“I’m not prepared to take no for an answer.”
I scoffed, laughing at his brazenness.
“Don’t be ridiculous!” I cried.
“It’s for your safety,” he insisted.
“Libby, come on,” Julia piped in. “It’s just for a few days. Maybe he has a point. Mona already abducted you once. She’s unpredictable.”
“You can bring Julia with you, if you’d be more comfortable.”
I rolled my eyes. “Oh, god!”
I could just see Julia there, flirting with everything in leather.
“I mean,” she shrugged. “I’m not really doing anything for a few days. I could go.”
“No!” I shouted, turning on my heel and heading for the door. If Bullet wouldn’t leave, then I would. The slam of the door behind me felt like the slamming of my heart.
Why did he have to look so fucking good?
Why couldn’t I just forget how it felt to be in his arms?
Why oh why couldn’t Mona just disappear?
I made it to the elevator, pressed the button and stood waiting for it to arrive.
I didn’t hear his footsteps behind me.
He swooped me up over his shoulder in one smooth, swift movement. Before I knew it, I was upside down over his back, face-to-face with his backside.
“What the fuck!” I shouted.
“I know this is fucked up,” he said, as I attempted to wiggle out of his grip. “But I just can’t let another day go by worrying about you.”
Julia stood next to him giggling like a hyena, my purse and keys in her hands.
“Let me down!” I cried, kicking my legs.
“It’s just for a few days,” he said, holding me tightly. Escape was impossible. “I promise.”
“Goddammit, Bullet, put me down!”
“I can’t, babe, I’m so sorry,” he said. “I’d never forgive myself.”
“I’ll never forgive you!” I cried.
“That’s a risk I’ll have to take to make sure you stay alive.”
“Wow,” Julia said beside me. I stared at her, glaring at her for not helping me. “This guy doesn’t mess around, does he?”
“Julia, I can’t believe you’re helping him!”
“Well, I want you to stay safe, too,” she insisted. “And besides, a weekend away in the woods sounds amazing, don’t you think?”
I glared at her, but somehow I don’t think it had any effect coming from upside-down.
The elevator doors opened and Bullet carried me on. I fell silent, fuming with anger.
“I don’t even have a fucking toothbrush,” I muttered.
“Oh, don’t worry,” Bullet said. “We have everything you’ll need at the clubhouse. We rescue women who leave their homes with nothing all the time.”
“That’s so cool,” Julia said, gushing at him. “Tell me more about the other Gods.”
“You’ll meet them all,” Bullet laughed. “And they’re going to love you.”
“You maybe want to put me down?” I asked. “The blood’s rushing to my head.”
“Don’t do it,” Julia warned. “She’ll run. Trust me.”
“Dammit, Julia!” She was right. I wanted to run so far away from Bullet that I’d never think of him again.
But we all knew that was never going to happen.
I was screwed.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
BULLET
Fine, call me a caveman.
Call me a brute.
An asshole.
Whatever you wanna call me.
I don’t care. At least I know she’s safe.
I can keep an eye on her.
Maybe she’ll never want me to touch her again, but I can live with that.
What I cannot live with is knowing she was in danger and I wasn’t doing anything about it.
I had a front row seat to Mona’s craziness. I didn’t want Libby anywhere near that again. If I had to sacrifice her respect to make sure she didn’t fall victim to that wench again, so be it. It would be an honor to make that sacrifice.
Sure, it’ll fucking wreck me.
But it’s worth it.
Libby’s worth it. Hell, she’s worth anything I have to give.
I watch her chatting with Lacey now back at the clubhouse, and I can see how special she is with just one glance. She’s graceful, like a deer. Skin like porcelain and hair as black as night — I can’t stop looking at her.
It helps that she’s so angry with me that she won’t look back. Because then I can look at her all I want without having to look away and pretend I’m not.
Julia’s a hoot.
Thank goodness for her, because she made the whole thing back at Libby’s art studio go down just a little easier. And now, she looks like she was made to be here. She started flirting with the other Gods almost before she even got out of the car. Colt, Storm and Striker took a liking to her right away.
They’d be fine here for a few days. I had a feeling Julia would find many activities to keep her entertained. Libby might just sulk the whole time.
Fine by me.
Like I said, as long as she’s safe…
Let her hate me.
I get it, I understand.
And maybe, just maybe, she’ll warm up a little and we can find our way back to each other. In the meantime, she needed a little space and I was prepared to give that to her.
She and Julia walked my way and Julia smiled up at me.
“It’s beautiful here,” she said.
“I think so, too,” I said.
“What should we do now?” Libby asked, shooting daggers at me with her eyes.
“Whatever you want,” I grunted, shrugging. “Just don’t leave.”
I turned and walked away abruptly, suddenly unable to bear the way she was looking at me.
Sure, I could take my medicine, but that didn’t mean it was going to go down easy.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
LIBBY
“What the hell was that about?” I asked Julia. “He’s just going to grunt and leave us to fend for ourselves?”
Julia shrugged, her eyes lit up with anticipation. “Lacey told us where the kitchen is and what time dinner is. She said to make ourselves at home and gave us the keys to our own cabin. I think we’ll be fine on our own.”
