She sat on the floor with Betty, keeping her eyes averted as Lord literally beat the man to death. He was a powerhouse, an unrelenting beast of vengeance. All she could see in her peripheral vision was red.
When everything went quiet, Betty nudged her. She looked over and saw Lord covered in blood. He looked like the devil himself. But he wasn’t, she knew that more than anyone.
After wiping his hands on his jeans, he beckoned her to stand. She was hesitant. They’d been kept prisoners in the bathroom since this attack started. The prez had wanted to kill her in front of Lord, so he could watch him suffer.
“I’m so sorry, baby.” He pulled her close and she tried to ignore all the blood and accept the comfort. “Did he touch you?”
“No.”
“You were right. I never should have left you behind.”
“I wasn’t sure if you’d come.”
“I’ll always come for you, Ally.” He pressed his forehead to hers, and despite their circumstances, she could feel the love and intimacy from the simple act. They had each other back.
“Where’s Rancher?” asked Betty.
“He’s in the barn. The doctor’s probably here by now. He’s shot in the leg,” Lord said. Betty rushed out the bathroom door. She heard the footfalls all the way down the stairs.
“I thought I was dead. Thought I’d never see you again,” she said.
“I’ll take good care of you.” As he led her out of the bathroom, his men parted for them. They were heavily armed and she finally felt safe that the club had come. At the bottom of the stairs, she saw Betty reunite with her kids before heading out back. They’d been excellent, staying in their secret place without a noise the entire time.
“Should we stay?” she asked.
He shook his head. Lord looked exhausted. “We’ll check in tomorrow. I’ll leave a couple guys here tonight on watch, just in case.”
She didn’t argue. All she wanted to do was get back to the club, take a shower, and sleep for a week. He held her hand as they walked out to his bike in the darkness. The air was crisp at this time of night, soothing after being holed up in the small bathroom. It had been too claustrophobic for her liking.
“Will it always be like this?” she asked.
He mounted the bike and helped her climb on behind him. “Like what?”
“Knowing I can lose you every time you ride away.”
Lord leaned back in his seat enough so they could kiss. It was a soft, gentle kiss. “This is over now. We learn from our mistakes, and from now on you stay by my side.”
“Good. That’s where I want to be.”
The bike was kicked to life, and the familiar rumble of the engine reminded her of Lord. Together, they rode back to the club with some of his men behind them. She held him tight around the waist, feeling safe and relieved to be heading home. The nightmare was over and, as far as she knew, no Straight to Hell men had been killed.
As they approached, the gates were opened for them. They all filed in, and the gates were securely closed behind them. She’d hated this place when Lord had brought her here, but now it was her sanctuary.
After parking, Lord didn’t help her off the bike. Instead, he swung her body up into his arms and carried her inside to their bedroom. His strength always amazed her … and turned her on.
“Tonight, we need to wash off every memory of this fucked-up day. Then we’ll sleep long and hard,” Lord said.
“And tomorrow?”
“Tomorrow I’ll show you exactly how grateful I am to have you back.”
****
One week later
Lord left Tank’s room when the doctor came in to check on him. His surgery had gone well last week. He’d have a nasty scar on his stomach, but he’d heal as good as new.
Rancher would need to be off his feet for a while, but Betty was more than happy to wait on him and keep things running on their ranch. The club covered the cost of all the damages.
As far as they knew, all senior members of the Skull Nation had been wiped out. If there were any others, they’d gone into hiding … for now. They’d play it safe for a while longer, but Lord was confident this war was over.
“How’s he doing?” asked Brick once Lord was in the hallway.
“He’s a tough motherfucker. You’d think he cut himself shaving.”
“Good. How’s your girl? Still shaken up?”
Lord shook his head. “She’s tough, too.”
“Tough enough to be your old lady?” Brick raised an eyebrow.
“I’m not even going to answer that.” Lord kept walking toward his room. Before opening the door, he turned to his VP. “I’m making it official tonight.”
“About time.”
Once inside the room, Ally rushed him. He twirled her around, then held her close. “You’re happy today. Feeling better?” Yesterday, she’d been sick in the morning. He blamed the cookout they’d had the previous night. Probably undercooked meat.