by Lexi Blake
“You can let her go or I can shoot her here.”
Zane leaned over and pressed his mouth against her ear. “I’m so sorry, babe. Nate will come. I know he will. You stay alive long enough for him to save you. He’ll take care of you.”
He kissed her forehead, and she was pulled away from him.
She hadn’t seen him in years and should have hated him for leaving her, but Callie wept as they were separated. She cried and fought the men who held her. Vaguely she could see some big brute had his hands on Jen, but her vision was swamped with the sight of Zane being forced to his knees. His face remained gorgeous and cold, the line of his scar seemed redder and more intense.
Len stood over him, regarding him with utter disdain. “Ellis is offering a lot of money for you, boy. Ten thousand dollars and all I gotta do is cut the Barbarian tat off your chest and hand it to him like a scalp. Fitting, huh? You got that tat to prove you were a Barbarian for life. When I’m done, that’s all that’s gonna be left of you.” Len made a short, sharp movement with his knife and four men surrounded Zane. “Get him on the table. If he struggles, slit her throat.”
Zane offered no resistance as they lifted him, straining despite the fact that there were four of them. “The sheriff of this town is in love with her, too. You kill her, and he won’t ever stop hunting you down. You remember Nate Rush? He goes by Sheriff Wright now.”
Len’s face fell momentarily. “Fuck. Rush is here, too?”
“He’s the sheriff!” Jen struggled in a big, tattooed guy’s arms. Of course, that could describe most of the people here. Callie felt tears start down her cheeks as they shoved Zane onto the green felt of the pool table.
“I ain’t afraid of no hick sheriff. I don’t believe Rush would sink that low. That man is addicted to adrenaline. Crazy motherfucker, that one. No way he’s wasting away in some sleepy mountain town. Try again, Hollister.” Len’s dark eyes gleamed in the smoky light as he pulled Zane’s head up by the hair. “Don’t you know ain’t no one gonna stick by you? You look in the mirror, you freak? Even if that pretty thing could look past your ugly mug, what do you think she’s gonna do once she finds out the things you’ve done? She know how many men you killed? She know how much meth you moved?”
Callie saw the light die in Zane’s eyes and realized her belief in nonviolence had reached its end. If she ever had the chance, she would kill that biker, and she wouldn’t hesitate. Len raised the knife over his head. There was a loud bang, and Callie waited for Zane’s head to slump forward, her heart breaking, but it was Len who screamed and dropped the knife.
“I would step away from him if I were you.” Nate’s voice rang out.
He held a pistol in his hand. He stood in front of the bar with Logan behind him and Stefan to his side. But there was no question who was in charge of this little operation. Nathan Wright stood tall and lean, and Callie felt safe even as some jerk held her.
Len no longer had the knife but refused to back down. Suddenly there were a whole bunch of pistols in people’s hands. Callie felt the press of cold metal against her skull.
“You okay, Callie?” Nate didn’t look at her. His eyes were kept on Len.
“I’m fine. I probably won’t become a regular at this establishment.” The words came out on a shaky sigh.
“Oh, we’re going to talk about your choices. You might never see the light of day again, baby.” His mouth was a flat line.
Stefan stood beside him, his hands around a shotgun, his eyes moving between Jennifer and herself. His jaw was tight, and she knew she and Jen were in for a stern talking-to. Callie was damn glad she was merely Stef’s almost-sister and not one of his subs.
“We seem to be at an impasse, Sheriff.” Len cradled his hand against his chest. Unfortunately, he had several people watching his back. “Here’s the deal. I’m gonna take Hollister and the girl, and we’re gonna leave. I’ll even give you the tall brunette. I promise to leave the girl alive somewhere down the road.”
“No fucking deal.”
Len sighed. “Sheriff, I don’t think you understand. You’re outnumbered and outgunned. You got a civilian and a deputy who looks like he should be somewhere having his mama change his diapers.”
Nate never wavered. “Be that as it may, I’m not an idiot. I recognize you. You run with the Horde. You won’t let her live. Give me the girl, and you can take Hollister.”
