“Mia, will you please be careful. You’re going to give the baby brain damage if you keep jumping and banging your belly like that.”
I let out a choked laugh as did Mia as she let me go just enough to look behind her.
“Oh, stop it, Stud. The baby is safe and is as snug as a bug in a rug in there. Honestly, you are amusing,” she teased him. “Now go home. Rainn and I have lots of girl talk and crying to do. Take your broody brother with you.”
“Glad I amuse you, Beauty. I want you to be careful, end of discussion,” Steel said firmly as he reached out and took his wife gently from me. “Hello, sexy dancer. Glad you’re home,” Steel greeted, his chin resting on Mia’s head.
“Hey, pretty boy. Sorry you had to bring Mia out tonight. I would have been fine with just the prospects,” I said, feeling quite bad that I was again the cause of so much trouble. Once Steel figured out his feelings for Mia, his protective nature hit high gear. I wished his brother could see that he had that in him, too. Mannix was hell-bent on believing his heart was black.
Argghh, just forget about Mannix Steel for one minute, you fool. I’d said that to myself constantly during the past weeks. It hadn’t worked yet, but I wasn’t giving up hope.
“Booth insisted, and I agree, but you have her only until the morning. I will be back to pick you both up and take you to the compound. Booth and the others have some questions for you, Rainn.”
I had to laugh. I was sure they did.
“More like an interrogation,” I scoffed, under no illusions as to what tomorrow would be for me. I guessed it was going to be my turn to see the inner sanctum of the war room.
Steel laughed. Leaning over Mia without letting her out of his arms, he pressed a kiss to my temple.
“Let’s get you two inside. Spend the night giggling or whatever the fuck the flock does, but take it easy. Mia tires easily, and you look exhausted yourself, dancing girl.”
Mia let Steel lead her to the steps of my place, her hand securely in mine, pulling me along with them. I pressed close against Mia’s body as we passed Mannix, who had been standing in the same spot since Steel and Mia pulled up. I didn’t have to look behind me to know because I felt his gaze boring into my back the whole time. I avoided his growl as I walked carefully up the short flight of stairs. Mia and I both went up together as Steel followed behind us, his hands on both of the small of our backs, making sure we got up safely. The sweet gesture brought tears to my eyes. God, I hated hormones.
Chapter 9
MANNIX
The click of the billiard balls echoed around the emptiness of the main room.
My brothers and their women had long since gone to their rooms, well, everyone except Steel. I snickered to myself about that. Serve the mongrel right for interfering with Rainn and me. Coming to her fucking rescue like I was the goddamn villain.
How the fuck this was my fault was beyond me. I leaned over the felt table and pushed the cue through my fingers, sending the balls scattering around the table. Fuck it, nothing went in. How was it I could drop balls into the pockets with my eyes closed on any other day except tonight?
The answer, Rainn Marcus. She was doing my head in. Anger like I’d never felt before rose up in my chest. My hand moved to the area, and I rubbed it, hoping like hell I could rid myself of the pain there. I couldn’t go through it again. To have something so fucking beautiful, to love it, nurture it, live for it only to have it ripped away. I fucking couldn’t. No fucking way.
———
“Mannix, are you going to be able to control yourself, or do I have to send you elsewhere?” Booth asked me as my brothers, and I filed into the war room the next morning.
After a sleepless night, tossing and turning, I’d finally given up some time around four a.m. I went out to the main room where I played snooker until the sun came up and Shiloh bustled into the room, insisting I have my scheduled date with her for breakfast instead of later in the day. I had to laugh at her reasoning for the change of venue and time.
“I gots better things to do later, pirate man. Let’s do this now, or you miss out, dude.”
“Want to let us in on the joke, brother?” Booth prompted, his eyebrows raised and a smirk on his lips.
Fucking hell, I did not need this today of all days.
“Fuck you. And what am I, fucking ten? Yes, I can control myself. Jesus, Pres.”
