by Erin Trejo
My heart stops in my chest. What the hell? She wasn’t lying.
He doesn’t look at her, he keeps talking to Bash.
I shove out of my chair and stalk toward them. Maybe Aubrie was right. Maybe I need to stand up for myself.
As soon as I reach them, Brit has her lips on his neck. Fire blazes its way through my veins. Grabbing her hair, I pull her out of his grasp before either of them know what’s happening.
My fist lands on her cheek before she fires back. I’m not a fighter, but she was all over him!
Her hands tangle in my hair before she gets in another blow.
Before I know it, we’re being yanked apart as hoots and hollers come from all around from the other guys.
Not Jace, though. He stands there dumbfounded by what he just saw.
He doesn’t say a word. He doesn’t move, just watches.
Shit, maybe I messed up by doing that.
Chapter 47
Bullet
“Damn, your woman’s not much of a fighter.” Kane slaps a hand into my chest as I look at her.
That’s a fucking lie. She’s a fighter. Just not a physical fighter.
I don’t know why I’m stunned into submission here, but I can’t make myself move.
Mouse fought through hell to make it out alive and now she’s standing here in a physical altercation with a club whore.
What the hell has gotten into her?
Words try to form, but damn!
“You just gonna stare at her?” Micah leans in, whispering in my ear.
“What the hell did I do to her?” I ask. Glancing over at Micah, he grins before he shrugs.
“I’d say you fucked her. It’s like a dog. She’s pissin’ on her territory, brother,” Micah says. He laughs, but his words slam into me like an iron fist.
Is that what she’s doing? Did she think Brit and I had something going on?
I take a step toward her, but she throws her hand up to stop me.
“Don’t come near me. Just leave me alone.” The growl that ripped out of her takes me by surprise. She’s pissed beyond words.
I watch her turn and storm out the door. I know there isn’t anywhere for her to go out here, but shit, she has me in knots.
“You going after her?” Aubrie stands with her arms crossed over her chest.
“I didn’t even do anything,” I say defending myself. Shaking her head, that was not the right answer.
“Oh, yes you did. You let that slut put her hands on you and she told Trinity shit, too.” Glancing over at Brit, she just shrugs.
“She didn’t have her hands on me. She was just standin’ there.” Pointing next to me, I try to make my point.
“She was on you, brother. You had your arm around her. That girl is gonna kick your balls into your throat,” Bomber says laughing before he walks past us.
Shit! It’s like second nature to throw my arm around these girl’s shoulders. It wasn’t anything, I didn’t mean anything by it.
“You see this shit! I told you I ain’t cut out for this shit.” Snapping at myself, Micah puts his hand on my shoulder.
“It’s new to you, brother. It’s new to her, too.”
Goddamn, I have no idea how to do this shit. Relationships aren’t something I’m used to and look at me now, fucking it all up.
Chapter 48
Mouse
“Nursin’ those wounds alone, huh?” Kane, I think his name is, walks toward me with a rag. He holds it out to me, which I take.
“Thanks.” Mumbling, I don’t look back up at him, but he doesn’t leave either.
“He’s different than most of us. Bullet doesn’t do relationships well. They always blow up in his face, but that motherfucker’s heart is always in the right place.” Now he has my attention. I turn to look at him while I wipe the blood from my lip.
“She was kissing on him and he was holding onto her. I get that I’m a nobody around here, but still,” I say. Kane shakes his head like he’s pissed. Well, fuck him!
“You aren’t a nobody. He fought himself on whether to bring you here. He fought every goddamn demon he had to make that choice. Trust me when I say, he could have left you in that hospital, but he didn’t. That right there means somethin’, darlin’,” he says. He looks like he’s being sincere and telling the truth, but I know what I saw.
“She said she knew all about him.” Kane chuckles before stepping closer to me.
