Steel Cobras MC Complete Box Set: Books 1-6

by Evie Monroe

  The other guy aimed his gun at me, but I grabbed the barrel and pushed it away, just as a shot went off. A hole appeared in the wall as the bullet buried itself in there. Reaching for him, I grabbed his vest by both shoulders and tossed him up against that wall, getting in a punch between his eyes. Blood poured from his eye sockets. Somewhere, Olivia’s screams rang out. I turned my head and saw her scrambling to the floor and crawling under the desk.

  I wanted to get to her, but someone grabbed me from behind. “Stay there, Liv!” I shouted. She might have answered, but in the ruckus, all I heard was the sound of fists and blood rushing through my ears. I was now in a state of pure rage, ready to fuck up anyone that crossed my path. My fists felt as hard as steel, like nothing could stop me.

  I threw a punch at the next guy that came at me, knocking him out with ease. He fell backwards, into a heap with little resistance. I stalked over the body.

  All I knew was that I was going to fucking steamroll anyone that had even thought about hurting her. That was the plan. Starting with Blaze.

  Scanning the room in the darkness for him, I came up empty. Beside me, Cullen put down the last of the men, and we grabbed their guns. Stepping over the bodies, we looked around, then at each other, both of us breathing hard, faces covered in sweat.

  “Where’d they fucking go?” I asked, climbing over to the side of the desk to get to Liv.

  Cullen wiped the stream of blood from the side of his face, shrugged and headed for the door.

  I ducked under the desk to find Liv and let out a curse.

  She was gone.

  Fucking hell. But I knew exactly who had her.

  “He’s got her!” I shouted, running into the hall. I covered my corner as I turned into the hallway, but it was empty. I carefully and quickly made my way to the next door and peered inside. Bodies on the ground. Blood all over the walls. It was a massive bloodbath. From the patches on the jackets and vests, it was mostly Fury men.

  Cullen was in the corner, bending over a body. It wasn’t a Cobra, but I couldn’t tell who as most of his face was washed with blood.

  I scrubbed a hand over my face, smoothing my beard. “I think Blaze got Liv,” I said. “He’s going to kill her if we don’t get to her.”

  Cullen leapt for the door, checking around the corner before motioning me forward. “Yeah. Let’s go.”

  We ran out into the hallway and met Jet and Zain there. Zain had a bullet in his side, and was clutching onto Jet, who was holding him up. “Zain’s pretty fucked up right now,” Jet said.

  “Shit,” I breathed, snapping my fingers in Zain’s face. “Zain. Listen to us. You’re gonna make it.”

  Jet said, “The Fury’s falling apart, though. Drake just said he saw a bunch of them running for the hills.”

  Cullen pushed aside Zain’s hand to take a look at the wound. He was bleeding like a mother. Serious as fuck. “Get him out of here. Get Drake to see to it,” Cullen ordered. “He should be in the lobby. Go down the back stairwell. We gotta get out of here before the law catches up to us.”

  I’d already started running for the elevators.

  When we got there, I jabbed at the button, paced back and forth, tense, something hot and dangerous pulsing through my veins. Of course the elevators weren’t cooperating. Cullen met me there a second later, still frowning about Zain. Of all of us, he took our men’s injuries the most personally, because he felt responsible. He motioned toward the stairwell. “You take the stairs. Don’t get your ass killed. I don’t want to lose anyone else tonight.”

  I nodded, pushing through the door and careening full speed down the stairs. I was so rabid and eager I threw caution to the wind and barreled down, only remembering what I was up against when three quick gunshots went off and a bullet whizzed past me, nearly grazing my ear. They’d come from the stairwell below me.

  Fuck. I threw myself against the wall. Lifted my gun. Hugging the wall, I continued down, adrenaline coursing through my body. I wanted Blaze’s blood. Wanted to bathe in it.

  I stopped, tensing, when I heard Liv’s faraway whimper.

  “Blaze!” I shouted. “Last chance mother fucker. Let her go!”

  “Not. Happening. Phoenix.”

  He bit off the words. His voice was strangled in a way I’d never heard before. He was losing control.

  That was a spark of hope. I went down further. “Your men are running, Blaze. It’s over. Let her go and I might not blow your fucking head off.”

