by KB Winters
“And now? What are we now?”
She smiled again and nodded. “We are...us.”
“You’re not anything bitch. Golden Boy is mine, damn you!”
We both turned, startled at Sheena’s yelling. How in the hell did she get inside the house?
I barked out, “No I’m not, Sheena.”
“You are, dammit!” She had a gun, a simple nine-millimeter clutched between her shaky hands, wild eyes darting between Teddy and me. The table set for two between us. “Did I interrupt another romantic dinner? Did I?”
Teddy shook her head, skin pale and lips drawn and nervous. “It wasn’t romantic, just dinner.”
“Shut up, bitch! This is all your fault, coming around and flaunting your long legs and fancy gear. I was a good little bitch for years, now it’s my turn!” She was so angry, so filled with rage I had a bad feeling about how this would end.
I kept my voice even. As even as I could with a gun in my face. “I was never yours, Sheena.”
“But you could have been, Golden Boy. Don’t you see? We could have been fucking amazing together. I’m the kind of bitch that could have made you club president but you passed me over.” She shook her head, smacking it with her palm. “I had it all planned out. I would show you a good time, fuck your brains out after being without a woman for so long. I would’ve let you do anything, Golden Boy. Anything!”
Teddy snorted out a laugh and my eyes went wide with shock. Was she crazy?
Sheena turned on her and my heart leaped into my throat when the gun stretched out, pointing to her face. “You have something to say, whore?”
Teddy just sneered. “You’re so wrong about everything, do you even care about the truth?”
“Teddy,” I began, hoping to warn her not to poke the crazy ass bear.
“No, Golden Boy, let her speak. Let the little slut tell us what’s on her slutty little mind. Go ahead,” she waved the gun in Teddy’s direction. “Speak, bitch!”
I had to give Teddy credit; she looked way calmer than I felt even as she surreptitiously covered her belly as her gaze settled on Sheena. “You’re the one who brought us together.”
“Liar! Fucking liar!”
“It’s true. We were just friends of circumstance before. His brother is marrying my best friend. But then some crazy psycho started stalking me and Tate offered his protection. Then we really started spending time together and well, you know the rest.”
“His name is Golden Boy, you stupid bitch!”
Teddy shrugged like Sheena didn’t have a gun aimed at her head. “Either way, this is on you Sheena. I should thank you.”
Sheena raised the gun level with Teddy’s forehead and grinned with crazy eyes. “For ending your misery tonight?”
“No.” Teddy turned her gaze to me and smiled. “For pushing me into the arms of the love of my life.”
Sheena let out a little shriek of pain. “Are you fucking serious right now? I have the gun so you both will fucking listen to me. To me!”
Teddy was like a freight train and wouldn’t stop. I was sending her thought messages. Baby, she’s crazy, please, stop. She’ll kill us. But she just barreled on.
“You interrupted our evening, Sheena, not the other way around. This was a private conversation and since you’re trying to steal my man, I figured it was the perfect time to step up.”
Teddy looked back at me and grinned. “I know I have the worst timing in the world, but I figured this was a now or never type deal. I love you, Tate. I am madly, crazily, sappily in love with you. So much that I just want to hop on your lap and run my fingers through your hair like Jana does to Max.”
I barked out a laugh over my pounding heart. We had to be delirious. It was the only explanation for both of us to be laughing and staring at each other with googly eyes as a crazy woman held us at gunpoint. “I like that,” I said, my voice as shaky as Sheena’s hand holding the Glock.
I don’t know if Sheena was high or what but she quickly snapped, “Oh, please! Don’t listen to her, Golden Boy, she’s full of shit. A girl like her, she doesn’t want a biker. She wants you for your money.”
And then the lights went on. Thank you, Sheena. Suddenly it was all very clear. My breath started to calm and I took my eyes off Teddy and faced Sheena, shaking my head. What a dumb ass I’d been. If I hadn’t had my head up my ass about being so pissed off about being falsely accused and the raw deal I got from the government and all that shit maybe I could have seen what was right in front of my eyes. But no. I had to put Teddy’s life on the line and make everything about me. I went running off to Reno and all that shit and I still didn’t figure it out. What the fuck took me so long?