“Nate!” She couldn’t believe he would even offer the deal.
“You go, Callie!” Zane had his head turned. He barked the order at her. At least there was some fire in his eyes. At least he looked ready to fight again.
She couldn’t leave him here. “I’m not going anywhere without you.”
“Callie!” Jen was yelling now, and Stefan looked ready to shoot.
Nate held the pistol plainly aimed at Len’s head. “You got one shot at this. You run now and I’ll probably be so concerned about getting my woman and my friend back that I’ll let you go. If you walk out of here with Zane, I’ll hunt you down. You even think about walking out of here with her and you’ll wish you’d never been born. You think I can’t do that?”
“Fuck,” Len cursed. He looked between the sheriff and Zane and finally shook his head. “Scatter!”
All hell broke loose. Callie was shoved to the floor, and it wasn’t a second before a huge body covered her. Zane. She went limp under him, grateful to be so close to him. She heard banging and yelling as the bar emptied. There was the loud roar of bikes being revved and then blessed quiet.
She felt Zane sigh heavily, and then she could breathe again.
Chapter Seven
Nate heard the last chopper fade off and finally allowed himself to relax long enough to get really mad. “What the fuck did the two of you think you were doing?”
He wasn’t the only one. Stefan was yelling, too, his normally pristine manner shoved to the side in favor of one pissed-off alpha male. It was good to know he wouldn’t be alone in handing out the ass kickings this evening.
“Jennifer, I asked you a question, and I expect an answer,” Stef barked.
Nate recognized the brunette from Stella’s Diner where she was a waitress. The slender woman’s hands were trembling, but she stood up to Stef.
“We were getting a drink, that’s all,” Jen replied.
“Really, is that all?” Stef didn’t sound like he believed her. Nate wasn’t sure he did, either.
Nate was ready to get his two cents in. He saw Logan slump into one of the chairs and breathe deeply. He seemed prepared to stay out of this particular fight. Smart boy. While Stef yelled at Jennifer from afar, Nate had no intention of letting Callie Sheppard off so easily. “You wanted to get a drink, did you, baby?”
With some help from Zane, Callie stood. She primly smoothed the skirt of her yellow sundress. “Sheriff Wright, I am grateful for your swift action.” She nodded at him, like that was going to placate him. “I know I, for one, will definitely vote for you over the rubber ducky the townspeople intend to run against you.”
He could still feel the blood pumping through his system, charged with adrenaline. His head pounded from the hangover that was just now taking over his system. He was still shaking a bit and had been since he’d read the text Zane had sent. Thank god he was a light sleeper and his cell chirped at every new message. It was starting to hit him what might have happened. Zane could have died. Callie would have been tossed on the pool table and taken by any fucking biker who could get it up.
Jennifer was shouting something at Stef about not belonging to him, but Nate was watching Callie.
Zane stepped in front of her. “Now, Nate, you need to think before you say something you can’t take back.”
The sight of Callie peeking from behind Zane’s wide form sparked something primitive in Nate. “Don’t you dare hide behind him.”
“I’m not hiding behind him,” Callie protested. “He’s really big. He takes up all the space.”
And now that he thought of
it, he had a bone to pick with Zane, as well. “And where the hell is your gun? Did you let them take your weapon? What the fuck is wrong with you?”
Zane frowned, his dark brows forming a V above his eyes. Callie had managed to get out from behind him, but he simply slid a bulky arm around her chest and hauled her back against him. Again, Nate’s inner caveman was clawing at his insides.
Zane hadn’t spent two weeks pushing her away. Zane hadn’t made an ass of himself. Naturally Callie clung to him.
“I wasn’t carrying,” Zane admitted.
“What? Since when do you run around unarmed?”
“Nate, Zane has been through something traumatic. He needs some time to process,” Callie began. Her palms ran soothingly across Zane’s forearms.
