"No! Please don't, Seth. I'll go with you. I won't fight you. Please stop!"
"Is this the filth you gave yourself to?" he asked in an unemotional tone.
I shook my head vigorously. "No! I swear! But he's a friend," I sobbed. Fury had fallen over, but I could tell that he was still conscious. There was so much blood pooling beneath him that I knew he must be bleeding out. "Let's go! Now! Before someone calls the police!" I had to give Seth something else to think about. I didn't know if Fury had a chance of surviving, but I did know that if Seth shot him again, it would definitely be over.
That seemed to finally get through to Seth. He relaxed the hand that was holding the gun and slipped it back into his pocket. "Come on, then." He grabbed me by the arm and pulled me toward the door. "You try anything with anyone, and I swear I'll kill them, too." I stumbled down the steps and then he was marching me across the street toward the restaurant.
There were a few people about who'd obviously heard the gunshot and had stopped to look around, as if trying to decide where it had come from. It must have looked odd the way Seth was practically dragging me behind him. He seemed oblivious to his surroundings, and no one inquired about what was going on, yet they watched, silently, with a mixture of curiosity and concern on their faces. I met the eyes looking my way, pleading silently for them to help Fury.
I didn't even try to hide my tears.
I gave a prayer of thanks when Bob, the owner of the restaurant, began to head in the direction of my trailer. I glanced up at Seth to see if he’d noticed, but he seemed intent on getting us to his car.
A sleek, black BMW, with windows tinted so darkly there was no way that anyone could see the occupants inside.
Chapter 36
Jace
I was fucking tired and surviving on caffeine and adrenaline alone, but I made it back to Lake George in twenty-four hours. I took the highway the whole fucking way and pushed the limits of my bike. Hadn't mattered what the speed limit was, I'd gone seventy to eighty most of the way, determined to get back to Luna. I'd only stopped a couple of times to take a piss and load up on more caffeine. Felt like I had fucking sand in my eyes, but once I knew that she was safe I could rest.
She wouldn't be happy to see me, considering the way I'd left her.
I wondered how much time it was going to take me to convince her that I was sorry.
I slowed to take the turn onto the camp, taking in the black BMW that was turning out at the same time. I couldn't see who was inside, but I looked anyway. I stopped for a minute and watched it go down the road, thinking that it looked out of place, considering where it had been coming from. The camp wasn't the kind of place that rich people went to spend their vacations, but the restaurant on the lake had a good reputation for fresh seafood, and it wasn't unusual for the locals to go there to eat.
The first thing I noticed when I got closer to Luna's place was Fury's bike and a group of people who were standing outside of the restaurant, looking toward her trailer. That wasn't a good sign. I frowned, watching the owner of the restaurant go inside her trailer just as I pulled up to a stop. My recklessness almost caused me to lay my bike down, but I didn't give a fuck. My gut told me that something was very wrong. I rushed up the steps and pulled the door open to see the old man leaning over Fury, who was lying unconscious in a pool of blood.
Fuck. He looked dead. My gaze scanned the inside of the trailer for Luna, but I knew that I wouldn't find her. An image of the BMW flashed through my mind as I crouched next to Fury.
"He's been shot!" the old man said, glancing at me. "We gotta call for an ambulance and the police!" He reached up for the hand towel that was hanging off the handle of the oven and brought it to Fury's chest.
"I got it!" I growled, my heart racing as I hit Reaper's number. He picked up right away. "Brother, you better get down here. Luna is gone and Fury's been shot, bad enough for an ambulance." I crouched down and began to feel for a pulse in his neck.
"Fuck! Tell me he's still alive!"
I could understand the fear I heard in Reaper's voice. His MC had lost enough brothers already. "He's got a pulse, but it's weak as fuck."
"We're on the way!"
While we waited, the old man from the restaurant opened the screen door and yelled out, "Someone call for an ambulance!"
"Do you know what happened?" I asked him when he stepped back inside.
