CLUB TIES (The Trinity Falls Series)

by Mara McBain

  The Lords were a dysfunctional bunch. Children of rape, abuse, and abandonment had found a home together. They each had their story, and yet within the group they were accepted as whole. Eva was a fine addition.

  Zeke startled as a weight settled into his lap, but he knew who it was before he opened his eyes. Enfolding his old lady in his arms, he held her close, breathing in her scent. When he opened his weary eyes, they landed on his son standing on the opposite side of the bed. The fear and pain on his broad face struck a chord.

  “She’s going to be okay, son,” he said softly.

  The look Mox gave him begged Zeke to be right.

  “Doc said three broken ribs, a fractured cheekbone, and a lot of bumps and bruises, but she’s tough and is going to make it. She’ll be glad you’re here. She called me Mox earlier. I’m not sure which of us should be more insulted.”

  A small smile tugged at the corner of his lips, but he didn’t take his eyes off Eva.

  “I need a cup of coffee. Let’s give them a couple of minutes,” Zeke suggested, shifting his wife to kiss her forehead.

  “Coffee sounds wonderful,” she sighed, reluctant to leave the warm shelter of his arms. “What about Chelios?” she asked into his shoulder.

  “Bullet through his forehead, courtesy of his boss it looks like.”

  “And the asshole?”

  “Soriano didn’t make it to the hospital, DOA.”

  “My heart pumps piss-water for both of them,” Ginny mumbled around a yawn.

  “I’m sure it does, baby. You’re full of empathy. Now your old man needs some caffeine before he gets real grouchy,” Zeke said, kissing her forehead again before he boosted her to her feet. He gave Mox a little nod as he herded his sleepy wife out of the room.

  Mox moved around the bed and gratefully sank down in the chair his father had vacated. Eva’s hand felt tiny and chilled in his. The hospital bed seemed to swallow her up. Fear and anger roiled in his stomach. She moaned and shifted restlessly in her sleep. He leaned closer, stroking a lock of hair out of her face.

  One eye opened and he held his breath. She blinked at him. Her hand came up and her fingers brushed over his cheek.

  “It’s really you.”

  “They don’t make angels this ugly,” he said with a small smile.

  Her fingers fluttered over his ear, hovering near the place where the bullet had grazed his skull. He caught her hand and turned it to kiss the pulse point on the inside of her wrist. He squeezed her hand gently.

  “I love you.”

  “I love you too,” she whispered, her voice breaking.

  He swallowed hard and slowly slid the engagement ring back on her finger. “Don’t ever leave me again.”

  She shook her head, not sure if it was a promise or disbelief. Tears trickled over her battered cheeks.

  “You still want me?”

  “You have to ask that question?”

  “I left.”

  “And you’re never going to do anything that stupid again,” he said firmly.

  “When we were lying there in the street with all that blood, I thought you were dead.”

  “Even if I’m dead, my family will take care of you. It’s a promise each one us makes to our club brothers. Family is family. Those ties are forever.”

  “What about Reaper?”

  “He’s going to be okay. It’s hard to kill crazy.”

  Eva closed her eyes, sending up a prayer of thanks. Lee’s screams still echoed in her ears. She worked her jaw for a moment, feeling the broken tooth scrape along her tongue. If she went back to Trinity Falls she’d always be looking over her shoulder. Every time they crossed the street, she’d be afraid. She turned the diamond on her finger.

  “I’m sorry. I can’t do this,” she whispered, tugging on the ring.

  Mox’s hand closed over hers, his grip threatening to crush her trembling fingers.

  “Don’t.”

  That one word hung between them. The muscle in his jaw twitched, and she couldn’t hold his gaze. She turned her head toward the window.

  “I know you love me. You just admitted it. Things might not be perfect, but don’t give up on us without even giving it a shot,” he said, his voice a strained growl.

  “It’s not that, Mox. I can’t live like that again. I can’t worry every time we cross the street together that you’re going to be gunned down. I love you too damn much. I love your family too much, all of them. What if next time its Ginny standing beside us or, God forbid, Kat and the baby? I couldn’t live with myself,” she said, a sob making her voice crack. She shook her head, trying to force words past the raw emotion in her throat.

  “He’s dead,” Mox said, reaching down to tilt her chin up. He leaned over her bed, bringing his eyes down to her level. “The son-of-a-bitch is dead. The only bastard you have to deal with now is me.”

  Eva’s arms closed around his neck, pulling him down to her until he sprawled awkwardly over the hospital bed. She choked on her sobs as she clung to him, and it took Mox a minute to realize she was laughing. He smiled and nuzzled her cheek and the beautiful dimple nestled there.

  “Are you sure? You deserve so much better,” she whispered, but he shook his head and smiled down at her.

  “You’re the one I don’t want to live without.”