“Goddammit, Sheena. Now it all makes fucking sense. You focused on me because you want the money.” The next laugh came out harsher. Louder. “Of course you do. There are plenty of guys you could’ve tried to get it on with, and now I know why they wouldn’t do. The money.”
Sheena didn’t blink an eye. “Okay, well, this has been fun and all, but I came here to get my man.” She raised her arm again so the barrel of the gun was aimed right between Teddy’s eyes. “And the only way to do that is to make sure you’re not around anymore.”
But Teddy didn’t blink, either. “Do what you have to do, Sheena. Just remember that Tate won’t visit you in prison. Will you, baby?”
I shook my head and thought this must be the most surreal night of my life.
“Never. Sorry,” I told Sheena, because one of us had to try and keep the crazy bitch happy.
“That’s okay, I have no plans to get caught. We’ll use some of Golden Boy’s money to get out of here, and by the time they find you we’ll be on a beach somewhere sipping ice cold beers. You’ll just be a memory.”
The next few seconds happened in slow motion. Teddy’s hands went to her belly and I knew it was coming but I couldn’t stop it. “And he’ll love being by the side of the woman who killed his first child. Won’t you, babe?”
I knew it would either piss Sheena off or send her over the edge. She shot me a look that dared to cut me in half, then turned back to Teddy. “You’re lying! You’re a lying fucking bitch.”
“Maybe I am, who knows? You’ll only find out after the fact.”
What was she doing? I put up my hand, as if that was going to stop Teddy. She had fire in her eyes. “No, babe. Do you want her to kill you?”
I knew she was a fighter, but it seemed like she was just giving up, asking Sheena to pull the trigger. I’d never felt so helpless in my life.
“I can’t change her mind, Tate, and I refuse to feed her delusion.” Those were the last words she spoke as the front and back door burst open at the same time and a dozen officers stormed the house.
“Down on the ground, right now! On the fucking ground!” I moved slowly, lifting my arms over my head and slid to the floor.
“On the fucking ground!” I couldn’t see what was happening but I heard it all.
“I don’t think so, pigs! If I can’t have him …”
Two shots sounded and a body collapsed to the floor. Teddy screamed.
“Fucking pigs, you shot me! I’ll sue you all!”
“On the goddamn ground right now or I’ll shoot you!”
“I can’t, you asshole!” Teddy’s words were distorted by tears and fear. But at least she wasn’t dead.
“I’m in a wheelchair and I’m pregnant!”
“She’s the vic,” a deep voice I recognized as Detective Haynes said, seconds before he was lifting me off the ground. “You all right?”
My gaze went to Teddy. “I’m fine,” I told him and dropped to my knees in front of her, wrapping my arms around her waist. “Are you okay?”
She nodded quickly. “A little sh-sh-shaken, but okay.” Her smile wobbled, giving away her fear.
“You’re okay, baby. I’m right here, the man you love.”
She laughed. “You couldn’t wait to rub it in, could you?”
“I just want
ed to get it out there on the record.” I turned to see the cops cuffing Sheena, a paramedic attending to her wound.
“With witnesses.” Teddy laughed and it was the sweetest sound, light and airy, full of life.
With her uninjured hand, she cupped my jaw and leaned in for a kiss. “I love you Tate Ellison.”
“Are you fucking crazy? You know she could have shot you.”
“Baby, I looked at her and you and thought about baby Tate and decided I was done being afraid. She’s been ruining my life these last few months and it pissed me off. It was time to take my life back. Maybe I’m pumped with too much adrenaline or baby hormones, I don’t know. But something inside me said enough. I saw she had as much fear in her eyes as bravado and if she gave me the chance, I was going to knock the shit out of her with this cast or die trying. But she wasn’t going to ruin my life anymore.”
