I clutched my ruined shirt over my breasts and sat up, watching in shock as Vince tore into Trick with the viciousness of a mad dog. He was out of control, pounding his fists into the other man without hesitation, without breathing, grunting out with every violent punch, his movements so fast that Trick didn’t have time to defend himself. Sassy’s scream drew my attention away, and I looked over to see her on the floor, bending over the other man, who was lying still, a neat hole in the center of his forehead. That was when I noticed Whip, Demon, Corky, and Roland standing in the kitchen where they’d entered through the doorway.
Instant relief swept through me, but I wondered why they were just standing there and not helping Vince. “Help him!” I cried.
Whip shook his head. “He doesn’t want help, sweetheart.”
How did he know that? I looked back to see that Vince had practically beaten Trick into a bloody, unrecognizable pulp. The man was only on his feet because Vince’s hand was splayed out on his chest, keeping him upright while he pummeled him without mercy. The man’s face was destroyed and so were Vince’s knuckles, but he didn’t let up, pounding into Trick until the man was broken and unconscious, possibly dead. My heart began to pound. Had Vince gone mad? Tears prickled in my eyes as I moved to slide off the counter.
Demon was next to me in a flash when he realized what I was doing. His hands were gentle as he helped me off. “Thank you.” I gave him a trembling smile, and then turned to make my way to Vince.
“Careful, honey−”
I glanced back at Demon, blinking away the tears so that I could see him more clearly. My gaze touched on the hard, expressionless face of each man. They were fierce, dangerous men not showing any emotion as they watched their president kill a man. They wouldn’t interfere, yet they were poised for trouble. They would act if it became necessary. I turned back to Vince and moved slowly toward him.
“Vince−” I was careful to stay out of the way of his arm when he reared it back to deliver another hit. “Vince…enough,” I said softly, hoping my voice would get through the thud of his punches and the sound of his grunts. Tears fell down my cheek. I’d never seen anyone so incensed before, so intent on hurting another human being. It was like he was being driven by some unseen force, something stronger than his own consciousness. “Please, Vince,” I sobbed. The next time he pulled his arm back I wrapped both hands around his upper bicep and dug my feet in to get him to stop.
His strength was too much for me, and I felt myself being dragged forward with the force behind his action. I could have let go, but I refused to. He needed to stop. The man he was hitting was a bloody, broken human being. Vince was halfway to delivering another punch when he pulled me into his view. Our gazes clashed, and he halted immediately. His breathing was heavy and rapid, his eyes wild, and I knew that I was looking into the crazed eyes of a monster.
“It’s over,” I murmured softly.
He blinked several times, each time showing more clarity in his eyes. He gave his head a shake as if to clear it, and then his gaze traveled over me. I knew I looked a wreck, but I was okay. We were okay. The next thing I knew he had relaxed his hold on Trick, letting the man slink to the floor. I didn’t want to look at him, but my instincts told me that the man was dead.
With a groan, Vince pulled me into his arms and tightened them around me. “Christ, baby, I’m so fucking sorry.”
His whole body was tense, his breathing harsh above my head where it was tucked against his heaving chest. “I’m okay,” I said in a shaky voice. “We’re okay.” I felt his nod. His brothers were watching us closely.
“Check the cellar, Corky. I have a feeling you’ll find my housekeeper down there.” Corky put his gun away and quickly left to do his bidding. I prayed that they found her alive. “Remove their cuts,” Vince said to no one in particular. I could feel the tension gradually leave his body.
“Wh-what are you gonna do about me?” Sassy had lost her sass.
“Depends on how I find my housekeeper,” Vince said in a hard, indifferent tone. “She comes up alive, you leave here alive.”
I lifted onto my toes and placed my lips against the pulse throbbing at the base of his throat. His jaw tightened and he kissed the top of my head. Minutes later Corky entered the kitchen with a groggy, older woman in his arms. Thank God she was alive! He turned away and headed toward the sofa in the next room.
