Blade

by Hope Stone

I nearly choked.

  “Outlaw Souls,” Piper corrected, shooting me a concerned look.

  I gulped, swallowing the beer in my mouth so that I could speak.

  “How do you know this?” I asked, the panic in my voice was clear, but I didn’t care. Blade calling into work the day after Ryder takes a bullet was too much of a coincidence. What if he was hurt too?

  I really hoped this had nothing to do with Las Balas, but I wasn’t naive. They were enemies, after all.

  “I’m good friends with one of the ER nurses over at La Playa Regional Hospital. She said he was brought in two nights ago with a bullet in his gut. Had to have surgery to get it out.”

  I needed to see Blade. I had to make sure that he was okay. I could tell that he cared about Ryder when he came in for a tattoo. This must be killing him. I also wanted to make sure that he knew I had his back, no matter what. I wasn’t a member of Las Balas, no matter how much I had been acting like it. I was his girl all along, even if I didn’t realize it.

  “I need to go,” I said, putting my cards down and standing.

  “Is something wrong?” Tammy asked. Veronica looked concerned, too, but Piper just gave me a small smile.

  “I have to go see Blade,” I told Piper. She’d explain the situation to the others. I didn’t want to waste time.

  I wasn’t sure where Blade would be tonight, but I decided to try his apartment first. If he wasn’t there, I’d go to the Outlaw Souls bar, the Blue Dog. I’d never been there before, but I knew where it was.

  I left Piper’s house and had just gotten into my car when my cell phone rang. I answered it immediately without even pausing to check the caller ID, hoping it would be Blade.

  “Hello?”

  “Kat.”

  “Lexie?”

  It was Jason’s girlfriend, and I could tell that she was crying. It was as though a fist had just reached into my chest and started squeezing my heart. There must be something wrong with Jason.

  “What’s happened?” I asked sharply, needing her to talk to me. I started up the car and headed in the direction of Jason’s apartment building.

  “It’s Jason. He’s been hurt.”

  “Is he in the hospital?”

  There was no way this was a coincidence. Ryder was shot, and now Jason was injured. What the hell was going on between Las Balas and Outlaw Souls?

  “No, he’s home with me. He said no to going to the hospital. They’d ask too many questions. It’s just that he looks so pale, and there’s so much blood.”

  I beat down my own frantic reaction to her words. Lexie was pregnant and clearly terrified. She needed me to be as calm as possible to help her through this.

  “I’m five minutes away,” I told her as I broke pretty much every speeding law that La Playa had. “Is he awake?”

  “Yes. He wants to see you.”

  “What kind of wound does he have?”

  “He says he…” her breath hitched, and I suspected that she was suppressing a sob. “He says he was shot.”

  “Fuck.”

  “I can’t do this anymore, Kat,” she said. “I can’t deal with this Las Bala shit anymore.”

  Uh-oh.

  I pulled up in front of their apartment building. “I’m here. Buzz me in.”

  I hung up the phone as she did. Their apartment was on the second floor, so I hit the stairs, not wanting to wait for the elevator.

  When I knocked on the apartment door, it was pulled open immediately.

  “Kat,” Lexie threw her thin body into mine, giving me a fierce hug. I patted her back and made soothing noises.

  “Where is he?”

  “Our bedroom,” she sniffled.

  Disengaging from Lexie, I stepped inside and headed to the hallway off the kitchen, where there were two bedrooms. I saw bloody rags in the sink and forced myself to look away.

  “Jason?” I called out as I knocked on the cracked door.

  “Come in,” he said.

  I found him lying on top of the blankets, shirtless. I could see streaks of dark red where blood had been wiped away. There was a clean bandage on his shoulder, with just a hint of red in the center, where blood was starting to bleed through.

  “What the fuck happened?” I asked, trying not to sound like I was accusing him of anything.

  “It’s a long story,” he sighed and gestured to the empty spot on the bed next to him. I sat down.

  “I’ve got time.”

  He sighed. “I think that the first thing you should know is that Blade probably saved my life tonight.”