“Zane almost died and you with him.” And what about him? Nate had been through hell, too. First he’d drank god knows what trying to get in good with a clinically insane person to please her. Then he’d been forced to watch as the two people he loved most in the world were threatened. Oh, god, he loved them. He loved Callie, and he loved Zane. Not in a weird way, but his life would be incomplete without the big bastard. It suddenly struck him that he’d lived most of his adult life with Zane.
Callie’s big brown eyes were round beneath her glasses, and she reached out to him as though trying to bring him into their circle. “Nate, it’s all right now.”
It wasn’t. It was so past all right, he wasn’t sure he could handle it. “That is the most naïve thing I have heard you say.”
“Hey, don’t be so tough on her,” Zane interjected.
He turned on his partner. “Fine, how about I be tough on you? How about I point out that you’re in a fucking biker bar? What were you thinking?”
Zane’s jaw went mulishly tight. “That I wanted a beer.”
“This isn’t the only bar in the county.”
Zane’s eyes studied the top of Callie’s head, and Nate knew what he wouldn’t say. This was the only bar where people wouldn’t stare at his scars and then look at him with sympathy. Or look away. Here, those scars were somewhat expected. The only place Zane felt comfortable was the one place he should never go back to.
“I will go where I like and do what I like.” Jen’s voice rang out in the empty bar.
The look on Stef’s face could only be called a sneer. “And that is why I will not train you. This attitude may suit your selfish needs but it’s precisely why you’ll never fit into my world.”
The waitress went a pasty white. “Stefan, I didn’t mean…” She stopped and went still.
Callie turned to her friend, moving between the girl and Stef. “It was my fault. I asked her to come with me. I was feeling a bit reckless. I came here to find someone to spend the night with, and she was worried about me.”
“What?” Nate practically screamed the question. She’d done what?
Callie shrugged. “Like I said, it might not have been the best idea. I immediately ran into Zane, who cut me off at the bar and proceeded to snarl at any man who looked at me. I will admit, there were not a lot of decent prospects here. So, you can’t blame Jen. She was only trying to help.”
“What Jennifer should have done was call me to let me know you were making a huge mistake.” Stef’s face was set. Nate knew that look. Callie should stop talking. Nate had known Stef for a long time, and Stef wasn’t listening to anything but his own rage now. “She should have trusted me to handle the situation. She knows nothing of trust, and therefore there can be nothing between us. Now, Jennifer, you have two options, you can go and get in the car, or I can carry you there.”
Tears running down her face, Jennifer walked out the door. Stef turned to Callie. “As for you…”
“No, Talbot. She’s not yours to discipline.” Zane’s words came out in a low, predatory growl.
Stef looked like he wanted to argue. Nate stepped between them. Zane was right on this one. “Stefan, I appreciate the backup, but this is between the three of us. It would be best if you left. Take Logan with you. Zane and I will handle Callie.”
“Is that the way it’s going to be?” Stef glared at them, every muscle in his body bunched and coiled.
Nate wondered if they were about to have it out. It would be worth it. Callie was worth it. “Yeah, that’s the way it’s going to be.”
A small smile broke over Stefan’s face and he sighed in obvious relief. “Excellent. Then perhaps it was worth it after all. Callie, good luck, dear. Call me if you need anything.” Just like that, Stefan was back to being the smooth artist. Nate had always envied his friend’s ability to change like quicksilver. Stef walked to the door. “Come along, Logan. I’ll take you home. I’m sure someone has told your mothers that you went into a biker bar with guns blazing by now.”
“Damn it,” Logan groused. “Do you have any idea the lecture I’m about to get? Have you ever had a big, overprotective lesbian lecture you?”
Stef laughed. “No. But thank you for the warning. I’ll be sure to drive away as quickly as possible so Marie can’t catch me. Good night.”
It was blissfully quiet. Nate looked at Zane, who seemed ill at ease, and Callie, who couldn’t possibly be as calm as she looked. “Callie, get in the car. Since you stole mine earlier, I’ll drive yours back. Zane can take his bike.”