  “Fuck you,” he growled. Again, he sounded feverish, like he was clenching his teeth in pain.

  His voice was closer now. I heard the sound of a doorknob rattling. Again and again. I inched away from the wall and ventured a look over the railing. He was standing at the basement level, trying a door that was obviously locked. Good. End of the line. I had him cornered.

  He still had an arm wrapped around Liv’s chest, holding her body to him. The blood from his wound was pouring over his front, over her. She had her hands tight around his arm, as if she was trying to pry him off, but she wasn’t fighting anymore. Her eyes were filled with terror and determination.

  I slowly descended the stairs, gun drawn and ready, until he was in my sight. I kept going until we were almost face to face. Blaze took his hand off the door handle and raised the gun to Liv’s head again. He was bleeding pretty bad, his arm shaking around her. His face was glistening with sweat. “Come closer and I’ll kill her.”

  “You kill her and you won’t walk out of here alive,” I said calmly. “Either way, you’re not getting our contacts, Blaze. You get it? You’re done. Hell’s Fury is done.”

  His lips curled into a snarl. “Fuck you, Phoenix,” he said, and I saw his gun-holding hand tense to squeeze the trigger.

  Last ditch effort.

  This was all I had.

  I squeezed my trigger first. Just once.

  The bullet grazed his hand and his gun flew from his grip, going off wildly. I felt something sharp stab me in the thigh and I toppled over like someone had kicked my knee out from under me. Pain seared down my leg. Fuck. I’d been shot.

  As I started to collapse to the bottom of the stairs, he dropped his hold on Liv. She scrambled away as he lunged at me, throwing me back against the stairs. I lost my gun in the scuffle, his whole weight on me as he kneed me in the groin and punched me in the side of the head.

  I saw starbursts. Everything in my eyesight swayed. Blinking, I gained my vision back just as another blow hit me between the eyes.

  Fuck. I would not let it end this way.

  Sweat and blood stung my eyes, blurring my vision further. Wiping it away, I got my hand free, grabbed Blaze by the neck, yanking him off of me. I got in a quick jab of my own, giving me space. I tried to move myself to standing, but pain shot up my leg. I looked down and . . . fuck, I was covered in blood.

  Bracing myself on the stair railing, I pulled myself to standing, my vision still swimming. Blaze came for me again, but I blocked the shot with my body, shoving him off me. Then I came at him with another right, which would’ve connected better had my leg not given out on me as I threw the punch. It was enough to send him back against the wall, as I fell to a knee in front of him. I grabbed hold of the railing and got myself standing again, scanning for my gun. I couldn’t see it anywhere. As I searched, fanning my hands out into the shadows, I heard Liv screaming my name and saw Blaze’s big form advancing toward me out of my peripheral vision. He came at me with both fists firing. Hitting me square in the face.

  I staggered back, hitting the back of the concrete stairs with a crushing, mind-bending pain. My vision went dark and my eyes closed. Fuck that. I had to stay in the game. I was not going to lose consciousness now. I blinked them open, balled my hands into fists and got a weak punch off as Blaze reached for me. This time, he grabbed for my throat. He pressed into my Adam’s apple with both thumbs, using crushing force. I kicked my good knee into his groin to get him off me.

  He staggered back for a moment, his
eyes wild, until they caught on something below me.

  I tried to get up, but warmth dripped down my neck. Blood. My eyes saw two of everything, unfocused and dream-like. I pushed myself off the floor with all my will, using all my power not to lose it and sink into oblivion. For the Cobras. For Liv.

  But my body was done. It was having none of that. Sleep was winning. Dragging me down. As my eyes sagged closed, I saw Blaze advancing.

  He reached down and lifted up my gun.

  And aimed it right between my eyes.

  I knew this was it. The end.

  Sorry, brothers. I’m out.

  A menacing grin spread over his bloody lips and his finger slowly squeezed the trigger. “Goodbye, Phoenix, my boy,” he said.

  When the gunshot went off, it echoed in my ears. I waited for my lights to go out. I waited for pain. Or pressure. Or something other than what happened.

  What happened was that Blaze crumpled to the floor in front of me, that sadistic grin still on his face. He balanced on his knees for about ten seconds, before he collapsed, face-first, at my feet, blood trickling from the side of his mouth.