“Well, from what Deck and Steel told me about yesterday, I think I am warranted asking,” Booth said, the authority in his tone demanding the soldier in me to stand down and be respectful, to stop being an idiot and acting younger than Shiloh.
I was ashamed of my conduct yesterday. I wasn’t proud of the way I treated Rainn, but to be told I was going to be a father was not on my wish list when I first set eyes on my lady after three weeks. Of course, if I had been thinking right at the time, I would have been able to put together the puzzle of Rainn’s strange behaviour the weeks leading up to her disappearing act and seeing that she had been hiding something from me.
“I will apologise to her, Booth, but this situation is not easy.” I dropped down into the seat I always used and blew out a frustrated breath. I was nervous to see Rainn again after the way I had acted, but I was also so fucking desperate to get her into my arms and hold her body against mine, smell that floral perfume in the yellow box she loved to wear. Some might think a sexy stripper should wear sexy perfume, but not my Rainn. My lady loved flowers of any kind. Fresh-cut flowers in big glass vases she bought from second-hand stores always filled her place. I went to her place every day while she was gone to water her garden for her. She would have been pissed as hell if she found the garden unloved and untended when she got back. I couldn’t let that happen, no matter how pissed I was at her for taking off.
“Creed, go get Mia and Rainn, please, brother,” Steel asked, his jaw clenched as he watched Creed leave the room and return seconds later with the two ladies in question. I found it amusing, even now with Mia being my brother’s wife, that Steel continues to harbour the old resentments against Creed and Mia’s bond. It wasn’t like he had anything to worry about with the sexy brunette. Her love for him was unbreakable, they were married, and Creed would never, ever cross that line.
I watched as the women timidly made their way to the seats that the club had assigned to the women recently. My eyes were glued to the obvious bump under Rainn’s plain white tee. Gone were her tight form-fitting tops and sexy thigh-high skirts. She was wearing a pair of well-worn, washed-out denim jeans with rips and tears in all the right places, showing off tantalising glimpses of her tanned skin. One of her tattoos could be half seen through a rip at her thigh. She looked good except for the look of worry she had on her cover model face. She made no eye contact with me, which annoyed me because Rainn and I were friends, besties, and we relied on each other. I guess my less than stellar behaviour yesterday at Big Jimmy’s and again last night didn’t help my cause. Was it possible this baby was mine? The shit storming around in my head refused to allow myself to hold onto any kind of hope—yet.
“Ladies. Welcome to the war room again, Mia. Rainn, welcome back,” Booth said from his position at the head of the table.
I sat to his left, in between Creed and Darth. Rainn and Mia, at the end of the large table, huddled close against one other. Drawing comfort, I suppose.
“Hi, Booth, fellas, glad to be back,” Rainn answered with a little wave to everyone at the table. Everyone except me.
It hurt that she couldn’t or wouldn’t look at me. Didn’t she realise how much I missed her over the last three weeks or, at the very least, how much worry and frustration her disappearance caused. Surely, as the head dancer of Body and Souls, she would have known what a complete disaster finding a new headliner would have been for me. I felt my anger begin to surface again. She wasn’t going to just sit there and make me look like the only arsehole in the room.
“So, Rainn, care to explain yourself,” I said, gritting my teeth and barel
y controlling my legendary temper.
Fiery green eyes looked over at me.
About bloody time you look at me, Lady. Though it wasn’t the kind of look I was hoping for. This look was more of an ‘I want to cut your dick off and shove it down your throat’ kind of a look. I’d had plenty of them from women over the years—Alannah came to mind straightaway—but not so much from Rainn. That was until recently when her whole personality changed. Of course, now I knew why now. My eye dropped to where the table hid her stomach.
“Eat a dick, arse-wipe.” The reply came quick and was delivered with the right amount of intended venom.
Fuck, this was going to be hard. Snickers from all around the table had me holding my middle finger up at them all. But not at the women.