  “Blade,” I echoed, trying to make sure I heard him correctly.

  “Yeah. There was a big fight tonight between Las Balas and Outlaw Souls. Actually, it technically started a couple of days ago.”

  “When Ryder was shot?”

  “How did you know that?”

  “A friend of a friend,” I said vaguely. “It doesn’t matter. Just tell me what happened.”

  He did, beginning with Las Balas taking the crate of weapons that the Outlaw Souls dug up. Jason wasn’t there, but he knew what happened. The entire club was abuzz with the news that Mad Dog had tried to kill Ryder. Then, he filled me in on everything that happened tonight, the way that Blade had stood up to his Outlaw Souls brothers and gotten Jason out of there.

  I beat back tears that threatened to fill my eyes. Blade had done this for me. I was sure of it. He saved my brother because Jason was so important to me. I couldn’t stand to lose him after my mother’s passing, and Blade knew that. After losing his own brother, he probably understood it more than most.

  “He brought me here and patched up my shoulder. Luckily, the bullet went all the way through. So, he stitched me up, and we had a little chat.”

  “About?”

  Please don’t say you talked about me.

  “The missing crate of weapons that we stole.”

  Right, of course. I felt stupid for thinking they’d be discussing me. There were clearly more important things to deal with.

  “You know where they are?” I asked.

  “Yep, and now Blade does, too.”

  “I can’t believe you betrayed Las Balas.”

  “I’m done with them. This whole thing was about greed and hatred, and I’m done with that. People died, and I could’ve been one of them. What if I’d bled out while they were fighting? I would have left Lexie and our kid behind, and for what? Some money that the club would keep? Besides, there’s a lot you don’t know about Las Balas, none of it good.”

  “So, tell me,” I said, eager to finally hear the truth. “I need to know.”

  Jason sighed and leaned his head back on his pillow with his eyes closed, but after a moment, he started to speak.

  “Well, they have a history in some pretty notorious shit. Human trafficking, for instance. They kidnapped young girls and sold them.”

  My stomach rolled. My god, I had no idea they’d ever done something like that. It was horrifying.

  “When did they do that?”

  “It went on for a long time,” he said. “They really just stopped a few years ago, mostly because Outlaw Souls got involved in shutting that shit down.”

  “So, Dad…”

  He nodded solemnly. “Dad was involved in it.”

  I felt like my entire world shifted beneath my feet. I had always known that my dad was a selfish ass that devoted his life to Las Balas, but I never thought he’d do something like that. Those poor girls…

  Blade must think I’m a complete idiot for giving these people my loyalty.

  “There’s also heavy drug use and distributing, stealing, arms dealing. The list goes on. Basically, any illegal activity that could make them money, no matter how immoral it is.”

  I remembered something from our conversation a few days ago. “You told me that Outlaw Souls harassed Rage’s girlfriend last year. Was that a lie?”

  “Not really, but Rage had built a fucking meth lab in her basement, so some could argue that they had
a good reason to bust up in there and clear that shit out.”

  I shook my head in disgust. Nothing was quite what I thought it was.

  “Why have you been trying to join for so long if you knew all this?”

  “I don’t know anymore.” He scrubbed a hand down his face tiredly. “At first, it was to see what the big deal was. Why dad and others were so into it. And I’ll admit, there is something appealing about the comradery. Then, I had this relationship with Dad, and I don’t know…I guess that I convinced myself it wasn’t that bad. I know it sounds stupid.”

  It did, but it was also so stupid of me to reject Blade when Las Balas was clearly the problem in La Playa. I had to make that right if he’d let me.

  “You need to tell Lexie that you’re walking away,” I advised him. “Because she’s at the end of her rope right now.”

  “I know.” Guilt was clear in the lines of his face. “I’ve been so stupid when it comes to her. It’s a miracle she puts up with me.”

  “That’s what you do when you love someone,” I said, standing. “So, are you okay? Do you need anything?”

  “No, I’m good. Are you going to talk to Blade?”

