When it’s well after eleven, the house is finally empty and it’s only me and Kadence enjoying the late evening on our back porch. The sky is lit with stars and moonlight. We’re sharing a beer and watch our horses graze next to each other.
She scoots closer and places her head on my chest. I have a crib sized swing bed we’re lounging on. I love sleeping outside at times, watching my horse in the moonlight and hearing the sounds of nature. It’s soothing. But falling asleep with my woman in my arms wrapped by the comfort of everything that enriches my life is a blessing.
Waking up by gunshots is a complete nightmare I need to wake up from. Shaking my head from the sleep, I blink to let my eyes adjust to the bright morning sun. Kadence’s hands fist my shirt as our eyes collide.
“What was that?” she whispers.
Another shot rings out and our horses gallop wild through the paddock.
“Motherfucker,” someone roars and if I’m correct it’s Alfie’s voice.
I reach for the table in front of me where I placed my two guns and a knife.
Sliding the knife into the sheath, I hand Kadence one of the guns. “Stay here.”
She checks the gun and at this moment I’m glad she has an MC background. At least they taught her to handle weapons and not lock down with fear when things go to shit.
I grab my backup gun and stride around the cabin to get to the front where the shatter of glass and gunfire is still crackling in the air. Risking a quick glance around the corner I notice Alfie hiding behind my truck.
Fucking bullet holes all over my truck, but the blood in the dirt surrounding Alfie is what worries me. Silence falls and I now notice Cannon is standing near my cabin. He’s reloading his gun and it’s a wide-open chance for me to kill the fucker.
I don’t know or care why the fuck he’s here shooting up the place but he’s going to meet his maker who can worry about that shit. Stepping out from behind the cabin I squeeze the trigger and fire off a few rapid rounds.
His body jerks but the fucker falls behind part of the cabin which gives him cover. I curse loudly but I need to dash back behind the cabin when a damn bullet whistles very close by my fucking head. What the fuck? Who is here besides Cannon?
“Who the hell is shooting?” Kadence whisper hisses from behind me.
I flash an angry look over my shoulder. “I told you to stay fucking put.”
“And I decided not to be a sitting duck but a participant. I can shoot, Colt. And I have steady and good aim.”
We don’t have time to fight because bullets are hitting my damn cabin. Another thing that worries me is the nonexistent return fire coming from Alfie. He’s sagged against my truck.
I glance at Kadence and grab my damn heart in my hands when I ask, “Can you return fire if I jog around the cabin to surprise them from the other side?”
“Fuck, yes,” she grunts underneath her breath.
I reach out to grab her neck and slam my mouth over hers to taste her lips in a fleeting kiss before I push my boots on the ground to race around the cabin. With my gun aimed forward I reach the corner and don’t even glance around but jump out and start to fire.
Their eyes are still locked to where Kadence is firing, making them sitting ducks. A young guy with a prospect cut on with the Deranged Hounds patch is now getting drenched by blood from the bullets I fired into his back.
Cannon has a last breath to spin around and aim his gun at me but a bullet enters between his eyes and at the same time his skull shatters from the impact of a second bullet as my woman shoots the fucker as well.
Knowing the asshole is dead, I let my eyes travel over my front yard to make sure all threats are gone. Kadence comes rushing toward me. I holster my gun to wrap an arm around her and pull her close to inhale her sweet fragrance, making sure she’s still with me and we’re still alive.
Fuck. Alive. Is Alfie still breathing?
CHAPTER EIGHT
– KADENCE –
“Alfie,” Colt grunts and locks eyes with me. “Call an ambulance, right fucking now. Then call Weston.”
He lets go of my waist and rushes off toward his truck. I now notice the blood coming from underneath his truck and the body behind it. Holy shit. That’s Alfie? I grab my phone and am shouting for help before I disconnect when I know they’re coming. Only to make a second call to let Weston know but he doesn’t pick up.