She opened her mouth.
“No arguments.” Nate barked at her, unwilling to argue. “And Callie, passenger seat. If you decide to take off, I will show up at your house, break down your door, put you over my knee, and I won’t listen to protests, darlin’.”
Her jaw dropped open. “Nathan Wright, how dare you?”
He wasn’t about to back down. “I dare.”
“Do what he says or as soon as he’s done blistering your backside, I’ll do the same.” Zane let her go.
Her head swung back and forth between the two as though sizing up their true intentions. “You are both cavemen, aren’t you?”
Finally, she understood them. She turned and flounced off, yellow skirt floating around her knees. He looked at Zane, and they followed after her. The night air was cool on his sweaty skin, and Nate was glad for it. He was on edge, and he knew it. After Callie slammed the car door shut, he turned to Zane.
“You want to tell me what happened in there?” His eyes shifted around. He saw Zane doing the same. Looking for danger. Once a cop…
“Apparently, Ellis isn’t done with me. He put a bounty out on me.”
Simple words coming out of his friend’s mouth, but they shook Nate to his core. Brett Ellis was the president of the Barbarians. He was also the man who’d tortured Zane and nearly killed him. When would they be done with this? They had put the man in prison, but his arms had a long reach. “And now she’s on their radar.”
Zane nodded, his face a careful blank. “I’ll head out in the morning.”
Ah, the expected response from self-sacrificing Zane. No way that was going to happen. “No, you won’t. She’ll still be on their radar. I don’t suppose you had the good sense to act like she didn’t mean anything.”
He shrugged. “I tried, but I’d already beaten up a guy over her, and then I pretty much pleaded with them to let her go, so no, there’s no way they believe I don’t care.”
Damn it. He let his eyes close briefly as he considered the problem. Well, he’d wanted a reason to throw the three of them together. Now he had one. He intended to make the best of it. “We have to stay close to her. They won’t let her be. If they’re after you, the best way to come at you is through her. I didn’t help the cause tonight. They know I care about her, too. We can’t let her out of our sight. You’ll have to suck it up and show your ass around this town.”
That suited Nate just fine. Zane needed to come to the same conclusions he had. It was foolish to not try to figure out a way to make this thing work between the three of them. This was the perfect place to start. No one would care in Bliss. They could take their time and ease into the situation while Nate made plans for the
m. He would take it slow, move them toward what he wanted.
He was a patient man. Well, he could try to be a patient man.
Zane frowned, but Nate could see the softness in his eyes as he looked over at Callie sitting primly in the car. “I don’t think she’s going to like having us on her ass twenty-four seven.”
Nate bit back a groan at the thought of her ass. Fuck, he was going to die if he didn’t sleep with her and soon. “She’ll live with it. You’re her bodyguard. I can watch her at the station house, but what happens when I go on a call?”
A grim look of determination crossed Zane’s face. “I’ll be there. I’ll watch her.”
At least they had a plan, and it was good to see Zane emotional about something. He walked to the two-door piece of crap Callie drove. He wondered briefly how he was going to fit and where they stored the hamsters that obviously powered it. As soon as they had some cash, her ride was getting an upgrade. “I’ll see you at home. You follow, and don’t let us out of your sight. And Zane, you don’t get caught without your ordnance again.”
He slammed the door and held his hand out for the keys. Callie dropped them in and stared forward, not looking at him for even a moment. “You be as pissed as you like, darlin’, so long as you mind me.”
Callie faced the road. “You can’t expect me to obey you outside of work, Sheriff.”
His hands tightened on the steering wheel. He hated the distance she was putting between them and had no intention of allowing it to go on a moment longer. He’d seen the way she’d clung to Zane. She had done the same thing to him earlier in the day, only to push him back because she was afraid. He knew he’d had a large hand in giving her that insecurity, but there was no room for fear anymore. “Nate. Don’t you call me sheriff again. Not at work and not at home. My name is Nate.”
She set her pretty lips in a stubborn pout. “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
