Page 90 of Tied to You

“We gotta go!” The non-Scot says.

I smile, blood seeping between my teeth hearing the distance wail of sirens.

“Make sure you get his money!” Scotty says, standing to his feet about to leave.

I don’t think so. I reach for the inner pocket of my cut. I grab my flick knife and swing my arm, slashing him across his Achillies.

He crumbles, and I drag myself to my feet. “Wait.”

The other one turns as I jab my knife in his thigh. I have them both at my mercy. “Who’s Nathan?” I ask the pair of squealing pigs on the floor. Neither of them answer me. Not surprisingly. “Fine.”

I make a quick a decision knowing I don’t have the time to fuck about. Kill them and it’s double murder. Let them live, and they come back for more or worse, they talk. Dean left me no choice. I swipe the blade across both their throats then run as fast as I can to my bike. Sloppy, yes. But I just look like a man who’s simply fleeing the carnage of two mad men.

Who am I kidding? I’m about as incon-fucking-spicuous as a virgin showing up to a whore house. I’m just a lucky son of a bitch who gets away unnoticed. All eyes that are out here are busy looking at the van that’s now caught fire in the restaurant window.

When I make it to the clubhouse, my body has truly started aching. Adrenaline has subsided, making way for an onslaught of pain. I swing my leg off my bike then head inside, one hand clutching my ribs.

There’s only one thing on my mind.

When the door opens, my racing heart settles.

She made it. Sat with Rocco, her face is like thunder. I know I’m going to feel the full weight of her emotions, but I simply do not care. She runs over, throwing her arms around my neck.

“Ouch, baby.” I slide my hand around her back, taking a step back but holding her close, wincing as a fresh stab of pain slices through me.

“You’re hurt.”

I bury my head in her neck, pain thrumming through my veins. “You should see the other guys,” I say fleetingly, but it doesn’t get past her.

She pulls back slowly. I can see the anger rushing through her mind as she pieces what I’m saying together. A slow understanding of the heinous act I committed. Twice. She wants to hit me. Maybe she will. “Don’t evertell me to leave you like that again.” She tugs my leather to make sure I’m listening.

I can’t keep that promise. So I don’t. I pull her back into me, then kiss her head. “I need to go see Rocco. Stay down here. We’ll be leaving as soon as I’m done.” I give him a nod of my head, and he stands, slowly making his way over.

“Okay.” She steps back, one hand she holds to her chest, the other on her hip. She’s in shock.

“Hey.”

She looks at me with unsure eyes.

“This is the other part of my chaos, baby.” It’s not a plea for her to choose, nor an invitation for her to decide if she still wants in. This is me telling her that now she’s with me, this is a part of her life, too. It’s ride or die. I don’t want her near anything that could hurt her, but if anyone can fucking handle it, I know with every part of me it’s the woman holding my gaze.

“I know.”

Heart kicking, I see nothing but irrevocable love looking back at me.

Turning, I gingerly follow Rocco upstairs. We take our seats at the table, the door closed for privacy. Just us. “Why are you not calling everyone else up here?” I already know. Whatever secret meeting he and Dean had has everything to do with what happened to me tonight. Clearly, no one else is privy yet.

The pinching of his lips makes it obvious. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fucking breathing, if that’s what you mean.”

He blows out his cheeks. “What happened?”

I relay the story and how they knew we had seen Elvis, which leads me on to my next question. “Did you know Dean was up to something?”

“Travis—”

“No, Prez. No bullshit. They came after one of us in broad fucking daylight. I had Mollie with me. Could have been a fuck load worse had I not seen them coming.”