I’m about to call Roper when I hear the rumbling of bikes and see the dust surrounding them up the road. Not knowing who the fuck they are, I rush toward Colt and Alfie and have my back to them and my gun raised at the bikers riding up.
I lower my gun slightly when I notice it’s Weston, Roper, Joaquin, Garrett, and Ledger. But I shift my aim when behind them Rowen and his VP, Koda, appear. Filled with anger I fire off a round in the direction of my brother.
“Get the fuck off my damn property,” I bellow.
My brother’s bike comes to an abrupt stop. He kicks out the kickstand and jumps off his bike, holding both hands palms up.
“I called it in the second we knew Cannon was out for blood and wanted to drag you off. The fucker is insane, we had no clue he would go nuts when he heard he couldn’t have you. He drove off with a prospect in tow and dropped off the radar. I swear we had nothing to do with it, sis. We drove like hell on wheels to get here because I was afraid he would go to you. When I couldn’t reach Colt, I called Weston. I swear we didn’t know.”
I fire another round next to his boot. “This is all your fault.”
“Noooo.” The tormented plea coming from Joaquin rips straight through my chest.
Shit. Alfie. The blood. His sagging body. He didn’t return fire. Joaquin’s sobs.
He’s dead?
I raise my gun to justify his death but the gun is covered with a hand as it’s guided down. “You don’t want to do that.”
My eyes trail up the arm of who is preventing me from shooting another bullet at my brother. I let Weston take the gun from me and I mindlessly nod.
“I just…it’s his fault. Alfie, he’s…” A sob rips from me.
“From the looks of it, Alfie is still breathing. And I can’t let you kill the president of another MC on club grounds,” Weston says with a firm tone. “Even if the fucker is your brother. In the end he did do right by you. He stepped up and put you before the club, Kadence. He was ready to end Cannon himself but he was already heading here and couldn’t get to you in time.”
I let my head drop. He’s right. “Sorry, Prez,” I tell him, even if he’s not my president, but in this moment–me being Colt’s old lady–I know very well he is.
Not that I forgive my brother, but I trust Weston and the words he just gave me.
“Go help your man, the EMTs are here,” he orders and I spin around to run toward Colt who is helping to keep Joaquin away from Alfie; the EMTs need to do their job.
I take Joaquin’s face into my hands and firmly make him glance at me. “Joaquin. Pull yourself together, you’re not helping.”
His eyes are still fixed on the ground behind me. I risk a glance over my shoulder and notice Alfie is awake and growling at the EMTs who are lifting him onto the stretcher.
“Joaquin,” I snap, his eyes now landing on mine. “See? He’s still alive. Now you need to swallow back the panic and go with him to the hospital. I’m going to be right behind you, okay?”
He stops struggling and closes his eyes a moment to inhale a deep breath. When he opens them there’s determination flaring and he says in a firm tone, “You’re right. I got this. He’s got this. He’s going to be fine and then I can spank his ass for almost dying on me.”
“You’re not spanking my ass, boy,” Alfie grunts.
Joaquin releases a sound close to a mix of a sob and a laugh and I whisper, “He’s a fighter. Go support your man. We got this.”
Colt lets go of him and Joaquin rushes off to follow the EMTs who are loading Alfie into the ambulance. Colt opens his arms and it takes three steps before
I let myself fall into his embrace.
His lips brush against my head. “Come on, let’s go inside. I need some fucking coffee.”
“You and me both,” I croak.
Hours pass where we are faced with answering questions and cleaning up the mess that happened before we’re able to head for the hospital. Once there we’re told Alfie needed emergency surgery. He was shot twice in one leg, once in the shoulder, and twisted his ankle of his other leg.
He needs to spend some time in the hospital followed by weeks recovering but he’s allowed to do it at home as long as he uses the wheelchair since his shoulder, and both of his legs are injured, and there’s no way for him to use crutches.
Joaquin will look after him but I think the hospital will arrange a nurse. Whatever, I have no clue but he’s getting help to change the bandages and care Alfie needs these upcoming weeks.