I put my arms around her and while Haynes and his team finished up their business, Teddy whispered in my ear, “She had also broken through the security code at the front door and knew the cops were on their way, so I might not be as brave as you think.”
Chapter 24
Teddy
One month later
“Is this what normal is? It’s been so long I forgot.” Lounging in Jana’s backyard felt so much like old times that my heart actually sighed.
“This is our new normal, I suppose,” Jana said, beaming. “Old about to be married ladies with babies on the way.” She glowed as she rubbed circles on her growing belly. At six months, she was all baby belly, smiling and damn near radioactive. “It’s nice though, isn’t it?”
Damn straight it was. “Yeah, I enjoy having no one try to kill me.” Aside from a few extra trips to the doctor and talking to the cops, the past month had been pretty great. Things between Tate and I were better than ever. I was practically living at Max’s old house because it would be a long time before I was able to stay at my place without nightmares.
After the blow up, Sheena had been handcuffed and shoved into the back of an ambulance, the whole time screaming for her precious Golden Boy to get her a lawyer so they could be together. It was sad and embarrassing, and if she hadn’t tried to kill me and burn my house down, I might’ve had an ounce of sympathy for her. I didn’t. “At least Sheena will be spending a long time in prison.”
Jana looked over her shoulder with a worried look. “I think the guys are worried what she might try to offer up to reduce her sentence.”
I blinked and tried to sit up, eager for the cast to come off in a few weeks. “What do you mean? I thought they were on the right side of legal?”
Jana sighed. “They’re legal, but the gun thing is in a...grey area. And who knows what she might have overheard.”
Well, shit. “I thought she made a deal already?”
“She did, but none of that matters until the papers are signed. The club paid for her lawyer so we’ll have word soon enough.”
I sat back and thought about what Jana said. Sheena could still pose a problem for Tate and all of the Reckless Bastards. “And you’re sure they’re not the kind of motorcycle club to knock people off?”
Jana laughed so loud she had to grip her belly, which sent Max running in our direction with a worried scowl on his face. “What’s wrong, babe?”
She huffed out a breath between laughs, clutching her breath. “Oh good,” huff, huff, “Teddy asked,” huff, huff, “if you guys offed people.” More fucking laughter.
Max frowned and then looked at me like I’d grown three more heads. And then he also burst out laughing.
“It’s not like we haven’t thought about it,” Tate said as he dropped a kiss on top of my head. “But she knows we can make it very difficult for her on the inside.”
I smiled up at him. “My little bad ass biker dude.”
Tate leaned in with a panty-melting grin on his face. “We both know there’s nothing little about me, sweetheart.”
Amen to that. “I know. I can’t wait to get some of that juicy, sizzling meat in my mouth.” His gaze darkened intensely. “I’m starving.”
“Very funny.” He leaned over and brushed a gentle kiss behind my ear. “You’re lucky I love you.”
I was damn lucky and I knew it. It wasn’t just having the love of a man as good as Tate, it was that feeling of being loved and being in love. The security and satisfaction of coming home to his smiling face and waking up in his strong arms. But it was worrying about him and hearing him talk about his day, the way his eyes lit up as he tried out things for GET INK’D. Just being together was pure bliss. “And you’re lucky I love you too.”
“I know it every damn day, Cover Girl.”
I laughed. “Just for that, you’re sleeping on the couch, Golden Boy.”
“Yeah right, how will you sleep without rolling on top of me every night?”
He was right. Pregnant me preferred to use Tate as a body pillow and every morning I woke up completely wrapped around him, and he woke up soaked from the furnace hug. “I’ll manage.”
“Hey none of that right now,” Jana insisted with a wag of her finger. “Save that for later, otherwise I’ll never get to talk to Teddy about the wedding.” She squealed excitedly. “I was thinking Hawaii, but maybe we should do a beach wedding in San Diego? What do you think, Teddy?”
Hawaii would likely be out of the question for Jana anyway with her pregnancy so far along, and maybe even for me as well. “I think it would be pretty hilarious to watch a bunch of bikers descend on the little tourist town.”
