by K. Renee
Chapter Twenty-Six
Rushing into the old run down warehouse, we take out the guard’s right inside the door. Canaan follows me, taking out a man that is coming around a corner. Each man that goes down, I can’t help but feel a little better. Yelling comes from somewhere in the back of the building, so we make a beeline towards the noises. I hear more bullets erupt around us as my brothers take out more men.
The sounds of bodies hitting the ground sickens me, but I focus on finding Spencer. I have to find him. He can’t be dead. I refuse to lose another person I care about.
“Over there.” Canaan says as a shadow catches our eyes. We make our way towards the hallway the guy went down and I see a door closing. Kicking it open, I put my gun in the door and take a foot to my wrist. The sound of it popping causes me to pause as the pain envelopes me. I yell out just as someone runs right at me.
We tumble to the ground and I try to buck my hips to get the bastard off of me. His hands go to my throat and he tries to cut off my air. I reach up and put my hand on his face, trying to push him away from me. Before he can do anything else, the pop of a gun fills the air around us. Blood splatters all over me and his now limp body rests on top of mine. Pushing him off of me, I get up and grab my gun from the concrete ground. My wrist is fuckin’ throbbing and I can barely make a fist with my right hand.
“You okay?” Canaan asks concerned. I nod my head and we keep moving towards the back of the room. A door is open, so we continue towards it. The sound of a gun going off urges us to both run towards the sound. Hitting the open doorway, I see the bullet hit Spencer. Tackling the guy, I lay him out on the ground and start hitting him.
I lose control for the first time. I hit the guy so many times that by the time I’m huffing out for breath, Canaan is pulling me off of him. Blood is dripping down my hands and covering my shirt. None of that matters when I look over at Spencer. His body is slumped against the wall by the door. His thigh is swollen, as well as his face and a majority of his body. Blood is seeping through his shirt.
“Spencer!” I hear my own voice, but it doesn’t sound like me. “Hold on Spencer.” I drop to my knees and press my hands against his wound. The blood doesn’t stop and soon I’m covered in his blood too. “Get a fuckin' ambulance.” I scream. Boots start coming towards the room and I hear my brother’s curse under their breath.
“Spence, please hold on.” I whisper against his cheek. The tears start to fall from my eyes and I press my lips to his forehead. I can’t lose him. Fuck.
“I need an ambulance, officer down, I repeat officer down.” Canaan’s voice barely sounds like a whisper as I sit with Spencer. I shouldn’t have left him. I should have listened to what he had to say instead of taking off. Regret fills me as I hold him, keeping my hand on his bullet wound, blood seeping between my fingers.
“E…” he whispers. His eyes start to open, but he doesn’t see me. His eyes are unfocused before he passes out. I run my fingers over his face and I smear blood all over him. Putting my head against his forehead, I pray for the second time since I was a kid. I pray that God lets Spencer live. He never answered our prayers for Raef, so I think he owes us one.
Closing my eyes, I try to keep a positive outlook, but I can’t. I’m going to lose the best thing I’ve ever had before I really ever got it. He’s going to be gone before I can ever tell him that I love him.
“You guys need to leave.” Canaan says from somewhere nearby.
“No, we aren’t leaving him.” I think Jase growls. “We don’t leave our family behind.”
“I can get him off, you guys I can’t. Just go. I’ll keep him protected.” Canaan’s voice is tight. I’ve never heard him use this tone with anyone and I can see why Spence likes him. He’s protective and not many can say that their partner went against protocol to help save their life.
“We aren’t leaving him.” My old man’s voice breaks through the tension. “I won’t leave my son behind.” My eyes close and the tears fall harder. I have to bite the inside of my cheek to keep from crying even more than I already am.
The sirens get louder and I know that if they don’t leave now, they will all be questioned. We will have to answer why we have the guns we have and why we killed these bastards. As much as I want to tell them to leave, I can’t.
Part of me is happy that they are still here. It means that they haven’t written me off yet.
When I look up, I see the sadness written on their faces. “If we have to go down for killing those bastards who shot Spencer, then I’m not afraid of doing the time. We’re a family and I’ll always have your back little brother, just like you’ve always had mine.” Brant’s words echo through the room. I close my eyes and put my head against the wall. Brant comes towards me and leans down to whisper in my ear so the others can’t hear him.
“Fight for who you love. Don’t let them tell you it’s wrong.” His hand wraps around the back of my neck and he squeezes. “I love you brother.” I slightly nod my head.
“I love you too B.”
“I need to get them in here without thinking they are going to take fire.” Canaan mumbles as he makes his way through the building. It seems like hours before he comes back with the paramedics and the rest of his team.
“We are going to need you to move.” One of the paramedics says to me. I nod my head and wait for the medic to put his hand where mine is covering his wound.
I slide out from under him and when I stand up, I see Dixon, I think, walking towards me. “Elijah.” He reaches his hand out, but when he sees that I’m covered in Spencer’s blood he balks. “Thank you for finding him.” I nod my head, but don’t say anything. One of my brother’s comes to stand next to me and he puts his hand on my shoulder.
My eyes flit back to Spencer as I watch them get him ready to go to the hospital. “His pulse is getting weak. We need to move him.” They prep him and start to move.