  Behind him, holding the gun in her trembling hands, was Liv. She was curled into a ball, that look of terror cemented on her face.

  “Mother. Fucker,” she breathed out, her lips curling into a snarl.

  I let out a laugh of relief. I allowed my eyes the luxury of closing, but only for a second. I pushed them open again and laughed some more. “You could say that again, baby.”

  I slumped off of the stairs and crawled to her, through a pool of blood—mine and Blaze’s, taking the gun from her shaking hands and gathering her to me. She was still trembling as I pulled her against my chest. “You okay?”

  She continued to stare at Blaze’s body, shell-shocked. She nodded, then her eyes turned to mine, and the fear drained out of her face. She reached out to touch my face. “You’re not. You’re bleeding. Oh, my gosh.”

  “Hey. So are you.” I touched her temple.

  She touched her temple, too, her fingers grazing mine, lingering there. “It’s nothing. I’ll be okay.”

  “Then we’re both great. This is all that matters.”

  “You got shot, though,” she said, her eyes moving to my leg. “Can you walk?”

  “Yeah. I’m good. As long as you’re safe, I’m good.” I looked over my shoulder at Blaze’s lifeless body and let out a laugh. It was hard to believe, after all this, he was dead. And Liv had shot him. Right in the center of the chest. My badass girl. “Holy shit. Where’d you learn to shoot like that?”

  “I don’t know.” I shrugged off my vest, pulled my t-shirt up and over my head, and slipped it over her naked body.

  She pressed against the wall and climbed to her feet, then helped me to standing. Together, we stumbled up the stairs, and into the lobby, where my boys and some of the other Cobras were waiting, nursing their war wounds. One by one, they all turned to us as we approached, clutching one another for dear life.

  Jet jumped from his place on the floor and ran to us, holding his gun at the ready. “Blaze?” he asked.

  “He’s dead. In the stairwell. It’s over.”

  Jet’s eyes slowly filled with life as he met my fist bump, and a smile appeared on his face. “Then fuck yeah!” He pumped his fist. “Cobras forever!”

  The rest of the guys yelled “Cobras forever!” in celebration, and Jet pulled me into a hug. I winced. Seriously. Fuck. Every part of me hurt like a mother. I needed a hot shower and some sleep.

  “You gonna be a pussy about that gunshot wound?” he asked me with a grin.

  I reached over and messed up his perfect hair. “Shut up, man.”

  Then I looked over at Liv, who was gnawing on her lip, still in shock. But I’d never seen her look more phenomenal than right now, in my oversize t-shirt, her blonde hair loose on her shoulders. Alive, and free, and safe.

  Her eyes scanned Jet curiously, and he did the same, finally getting a look at the girl he’d called a traitor. I could tell from the look in his eyes he regretted that.

  “Olivia, this is Jet, my brother,” I said, dragging them together. “Jet, this is Olivia, my girl.”

  “Hey,” he said, giving me a wink as he extended his hand. “Wow. Phoenix Nash has a girl. Never thought I’d see the day.”

  A hint of a smile appeared on her face as she shook his outstretched hand. “Hey. I’ve heard all these great things about you.”

  Jet shook his head. “Liar. What’s this asshole been saying about me?”

  I elbowed him as Cullen broke through and gave me a fist-bump. Then he looked at Liv and motioned her forward.

  Giving me a cautious look, she followed him around the fountain in the lobby, and I limped behind her. There, sitting on the side of the fountain, was her father, holding a cloth to his head. So Blaze had just been bluffing. “Dad!” she cried, running to him.

  “Ollie?” She wrapped her arms around him, and they both began to cry. “I’m so sorry. So, so sorry. I’ll never put my business ahead of you again. I promise.”

  “What happened to you?” Olivia asked him.

  He gave my boys a grateful look. “Hell’s Fury damn near killed me. These guys got me out. They saved my life.”

  I watched the two of them, hugging together, as Cullen moved beside me. He had a black gash on his forehead, and his white t-shirt was covered with blood. “So the Fury is done?”

  He shrugged, took a drag from his cigarette, and pressed on the bandage on his cheek. “They’re down, but I doubt they’re out. They’ll regroup. And when they do, they’ll be after us again. Nothing we can’t handle. Right?”