My head isn’t functioning properly after this fucked up day and even if Colt and I are lying in the swing bed on the back porch–exactly where we were this morning when all went to shit–there’s some form of serenity blanketing us.
As twisted as our day started, it’s a valid promise our past is closed now. I didn’t think Cannon would be nuts enough to bring a prospect to come and get me–guns blazing–because he had some kind of fucked-up idea I belonged to him.
There are so many things to say and yet lying here in Colt’s embrace and watching how our horses are enjoying the moonlight settles my heart to know this is home. And yes, our house is now littered with bullet holes and we need to repair the windows but we will, because we have all the time in the world to do just that.
Colt reaches for the beer bottle and takes a long pull before passing it to me. “Maybe we should ask Ledger and my sister to build a cabin next to ours.”
I have to swallow hard to prevent the beer from bursting out of my nose in surprise of what he just said.
“What?” I croak and clear my throat.
Colt chuckles. “If anything has been proven to me today it’s that it’s good to have a brother near. I can’t help but think what would have happened if Alfie wasn’t close and opened fire when they came for us. It’s a good fucking thing he was checking the herd when Rowen called Weston about Cannon going rogue. And I also like the idea of having my sister live closer. She’s been here on the ranch a few months now, but we hardly ever run into each other. She has her own company and me and my tasks for the ranch and MC and living here and all. And to be honest, I bet you’d love to help her with those lunch packages and having her close. Ledger isn’t that much of an asshole: I could live with him on my property.”
I place the beer back on the table and snuggle against his chest. “I think it’s a great idea. And yes, I’d love to help your sister with her company. We could make the delivery rounds ourselves now that the danger has completely vanished.”
“You two will always have a prospect trailing your asses. I won’t ever leave you unprotected. But, yeah. You know what I mean.”
A smile tugs my mouth and heart. “Yeah, I know what you mean.”
He cares. He loves. As much as I care and love him in return.
EPILOGUE
Six years later
– COLT –
I guide my bike to the luxurious hotel I’ve booked for tonight. We always stay a night here when we visit Rowen and his old lady. Even after all these years Kadence still has a hard time connecting and opening up to her brother. But they’re both trying and it’s good to obtain some form of a family bond.
Rowen has reached out to her on a frequent basis after Cannon came for her. Though Kadence needed time to process all of it. He understood and gave her space to wait for her to reach out to him.
But when we received a long letter from the woman who was pregnant with Rowen’s kid–and with Kadence being pregnant herself at the time–she opened up to the idea of restoring their family bond.
Though it had to be on her terms and since Rowen was happy with any form of a connection, he quickly agreed. It’s why we ride upstate every now and then to meet Rowen, his old lady, and their kid. Sometimes we bring our own son, Walker, who is now almost five years old.
Kadence reconnecting on her terms meant she didn’t want to have anything to do with the Deranged Hounds. So, we balance between meeting them for dinner every once in a while, or heading to an amusement park with the kids, or simply meet up to have a chat and a drink at a local diner.
We didn’t bring Walker this time because our son wanted to spend time with my sister’s kids. Mayven and Ledger have two daughters, Heather who is around Walker’s age, and Rose who is almost three. Suggesting my sister and Ledger build a cabin next to ours has turned out to be one of my most brilliant ideas.
Not only do we enjoy their company from time to time but having our kids grow up close together, and always having a babysitter near is damn well perfect. Of course, a lot of my brothers also have kids, and the clubhouse is a good place any time of day, it’s just perfect to live together on the edge of the property.
But for now, Kadence and I have the night all to ourselves. Maybe that’s also why Kadence enjoyed herself today, but both Rowen and her got along great this afternoon. Her brother never forgave himself for the shit he’s done–and let’s face it, it was fucking disgusting. But he’s also shown remorse for putting the club first.
