by Jayne Blue
“Shit!”
Chapter 21
Beth
I swiped out of the app and called 911. The dispatcher came on right away. I hurriedly explained the situation. “My silent alarm tripped. I can see someone moving inside the house. Can you send the sheriff right away?”
I recognized the operator as Pam Bolger. We’d handled her divorce. “You just sit tight, Beth,” she said. “Don’t try going in that house. Someone will be there within five minutes.”
She hung up. I couldn’t move. Maybe the smart thing to do would have been to leave. I felt rooted to my spot. I picked up the phone again and hit Danny’s number. He answered on the first ring.
“Danny,” I said, breathless.
“Beth, what is it?” He knew me. God. All I had to do was say his name and he knew something was wrong. Somehow, I found the words to explain what was happening.
“It’s nothing,” I said. “Probably.”
“No,” he said, his voice grim. “You did the right thing. Don’t go back in that house until I get there. I’m only about twenty minutes away. Just sit tight. Are the cops on their way?”
“I-I think so.”
“Good,” he said. “I’ll call you when I get close. It’s going to be okay, Beth.” Then he clicked off. I clutched the phone to my chest as Beckett Finch’s patrol car pulled up behind me, sirens and lights flashing. Behind him, another cruiser pulled up.
Beckett got out and shouted commands to the deputies under his command. Then he came to my window. I rolled it down.
“You okay?” he asked.
“Yeah. It’s probably nothing. At least, I hope so.”
“Well, give us a few minutes. If there’s anyone in there, we’ll flush them out. You stay put until I come back.”
I gave Beckett a thumbs up. His deputies were already circling my house, guns drawn. I squeezed the steering wheel then pressed my forehead to it. I got my breathing under control, then two things happened at once. The powerful roar of Deacon’s bike engine vibrated behind me. Then I heard the sound of breaking glass and shouts coming from the house.
I bolted upright. Deacon dismounted. He put himself in front of my window, shielding me from the house. Finch came running around the side. He stopped short when he saw Deacon standing there. Finch holstered his weapon and picked up an Alpha male swagger as he headed toward my car.
I got out. Deacon kept a hand on my arm. His eyes transmitted a warning. Let him do the talking.
“The house is clear,” he said. “No sign of a break-in.”
“You sure about that?” Deacon asked. He took a protective stance in front of me. My pulse thundered in my ears. I was scared, embarrassed, but mostly glad as hell to see him.
“Yeah,” Beckett said, setting his jaw to the side. His two deputies came from inside the house. One of them spoke into the radio he had holstered near his shoulder.
“We’re good, boss,” he said to Finch. “Looks like some raccoons tipped the garbage cans over in the back.”
I put a hand to my brow. “God. I’m so sorry. I feel like an idiot.”
“Don’t.” Beckett and Deacon said it at the same time.
Beckett cleared his throat. “I’d rather come out for a hundred false alarms than for an actual dirtbag.”
I couldn’t help rolling my eyes. I put a steadying hand on Deacon’s chest. There was way too much testosterone in this street.
“You mind telling me what the hell you’re doing in Crystal Falls?” Beckett asked Deacon.
Deacon gave him a hard expression. “I was invited,” he answered. “Now if you’re done here, why don’t you get back to writing parking tickets or whatever it is you do.”
“Danny,” I said. “Come on.” I shot Beckett an apologetic look and practically dragged Danny toward my front door.
Beckett looked like he could kill Danny with just a glare. Danny didn’t look any better. But I got him inside and bolted the door behind us.
“I’m sorry,” I said. “I shouldn’t have called you out here. I freaked.”
Danny put his hands on my shoulders and leaned in to kiss my forehead. “It’s okay, I’m glad you did. I told you too. I hate to take anything from that rent-a-cop out there, but he’s right. I’d rather come out here for a false alarm.”
I stepped away from Danny. His touch still burned through me. If I didn’t stick to boundaries, he’d have me bent over the couch in another five seconds. God, how I wanted him to. I just couldn’t go through a break-up scene with him again.
“He’s not a rent-a-cop, Danny. Beckett’s a former Navy SEAL, for crying out loud. And he’s been a good friend.”
A nerve twitched near Danny’s eye. He clenched his fist. Good lord, he was jealous. I wanted to blast him for it, but that might start another scene I didn’t have the strength to finish.
“Is everything okay with you?” I asked, desperate to change the subject. But no sooner had I said it, I wished I’d asked him anything else. Whatever answer he gave me would probably be a lie or a half-truth.
“What do I have to do to convince you to get the hell out of Texas for a little while?” he asked.
“It was raccoons,” I said. “You heard Beckett. Raccoons and my own jumpiness. I never should have had this damn alarm system installed.” I tossed my cell phone to the coffee table in my living room.
“Just for a week or two,” he said.
I turned on him. “You think this shit with the Hawks will be over by then?”
He shrugged. “I hope so. You know I can’t go into it. But Bear’s got something in the works. Something that’s going to piss half the membership off, including me. I’m glad I don’t sit where he does.”
I went to him. “If it means you’ll stay safe, then Bear Bullock is my favorite person on the planet next to you.”