  I’d always been all-in with the Cobras. But for the first time, I balked. Because I wanted Liv. And if she didn’t want me to live this kind of lifestyle, I’d walk in the other direction. It would kill me, but I’d do it. For her.

  I opened my mouth to answer, but Liv answered first.

  “Hell yes,” she announced, giving me a defiant look. “He’s in. Right Nix? They can’t be allowed to terrorize this city like they have been.”

  I stared at her, unable to contain my surprise. “You sure?”

  She grinned. “Never been more so.”

  Cullen smacked me on the back. “Damn, Nix, she sounds pretty sure to me. Your woman wants you in. So I guess you’re in.”

  Your woman. My girl. I liked the sound of all that. I shrugged. “All right, then. I’m in. My woman has spoken.” I gave her a look and she wrapped her arms around me.

  We heard the police sirens and had to quickly vacate the area. Once they saw the dead Fury members, they’d know it was us. But Hell’s Fury wasn’t the only club with the cops on payroll.

  ***

  We all rode back to Cullen’s house, where I got my wounds dressed and taken care of. Zain had taken a pretty bad hit, but he’d survive. All the rest of the guys made it out with only superficial cuts and bruises. Though I needed a few stitches in my head, the bullet in my leg passed clean through my thigh without hitting a bone or a major artery. I’d live. I might walk with a limp, but I could still ride. That was all that mattered.

  As Drake stitched me up, I realized how fucking tired I was. I hadn’t slept in days. I wanted to haul my ass to bed. But then I saw Liv sitting on the couch, a bandage on her forehead, still wearing nothing but my shirt and heels. Suddenly, my cock had other plans.

  She crept up to put her soft, hands on my bare chest. She looked up at me with that innocent look that made me want to take her, right there, and her eyelashes fluttered. “I never thanked you, Nix. For protecting me. For believing in me. For coming after me. So thank you. You’re my hero.”

  I didn’t feel much like a hero. More like the anti-hero. It was over, and she didn’t need my protection anymore. “It was nothing,” I breathed out, trying not to get ahead of myself. I’d never done this before. Is this where we ended? Where we went our separate ways?

  Why the fuck did going home to my apartment, alone
, now sound like a death sentence?

  Drake and Jet were on the couch, smoking and watching me, waiting on my next words. They wanted to see what I’d do. I felt like I was hanging out with my ass in the wind, and I didn’t need an audience. I moved away from her embrace, grabbed my helmet and asked her if she wanted a ride home.

  She nodded and followed me outside, to the bike. “My home, or yours?” she asked me, in her sweet, fragile voice.

  I knew what I wanted. But I also knew that I didn’t open myself up like that. “Which one do you want?” I muttered gruffly.

  She smiled shyly at that. “Hmmm. I want to go where you want me to go.”

  Then there was no question. Fuck it. I didn’t care if they all saw me as weak. I wanted this woman and she wanted me. We belonged together. Nothing would change that. “Then you’re coming with me, Liv. Always.”

  Her smile broke into an all-out grin. “Good answer.”

  We walked over to my bike, parked with all the others on Cullen’s driveway, and she climbed onto the back of it and wrapped her arms around me. My hands grazed her perfect thighs, squeezing my hips, and I was hard again.

  “You said you loved me,” she said into my ear before I started the engine.

  “Yeah. Well. You said it back,” I reminded her.

  “Is it true?”

  I laughed and decided to fuck caution. This was real. And when it was real, you fought like hell for it, and didn’t let it go. “I don’t say anything that ain’t true, baby. Don’t you know that about me?”

  I turned on the seat of the bike, cupped her hand in my chin, and kissed the shit out of my woman. My Liv. The first woman I’d ever loved, and the only one I wanted on the back of my bike.

  For now. Forever.

  Chapter Thirty

  Epilogue – Olivia – Six Months Later

  I waited in the wings of the Granada Theater in Santa Barbara, ready for my final performance on the tour of Carmen. Six cities across the state of California, eighteen performances. This was probably my last time gracing the stage as prima ballerina. My whole body was alive with tingles and butterflies fluttered in my stomach.