“Look, you’ve been with other guys, he’s been with other girls. It’s the past. You can’t fault him for somethin’ he did before you showed up. Just like you can’t fault him for havin’ a good heart. He treats these whores around here better than the rest of us. He sees them as people, not just a “piece of ass”. That may be a downfall on his part, but it is who he is,” he says and I can tell he’s being honest with me. I give him a small smile before I hear the door close.
“You’re right. I’m sorry.” Kane shakes his head before Jace steps up next to him.
“Don’t tell me, darlin’. Tell him.” Kane nods toward Jace with a grin on his face. I nod once before I watch him walk away.
“Find one you like better than me?” Jace asks. The glint in his eyes tells me he’s playing. I love it, but I hate it, too.
“I’m sorry, Jace. She said things to me and I lost it. I shouldn’t have done that.” He steps toward me, not touching me, which makes me worry even more.
“She was the past. She’s still a person I have a past with. I’m not disrespectful of women, Mouse. I can’t be... I drew the line for her, though, after you walked off.” Did he?
I open my mouth to speak, but his hand covers my lips.
“No more talkin’. You didn’t mess up. I should have warned you.” His hand moves and his lips replace it.
The way he takes what he wants from me is the highest feeling I’ve ever had.
Chapter 49
Bullet
“What the fuck are you smilin’ about?” Dax looks at me as we walk toward the area we’re checking out today.
“Nothin’. Just happy,” I say. Dax shakes his head before he walks past me.
“Micah. You need to talk to your boy,” Dax says, pointing over his shoulder at me, I laugh.
“Why, what’s up?” Micah falls into step next to me.
“Nothin’, brother,” I tell him. My grin couldn’t get any bigger. Hell, I got a good woman at the clubhouse waiting on me, the scent of her sweet pussy still lingers inside my nose, yeah, it’s a good fucking day.
“You got some before we left...” Micah chuckles. Shaking his head, he stops before looking at me.
“Tell me somethin’, Bullet. You gonna be good when the shit comes down with your dad?” he asks. I knew that was coming. I saw it a mile away.
“Yeah. We were never that close, Micah. You know that. I hate it for my mom though, she doesn’t deserve that shit.” The sound of gunshots rings out before we can finish our talk.
We both crouch down, pulling our guns as we survey the area.
“Snipers. Did you fuckin’ hear it?” I ask. I know he did. We are trained for that shit.
He nods his head once, as my eyes focus on finding the shooter.
If they are as good as we are, they’d be well hidden. Micah’s doing the same next to me when I see it.
“Three o’clock. Don’t make contact,” I whisper. Micah’s gaze shifts slowly before I see the look in his eye. He spotted him, too.
“Second shooter. Four o’clock.” When he says the words, my stomach cramps. Shit, there’s more than one.
“You take three, I got four. On my count,” I whisper. Micah nods his head slowly. The other guys have moved forward, but they know to leave us to do our thing.
“One… Two… Three.” We both fire at the same time, watching the bodies fall. I can’t stop the grin that creeps across my face either. Not because I killed someone, but because we still got it.
Micah and I push up at the same time before high fiving.
&n
bsp; “Nailed that shit! Just like the old days.” Micah gets as stoked as I do about that shit.
“Fuck yeah. Let’s get up there,” I say. Nodding toward the other guys, we jog toward them.
“Two snipes out.” Bomber nods his head, a thankful glint in his eyes.
“Get ready for round two, boy’s.”
I’m already ready. It’s been far too long since I’ve had a good shoot-out.
Chapter 50
Mouse
Thoughts of snapping her little neck have filtered through my head since Jace left. She keeps looking over here, a grin on her nasty little, pimpled face. God, I’ve never hated someone the way I hate her right now.
“She can be a bitch. I don’t think she’ll mess with you anymore, though.” Glancing over, another girl I haven’t met sits next to me.
“I’m Holly. Another club whore, hang around... you’re with Bullet?” she asks. She seems nicer than Brit. I nod my head as I take in her big, green eyes and long, red hair. She’s cute.