“Looks like we call Sheriff Thomas,” Vince said, and I couldn’t help but wonder what he would have done if the woman hadn’t been alive. Sassy got to her feet and turned toward the door. “Where the fuck do you think you’re going?” Vince snapped.
She faced him with a confused look on her face. “You said−”
“I know what I said, and you will leave here alive--in the back of a fucking squad car.” Her jaw dropped with disbelief. “You think you can come in here, threaten my woman, watch as she’s attacked by club enemies you’ve been helping, and just walk away?” he sneered. “You only get to leave here alive because I’m forced to call the sheriff. Had you killed my housekeeper, your body would have been buried with Trick and Mud.”
With every word her eyes grew rounder. Demon grabbed her by the arm and practically threw her onto the very chair Vince had been tied to. She grabbed hold of the table to keep from falling to the floor, whimpering pathetically. “Sheriff’s on his way,” Demon said.
I felt Vince nod, and then there was a finger beneath my chin, turning my face upward toward his. Our eyes met before his gaze dropped down the front of my body. I was still clutching the ends of my torn shirt over my breasts, and my pants were opened where Trick had undone the snap and zipper. His jaw clenched. “Baby, the sheriff will be here soon. You want to put something on?” I nodded. “Upstairs, first door on the left is my room. Shirts are in the top drawer of my dresser.”
I slipped from Vince’s arms and headed toward the stairs. My gaze met Miss Anne’s quiet look as I passed where she was sitting. She looked pale and a little shaky, but her blue eyes were kind and she offered a small, sympathetic smile, which I returned. I was glad to see that she didn’t have any injuries.
As I reached the top of the staircase I heard the unmistakable sound of sirens. God, what was going to happen now? I rushed into Vince’s bedroom and over to his dresser, yanking out the first t-shirt on top. I paused to look at myself in the mirror over the dresser. There was a bruise developing on my cheek and my lip was split and swollen. There was also blood beneath my nose. I carefully slipped my ruined shirt off my shoulders, leaning closer to examine the bite mark. A shiver escaped me as I thought about how close I’d come to being raped.
How close I’d come to losing Vince.
Noise from downstairs traveled up to me, and I quickly slipped his shirt over my head and headed back down. As I descended the steps I was able to see what was going on downstairs. A police officer was sitting on the couch next to Miss Anne, taking her statement. I couldn’t hear what she was saying, only the soft tone of her murmurs. But I did hear what Sheriff Thomas said to the group of bikers that was standing around in the kitchen.
“So, this is just another home invasion, huh? Like what happened at Dickie’s?” His tone was skeptical.
I saw a police officer cuffing a whimpering, complaining Sassy before gripping her bound wrists and pushing her toward the door.
“Call it whatever you want,” Vince snarled. When he saw me he indicated for me to go to him and I did without question, right into his outstretched arms. I breathed a sigh of relief when they closed around me. “They were waiting for us and fucking attacked as soon as we stepped inside.”
“And your boys just happened to be here?”
“I tripped the alarm when I first got home and realized something wasn’t right, they arrived shortly after.”
“Good thing you have good instincts,” the sheriff commented. “You know, I got word there was an attack at the Slayers’ clubhouse, practically wiped them out and burned the place to the ground. Kno
w anything about that?”
“That incident has nothing to do with this one.”
Sheriff Thomas’s brows rose high on his forehead. “Both times involved the Slayers,” he pointed out.
I felt Vince stiffen over the sheriff’s comment. “They came to my home,” Vince reminded him coldly. “And I protect what’s mine.”
“So you had to kill them both?”
“I did Mud,” Whip admitted without hesitation, his arms crossed over his chest. “He had his gun to VD’s head when we came in, wasn’t gonna take a chance he was kidding around.”
“Trick had Iris on the counter tearing at her clothes. Was about to rape her,” Demon added.
