.

While she goes in search of the film, I watch our backs from the front door. I don’t have faith that Killer won’t take this chance to sneak up on us. It’s what I’d do if I was him.

The trees across the road draw my eye as they sway in the breeze. Their trunks are wide enough for someone to hide behind if they need to, and with how dense the woods are over there, it’d be hard to pick out what belongs and what doesn’t.

“Someone has definitely been here looking for something,” Bailee calls to me from somewhere in the house.

There. About ten feet in. They moved, and for a short moment, they were visible through the thickness of the branches and leaves.

A loud crack followed by the splintering of wood and Bailee’s screams have me turning on my feet and running through the house to find her. Agony pierces every part of my body from the fight last night, but I shove it away as I hurry toward her.

“Bailee,” I yell.

Shoes collide with the wooden floor as she rushes to me, her hand clenched into a fist at her side. The color has faded from her face, and her eyes are wide with fear.

“Someone just shot at me,” she pants.

“Yeah,” I say, grabbing her hand. “They’re in the woods. Were you able to find it?”

She unfolds her fingers, showing me the canister in the middle of her palm. “Now, we just have to hope that nothing damaged it.”

Another shot scrapes against metal, and I grit my teeth when I realize they hit my fucking Bronco. Before we can take another step, shot after shot rings out, and I keep count in my head.

“Goin’ to have to reload, and that’s when you’re goin’ to run for the Bronco while I keep you covered. Sounds like only one person out there, but now they know we’re here, there will be more comin’. We need to be out of here before that happens. I can take on one or two, but not as many as Killer will send.”

Bailee’s shoulders snap straight, and her eyes harden as she nods. “We need to do something with this so we don’t lose it.”

“Gonna damage it if you stick it in your shoe?”

She grimaces, not liking the idea, but shrugs anyway. “No worse than it could be now.”

Bailee leans down and slides the canister into her tennis shoe, moving her foot around until she can get it into a place that’s comfortable before rising back up and staring at me expectantly.

I guide her to the door, being sure to keep my body in front of hers. I’m a bigger target, so they’ll aim at me first.

“When I tell you to, run to the Bronco and jump in then get low. I’ll keep him distracted while you do.”

“How will you get in if he’s still out there?” she asks, the fingers of her other hand wrapping into the bottom of my shirt. “No. We should go together, Steel.”

Fuck, there’s no time to reassure her, but I’m going to have to because her panic is filling the air around us.

“Hey, hey,” I croon. “Never goin’ to let anything happen to you. Told you this. But need to get us out of here as safely as we can, which means I need you to listen.”

She closes her eyes and inhales deeply. When she opens them, they’re clear and determined.

“Good girl,” I praise, watching her pupils dilate. “Now, I’m goin’ to distract him, and you’re goin’ to the Bronco.”

“Okay.”

I brush my knuckles down her cheek. “Ready?”

She nods, giving me a shaky smile. “Ready.”

“When I step out the door, you go behind me and to the Bronco.”

“Got it.”

Another shot rings out, splintering the wood next to us. Shavings attack the skin of my cheek, the sting pulling a hiss from me as I yank my head to the side. Thankfully, my beard protects my face from most of the wood.

“He’s goin’ to have to reload now. Let’s go.”

I aim a gun in the direction I saw the movement earlier and step out the door. “Go.”

Bailee’s footsteps pound against the concrete pavement of the driveway, and I spot a glint through the trees just before another crack rings out.

“Down,” I shout before returning fire. “Get in the Bronco.”

When they duck behind the tree, I rush to close the distance between us before he decides to pop back out.

He’s moved a few more feet into the woods, so I take cover behind another tree when I see him moving around.

The guy curses when he doesn’t spot either of us.

I wait, knowing he’ll get stupid in his need to get to us first.

That’s the thing about Killer’s guys—they’re fucking hotheads and don’t have the patience for the hunt. They’re a bunch of loyal fuckers, no doubt.

A snap of a twig then the crunch of leaves to the right of me has me sliding lightly around the trunk of the tree to the left.

Just need him a bit closer before I step out.

His mistake is not learning how to be light on his feet when he’s a big guy.

“Shit,” the guy whispers when another twig breaks.