“Oh, me too! But they have a really nice hotel there and we could hold everything there from the rehearsal dinner to the wedding reception.”
“That’s a great idea! Give me the dates and I’ll get it all set up.”
She squealed and tried three times to get up without success. “Damn constantly changing center of gravity.”
Max helped her up and she came and hugged me tight, around both of our growing bellies. “You are the absolute best! And I promise when it’s time for your wedding, I’ll help too.”
I laughed because we both knew that was a joke. Jana would have to be pulled, kicking and screaming, and that was fine by me. “Sure, you will.”
She laughed and hugged me again. “Promise.”
“Did someone say food?” Max and Tate stood above us, casting long shadows. But they held plates overflowing with succulent steaks and Jana and I both clapped with excitement.
“Yes, please!” I held my hands out greedily. “Food.”
“You only want me for my food,” Tate teased.
“And your body. Don’t forget your totally hot body.” He barked out a laugh and handed me the plate.
“I can’t wait to make you mine,” he growled in my ear, dropping something on my lap.
I looked down at the butter yellow sundress I wore and found a tiny turquoise box. “Tate,” I said, a warning in my voice. “What is this?”
“That,” he pointed with a satisfied grin, “is a promise. A proposal for forever.”
“I’m listening.”
His grin widened. “You know I’m not good with talking about my feelings and shit, but I love you with everything in me. You and our baby, and I want us to be a family. Theodora Elizabeth Quinton, will you be my wife?”
All the months of hell and uncertainty had brought us to this moment. Circumstances brought Tate and I together, attraction kept us together, but it was a deep and lasting love that would push us toward forever. So I looked at my golden-haired biker with love shining in my eyes and said the only thing I could. “Hell yeah, I will!”
And right there in Jana’s backyard, surrounded by those who mattered, we got started on our little family and our huge forever.
~ T H E ~ E N D ~
Wow! I hope you loved this story as much as I loved writing it! Turn the page for more yummy goodness!
I’ve included a sneak peek of Cash the second book of the CAOS Series. It’s a novella length stand-alone MC Romance.
Hope you enjoy!
Cash
CAOS MC
By KB Winters
Copyright © 2017 BookBoyfriends Publishing LLC
Published By: BookBoyfriends Publishing LLC
Prologue
Minx ~ Two months earlier
I left Talon and Mick happily canoodling in front of all of Brently at their engagement party. Talon was the nicest woman I’d ever met, and no one deserved this happiness more than she did. She’d come to Brently months ago to claim the inheritance from a father she thought died years ago and found love with a really great guy. A stand-up guy who’d never hit a woman or mistreat her. Who would make sure her happiness and safety was his top priority.
As happy as I was for her, I also felt a pang of longing for what she had. Not Mick, but the stability and love he represented. I wanted someone who’d look at me and see a beautiful woman who could be their forever. The problem was that my past made that difficult. I didn’t want someone to look at me and see a project to fix. A problem to correct. And for some reason the one man who got my juices flowing, also seemed to have a hero complex. I’d only met one real hero in my life, and his own crew took him down.
Not that it mattered what kind of man I wanted or needed since all the guys in Brently and CAOS saw me as a little sister or a club mascot or some other condescending bullshit. All but one and he saw me as someone who needed to be saved. Fixed.
“Got one of those for me?”
I looked up from my cigarette into deep green eyes that always seemed to be smiling, kissable pink lips that urged a girl to forget his flaws. And my weakness, silky blond hair that hung just to his shoulders and usually, a leather strap kept it from covering up his gorgeous face. “You don’t smoke.” Because Cash “CJ” Johnson was a Boy Scout, a goody two-shoes who would never do something to ruin his All-American good looks or his G.I. Joe physique.
“I don’t normally but I figured if I asked for one of your smokes you wouldn’t run away from me.” He leaned against the brick wall of Talon’s diner, Black Betty, smiling at me as though I was the answer to his prayers. I wasn’t the answer to anybody’s fucking prayers.