Couldn’t he tell by our condition that we’d been beaten? That we’d been forced to protect ourselves? Vince’s face was swollen, bruised, and smeared with blood. His beautiful mouth was puffy, one of his eyes swollen shut. The sheriff’s questioning angered me, but I supposed he was just doing his job.
“You see my woman?” Vince snapped, drawing the sheriff’s gaze to me. “They beat the hell out of her. They were going to rape her and then kill us both.”
Sheriff Thomas looked at me with sympathy, his gaze taking in the oversized tee I was wearing. “You okay, ma’am?” I nodded. “I suppose you concur with his story?”
“It’s the truth, sheriff. Would you like me to go get my tattered shirt to show you what’s left of it after it was torn off of me? Better yet--” I pulled the collar to the oversized tee I had on down far enough to expose the vicious bite mark. “One of those men did this to me.” I watched with satisfaction when his mouth tightened and he glanced away with regret.
The young officer who’d been questioning Miss Anne stepped into the room, closing his note pad as he met the sheriff’s eyes. “Miss Anne’s not hurt but she is shook up. She said she was forced off the road on the way here. They hid in the car and made her back into the garage so no one would see them get out. Then they took her to the cellar and tied her up.”
The sheriff was nodding, seemingly satisfied with her story. It certainly explained how they’d got into the house. His gaze swept over the bikers standing quietly by, before settling on Vince and me again. He expelled a deep breath. “Guess that’ll do for now. I’ll put this down as a home invasion.” He gave Vince a meaningful look. “And not retaliation for something else.”
Was he looking for a confession?
“Bad blood between clubs, sheriff. That’s all it is,” Vince insisted in a firm tone.
“Yeah, guess you don’t have to worry about the Slayers anymore.”
No one responded to his comment. The officer who’d taken Sassy outside stepped back in through the doorway. “Medical examiner is here.” He was followed closely by a man in a white lab coat and two others rolling a gurney.
“What have we got, John?” he questioned the sheriff, his gaze darting about the kitchen.
“Two justifiable homicides. Take the bodies away.”
The medical examiner hesitated, clearly surprised by what the sheriff had just said. “You making that call?” he frowned.
“I am, Ron.”
After a couple more seconds of eye contact, Ron shrugged and moved away. “Well, makes my job easier,” he mumbled.
I wasn’t an expert on violent crimes that ended in death or of how they were investigated, but things seemed to be moving fast, too fast. But who was I to question it? I was only going by what I watched on TV. I had a feeling that the sheriff’s comment to the medical examiner had speeded up the process. Though he’d seemed skeptical at times, he appeared to be satisfied with what he’d been told, especially after hearing Miss Anne’s account of what happened.
I knew there was a lot more going on than what was being said. After the events of the past few days, and hearing certain things at the clubhouse, I realized that this was all part of club life, the life Vince and his brothers lived, the danger and chaos they were involved in every day. People were kidnapped and used as pawns, they were beaten and killed.
Threatened with rape.
Was this the life I wanted? Was I strong enough? Could I face each day knowing that Vince could walk out the door and not come back? I didn’t like the thoughts that were running through my bruised mind, didn’t like that I was questioning what I’d already decided didn’t matter. I loved Vince. I knew that without a doubt. I’d been so ready to accept his way of life, so sure that I wanted to be part of it. But after what had just happened…I was torn between fear of being part of his world, and my feelings for him.
Could a travel agent and a hard-core biker make a life together?
A sob escaped me, making me realize that I was crying. God, I didn’t want Vince to see my weakness, but I knew that he was aware of it because his arms tightened around me. I felt another kiss on the top of my head. His tenderness and understanding only made me cry harder. I was having a meltdown and couldn’t seem to wave it off. I turned my face into him and clutched at his cut, trembling uncontrollably.
“I’ve got to get Iris out of here,” he said to his brothers. “Someone take Miss Anne home and make sure she’s settled.”