He shrugged his slightly stooped shoulders. "Heard a shot, some of us came outside to look around. That's when we saw Luna being dragged across the road toward a black car. The man looked determined, and none of us approached him in case he was the one with the gun. I came over here to see if anyone was hurt."
"You say they got into a black car?"
He nodded. "Yeah, with tinted windows. An expensive model."
"Did Luna go willingly?"
He thought for a minute. "She wasn't exactly fighting him, but she looked terrified, and she was crying."
"Went…with…him…to…keep…him…from…shooting…me…again."
The low, rattling words came from Fury. It sounded as if his lungs were filling up with fluid. Christ, he'd lost a lot of blood, more than I thought someone was capable of losing and still survive.
"Save your breath, brother," I ordered. "An ambulance is on the way."
He shook his head, coughing up blood. "Not…going…to…make…it…brother." He found the strength to reach up and clutch my shirt. "Go--" Cough! Cough! "After…her." Cough! Cough!
"I will, brother." I clenched my jaw. Thank fuck that I could hear the sound of Reaper and his brothers pulling up in front of the trailer. I could also hear the distant sound of sirens. The door to Luna's trailer was practically yanked off as Reaper wrenched it open and stomped inside, his eyes connecting with mine briefly before landing on Fury.
"Fuck, brother," he said, falling to his knees. "You look like shit."
Fury tried to laugh, but ended up coughing up more blood.
"Brother--" I said to get Reaper's attention, "I've got to go after her."
He nodded. "Wolfman and Raze are going with you."
I nodded and rose to my feet, meeting the silent regret in my brothers' eyes as they took in the scene. I could tell that they thought Fury wasn't going to make it. "I know the direction they went. They're traveling in a black BMW. They were leaving the park as I was arriving."
"Let's go then." Wolfman turned to exit the trailer. "They can't have gone far."
We rushed to our bikes, and within seconds we were speeding down the road in the direction that I'd seen the BMW going. Rage directed at Luna's fucking ex grew with every mile that we covered until their car came into view. The fucker was going to pay for shooting Fury, and he was going to pay for taking my woman. The only way I could see this ending was by ending him, and I would do it with pleasure. I wanted to make him suffer first, but the opportunity might not present itself on a public road.
I revved my bike and pushed it faster, riding up next to the car to the driver's side. I couldn't see shit through the window, but I could make out the shadows of two people in the front seat. I took out my gun and aimed it at the window. "Pull over!" I shouted. I wasn’t sure if he could hear me, but I knew he would recognize by my actions that I meant business. Wolfman and Raze pulled along the other side of the vehicle. "Pull the fuck over now!" I roared with rage. If I hadn't been sure that Luna was sitting in the passenger side, I would have blown his window out.
Without warning, the asshole swerved his car in my direction, forcing me to veer into the other lane. The driver of the semi coming from the opposite direction laid on his horn and swerved to avoid me. My review mirror revealed that he'd managed to keep control of his truck and had continued down the road. I swore viciously at the close call, swearing that I could hear Luna's scream, realizing that I was going to have to take drastic measures to get him to stop. "Shoot out his front tire!" I yelled at my brothers.
Wolfman didn't hesitate, the sound of our bikes drowni
ng out the sound of gunfire. The car pulled strongly toward the right, but my brothers been anticipating it and had slowed their bikes down to fall back. In an effort to control the vehicle, Seth overcompensated, and for a few seconds the car was swerving back and forth all over the road. The idiot didn't know enough to slow down and go into the direction of the pull. With Wolfman and Raze bringing up the rear, I remained next to the driver's door, following him over to the shoulder of the road, where he finally clipped a tree and came to a jarring stop.
I laid my bike down and rushed to the door, immediately reaching for the handle. "Get out!" The fucking door was locked. I could hear Luna's screams for me to get back, and something about a gun. I knew the fucker had a weapon, but the only thing on my mind was getting to her. All of a sudden, her door opened and she was being forced out of the car by her asshole ex. My jaw clenched when I saw the gun that he was holding against her.
"Get back!" Seth ordered, a hand twisted into Luna's hair as he controlled her movements.