“All right, calm the fuck down. Now, Rainn, I filled Booth and the guys in on where you have been and why. Before we discuss any of that, can you tell us what you saw the night of the shooting? We have Mia’s side of things, but there is a chance you saw something she didn’t,” Deck said, taking control of the questioning. Last night, he did the same, taking over when I lost the ability to think and act like the soldier I was, for which I was grateful. Otherwise, this whole discussion would just turn into a free-for-all shouting match between my lady and me.
Nodding her head, I watched her take in a deep breath. A sad look took over her face, and I hated that.
Chapter 10
RAINN
The entire room was waiting for me. Six sets of eyes and one very sexy, golden brown eye—thank you, Stella—watched me. The intensity of their gazes made me uncomfortable for the first time since this whole Rogue catastrophe started happening to the club. I wanted to tell them everything I remembered. I wanted to get it right in my head so I missed not one tiny detail that may help them catch whoever was doing this. The sights and sounds from that night were imprinted in my brain—the two bullets fired, killing Tori and Shifty, Mia’s and my screams, and the smell of the blood. Oh, that was a smell I never wanted to experience again, the faint burning smell and the metallic odour of blood.
Oh, I can’t do this. I couldn’t relive that bullet taking out Tori, killing her instantly, the image of Shifty falling to his knees, then to the ground, a lifeless heap. Then the next minute, the loud voices, and shouting from the guys as they stormed in. Mannix had come up behind me and pulled me around into his embrace. Those strong arms that had held me countless nights over the years were my only comfort.
I wanted those arms around me now, soothing me. The scruff on his face always felt so good in the crook of my neck, tickling me and turning me on. And those lips, oh God, what those lips could do to me. I shifted in my seat and pressed my legs together, but it wasn’t helping. If I pressed harder in more of a rhythm, maybe I could get myself off. The others wouldn’t know, well, one would.
Lifting my eyes, I looked directly at Mannix, and instantly, I knew he was onto me. I felt a blush creep over my cheeks as I watched his breathing start to labour. Yeah, he knew. Mannix loved to watch me touch myself. He was the one who suggested it. He would sit on a chair and watch as I pleasured myself, never taking our eyes off one another. He never touched himself or me, just directed me on what he wanted to see, how to touch myself and for how long. Mannix liked control, and he had oodles of it. Then, when he or I couldn’t take it anymore, we would come together with such intensity, it would blow our minds.
“Rainn,” Mia hissed from beside me, a jab bringing me back to where I should be.
Eyes penetrated me from every seat.
Oh, my God, how embarrassing.
“Rainn, if you can tell us anything you remember, that will help a lot,” Booth asked, a tiny smirk on his handsome face making me cringe.
Argh, these men. Mia grabbed my hand and gave it a squeeze. She must have endured this exact thing but on her own. I should have stayed and fought, and not have been a coward, running from Mannix and hiding my head in the sand. It was time I stepped up and found my strength again. Time to stop running.
With that, I sat up straighter in my seat and looked at Booth. “I can’t talk about what I saw happen to Tori and Shifty, I just—I just can’t, Booth,” I whispered.
Tori and I might not have been friends at all, but she had been a work colleague and a part of the Wounded Souls, not like the other girls and me, but she had the guys’ protection. I knew Booth was helping look after her little boy financially by giving his father monthly payments for food and whatever the little boy needed. The generosity of the club never failed to amaze me.
“I know, darlin’, just tell us about the details of the room. Did they say anything you could hear that struck you as odd?”
I thought for a moment. There had been something Tori said about a man waiting on them. But—
Oh, my God. The car outside the building!
“There was a car out on the street when Darth drove us to the club,” I said, rushing it all out at once. It was a wonder the guys could understand anything I said.
Booth quickly looked at Darth, and the big man’s eyebrows narrowed as he obviously tried to recall seeing a car parked that night.
“Oh, my gosh, you’re right. I remember now,” Mia agreed, her head turning to Steel, eyes wide. “I’m so sorry, baby. I completely forgot until Rainn mentioned it just now.” Mia’s eyes filled with tears. “I was just so scared after what happened I forgot all about it.”