“What hospital?” Canaan barks out.
“Summerlin.” The medic says quickly before they rush out of the room. I feel like my whole world tilts on its axis. My legs give out and Seb grabs me before I can collapse.
“I’m not going to charge any of you with impeding an investigation. If you wouldn’t have found him when you did, he’d probably be dead already.” He turns to look at Canaan. “As for you Devlin, don’t ever go against a direct order again.”
“Sir, I did what any one of us would have done. Be pissed all you want, but I wasn’t going to be sitting on my ass while this bastards had Spencer. I don’t regret going to them for help.” Canaan motions to us and I see the admiration in Prez’s face. He likes when you stand up for what you believe in. He may not have liked it when Brant stood up to him for Anslie, but he gets it.
I cradle my wrist to my stomach, I try to stop leaning on Sebastian. I need to get to the hospital to make sure Spencer makes it out alive. He deserves life, not death. He doesn’t need the death cloud that is hovering over the Saints to affect his life any more than it has today. Once I know he’s okay, I’m setting him free of me. Free of the danger and drama that my life seems to be made up of.
“You should get that looked at.” Dixon says eyeing my wrist. “It might be broken.” I look down at my wrist and see that it’s swelled twice the size of my other one.
“Come on. We can get you showered and to the hospital. We can check on Spencer while were there.” I nod my head and watch as the rest of the guys make their way towards the door and out of the building.
Seb and I trail behind them and before we can make it out of the room Dixon stops us. “I’m sorry I forced him to break your trust. Thank you for finding him.” Words fail me. Instead of responding, I nod my head slightly and start to walk again.
The whole ride back to the clubhouse is a blur. My heart hurts in a way I never thought possible. Seeing the blood pour out of Spencer scarred me in a way I don’t think I’ll survive. He didn’t deserve that. He deserves the world.
“You good?” Dom asks
from his place across from me.
“Yeah.” My voice cracks and I know he can see the truth written all over my face. The truth is I’m not okay. I don’t know if I ever will be either.
After going through the motions at my place with River tending to me like I’m a child, I’m finally standing buck naked in my shower, watching the river of red run down the drain in front of me. She stripped me down and forced me into the shower once I walked in the house.
“Elijah?” She calls from right outside the shower. I close my eyes and take a deep breath.
“Yeah babe?” My voice is hoarse and I know it’s from the emotions that are flooding my system.
“Is he going to be okay?” River is an innocent still. She knows the men we can be after we attacked that fucker who sent her the pictures, but she doesn’t know everything we will do to ensure that our family is protected.
“I don’t know.” I rest my forehead against the shower wall and I can hear the hitch in her voice when she responds again.
“I hope he’s okay. He’s changed you and I don’t want you to lose the best thing you’ve had because of your job differences. I love you Elijah and I just want you to be happy.”
I can’t force anymore words out of my mouth. She’s right, but I’m not going to say anything. Having his blood on my hands made me realize I need to let him go. For the first time ever, I’m going to not be selfish. I won’t keep him all to myself; I’m letting him be free. Free of the life I live and the conflict of interest with his job.
Washing the rest of the blood off me, I wash my hair quickly and shut the water off with my good hand. Reaching out of the shower, I grab a towel and wrap it around my waist. Stepping out, I see River sitting on the toilet seat. A frown is permanently on her face right now. She stands up and moves towards me, wrapping her arms around my waist and pressing her cheek to my chest.
“I already know what you’re going to do.” Her voice is soft and sad. I close my eyes and rest my cheek on the top of her head. “Just know that I’ll always be on your side.”
“Thank you babe.” I murmur.
“Now let’s get you dressed so you can get that checked out,” she looks up at me and forces a fake smile on her lips.
Epilogue
Six Months Later
Walking into the bar, I am finally starting to feel like myself again. I haven’t heard from Elijah since the night I was kidnapped. Although part of me hates him for not coming to see me in the hospital, I get it. I talked to Canaan when I woke up and he told me that Elijah was the one who saved me. Elijah was the one who stopped some of the bleeding as I laid on the ground of that shitty warehouse.
The first place I head is to the bar. Part of me doesn’t even know why I’m here right now, but the other part has been craving a glimpse of the man I fell in love with. It’s been six months since the kidnapping and not a day goes by that I don’t think about him.
The feel of his rough hands as they slid over my skin, the sweet kisses he placed on my neck, and the rough sex he made me crave.
After the bartender drops my drink off, I grab it and take a long pull. The alcohol burns as it goes down, but it reminds me that I’m still living.
I didn’t expect to live through that night. To be honest, without him by myself this whole time I would have rather that bullet kill me. I lost a lot that night. I lost the trust of the man I’m so fucking stupidly in love with, got put on restrictive duty at work, and that I was the reason he had to come out before he was ready.
Walking through the crowded bar, I scan the faces and stop on a familiar one. Walking towards her, I see the forced smile on her face. She’s beautiful in the girl next door sort of way that drives straight men nuts. “Hey River.” I greet when I come to a stop in front of her. Her eyes scan me over and I just hope she will mention seeing me tonight to Elijah.