I met Luna's frightened, teary eyes, my heart racing at the danger she was in. Her ex didn't look like the kind of man who knew how to handle a gun, and I was afraid that he'd accidentally shoot her.
"Drop your gun!" he demanded.
"Don't do it!" Luna cried out, wincing when Seth gave her a vicious shake.
"Is he the one?" he grated between his teeth, and then he directed his eyes on me. "Are you the scum she whored herself for?" His gaze darted to Wolfman and Raze. Both had moved up close to Luna and Seth. "I won't hesitate to shoot her!" he screamed at them.
It was obvious that the man was coming undone. My brothers both stopped in their tracks, recognizing the same thing. Seth turned his attention back on me, his gaze dropping to my gun.
"I told you to drop your gun!"
"Jace, don't!" Luna pleaded with fear in her eyes.
Seth began to slowly shake his head. "He's the one, isn't he?" He jerked Luna's head back roughly. "The one you say you love?" His laugh seemed unstable. "Don't you see, sugar? He can never give you what I can. He's biker trash. How can you pick him over me?"
Tears were streaming down Luna's cheeks, her mouth trembling uncontrollably. "I'm nothing to him," she said softly, her comment meant for Seth, but her gaze remained locked on me. Her words destroyed me, because her tone revealed that she truly believed that. "Please, let's just go. I told you that I'd come with you willingly." She sobbed. "There's no reason to kill anyone else."
"Let her go," I said roughly, my finger itching to pull the trigger and end this shit for once and for all. I had a clear head shot, but with his gun jammed against Luna's temple I couldn't take the chance. I willed her to see the truth in my eyes--that I loved her. That I wanted her.
A resigned sigh left Seth. "I guess I'm going to have to show you that I'm serious."
He swung his gun toward me, and I knew that I had a split second to react, and that it would have to be with deadly precision. Luna was temporarily safe, and I didn't hesitate to pull the trigger. The bullet hit Seth against the side of his neck, and by the spray of blood, I knew that I'd severed his carotid artery. Luna screamed and moved away from him. Seth stood there for a minute, his expression one of shock and disbelief as it slowly dawned on him that he'd been hit. The gun fell from his hand, his hands flying up to cover the wound where the blood was pumping out. Within seconds he dropped to his knees, and then fell forward.
I knew that he'd be dead in less than five minutes.
Luna and I stood staring at one another. "You could have been killed," she said in a tear ravished voice.
I closed the distance between us and grabbed her roughly against me, my jaw so fucking tight it was a miracle that it didn't crack. Emotions that I'd never felt before held me paralyzed and unable to speak. I'd almost lost her. My fucking heart was pounding its way through my chest. "I've been a fucking fool, babe," I managed to utter after a few seconds.
"Yes, you have," she murmured against my chest.
I snorted. "I didn't mean any of it, Luna. I thought I was saving you from me, but I need you baby, I want you. Jesus fucking Christ, I love you." I crushed her against me.
She wiggled until she was able to pull back enough to meet my eyes. I wasn't ashamed of the moisture in them. I wanted her to see the fucking truth, to know exactly how I felt. Her glistening eyes roamed over my face as if she was in awe of what she saw there. Large tears fell from her eyes, snot was running from her nose. I tried not to grin at the sight, but she was so damned cute. My heart swelled with emotion. She pulled my t-shirt away from my chest and wiped her face on it.
"Sorry about the snot, but it's all your fault," she murmured, a ghost of a smile on her mouth.
I wasn't going to argue with her because she was fucking right. I shot Wolfman a look. "Call your sheriff." He gave me a chin lift, and I knew that he understood why we needed to involve law enforcement. The disappearance of a prominent surgeon would be noticed. I was sure that once the sheriff found out that Seth had kidnapped Luna, shot Fury, and threatened to kill Luna that he'd find our actions justified.