“Yeah, but…”
“But, what?” she asked. “Do you want Bullet to babysit us?”
“No,” I shook my head, looking after him. “I don’t know what I want.”
“Well, we’re here now,” she said, dangling the key in front of me. “Let’s go find our cabin.”
“Fine,” I sighed as Bullet disappeared into the woods.
“I don’t think you’ve seen the last of Bullet,” Julia said. “Just give it some time.”
“This is all so ridiculous,” I said. “I should be home. I have work to do!”
“Relax, you’re acting like you’re in prison,” she said. “Think of it as an adventure. I know, I am.”
“I bet you are,” I said, as we made our way down a nearby trail.
She laughed and nodded.
“This place is like my own personal paradise.”
“Jesus,” I said, shaking my head.
“Jesus ain’t got no place in my paradise,” she said. “He’d blush so hard his face would explode.”
“You have a way with words, Julia,” I said.
“And you have amazing taste,” she said. “I mean, there’s a lot of beefcake here, but Bullet’s the hottest of all, girl. You need to pull your head out of your ass and give that man a chance.”
“He basically just kidnapped me.”
“Oh, stop,” she said, dismissing my complaint with a wave of her manicured nails. “He loves you.”
I stopped in my tracks, staring at her.
“Don’t say that.”
“Why not?”
“Because it’s not true and it’s like…I don’t know…bad luck or something.”
&nbs
p; “What the hell, Libby?” She laughed. “Are you just going to turn into a nun now?”
“No!” I insisted. “I don’t know! I’m a mess.”
“Yeah, you are,” she said. “And once we get you cleaned up and out of those filthy overalls, you’re going to be a hot mess.”
I looked down, having completely forgotten about my appearance.
I groaned.
Julia wound her arm through mine and began skipping through the woods, forcing me to keep up with her.
“Come on, girl, let’s have some fun!”
“Jesus, you’re crazy, you know that?” I asked, rolling my eyes and smiling for the first time since Bullet knocked on my door.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
BULLET
Dinner was a fucking disaster.
All of us crammed into the clubhouse, the tension thick and heavy as we awaited news from Grace and Ryder.
In the meantime, Julia and Libby were on the receiving end of a whole lot of male attention. The Gods may be a bunch of superheroes in leather, with great big hearts of gold, but that didn’t mean they weren’t still hot-blooded, testosterone-fueled men who’d jump at the chance to get close to a couple of attractive, young women. The nearer, the better, apparently.
Julia was surrounded again. Flanked by Colt and Vick, she sat on the couch with a smile plastered on her face the size of Texas. They hung on her every word, drinking her in and doing their best to impress her.
Libby, on the other hand, was doing her best to be polite, but aloof. As soon as someone sat down next to her, she seemed to look for the quickest opportunity to flee. Which left her walking aimlessly around, until she finally retreated outside.
I found her on the porch swing, a look of sadness in her eyes. My heart broke that I was the cause of all of that misery.
“Hey,” I muttered, at a loss for words. I wanted to tell her I was sorry. I wanted to tell her that I missed her. I wanted to tell her that I had no idea what went wrong and beg her to tell me how to fix it.
But the thing is, I knew the answer. I understood the answer.
It was undeniable, and trying to change things now was not going to work, no matter how much we talked about it.
“Hey,” she replied, barely looking at me. I leaned on the porch railing, looking out into the dark sky.
“Nice night,” I muttered.
“Yeah.”
Sparkling in the sky like little clusters of diamonds, the stars were clearly visible out here in the forest. It was one of my favorite things about living so far away from civilization.
“You can see the big dipper,” I pointed. She stood up from the swing and walked over to me, so close I could smell her. It took all my strength not to reach out and put my arm around her and pull her closer. Instead, I silently inhaled her sweet scent.
“It’s beautiful here,” she said. “I’d forgotten how peaceful it was.”
I nodded in agreement, remembering the short time we’d spent together here. It seemed like forever ago. My heart ached at the thought that I might never touch her again.
“Any word from Grace?” she asked, turning to me suddenly. “I can’t wait to go home. It’s beautiful and peaceful, but I’m bored to tears.”
“I’m sorry,” I muttered, shaking my head. “I haven’t heard anything.”
Grace and Ryder had left hours ago, headed North up the Five. As much as we all wanted to go back them up, they’d insisted on going alone, and leaving us on call, just in case Mona really had our property being watched.
“Julia seems to be enjoying herself,” I said.
“She sure is,” she agreed, rolling her eyes. “She’s in heaven.”
I nodded, again unsure what to say. There was so much to say, but nothing came out.
The creak of the front screen door sounded behind us and we turned to see Shadow and Wolfe walking out. A beer bottle dangled from Shadow’s hand, and Wolfe had a bottle of whiskey he took a huge slug off of.
“Hey guys, don’t drink too much, we may need to move if Ryder calls,” I said.
“We’re fine,” Shadow replied, shooting me a wary glance. “Just going for a walk.” They shuffled down the steps, heading for the dark trail off the side of the clubhouse.