He kept saying it was a desperate grasp to hold onto Kadence, made in a moment of grief of losing both their mother and father. He needed his only living relative close, especially at a time the club was falling apart. And he honestly believed Cannon had feelings for Kadence.
Stalker level feelings for fucking sure, the guy was twisted as fuck. And Kadence knows the weight Rowen had on his shoulders, and like I said…she accepts some form of family connection between them now. Though the life we built together is where true family has forged bonds strong enough to face anything.
The same thing can be said about the strong connection between me and my woman. Riding together, either horseback, or like now on my bike. Working at the ranch where she helps out during the time she isn’t busy with my sister’s company, taking care of the kids, our house, or enjoying the late evenings where we watch our horses silently graze in the meadow as the moonlight shines down on all of us.
Yeah, life is pretty damn good. And when we’re finally locked inside our hotel room tonight…it just might get a little better since I have the whole night planned. Okay, I have just one thing planned, and that’s the gift I have in my pocket.
It’s not a wedding ring since we have been already married for five years now. But tonight happens to be our anniversary. I had a massive silver cuff bracelet handmade by a friend of my sister who she met through her company. My sister was right, the jewelry designer is brilliant and crafted the heads of our two horses on the cuff bracelet from a few photographs I gave her.
The resemblance is astonishing and I would have wanted it for myself as well, but it’s made especially for Kadence. Though, I might have mentioned to the designer I wanted to have one with a thicker cuff made for me to match the one for my wife, but she said she was fully booked for the next couple of months. It doesn’t matter. I have the perfect gift for my woman, and I know for sure she’s going to love it.
“Did you want to run a bath first or have a beer at the bar downstairs?” She removes the hair tie and her thick, gorgeous dark red hair falls free in waves down her back. After all these years it still only takes one look at my woman to get me hard.
“I’d like to give you this first.” I hold out the big black velvet square box and Kadence gasps as I tell her, “Happy anniversary, doll.”
She covers her mouth with her hand and takes a step back. “Oh no.”
Okay, that’s not the reaction I was going for here.
Her hand goes in my direction, palm up as if she wants to stop me. “Hang on,” she says and rushes to her backpack.
She pulls out the same fucking box. “Happy anniversary,”
she croaks and winces.
We swap boxes and open them simultaneously. I have no fucking words for what my eyes are taking in. It’s from the same designer for sure. But the cuff I’m holding is massive and made for a man my size.
Where I had one made for my woman’s wrist with the heads of our horses, I’m staring at our horses running through a meadow while the moon is shining upon them and it’s fucking magnificent.
Seconds tick by where we only stare at the same–and yet different–gift we gave one another. I know my sister had something to do with this and yet it’s our personal touch what makes it so damn perfect.
I hand her my cuff while I take hers and the arm I want to put it on. She watches my moves and returns the favor to put the cuff on my wrist. I wrap my fingers around her nape to pull her close and lean in to kiss her.
I take my time to let our tongues perform a sensual slow dance. But I need more when I feel her nipples poking through the material of her blouse and bra. Or I might be imagining them because I know every inch of her lovely body.
Her blouse is damn frustrating with the tiny buttons. My thick fingers and my patience has blown to shit, causing me to grip the fabric and rip it apart. Buttons fly through the air as I’m dragging the fabric down her body and let it fall to the floor.
Her bra follows and my breath catches when I see her magnificent tits. “Take your pants off while I play with these,” I roughly demand.
I roll her dark pink peaks between my fingers and tug them. Palming one breast I knead it slightly at the same time I lean in and let my tongue swirl around her nipple, sinking my teeth slightly into her skin.
She gasps and I damn well know how much she loves a little bite of erotic pain. Glancing down I’m happy to see she’s naked and it takes me a few breaths along with a string of curses to rid myself of my own clothing.
But once naked I take her into my arms and grip her ass to easily lift her. She wraps her legs around my waist. Our mouths merge and I walk forward until I’ve pinned her between the wall and my body.
Cowboy Bikers MC #5 Page 7
