“Ummm…hurt?” His little worried gaze takes in the scene before him as he holds the sleeping puppy.
“Yes, I don’t want any owies, so sit with the puppy; he needs you to cuddle him while he sleeps.”
He sighs and slowly sits with the dog, watching everything unfold. I don’t think he buys it completely, but he’s smart so he stays where he is.
“Who the fuck areyou? Why are you in my house?” I grumble toward the man I’ll be killing shortly. He’ll be lucky if I don’t string him up and torture him for pulling this little stunt with my family.
“I’m Shadow. And your fucking club killed my older brother.”
“Who was your brother?”
At this rate, it could be anyone. We’ve had our fair share of killing shitbags throughout the club. I’m guessing it was an Iron Fist we torched, as his cut advertises he’s affiliated with the same club. None of it matters anyhow; I’m only concerned with keeping him talking.
“Ghost was my brother. Someone from your club killed him,” he repeats.
I know exactly who it was, too—Twist and Ares. I remember the exact day, as a matter of fact. They’d called us over for a beer to fill us in on what went down that afternoon. I was still a Nomad at the time.
“I’m coming to kill each one of you.” As soon as he finishes, he aims and fires his Glock at me, gripping the back of Bethany’s neck tightly with his free hand. Her cringe, has me wanting to extract what teeth he has one by one, so he can feel my wrath for laying his filthy hands on her.
The kick causes the shot to go wide and the bullet hits me in the shoulder. It stings, but that’s not what hurts. It’s the screams leaving my girl and my son that wind me. He just signed his death certificate.Bye-bye motherfucker.
Shaking it off, I spread my feet and grit through the burning sensation. I’ve been attacked by a motherfuckin’ lion; a bullet won’t drop me. Not today, at least. I have to protect my family, and I’ll do it with everything in me.
“Again, why are you doing this to me and my family?” I need to distract him enough to get his hand away from Bethany’s throat, so I can get to him without her getting hurt badly.
Thank God Maverick is a good kid and listens to his mom telling him to stay away from her. He clutches the puppy to his chest as tears roll down his cheeks, confused and scared by what’s happening in his own home. I want to kill this asshole for touching Bethany already, but the fact he’s making my kid cry, it makes me want to filet him—slowly. I swear if I don’t get to finish him outright, I’ll burn plastic until it melts into scalding hot liquid then I’ll coat his flesh in it and peel him like a goddamn orange. This motherfucker won’t know what pain is until I get a turn at him.
B’s eyes flick to Mav again, full of concern, I know she’s torn on what to do. He sits only a few feet away from the hell happening in our living room. Hell, I want to grab him and take him someplace safe, but I know I can save them both.
This dipshit, Shadow, didn’t come prepared. He was expecting to have access to Bethany without any interference and came alone. It was a dumb mistake on his part.
I told dollface before that you never mess with a man’s bike. The other two rules that go along with that are: You never fuck with a man’s club, and by all means, you never touch a man’s property, so you better be prepared if you do. What comes after screwing with those three things is retaliation, revenge, and murder. I cannot wait to get my hands on him, ‘cause I will end him.
She takes a deep breath, and I read her before it even happens. She releases the switchblade, nervously glancing at me, and I nod.Do it baby. I got you.
It feels as if it happens in slow motion. Her hand jerks upward, taking assface off guard as she drives the blade into his thigh with everything she’s got. He yells, releasing her in shock, and she dives for Maverick. I’ve never been so proud of her.
In the same breath, I jump for Shadow, bringing my own blade to his throat and ripping it across. Bethany holds our son and the puppy to her chest, covering Maverick’s eyes as she watches. Blood showers out from the wound, coating my clothes and the floor beneath my feet.
Flicking my head to the side, Bethany hops around the mess heading for the other room. She doesn’t need to see all of this; I wish she hadn’t witnessed any of it. Watching the man bleed out below me, I wait until I know he’s completely gone before I check on my family.
“You okay?” I mutter, pausing in the doorway.
“We will be.” She holds Maverick to her still, sitting on the edge of his bed as the puppy noses a few of my son’s toys lying around his room.
“You can come out now.”
“I can’t let him see that out there. And you need to change.”
Glancing down, I see I’m coated in blood spray. “I’ll be right back.”
I stuff the ruined clothes in a trash bag, put a fresh set on and scrub some of the blood from my hands and arms so I don’t freak them out. Then check on Shadow again; he’s still dead, so I make my way back to the bedroom.
“Better?”
“Yes, thanks and thank you for what you did in there.”
“Of course. I’ll always protect you in any way that I can. It didn’t freak you out though?”