It just blurted out of me. I’d spent so many of the last few days trying to keep myself together, I just wanted to fall apart in Deacon’s arms for a little while. He came to me. Hooking a finger beneath my chin, he tilted my face until my eyes met his.
“I can only say I’m sorry so many times.”
I reached up and tucked the hair behind his ear. “And I’m tired of the men in my life having to say it.”
“I should go,” he said. “But I wanna have a look around myself first.”
“You don’t trust the sheriff?”
His eyes burned bright with his answer. “No. Not a bit. I’ve already told you, I don’t like you staying here. The Hawks know where you live and how you’re connected to me. Your alarm system is a nice touch, but it’s not going to do dick if someone really wants to hurt you.”
I stood in the living room with my arms crossed as Deacon charged through my house, looking for hidden dangers. He went out the back door and rooted around in the yard, kicking aside the garbage cans. Satisfied, he came back inside.
He came to me, his eyes softer. “I think Finch was probably right. They did a shitty job picking up the garbage. The ’coons tore into it pretty good.”
“I’ll get it later,” I said. “I’m just so tired.”
“Beth, will you please let me make arrangements for you? Anywhere you wanna go. Hawaii, Europe. I can get you out of here. Just for a little while.”
I went to him. “And what are the chances you’d go with me?”
He smiled. “Maybe soon. Right now I need …”
I pressed a finger to his lips to quiet him. “Don’t say it. I already know your answer.”
He smiled. “And what about yours?”
I let out a heavy sigh. “Fine. You win. I’ll take a vacation. You’re the second person who’s begged me to do that today. I don’t care where. Someplace where it’s not so hot.”
Danny’s smile warmed me from the inside out. If only he’d agree to come with me. His eyes gave me his answer though. He leaned down to kiss me. I should have pulled away. I just didn’t have the strength.
Danny’s kiss was soft and tender. Still, it stirred
a craving in me it was getting harder and harder to deny. I reached up for him, lacing my fingers through his hair. A groan escaped from him as he fought his own cravings.
Then the world exploded in light and sound. A firecracker went off sending shards of glass flying in ten different directions. Danny went rigid in my arms, then took a staggering step backward. A red spot blossomed on his chest. He reached for me with one hand, his hip holster with the other. Then he keeled over and slumped to the ground.
Chapter 22
Deacon
I’ve been shot before. Once. I felt that one. The bullet grazed my shoulder and it was like a million bee stings. This time, I didn’t feel anything at first. I only knew the bullet hit me by the look on Beth’s face.
I dove for her, dragging her to the ground with me. Another shot whizzed by above her head. So close. Inches away. I tucked her under my body. That’s when the heat in my chest turned to agony.
“Danny!” she screamed. I existed outside myself for a minute. I wasn’t Danny. Danny was gone. I tried to move my arm, tried to push her further away from the danger. It felt stuck to my side in cement.
The third shot set off a bomb inside me. Adrenaline coursed through me. I found the strength to flip the table in the middle of the room and threw Beth behind it. I got to my knees and dove to the side of the room, pressing my back against the wall.
“Stay down!” I yelled. “Stay away from the windows!”
Beth’s alarm system blared.
“It’s the back door!” she yelled.
I spun. Movement to my left. I tried to lift my left arm to steady my aim. I had my Nine raised with my right. It was no use. Cement still encased my other arm to my side. Heat poured down my chest. In some detached part of my brain, I knew it was blood.
Beth moved. She threw something. A vase. It shattered against the far wall in a spray of glass. She didn’t hit the guy, but it was enough to draw his attention for a split second. And that was all I needed. I got off one shot, hitting him right between the eyes. He staggered backward for a beat, then crumpled to the ground.
“Stay down!” I tried to yell it, but my voice came out of me in a jagged whisper. Beth didn’t listen. She hurled herself toward the asshole on the ground, kicking his weapon out of his hand.
“Deacon!” She turned to me.
I belly crawled over to the shooter. He’d fallen down face first. I hadn’t gotten much of a look at him before I shot him, but I didn’t need to turn him over to know who it was. Milo fucking Higgins. I rolled him. Blood poured out of the hole in the back of his head. He died with his eyes open, staring in shock.
His chest vibrated and his phone rang. I flinched, my body ready for another blow. Instinct and adrenaline ruled me. I patted him down and pulled the phone out of the pocket of his leather vest. I brought it to my ear.
“Milo. Is it handled? I don’t like to be kept waiting, asshole.” The familiar, raspy voice on the other end of the phone cut through me with more force than Milo’s bullet had. I couldn’t breathe. I couldn’t see straight. It couldn’t be. No!
“Danny!” Beth brought me back into myself. I squeezed my hand around Milo’s phone, wanting to crush it. I clicked off the call and slid it into my pocket.
Beth. I had to get to Beth.
Milo might not be alone. I wanted to shout it, but no sound would come out. My legs gave way. The last thing I remember was Beth’s mouth opened in a soundless scream. Then everything went black.
Chapter 23
Deacon
“Danny? Danny, wake up, baby.”