I smirk, my finger caressing the trigger as I wait for him to take another step toward me. It’ll carry him in front of me and I can have my gun at the back of his head.

Once he’s past the tree, I step out from behind it, not trying to be quiet as I do.

He starts to swing around, but the barrel of my pistol digs into the back of his head. “Should’ve been lighter on your feet. What should I do with you?”

He chuckles, whipping around to face me, leaving the barrel pointing in the middle of his forehead. “You could give me a taste of that pretty pussy you got with you.”

My hand is a blur as I draw back and then bring it forward, the butt of my pistol smacking him in the face.

Blood gushes from the cuts under his eye and on his lip.

Red tinges his teeth when he smiles tauntingly. “She must be some fine piece.”

“Where’s Killer?” I ask through gritted teeth, making note of the patches on his cut.

Crazy K.

Just a patched member.

He groans, reaching down to grab his dick. “I bet she’s nice and snug. Imagine she’ll tighten real nice around me when I’m choking the life from her body.”

My hand trembles and my finger twitches against the trigger. “Where the fuck is Killer?”

Crazy K laughs, his eyes fearless despite being minutes away from catching a bullet to his head. “Probably getting ready to tear her tight little asshole apart before slicing her throat open.”

No sooner than the last word passes his lips, I have the gun shoved under his chin and I pull the trigger.

Wetness coats my face right before his body hits the ground with a heavy thud.

Well, fuck.

Lifting the hem of my shirt, I wipe my face and step over his body to go check on Bailee.

I pull my phone out of my pocket and bring up Wraith’s contact.

“Yeah?” he answers.

“Got some slop that needs delivered,” I state gruffly.

Bailee’s eyes are wide on me when I open the door.

“Need a pickup?”

“Yeah. The load is too heavy for just one person,” I reply, letting him know there’s only one body before rattling off our location.

“Got it. I’ll send a few hands to help.”

“Thanks. Bringin’ a cute little birdie and her cargo with me,” I tell him, aiming a wink at the frozen woman still staring my way.

“See you soon, brother,” he replies, ending the calls.

I toss my phone on the seat before pulling my cut off and laying it over the back. Reaching behind me, I grab my t-shirt and pull it over my head, then I use it to finish cleaning the blood from me.

“What the hell happened?” Lee asks.

“Had nothin’ useful to say, and I couldn’t let him continue breathin’ after he threatened your life.”

“Oh,” she says, nodding. “Makes sense.”

The unsure tone in her voice has me peering over at her. “You good?”

Her face has a queasy pallor to it as she stares at the blood-covered shirt in my hand. “Yeah, sure. I’m good.”

“Hummingbird, look at me.” When she gives me her eyes, I tell her, “It was either him or you. Always goin’ to pick you, baby girl. Do me a favor? Grab me the wipes out of the glove box.”

She pops it open and passes me the wipes I keep in there for Lyric.

Pulling a few out, I wipe down the rest of my skin, catching any spots I missed with my shirt. I toss them onto the back floorboard to get rid of later.

“I’m sorry you had to kill someone because of me,” Bailee says in a low tone, her attention trained on the fingers she’s twisting in her lap.

Reaching across the console, I tuck my finger under her chin and turn her face toward me.

Sorrow sits heavily in her eyes, and her bottom lip is bruised from where she’s been chewing on it.

I run my thumb lightly over the mark on her lip, needing to soothe the pain I’m sure it’s caused.

She winces, her tongue poking out and flicking against my thumb. I don’t think she’s trying to be sensual, but that’s how the move comes across. When her teeth scrape against the pad, I withdraw my assumption, but I also know she’s trying to distract herself from what’s going on and I’m not going to let her.

“Baby girl, don’t much care for killin’, but it also ain’t goin’ to make me lose sleep at night. Not when it’s someone like that motherfucker.”

Her hand lifts to my cheek. “I’m still sorry you had to kill someone.”

Grabbing her chin, I bring her face to mine, sealing our lips together. I keep it short because Wraith will be sending someone to us shortly, and it’s easy for us to drown in each other.

With that thought in mind, I snag her lip between my teeth on the opposite side of the marks she left behind. It’s just a small nip before I pull away.

“Stop worryin’ so much, Hummingbird. Said it once, say it again. I got you always.”