“Got it, Prez.” I recognized Corky’s voice, but didn’t look over.
“Whip−” A brief silence followed, and I could imagine them sharing a meaningful look. “Thanks, brother. You saved my life.”
“You would have done the same for me,” Whip remarked. “I’ll get a cleanup crew here.”
I felt Vince’s nod. “Make sure it’s the Olsen brothers. They do a thorough job. I want this fucking place scoured inch by inch.”
“I’ve seen you look worse, Prez, but want me to call the doc for Iris?” Demon asked in a rough tone.
“I don’t need a doctor,” I croaked in a teary voice against Vince’s hard chest. “And please don’t mention any of this to Penny.”
“Are you sure about the doc, darlin’?” I nodded, sniffling loudly. “You’re not getting snot on me are you, baby?” His brothers snorted, but it was the smile in Vince’s voice that went straight to my heart.
“I might be.” I was pretty sure that I was. Without warning, I was suddenly picked up. “Vince!”
He ignored me, directing his remark to Roland. “I’m taking my woman upstairs. Make sure this place is locked up and the alarm activated before you leave. I want two fucking prospects placed outside until further notice. Everyone stays on lockdown.” He waited for acknowledgement, which came in the form of a chin lift, and then turned and headed for the stairs.
“You should put me down, you’ve been hurt, too.” I reached up and gently ran my open palm over his swollen face.
He glanced down at me. “Baby, I’m never putting you down again.”
I laughed, because he sounded so serious. He took us right to his bedroom and then adjoining bath, where he set me down on my feet next to the huge tub. Keeping one hand on me, he bent and turned on the taps.
“We’re gonna be sore as hell come morning. A hot soak will feel good right now.” Once he had the temperature the way he wanted it, he turned back to me. His gaze moved over my face with something like remorse, before the back of his hand smoothed over my cheek. “Darlin’, I’m so fucking sorry you had to get caught up in this shit.”
“It wasn’t your fault.” I wanted to kiss him so badly, but both of us had split lips. “I know I look a mess.”
He shook his head. “You’re beautiful to me.” He reached for the bottom of my shirt and pulled it up and over my head, carefully. His gaze fell on my shoulder. “Jesus, fuck.” First he lightly ran his fingertips over the wound, and then he leaned forward and brushed his lips over it. “I wish I could kill the fucker all over again.” His hands worked around me to undo my bra.
I shivered, as much from his words as from his warm breath against my flesh. “I’ve never seen a man killed before.”
His smoldering gaze met mine. “You understand that it was necessary, right?”
I thought about how Vince had be
aten the other man like a man possessed. And in a way, I realized, he had been. He’d been fighting for our survival. “Yes. We would have been killed if they hadn’t been first.”
Vince nodded, satisfied with my reasoning. “You need to understand something, darlin’-- I will do whatever it takes to protect you and my family from bastards like the Slayers. That club might be gone, but there will always be another one out to prove themselves by fucking with us. We don’t go looking for trouble, but when it comes we hold nothing back, even if it means killing. It’s the only thing they understand.”
I swallowed hard, unable to admit that some of what Vince said, the passion behind his words, did something to me on a level I couldn’t understand. Every woman liked to be protected by her man, and seeing him in action earlier had both frightened and turned me on. I wasn’t a violent person by nature, but the way he’d gone after the man who’d tried to rape me had churned up something hot and deep in my core. How fucked up was that?
He let my bra slip down my arms and fall to the floor. Then he bent and pulled my jeans down. I stepped out of them and kicked them aside, shivering when he kissed his way up my body. By now the tub was filled. He turned off the water and helped me inside. As I descended blissfully into the soothing heat, Vince removed his clothes and sank down behind me. I sighed, settling back against his powerful body. His arms came around me instantly, and he adjusted his hips to make more room for my butt, which was nestled up tight against his loins.
We both released a sound of tired pleasure.
I closed my eyes.
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