  I nodded.

  “Good. He’s a good guy, I think.”

  “I think so, too,” I smiled.

  “Send my girl in on your way out, okay? I want to tell her the good news.”

  “I’ll call you tomorrow,” I told him before leaving the room.

  I didn’t have to tell Lexie to go see him. She was already heading that way with a tray of food. He was so lucky to have someone that cared enough to take care of him. There was a pang in the center of my chest at that thought. Did I have that?

  There was only one way to find out.

  It was late when I left Jason’s apartment, and I was tempted to text or call Blade, but what I needed to say to him had to be said in person. So, I went home, deciding that I would talk to him tomorrow, no matter what.

  Twenty-Six

  Blade

  “So, you found the weapons?” Ryder asked around a mouthful of food as he sat up in the hospital bed. I had brought him a fast-food breakfast sandwich since he’d been complaining about the hospital food for the past few days.

  “Yeah, the entire crate was in the basement of Mad Dog’s house. Apparently, he didn’t trust anyone else with it. He’d already talked to a couple of people about buying, but it doesn’t seem like he’d lined up a buyer yet.”

  “Good,” Ryder said, polishing off the sandwich and popping a hash brown into his mouth. “Now, tell me about this prospect you got the info from.”

  I felt a surprising protectiveness swell within me. I didn’t want Jason dragged into this any more than he had been. Yes, he made a shitty choice by trying to join Las Balas, but he didn’t know any better. Kat was a prime example of that.

  “He’s my girl’s brother,” I said, hoping that Ryder would understand that he was off-limits without me having to say it. I didn’t want to be at odds with anyone in the club. “And he’s decided to leave Las Balas.”

  “I see,” Ryder looked thoughtful. “You know, my sister’s boyfriend was once a Las Balas prospect. Sometimes, it just takes time for people to realize how poisonous they are.”

  There was a knock on the door, and Chalupa walked in. “Luca followed through. We gave him the weapons, and he’s already packing up his operations in La Playa. He’ll be gone by tonight.”

  “Thank fuck for that,” Ryder said, and I shared the sentiment.

  “Jagger’s going to keep an eye on the situation and let us know if Luca goes back on his word, but somehow, I don’t think he will.”

  “Me either,” I chimed in. “When I talked to him at the warehouse, he seemed pretty eager to get back home to El Paso.”

  “What about our people?” Ryder asked. “Injuries? Deaths?”

  “One death,” Chalupa said, his face dropping. Diego took a bullet to the chest. He bled out at the scene, but we brought him home so that we could take care of him.”

  “God damn it,” Ryder sighed, and I saw his hand go to his stomach where he’d been shot. Not only had we lost a good man and brother, but it made us all a little more aware of our mortality.

  “Other than that, it was mostly superficial cuts and bruises. Swole had a broken finger, and Hawk got sliced in the side with a knife, needing stitches. They’ll both be fine.”

  “Well, that’s something to be thankful for,” Ryder said. “Now, we’ll just have to stay vigilant. Things are heating up with Las Balas, and I’m sure it’s not over yet. From what I understand, we took out four of their people last night, including Mad Dog. I didn’t want it to come to that, but sometimes it’s kill or be killed, and I always have a scar to remind me of that.”

  “We’ll all do what we have to do to protect our own,” Chalupa agreed.

  We left after that. Ryder’s wife was coming in to visit him, and he wanted some time alone with her. Besides, I needed some sleep. I had been awake almost all night. First, I patched up Jason, then I went to Mad Dog’s house and found the crate. I took charge of the hand-off with Luca, making sure that he got exactly what he came here for. Finally, I met with the rest of the club at the Blue Dog, where I learned of Diego’s fate and reported that I had found the weapons.

  Now, it was almost seven in the morning. The sun was already too bright in the sky, and the people I passed on my bike were heading to work, just beginning their day. I felt like a zombie by comparison.

  I went into my apartment and made a beeline for the bedroom. I could barely think due to exhaustion, but I managed to call Brie and tell her I needed one more day off. She was fine with it, and for the first time, I truly appreciated what a good boss she was.