Bailee stares at me, those gorgeous fucking eyes of hers speaking volumes. “You make me happy, you know that?” Her thumb brushes across the bruise on my cheek.

“Fucking undo me,” I growl, stealing her mouth again.

The roar of pipes breaks through the haze Bailee surrounds me in.

I pick my gun up from where I set it within easy reach on the floorboard and hold it at my side. “Get down until I’m sure these are my guys.”

She doesn’t put up any resistance, squeezing herself between the front seat and the floorboard.

I put my back to her, protecting her as much as I can.

When familiar faces come into view, I lose the tension that’s locked my body tight.

I flip the safety back on but continue to hold it loosely just to be on the safe side.

Jagger, Linc, and Bender pull up with Prospect Keaton at their side. Prospect Poe, better known at Tex around the club, arrives in the cage behind them. Prospect Marcus, the one the brothers have taken to calling Cowboy, rides shotgun. My brothers climb from their bikes, their eyes scanning our surroundings, alert and ready for any threat coming our way.

They each pull me in for our standard hand clasp and black slap greeting.

“You both good?” Bender asks, his eyes drifting to Bailee when she climbs from the floorboard.

“Yeah,” I grunt. “Got a mess in the woods over there.”

He nods. “We’ll take care of it.”

Heading around to the back of the Bronco, I open the hatch and grab a clean shirt from the go bag I keep there. “‘Preciate it. Got to get to the clubhouse.”

“We’ll make sure this is good with the prospects, then we’ll be there too.”

“Sounds good.”

Bender and Linc lift their hands to their foreheads and give Bailee a two-fingered salute in goodbye. Jagger doesn’t say anything because he rarely does, and the prospects give her a respectful nod.

She gives them all a small smile and a little wave in return as I grab my cut from the back of the seat and pull it over my shoulders.

Jagger smacks his hand on the roof in a drive safe gesture after I start the engine.

Before I back out, Bailee reaches over and grabs my hand, entwining her fingers with mine. “Me and you, bossman. We face this fire together.”

Instead of answering, I give her hand a squeeze, lifting it to my lips and kissing the back of it before dropping it to my thigh.

Whatever comes our way, with this woman at my side, I know we’ll fuck the world up.

We check in with Lyric and my parents before we head into the club. Mom informs us my girl is having fun and for me to take care of what I need to.

After we hang up, I help Bailee down from the Bronco and pull her along behind me to the doors of the clubhouse.

I’m trying not to think of what’s going to happen when we walk inside.

My brothers seem cool with everything, so I need to trust their word.

The club whores are my main concern. They can be catty, and some of them have the tendency to be territorial when they have no right to be.

Shit gets annoying as fuck.

Not wanting Bailee to be caught unaware, I stop us in front of the door and turn toward her.

I tug a lock of short hair and stare down into her face. As much as I cared about Heather because she was the mother of my child, I didn’t have this need to reassure her and really worry about her comfort.

With Bailee, even though our relationship scares me, I have an incessant need to let her know that outside of my daughter and my mom, she’s one of the most important women in life.

“The club whores—” I start, but she lays her finger across my lips.

“I’m not stupid, Steel. I already know you fucked them.”

“They can be bitches,” I try again.

Bailee shrugs. “Most women can be.” She squeezes my hand and lifts to her toes, brushing her lips against my cheek. “Stop worrying about stuff you can’t control. I’m a big girl and can handle my own against women who want to act like we’re still in high school.”

She steps around me and pulls the door open, dragging me in behind her.

Once we’re inside, she freezes as heads turn our way. I guide her behind me and lift my chin, daring someone to open their mouth.

Most of my brothers turn back to what they were doing. The few club whores who aren’t at their normal job either gaze with open curiosity or glare with spiteful jealousy. The ones staring with curiosity are some of the few who are low on drama and understand they have no claim on any of our patches.

Those are the ones I give a respectful nod to. The others get a disdainful glare that has them scurrying away.

Bailee steps up beside me. “Stop acting scary and glaring at them,” she admonishes.

“Need to stop actin’ like they have a reason to be jealous,” I mutter.

She laughs, sliding her hand into my back pocket.

I toss my arm over her shoulder, pulling her into my side as I guide us toward the bar.