“Can I go with you?” Libby said, suddenly.
I looked down at her in surprise, then looked at the two of them.
A huge grin spread across Shadow’s face and Wolfe nodded enthusiastically.
“Of course,” they said in unison.
Libby trotted down the steps quickly and I watched her go with a knot in my stomach. She’d said she was bored and I hadn’t made a move to entertain her in any way.
How far would she go to relieve her boredom?
Fuck.
If she hooked up with those two, I’d never forgive myself.
I needed to step up if I was going to prevent some serious mistakes from occurring.
You’re too different!
The little voice in my head wouldn’t let me forget it.
I sighed heavily as I turned to go back inside, cursing the little asshole in my head.
Opposites attract, prick.
CHAPTER TWENTY
GRACE
Ryder stood behind me as I stared at myself in the mirror. We’d checked into a hotel near the address Mona had given me so I could put on my disguise.
We were both nervous wrecks.
My hands trembled as I adjusted the black wig on my head.
“I still don’t like this,” he said.
“I know, babe,” I replied. I felt so bad for Ryder. He worried about me constantly. Lately, it seemed like it was more than usual. Our lifestyle only led to more and more situations like this and you’d think he’d get use to it, but that never seemed to happen.
We were well aware of the risks and dangers involved.
But this time, it was personal.
Our baby girl was all we could think about.
“I still think we should have gotten the cops involved this time,” he said.
“We’ll call them after. Let me get the baby, then when I give you the signal, you can call them and we’ll have Mona arrested again. I just need to be safe. I need to get Sadie first. I don’t want her anywhere near an arrest that could go awry in any number of ways.”
“I can’t wait to see that bitch behind bars,” he said. He rarely spoke like that, but I understood. Mona had caused us a lot of misery in the last year.
“Soon. But first, let’s concentrate on getting our baby back in our arms where she belongs.”
“I’m never letting the two of you out of my sight again,” he growled, his anger barely controlled. I’d hate to be around when he exploded. He’d been simmering in a low-burning rage for a while now.
“How do I look?” I asked.
“Hot, as usual,” he growled. “But I think I prefer your natural blonde.”
“That’s good, because so do I,” I replied, slipping on a pair of dark sunglasses. It was dark outside already, but I only had to fool Mona for a few minutes. “Ready to go get our girl?”
“That’s an understatement,” he said, brushing a kiss across my lips. “But goddammit, Grace, you’d better be careful.”
“I will, babe, don’t worry,” I said, my stomach churning. The truth of the matter is that Mona is entirely unstable.
Unpredictable.
Cunning and clever and more than a little bit evil and selfish.
There really was no telling what would happen once she realized I hadn’t brought Libby with me.
I took a deep breath and we headed to the door, our hearts pounding with blood-curdling fear.
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
MONA
“Well, little one, I think you’re all packed up,” I said to Sadie, as she wiggled around on her back on the hotel bed. “I can’t believe how much stuff you need.”
My gaze raked over the pile of stuff on the bed. Even though I’d packed most of it up into the diaper bag,
there was still so much left. Should I give it all to Grace?
“They probably won’t want any of it, will they?” I said. Sadie cooed in answer. “Yeah, they’ll have their own things. They spent nine months getting ready for you! I bet you have a beautiful nursery waiting for you back home.”
Deciding to just leave it all behind, I bundled up the baby and put her in the stroller.
“We had fun, didn’t we?” I said, as I grabbed my purse and headed for the door. “It’s time for you to go back to your parents, though. That’s where you belong. And in return, I’ll get my own girl back. It’s a win win, don’t you think?”
Her eyes were so big, staring up at me so trustingly. She was so vulnerable, so innocent. She could be hurt so easily.
It was unnerving, really. The damage I could do, if I wanted.
I prayed Grace didn’t give me any reason to hurt this little creature. She was perfect.
She just wasn’t mine.
Butterflies fluttered in my belly as I thought about the fact that I would get to see Libby in a few minutes, to talk to her, to finally have a decent amount of time to tell her my story, to explain why I’d done everything I’d done. I was sure once she heard all the details, she would understand.
Maybe, after some time, she would even grow to love me.
It’d been so very long since anyone really loved me, if they ever did. Maybe Zane, my old sidekick, but I didn’t really love him back, so that didn’t count.
Libby would understand, she had to.
I bundled the baby up into the Subaru and headed towards the restaurant I’d told Grace to meet me at, my heart pounding, my palms damp with anxiety.
“I love you, Libby,” I whispered, tears stinging my eyes.
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
LIBBY
Shadow and Wolfe seemed like perfectly nice guys, even if it was obvious they were competing for my attention. I didn’t really want to go on a walk with them. I mainly wanted to get away from the excruciating tension between me and Bullet.
Everything was so easy in the beginning.
When I’d first met him in Mona’s basement, I was intimidated, but he quickly put me at ease, his kindness apparent as soon as we first talked. He was calm and gentle and warm.
GODS & ANGELS: GODS OF CHAOS MC: BOOK ELEVEN Page 5