“I’m Trinity,” I say. She smiles and nods before I ask the obvious. “Are you going to tell me all about his fucking skills too, because I don’t think I’m in much of a mood for it.” Holly laughs before shaking her head.
“No. I was never with Bullet. He’s a nice guy, though. I think you did good catching him.” She winks at me and I finally relax.
“He is. I’ve noticed that more and more since I’ve gotten here,” I say. Holly nods her agreement when Aubrie hollers for me.
“Trinity, you have a phone call.” A phone call? No one knows I’m here. Maybe it’s Jace calling to check in on me.
I excuse myself before heading toward the bar. Aubrie smiles as she holds the phone out to me.
“Thank you.” I mouth the words before bringing the receiver to my ear.
“Hello?” I wait for his voice to come over the line but it never does. The one that does, though, chills my blood.
“Did you think you could hide from me?” My dad’s voice sends chills over my body.
“What do you want?” Trying to remain calm, Link looks over his shoulder at me. I can see he’s working on his laptop, but I caught his attention.
“You, Trinity. Come home and I’ll call off the attack,” he says. What is he talking about? There is no way in hell that I’m ever going back there.
“I will never step foot in that house again.” His laughter is dark and evil.
“Your little boyfriend is stepping into a war zone that he won’t make it out of. You should be proud of yourself, Trinity. All you had to do was come home.” Silence eats at me. What did he do?
“What did you do? What did you do!” Screaming into the phone, I hear the click when he hangs up.
The room spins around me when I feel hands around my waist, holding me up.
Link hollers, “Trinity? Who was that?” Link’s holding me when I look over at him confused.
“My dad. He said Jace is stepping into a war zone. He has to be okay, Link. He is... right?” Screaming louder, my stomach tumbles as my heart pounds.
That’s the last thing I remember before I passed out.
Chapter 51
Bullet
The hair on the back of my neck stands on end. I glance at Micah, knowing he’s feeling it too.
“This feel off to you, brother?” I ask. He nods his head just confirming what I already knew.
Micah and I stay back as Bomber talks to one of the guys that stand out front of the bar.
“He don’t look all that friendly,” Micah says. Huffing out a breath, I have to agree there. The air is hostile around us.
“It’s unstable, man. I don’t fuckin’ like it.” The reason Micah and I mesh so well is our time in the war. We kept each other in check and had each other’s back. This is no different.
“Me either. The air’s all wrong. Shit’s gonna go down, Bullet.” I can hear the edge in his voice. He knows it as much as I do. It’s a fucking sixth sense to us. We can feel it in the air.
“Watch your ass. I’m movin’ up,” I say. Micah grunts his response before I start to move forward.
We’re back far enough to stay out of the line of sight, but I’m making my presence known.
My rifle is positioned over my shoulder as I march toward the assholes in front of me.
Stepping up next to Dax, his eyes jerk to mine before coming back to Bomber. The conversation looks heated before he turns. His eyes dart around until landing on mine. The subtle way he tilts his head, I know he needs me up front.
“Shit,” Dax mumbles under his breath, knowing that when me or Micah get called up front, it’s never a good sign.
My finger stays on the trigger of my pistol, but my rifle is always ready when needed.
Stepping up next to Bomber, the man in front of me grins.
“You’re the little bastard that I’m supposed to be worried about?” the guy asks.
“Who the fuck are you?” I grunt. My eyes narrow in on the motherfucker that stands in front of me. He doesn’t look like much, but neither do I, and I’m fucking deadly.
“You won’t be alive long enough to know me.” The growl that rips out of my throat doesn’t faze him.
His eyes stay locked on mine when I take a step toward him.
“Make a move, motherfucker. I dare you.” Gritting my teeth, I don’t know what the fuck he is going to do, but I’m damn sure ready for it.
The other guy? I wasn’t ready for.
“I warned you, Jace. I warned you to walk away.” Closing my eyes, I turn to look at the man that gave me life.