Prospect Axel is behind the bar, and he gives me a respectful nod when we sidle up to it. “What can I get you?”

“Water for me,” I tell him before glancing down at Bailee with a lifted brow.

“Same for me. Thanks,” she says quietly.

I spin on the barstool until I’m staring around the common room, then I pull Bailee between my legs, her ass resting snug against my dick. I band an arm around her stomach, holding her in place as I scan the room for Wraith.

He and Crow pop out of his office. He spots us standing over here and makes his way to us. It’s only moments before he stands in front of us with his arms folded across his chest. His blank face and intense eyes as he stares Bailee down set off a riot of emotions inside me.

I’m ready to jump to my feet and face the threat head-on when Bailee stops me by digging her nails into the skin of my arm. She rubs her palm along it before climbing to her feet, forcing me to let go of her.

Bailee stares up at him, her body loose to show him no signs of defiance. “I’d like to apologize to you and your club, Wraith. I truly meant no disrespect to you, Steel, or the Dirty Mavericks. I’ve been so terrified, constantly looking over my shoulder, that I didn’t think of the damage I could be inflicting on other relationships. My brother and the others trust you all, and I should’ve done the same. However, I know Steel intimately, and while I hadn’t seen him in over three years, I had to have faith that he still wouldn’t leave me bleeding out while Killer hunted me down. All this is on me, and I’m coming to you in the hopes of making it right.”

She bends over, her plump ass perking up in my face as she grabs the round canister from her shoe. Bailee straightens and passes it over to Wraith. “These are the only copies.”

He takes it, rolling it between his palms as he stares at her. “You’re gonna need to let us know everything that happened that day. We need to know what we’re up against.”

“Okay. I can do that.”

He turns to me. “As soon as the others get here, we’ll hold Church.” Then he turns back to Bailee. “Outsiders normally wouldn’t be allowed to join. Since this concerns the club, however, we’re making an exception.”

“I understand,” she replies with a solemn nod.

Wraith lifts a brow. “Do you really? Because if you speak to anyone about what goes on in there, you forfeit your life.”

I climb to my feet quickly, not appreciating the fact he just threatened my woman’s life. “Too fuckin’ far,” I growl, stepping up to him.

“Watch yourself, Road Captain,” he snarls softly. “You’re already on thin ice with me.”

Bailee steps up beside me, placing her hand on my chest and pushing to create space between me and Wraith. The only reason she’s able to move me at all is because her touch always has that ridiculous fucking calming effect on me.

“It’s okay, Steel. He’s doing what he’s supposed to. You would do it with anyone else in this situation. He can’t treat me any differently. I don’t blame him, and you don’t need to either.”

I bring my hand to the side of her neck, feeling her pulse beat erratically against my palm. “He threatened you.”

Bailee nods, lifting her hand to cover mine. “He wouldn’t be doing his job as your President if he didn’t.” She turns back to Wraith. “I really do understand.”

Bender, Jagger, and Linc walk through the clubhouse doors, causing the tension between me and Wraith to dissipate.

We nod at each other before Wraith turns to the common room and lifts his fingers to his mouth to let out a sharp whistle. “Church in five.”

When they walk away, Bailee pokes me in the stomach. “You can’t be going head-to-head with him.”

Grabbing her finger, I bring it to my mouth and bite down. “Told you. Always got you.”

“And I love that, but these guys are your family, and I won’t have you fighting with them.”

She keeps her voice low while peering around to make sure no one is listening in as she puts me in my place. Not that I give a shit what anyone left in this room thinks, but I appreciate that she wants to respect me.

I tug one of her short red locks. “Hear you, baby girl, but won’t do well if your life keeps bein’ threatened.”

Bailee grabs my beard and pulls me to her mouth. Her tongue teases mine in small, velvety swipes, tempting us both with whispered promises for later.

“Guess we’ll just have to make sure no one has a reason to threaten my life,” she says when she pulls away with a bite to my lip.

A few minutes later, we’re heading toward the chapel.

Bailee grabs my hand, holding it tightly, the slight tremble belying the calm pretense she’s trying so hard to maintain.

I pull us to a stop in front of the prospect at the door holding a lockbox for our phones.

“Prez wants all electronic devices in here,” he says.