"As we were leaving I saw you pull into the park. Did you find Fury?" I heard the question in her voice. Even tear-streaked and pale, her face was fucking beautiful. "Is he…"
"Don't know, babe. Left him with Reaper and the owner of the restaurant. They called for an ambulance." She nodded, but remained silent. "Luna, we have a lot to talk over, and I have a lot to make up for. What I said . . . what I did before I left, I did with the best intentions. Maybe I didn’t deal with shit between you and me very well, but you have to believe me when I say that you're the first woman I've ever loved. You dug your way into my heart and fucking set up home there. I didn't know how to handle it." I kept her against me, talking over the top of her head. "All the way to New Mexico, Moody ripped me a new one. Told me I was a fool for giving you up and convinced me how good my life could be with you in it."
I felt her grin against me. "Moody did that? He doesn't strike me as the type to give out advice."
"Trust me, he isn't. I think part of the reason I shut up and listened to him was because I was in shock." I took a deep breath, glad that Wolfman and Raze had walked away to where their bikes were. "I love you, babe, and I'm so fucking sorry for what I did to you." God, had it only been a couple of days ago?
"I'll forgive you if you give me a kiss," she said.
I stared down into her face. There was a bruise forming on her cheek. The fucker had hit her. But when she smiled up at me, with her clear, honeyed eyes, all I saw was perfection. I wanted to devour her, but I held back and took her sweet mouth as gently as I could. She opened instantly to me, thrusting her little tongue into my mouth to dance with mine. It lit a fire in my blood. I groaned low and deep, tasting her willingness and acceptance of a man that didn't deserve her. She was forgiving me, giving me a second chance, and fuck knew that I wasn't going to ruin shit between us again.
We still had a lot of talking to do, we had decisions to make and plans to put into place, but right now all I wanted was to enjoy her soft curves against mine as she submitted. I wanted to consume her, the warmth and flavor of her mouth causing me to lose control, until I reminded myself where we were. The sound of sirens soon followed.
"The sheriff will be here soon," I said against her swollen lips. Luna nodded. I could see the worry in her eyes. "Just tell him the truth, darlin'. Everything will be okay. You and I will be okay. I'm not leaving you again."
"You're taking me with you?"
"Wherever I go. Home is where you are, babe. After this shit is sorted out, I'm taking you back to Florida."
"I love you!" she murmured with passion and what I wanted to believe were happy tears shining in her eyes.
"I love you, babe." I ran my hand up and down her back soothingly. I didn't want to let her go. I wanted to protect her from the shit she was about to go through. I wanted to deal with the hard stuff, take care of her like a man should take care of his woman, but Luna was
a strong woman, and I knew that she could handle what was coming. She would need to for her own sake.
A minute later the sheriff's car pulled over to the side of the road and turned off his sirens, but left the lights on. As he opened the door to exit, I took Luna by the hand and we walked over to him. Another officer in the passenger side got out and walked past us to where Seth lay. I squeezed Luna's hand in a silent communication that she would be okay. She looked up at me then, and gave a small nod of her head, a look of gratitude in her eyes.
Jesus, how had I got to be so fucking lucky to have a woman like her love me? I would fight for her love every day. I would prove to her how much I loved her in return. Give her the life that she deserved. The house that she would make into our home, and the babies. Suddenly I wanted a fucking houseful. As she stepped forward to address the sheriff, I stood behind her, fucking proud. She could do this. And once this mess was behind us, we could focus on us. I already had a plan forming in my head.
I was going to put a ring on her.
And my baby in her belly.
Epilogue
One year later…
Luna
I stretched, warm as toast against my husband, smiling at the feel of his morning wood against my ass. When he thrust against me, I moaned. Maybe it wasn't just morning wood. I began to turn in his arms, but Jace had his own idea of how he wanted this to go. His arm was over me, his big hand almost swallowing a breast as he began to shape it, pinching my nipple until it was hard. Another moan escaped me as a delicious wave washed over me, causing me to shiver against him. He hissed when I wiggled my butt against his throbbing cock.
"I missed you, babe," he whispered into my ear, before taking the lobe and tugging on it.
Dangerous (Nomad Outlaws Trilogy Book 2) Page 29