“You set me up?” I ask in a harsh tone as reality crashes down around me. His grin should say enough but I need to hear it.
“I warned you. You never listen. I told you not to get involved with that girl.” That girl—is the only solid thing I have aside from this club. I won’t let him take that away from me.
“I’ll kill you if it’s the last goddamn thing I do. I will watch all the blood drain from that useless body of yours,” I roar. His eyes dance with amusement mixed with a slight fear. I like the fear part.
“You don’t get it, do you, Jace? You aren’t walking out of here,” he says. I move toward him when he raises his gun. The grin on my face couldn’t get any wider. He takes two steps back when I hear the guns being cocked behind me.
“Oh, come on now, Dad. Do it yourself. Don’t be a fuckin’ coward.” He looks me in the eyes before he says, “Fine.” The blast sends me flying backward and off the little porch I’d stepped up on.
All hell breaks loose after that.
Chapter 52
Mouse
My head swims with confusion. I pry my eyes open and glance around. I’m in Jace’s room.
“You okay? You passed out.” Aubrie leans over me, checking me out.
“Is he here? Is Jace back?” I ask in a panic. Aubrie shakes her head before I shove myself up. What if what my dad said was true? What if Jace isn’t coming back?
The panic begins to settle in my chest, my breathing picking up.
“If there’s one thing I know about Bullet, he’s a fighter. He doesn’t give up easily. Hell, he’s been through the war and made it out. He’ll be fine.” Aubrie’s reassuring tone settles me slightly.
“I’m sorry. I worry a lot. It’s just kind of me.” She smiles and nods her head when we hear commotion in the main room. We share a glance before I throw the blanket back and climb out.
Aubrie’s out the door before me, but I’m not far behind her.
“Micah!” I can hear her yell his name. I see the guys coming through the door and a few of them aren’t looking too good.
My eyes scan the guys before the door opens again. Bomber walks in with his arm around Jace, and my body goes numb. There’s blood covering his shirt and he looks pale. My stomach rolls into a thousand knots as I watch them walk in.
Aubrie moves rapidly toward him, but when I see him smile, I let out the breath I’d been holding.
Aubrie fusses over him, but his eyes are scanning the room until they stop on me. His smile falls, his eyes widen. He says something to Aubrie before she turns and gazes at me.
She shakes her head before telling him something, but he brushes her away.
Everything is happening in slow motion. Jace’s feet move, but I’m frozen in place. The life has been sucked out of me. He could have been dead. He could have died and it was all my fault.
His bloodied hand comes up to cup my cheek.
“Are you okay?” he asks. He stares into my eyes, those green beauties calling out to me.
“You’re bleeding,” I say softly. Jace shakes his head before leaning into me.
“You passed out. You look pale.” I let out a choked laugh that he’s so worried about me when he’s the one bleeding.
“I... I’m fine. You’re...” He doesn’t let me finish. His lips press against mine, taking what he needs from me.
I didn’t realize just how much I needed him in this moment, too.
“I’m here. That’s all that matters,” he assures me. His tongue slides deliciously into my mouth. I let the feel of him swirl through me.
“I need a shower,” he grins at me. Resting his forehead on mine, I sigh with a smile.
Chapter 53
Bullet
The warm water washes over me, the blood staining my body, slowly filtering down the drain. I know Aubrie wants to get a look at this bullet hole, but I know I’m fine. It didn’t hit anything vital. Besides, this isn’t my first go-around with this.
I rinse the soap from my hair when I hear the shower curtain pull back. Mouse stands there fully clothed, looking at me with tears in her eyes.
“I’m okay,” I tell her, trying to reassure her. She nods her head. The look in her eyes rips at my soul. I don’t like seeing her like this.
She starts to pull the curtain back into place when I grab her hand. Dragging her, clothes and all, into the shower with me, I pull her head to my chest. Her tears fall, mingling with the water from the shower, washing down the drain.