Tears ran freely down Harry’s face and Josie tilted her head. She held the knife and pointed it toward Harry.
“Don’t you hurt her?”
“I’d never hurt her Josie. Please, let her come out. She’s safe now. You saved her.”
Josie looked down into Amelia’s wide eyes. “Go to your daddy sweetheart.”
Amelia ran to her father and it seemed as if life drained from Josie. The knife fell from her hand and she sank slowly.
Choo-Choo lunged to catch her before she hit the floor. He lifted her and carried her from the room. He kicked open the door to Valentine’s room. He climbed into the tub and sat with her still on his lap. He struggled out of his jacket and boots and slung everything out of the way before he started the water. He had to see what was hers and what wasn’t. She was covered in gore and the sight of her would haunt him for the rest of his life.
Law stepped into the bathroom.
“You did real good darlin’.” Josie turned at the sound of his voice and he nodded. “Real good.”
She began to shake as if she would break apart. Her sobs shook her body until Choo-Choo thought they would break his bones.
“Get the fuck out of here Law.”
“Why? So you can baby her and tell her it will all be over and alright? Don’t fucking lie to her. This shit happened.”
He stepped closer and squatted by the tub meeting her glassy eyes.
“This shit happened darlin’ there’s no taking it back, but you wouldn’t would you. You wouldn’t do one goddamned thing differently would you?”
She shook her head.
“Know why? Cause you’re a badass and you did what you had to do. Don’t regret that shit, own it. You saved that kid and yourself, don’t you dare regret that.”
He kissed her forehead and stood without another word and left the room.
Choo-Choo sat there, stunned. That would have been the last thing he would have said to Josie, but maybe that was his problem. Things happened. Things that changed the way life had to be lived, but there was no going back.
He held Josie in his arms as the warm water ran over them and washed away the blood. He helped her strip out of her clothes and gritted his teeth at the bruises he uncovered. He also found a huge goose egg on the back of her head and figured she was suffering a pretty bad concussion. She needed a hospital, but that wasn’t the way things were done in the club. He felt completely useless.
“This is one hell of a mess you’ve made.” GrannyP said in a strong voice, but weariness tugged on her.
“Let’s see if we can get both of you cleaned up.”
Granny helped Josie into a big shirt that likely belonged to Valentine and Sniper lifted her and carried her to bed.
Choo-Choo pulled his clothes off and tossed them in the garbage. He scrubbed as quickly as he could and wrapped a towel around his body before stepping out of the bathroom.
Sniper had left the room. Granny P. was on the bed looking Josie over with a deep frown on her face.
“Will she be alright?” Choo-Choo asked, worry lacing his words.
“Looks like she took a hard lick to the head, may have a broken rib or two to go with that.” She met Choo-Choo’s eyes. “They were going to kill her. Take Amelia. She fought them off. Amelia is talking it all out with Harry. She’s scared, but she can’t believe what Josie did to save her.”
Choo-Choo looked at where Josie lay, her eyes were closed, but her face was pinched with pain.
“How is Valentine?”
“He’ll live.” He had tried to help, the damned fool.” She shook her head. “He’ll live. He’s got to.”
Choo-Choo nodded and swallowed hard.
“Doc Mitchell is on his way. He will take care of all this and keep his mouth shut.”
Choo-Choo sighed. That was one less thing.
Granny stood and opened a drawer. She pulled out a pair of sweatpants and tossed them to him.
“Put some clothes on. This is going to be one long night.”
Seventeen
It had been two weeks. Josie was feeling much better. The headaches were not coming as often as they had the first few days after the attack.
She rolled over to snuggle against Choo-Choo. He had been so strong, so quiet. She knew without a doubt that he was waiting for her to get well so he could let her go. She wasn’t in danger anymore so there was no reason for him to keep her. If she were honest with herself she would admit that she had been better for days now, but she couldn’t stand the thought of losing him.
He pulled her into his arms the way he always did when she was close.
They had been back at his clubhouse for more than a week. Choo-Choo watched after her and took care of her, but he never touched her the way he had before that night. Mrs. had come to visit her and had lifted her spirits with her outrageousness, but little could lift the dark mood that pulled at her.
Maybe she could convince him to keep her…
Josie let her hand drift town Choo-Choo’s chest, over his tattoo and over his hip. He sighed in his sleep, but didn’t stir. She let her hand fall lower until she felt the wiry curls between his thighs. She let her hand move slowly, lower until she cupped his balls in her hand.
He groaned a sleepy groan and widened his legs for her.
Josie felt a surge of power as she cupped him and rolled him in her hand. When she brought her hand back up, she found him growing hard. Her breath quickened. This was her chance. Her chance to show him how much she cared for him, to prove to him how well she could love him and maybe he would keep her.
She tried to wrap her hand around his girth, but her fingers couldn’t hold him. She worked him as best as she could and felt his muscles bunch. Her eyes flew to his and found them half open.
“Good morning Goldilocks, somethin’ I can help you with?”
“I want…”
A smile curled his lips. “You can have anything you want, you know that.”
“But you haven’t… you haven’t shown interest in anything since…”
Her breath gushed out of her when he rolled her to her back.