We don’t do this with every meeting because too many of us have kids and shit, but because of everything going on and because Lee is an outsider, Wraith wants no chance that anything will get out.

I grab mine from my pocket and stick it in while issuing an order to Prospect Poe. “My daughter calls, you bring it to me.”

“Understood, sir,” he replies, closing the box and locking it after Bailee adds hers.

Bailee straightens her shoulders and lifts her head, her posture screaming that she’s going to war and is determined to come out the victor.

She goes ahead of me, but as soon as she gets in and is surrounded by a roomful of men in leather staring her down, she stops and wrings her hands together.

Wraith left an empty chair next to mine, so I guide her to it with a hand to the small of her back. We take a seat, and Bailee places her hands flat on the table in front of her, sitting straight. It’s an unconscious move to present herself as non-threatening.

“Tell us what happened that day,” Wraith orders.

We all listen quietly as Bailee walks us through that day. Seeing it all through her eyes, experiencing the fear she felt, her pain when she got shot, and then her reluctance to involve me and the club, it has the blood pumping through my veins in icy torrents.

Glancing around at my brothers, I realize I’m not the only one affected by her story. He did the one thing we try not to do unless it’s a last resort—he touched a woman. Not only did he touch one, but he went after one who belongs to one of us, and he won’t stop until she’s no longer breathing.

“Anything else you two need to tell us about what’s going on?”

“I need my phone from the lockbox,” she states, and Wraith nods at Gremlin, silently ordering him to grab it from the prospect.

After Gremlin passes it to her, she goes through it and pulls up the messages she was getting.

As far as I know, she hasn’t received any more since she’s been staying at my house.

“I was getting these when I was staying at Sinful Saloon,” she says, passing the phone to Wraith.

He reads it, his brows furrowing as he tries to decipher them. “Why do these look familiar?”

“I think it has to do with the stuff going on at Sinful Saloon,” she tells him.

“Brooke? And the roses and shit?” he clarifies.

Bailee nods, regret and guilt written all over her face. “Yeah.” She sniffles, wiping a tear that’s sneaked from her eye. “I already apologized to you, Wraith, but I didn’t get a chance to apologize to the rest of you. I shouldn’t have had Steel keep me from you all because that put him at odds with his brothers. He trusted you, so I should have as well.”

She clears her throat and rubs her palms against the table.

Reaching over, I place my hand on her thigh, reassuring her that I’m right here with her.

Bailee takes a deep breathe before continuing. “Fear is a bitch, and when you’re dealing with monsters, it expands until it takes over your entire way of thinking.”

Her tone says she’s speaking on more than just what’s going on with Killer. If I had to guess, it has something do with that fucked-up father of hers.

“Won’t say it’s all good because people got hurt, but you’re here now. Next time, come to us, Bailee. You should know us enough by now that women are off limits unless they fuck up badly. You didn’t betray the club.” Wraith holds up a canister of film. “You’re doing what you can to make up for it. This will help a lot along with your story of what happened.” Wraith turns to Tweek. “Got your laptop?”

“Does my dick hang low and to the left?” he quips, running his tongue ring along his teeth before smiling. “The answer is yes. Yes, it does.”

My lips twitch at his ridiculous ass while Wraith just shakes his head and hands him the roll of film.

“Use the film scanner we ordered for Rembrandt and his shit. Go over these. Don’t destroy her pictures.”

He peers over at Bailee and taps his finger on her phone. “Do you mind if I let Tweek go over these messages and pull what he can from them?”

Bailee shakes her head, lifting her hands up to rub her arms. “No, of course not. Whatever helps.”

“All right. Do you mind going out and waiting for Steel out there? We have some club business to run through.”

“Sure. If you need anything else from me, just let me know,” she says, climbing to her feet.

Lee peers down at me. “Want me to check in with Lyric?”

I nod, reaching out to wrap my fingers around her thigh and giving it a squeeze. “Grab my phone from the prospect and give her a call.” I shake my head, climbing to my feet. “Never mind. I’ll walk you to the door and let him know to give it to you.”

Once I have her situated with my phone, I take my place back at the table.

“Right. Let’s go over our plan for the Night Skulls,” Wraith says.

An impending war is coming, and I’m fucking excited for it.