  That was the last conscious thought I remembered having before I laid out on my bed, fully clothed, and fell asleep.

  I was violently yanked from a peaceful sleep by an incessant pounding on the front door of my apartment. It was disorienting to come back into the world of consciousness so quickly, and I sat up in bed, confused about where the annoying noise was coming from. A quick glance at the alarm clock’s big red numbers told me that I had been asleep for about twelve hours.

  Someone knocked again, and I finally realized what was going on. Who the hell was bugging me now?

  “Hold your horses,” I called out, pulling back my sheets and getting out of the bed. My body was aching from sleeping for so long, and my head felt heavy. As I reached the door, I opened it without bothering to check the peephole while in the middle of a massive yawn.

  Kat was standing on the other side, looking like a sex goddess in her black fishnet top with a completely visible black bra underneath and a pair of black leather pants. My cock stood at attention so quickly that I thought it might actually pop the zipper of my jeans.

  But I didn’t let myself get too excited at the sight of her. By now, I was sure that Jason had told her all about what happened last night. If she was here to give me shit about Outlaw Souls attacking Las Balas, I wasn’t in the mood to listen to it.

  I must have been standing there for too long without speaking because she shifted her weight from one foot to the other and bit her lip nervously.

  “You weren’t at work,” she said.

  “No, I wasn’t.”

  I stepped away from the door, leaving it open for her if she decided to come in, and went to my kitchen, grabbing a bottle of water. I was parched, so I drank half the thing in one go. When I turned around, Kat was standing behind me.

  “Are you okay?”

  What a loaded question. I was happy that Outlaw Souls had won this battle but upset at the loss of Diego. More than anything else, though, I was sick of this back and forth between the two of us. Kat was an addiction that I didn’t mind one bit, but if she really didn’t want me, I wasn’t interested in sleeping together anymore. Who knew that I’d grow sick of this casual sex thing?

  “No, I don’t think I am.”

  “Can I do a
nything for you?” she asked, stepping closer as she looked up at me through her eyelashes.

  “Tell me why you’re here.”

  “I know what happened last night.”

  I sighed, “I’m not in the mood for a fight about Outlaw Souls.”

  I’d just slept for twelve hours, but this conversation was still tiring.

  “No,” she stepped even closer, and the sweet scent of her wrapped around me. God, my body always burned for her. “I want to thank you for getting Jason out of there. His shitty club members probably wouldn’t have done it.”

  “He’s your brother. I know how precious that is.”

  “He told me the truth about Las Balas, all the terrible shit they’ve done. I really had no idea. I feel like a complete jackass.”

  I cupped her chin, running my thumb across her smooth cheek.

  “Don’t be so hard on yourself,” I said. “You’ve been, like, half a jackass, at most.”

  I chuckled as she slapped my arm, but there was a smile in her eyes.

  “Come on, it’s not easy to admit I’m wrong.”

  I was just so damn relieved that she was finally coming around that I didn’t need her to admit anything, except that she was mine.

  “Okay, fine. You’ve come to your senses. Glad to hear it,” my eyes flickered down to her lips. “Now, what are you going to do about it?”

  I barely had time to brace myself before Kat literally jumped into my arms. She hugged my neck while her legs went around my waist. Her lips pressed against mine, and it was all blazing fire and needy passion. This woman was always my undoing, bringing out the animal in me. Right now, that animal needed to claim what was his.

  I started to walk us into my bedroom, not even breaking our kiss, as I was familiar with the layout of my own place. Just before we reached my bedroom, a tantalizing thought occurred to me, and I shifted directions, taking her into the bathroom.

  “What are we doing?” she asked, pulling her head back to look around.

  “I need to take a shower. You want to join me?”

  “Please.”

  I set Kat down on her feet, and she stripped out of her clothes while I turned on the shower, so that when I turned around, all I could see was creamy skin. Her nipples were hard little buds in the cool air, begging for me to taste.