“I was waiting for you. You needed time.”
“I need you. Please…”
His lips crashed into hers and she tasted his passion. She met him with equal passion as their hands rediscovered their favorite parts.
She dug her fingers into Choo-Choo’s back as he suckled her breast.
“I need you too Goldilocks.”
“How could you need someone like me? You saw what I did.”
His eyes met hers in the dimness of the room. The sun shone through the blinds and cast a golden glow over his body. She felt her body quiver from want as she let her eyes take him in.
“You are exactly what I need. How could I live with anything less? I need to know that you will stand beside me, protect our children. This is a hell of a life Josie. I have to have a strong woman by my side.”
“I’m not strong. I can’t deal with all of this. I killed them. I killed all of them.”
He cupped her cheeks in his hands and kissed her. He poured all of his hopes for their future into that kiss.
“You survived. That’s what this life is baby. You survived the only way you could and you saved Amelia.”
“How could you want a murderer to be the mother of your children? How could you want to share your bed with a woman who could do that?”
He was shaking his head. “I want to spend my life loving a woman with more strength than any I’ve ever seen. I want to be able to go on a run without worrying about my wife and my kids, because you will be that wife and you will be with those kids. I’m so damned proud of you. You earned the respect of my brothers and that’s not easy. Baby, I love you. I can’t make that go away. I don’t want to.”
She wrapped her arms around him. She could feel him, so close, she wrapped her legs around him and pulled him in, but he wouldn’t budge.
“You are my old lady Goldilocks, if that’s not
the life you want then I understand, but you are the only woman for me.”
“I love you Choo-Choo. I’ll try to be the best old lady anybody’s ever seen.”
He kissed her and as their tongues mated, he slipped into her with one easy stroke. With each plunging stroke he claimed her and she let him. With each thrust of his hips she let go of her past. By the time he’d spilled his desires inside of her she had lost her fears and her protests. She was home.
Epilogue
Ink sat back on the couch and watched Angel as she took care of the bar in the clubhouse. He loved watching her move. Things had been so good between them since they’d really talked back in October. Life had been great.
The party hadn’t started yet, but a few of the brothers were already hanging out waiting for their favorite pussy to arrive. Ink was so glad he didn’t have to live that life. The thought of sharing a woman with half the brothers turned his stomach. He loved knowing his dick was the only one that had ever been in his woman.
There was a power in that.
He grinned to himself. She had finally agreed to have another baby and she was almost four months along now. He loved the way her body looked when she was carrying his child. Her breasts were amazing. He remembered how she had been the first time. She had been so unsure he would want her, but eventually she had come around and some of the best sex of their marriage had been while she was pregnant with Caterina. This time was no different.
Angel had a hell of a sex drive. There were times he wasn’t sure he could keep up with her, but he really couldn’t complain. She was loyal and she loved him.
What more could a man ask for?
They would have a new baby by fall. He couldn’t think of a single thing that would make life better.
Ink looked up when the door opened. Zipper walked in holding a big white envelope. He spotted Ink and nodded before he made his way to sit beside him on the couch.
“Just the man I wanted to see.” Zipper grinned. “Well after I deliver this to Choo-Choo anyway. Seen him?”
“Nah, he and Josie are out looking at houses or land or some shit.” Ink answered, his eyes drawn back to Angel.
He knew she had once had a thing for the man, but that had been over before they met and she had never given in to his demands of sex. Zipper had eventually moved out to the Denver Charter and Angel had been glad to see him go. She hadn’t seen much of him over the years. Ink wondered if any of the old chemistry would still exist between them.
She looked up and paled when she saw who he was talking to. Zipper started talking as she took a step toward them shaking her head.
“Is it true?”
“What?” He couldn’t figure out why Angel would look so stricken.
“Angel’s knocked up again?” Zipper asked.
“Yeah. About four months. Why?”
“You slick fucker. Waited long enough. I’ve been dying for another go at her. That’s one fan-fucking-tastic rule by the way.”
Ink frowned. “What rule?”
“She can fuck all she wants when she’s knocked up. No risk and she gets her kicks in too. Still the same rules this time? ‘Cause I’m not ashamed to say, that’s the best pussy I’ve ever been in. You are one lucky son of a bitch, my brother.”
Zipper was oblivious to the tension that had settled around the room. Ink didn’t even have to ask her, he could tell by the look on her face that Zipper was telling the truth. All of the lies came crashing down around him. She hadn’t been worried about him being unfaithful as much as she had been paying penance.
Ink felt his stomach roll. He was going to be sick if he had to sit there another second.
“Same rules. Have a good time brother.” He said as he stood and walked to the door.
Jazz walked in just before he reached the door and he pulled her close and kissed her like he was starving for her. Right on queue she wrapped around him and moaned as she returned his kiss. He heard Angel call his name, but he couldn’t look back. He pulled Jazz with him and walked toward his bike. He needed to ride.
Her brown eyes widened for a split second before she decided to go for it. She slid on Ink’s bike and wrapped her arms around him as he spun out of the parking lot.
He glanced back once to see Angel standing in the glow of the outside lights. She looked pale and she was crying, but he couldn’t care. It had all been a lie. Everything was one big fucking lie.
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