“Hey Hun!” She smiles fakely, while leaning in to kiss my cheeks. “I didn’t expect to see you here tonight.” She murmurs in my ear. Her arms wrap around me and she pulls me into a hug.
“Yeah, I’ve been on restricted duty. I don’t get to do all the fun stuff while I’m still recovering from the broken femur.” She frowns and then her eyes start to track something behind me. When I turn to see what she’s looking at, I don’t see anything.
“So what are you doing here?” I ask. It’s none of my business, but if she’s here he can’t be too far away.
“I was actually hoping that I’d run into you.” She is now messing with her hands and won’t look me in the eyes.
“What can I do for you?” I’m now curious. Maybe she is here by herself.
“First, I want to say how sorry I am that I only visited you once. I feel like such a terrible person. I just knew how hard it was on Elijah when he found out I went to see you.” I nod my head in understanding. If Canaan said he went to see Elijah, I’d be pissed and hurt. I have no idea why, but it would sting.
“Don’t be sorry. It isn’t your fault. I was the one who broke his trust. I didn’t expect him to stick around.” I run my hand over my few days old beard.
“He’s been miserable,” she says quietly.
“He’s not the only one.” I laugh dryly.
Her frown gets worse but she doesn’t say anything else. I wrap an arm around her and pull her into me. “I’m glad I got to see you.” She rests her head on my shoulder and I feel a vibration come from her. She grabs her phone from her pocket and glances at the screen. A small grin forms on her lips and she looks up at me.
I give her a strange look, but her grin only gets bigger. She shows me the screen and I see Elijah’s name.
Elijah: Why don’t you find a man of your own?
I feel my brows scrunch together in confusion before a hand lands on my shoulder. Turning around, I see Elijah’s face staring right at me.
Staring into his eyes, I feel like I can finally breathe again. The dark cloud feels like it’s finally lifting. “Spence.” His voice is rough and I can see the bags under his eyes. Reaching out, I run my hand along his cheek and he leans into my touch. “Fuck I’ve missed you.”
Instead of saying something back to him, I end up punching him in the gut. He wasn’t expecting it by the ‘oomph’ he lets out.
“I know I deserve that.” His voice is lower and it turns me on even though I’m pissed. I wasn’t sure how I was going to react when I saw him again, but I never thought I’d hit him in the gut.
“You deserve more than that.” I grunt out. My hands are shaking and as mad at him as I am; I still can’t fight the pull he has over me.
He wraps an arm around my neck and pulls me into his body. His arms wrap around me and he doesn’t let me go. “I fucked up. I know I did, but I’m tired of living without you.” His nose gently touches mine and I know I’m done for. He slightly bites his lip as he waits for me to say something. “I shouldn’t have left you that night. I should have come to the hospital to sit by your side. I was a coward.” His grey eyes darken and I see the anger and hurt in them.
“My pride was bruised, I was scared that I had lost you, and my family just found out I was gay. I know it’s not an excuse, but I’ll prove to you every damn day that I’m in it with you. Now and forever.” His mouth comes closer to mine and the only thing I can think about is feeling his lips on mine again. Instead of saying anything, I crush my mouth against his and kiss him like he's the oxygen that I need.
I hear River’s catcall from next to us and I can’t help but grin against his lips. It feels like coming home.
“Spence.” Elijah growls. I roll over and come face to face with him. His eyes are light grey right now and I can feel his hardness from here. After we reconnected at my place, he dragged me back to Las Vegas where I got to meet his family.
Let’s just say that meeting them was an awkward, but enjoyable experience. His mom was a delight and his sister-in-law Anslie was to die for. She is tiny, but can pack a mean punch if you fuck with her.
His brother’s d
idn't really seem all that put out by me, but his father still had a scowl on his face. “What?” I finally ask him. He’s running his hands down my back and I can’t help but curl my body into his further.
“Thank you.” His eyes scan over my face. I reach up and cup his cheek. I don’t know why he’s thanking me. I didn’t do anything that I normally wouldn’t do. All I’ve done is love a man that is so different than me. We are opposites in every way, but stand for the same things in a way.
He’d do anything to protect the family he was born into and the family he joined. I would do the same. The Saints have opened my eyes to a lot of things that I would never have believed if I didn’t see it firsthand. They aren’t the bad guys that the files at the office say. They are family oriented and would do anything to protect their own. Who wouldn’t?
“You don’t have to thank me. I’m just glad I was the one you picked out of a bar full of men. You’ve taught me a lot, but most of all you’ve taught me what love really is.” I run my hand through his hair and he kisses my lips.
“I love you Spence,” he mumbles against my lips.
“I love you too my sexy biker.” He grins at the nickname and I can’t help but feel right where I belong.
The End
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Unedited Sneak Peek at
Wayward Deviance
Book Eight
Wayward Saints MC
Prologue
For the last few years, I've been watching my idiot brother's fall in love. My sister, yeah she's a different story. I always hoped that she would find a man who could take care of her and still deal with us. And trust me when I say my brothers and I can be a handful. We used to love to screw with the little high school boys she tried to date.
When I found out about her and Brant, I wanted to put my fist through his face.