Steel jumped up from his seat and had Mia up and in his arms in seconds.
“No, Beauty, it’s okay. Please, don’t worry about anything except for our baby happy inside her mother,” Steel whispered sweetly.
His devotion to his wife is beautiful, I thought wistfully.
Mia’s arms wrapped tightly around her hunky husband, her soft sobs muffled by his chest.
“What can you tell me about the car?” Booth asked quickly, sitting forward, his attention completely on me.
“Um, I noticed it first when we pulled up in the back car park. Darth went to see if it was all clear to go inside while Mia and I waited in the SUV.” Bit by bit, that night came back to me—the anxiousness about what Mia and I had to do to get Tori talking and the need to wear a bulletproof vest. Shaking my head, I heard a noise behind me and turned to see what it was.
Ford sat in the darkened corner of the room, fiddling with a cigarette lighter. The patch member and resident computer expert had given up smoking when Deck brought Shiloh home from the hospital, but he still carried a lighter and flicked it on and off. I guess it was a coping mechanism for him to stave off the urge to light up. I watched as the small flame glowed on and off, lighting up Ford’s face.
Oh, my God.
“I saw his face,” I shouted, scared silly and excited all at the same time.
“Fucking what?” Mannix yelled, speaking for the first time since his earlier outburst. His face was outraged, worried, and pissed off.
Booth held up his hands and waved at all the men, who jumped up when Mannix did, urging them to be quiet as they all voiced their concerns.
“Rainn, what do you mean you saw his face. How?” Creed asked. Worry also etched on his face.
Why were they all worried? I thought this would be a good thing. A description of Rogue was the next best thing to having than the man himself delivered to the compound wrapped in a red bow.
“He was smoking,” I said, waving my hand to Ford. “Seeing Ford playing with his lighter just clicked something in my brain. When he lit it up, his face showed for a few seconds, and I saw his face. I remember thinking at the time he looked familiar.”
“Familiar how, Lady,” Mannix said from beside me.
He had changed seats with Creed and had pulled his chair close to mine, so close I could smell his cologne, a spicy musk scent that drove me wild most of the time. Now it made me feel sad for what we had lost and what we would never have again.
His hands came up and cupped my face, and damn if I didn’t lean into his touch. So familiar and warm, something
that had been mine but wasn’t anymore.
Looking at him, I tried to concentrate. “I can’t say I have actually met him. It’s not that kind of familiar, more like I have seen someone who looks like him.” I tried to explain. That night was so crazy for me. I was scared for Mia’s and my life, and then I was worried about the club and getting the danger away from them, so the moment I saw the guy’s face was a little hazy.
“Like maybe someone you saw in a movie?” Ford asked, his computer out and ready. His fingers were already flying across the keyboard, no doubt trying to pull up the cameras from the car park.
I immediately shook my head no. “Not like that, no. Like a photograph I have seen here at the compound.” Suddenly, I was scared for my child and for everyone else here. Mannix told me that Rogue had managed to get listening devices planted in the war room and into mobile phones. Could he hear me now? Was remembering such a huge thing making me more of a target?
“Can he hear me now?” I asked, voicing my fears.
“Not a chance, Lady. Ford, Darth, and I swept the place from top to bottom. There is nothing here. You and everyone else are safe,” Mannix reassured me firmly.
It didn’t escape my notice his eye dropped to my swelling belly. Something passed across his face that I didn’t understand.
“Promise me, Mannix. Promise me that Shiloh will be safe. That the ladies will be safe. That ou—my baby will be safe.” I stopped myself from using the word our because he didn’t deserve that, not with the way he acted when he found out. I wasn’t sure if he was ever going to accept it, but that was going to be his loss if he didn’t.
“Everyone will be safe, I promise, Rainn,” Mannix declared.
And for some reason, I believed him.
“Okay, Beast,” I agreed softly, and reaching up, I laid my hands over his.
———
“It is so good to see you, Rainn.”
His Lady: The Wounded Souls Page 6