It was my mother’s voice. She pressed a cool cloth to my head. She liked to sing to me. Silly nursery rhymes and songs she made up. I’d been playing out in the woods with Sean. We had a bet who could get to the highest branch of the tallest tree we could find. I lost. I reached for the branch above me and the one I balanced on snapped. When I landed hard on the ground, I couldn’t breathe. Sean stood over me, laughing.
“Deacon!”
My mother’s face morphed before my eyes. Her hair went from blonde to brown. Her eyes darkened. Then it wasn’t my mother at all. It was Beth. Sweet, beautiful Beth. She was crying. I held her on a stone bench in front of the Virgin Mary. She had bruises on her arms she tried to cover up. But I knew. I felt her pain and would have killed to end it.
“Deacon!”
My eyes snapped open. Part of me rebelled against it. It was so much more peaceful in the dark. Quiet. Warm. Light hurt. Air hurt. Soft fingers touched my cheek. It was her scent that pulled me back.
I let out a moan that tore through my chest. My left arm felt numb and in the back of my mind, I knew that was a blessing. Beth had her hand pressed against my face as I finally opened my eyes and let the full light back in.
Cold. Sterile. Harsh lights. A sickly, antiseptic smell filled my nose.
“You’re in the hospital in Crystal Falls,” Beth said. “You’re okay. Can you talk?”
She looked like hell. Dark circles rimmed her eyes. The irises were blood red from crying. But when I looked at her, her sweet face melted into a smile.
“Hey,” I said, then erupted in a round of agonizing coughs. Beth reached for a cup on the side of the bed. She brought a straw to my lips. God, the water was heaven going down.
“Are you okay?” I managed.
She smoothed the hair out of my eyes. “I’m okay. You saved my life.”
“I kind of remember it as a team effort,” I said.
She took a hard breath and looked back over her shoulder.
“What is it?” I said, trying to sit up. They had my left arm wrapped to my body. It ached, but there were no sharp pains. My mind felt a little fuzzy. Milo. Milo was dead. With my good arm, I went for the pocket of my vest, but it wasn’t there. My shirt had been cut away. The phone. Milo’s phone.
“You were lucky,” Beth said. “The bullet didn’t hit anything you need. Tore some muscle in your shoulder, but the doctor said it’ll be good as new.”
“I can ride?” I asked. Rage burned through me. The voice on the other end of that phone haunted me.
Her smile turned a little sad. “Yes. But not today, okay?”
“Is that bastard dead?”
She looked over her shoulder again. “Yes. I recognized him. Deacon, it was that Milo guy. The one who came to my house before.”
Anger burned through me. That motherfucker came to kill. “Where’s my stuff?” I said. Beth pointed to a plastic bag in the corner.
“The cops want to talk to you,” she said. “I told them everything, but they want a statement.”
“Can’t do it. I need to get with my crew.”
“Deacon,” she said.
“What did the doc say?” I asked.
She let out an exasperated sigh. I was already pulling the oxygen tube away from my face.
“You don’t need surgery,” she said. “The bullet went straight through. God, there was so much blood, I thought …”
“What I need is to get the hell out of here.”
“You can’t! Didn’t you hear anything I just said? You’ve been shot!”
“You said it went clean through. Didn’t hit anything I might need. Beth, it’s not safe for me here. And it’s not safe for you if you’re here with me and I don’t have backup. I need to get with my crew. There’s something I need to do.”
She blinked hard and her face turned white. “What do you mean?”
“I know you’re gonna hate me for saying this, but I need you to trust me. Milo showing up like he did wasn’t a coincidence. I have to handle this.”
“You think somebody tipped that Milo guy off that you were there?”
I pulled the leads out of my arm. In another minute, alarms would start going off. From what I could see of the hallway, they didn’t have any cops on me at the moment. That wouldn’t last.
“Yes, and I think I know who. And I’m not planning on sticking around to find out. You with me, baby?”
Beth’s
eyes searched my face. Two spots of color rose in her cheeks. I knew what I was asking her. In the span of a second, we were right back where we were ten years ago. She’d given everything up to get out from under Sean’s baggage. Now I was asking her to take on mine.
She took a breath, then went to the wall and grabbed a tissue and two purple rubber gloves from a dispenser above a little sink.
“Hold still,” she said, not missing a beat. She pressed the tissue against my arm and gently pulled out my IV. It stung, but I couldn’t help but smile.
“And I’m doing this on one condition,” she said.
“You name it,” I answered before thinking. Knowing Beth, her condition could be a whopper.
“Whatever plan you’ve hatched, it better involve medical treatment at the end of it.”
I leaned forward and slid my fingers behind her neck, lacing them through her hair. “It does. You can’t ride with the Saints without needing a patch-up here and there.”
She kissed me quick. “You call a gunshot wound a patch-up?”
“Today it is. Now we better move.” I swung my legs over the side of the bed while Beth went to the curtain to act as a lookout.
“There’s a clear shot to the stairs across the hall. If we’re lucky we’ve got maybe five minutes before anybody realizes you’re not here.”
She had her back to me when I stood up. The room spun for an instant, but I got my feet under me. Beth gave me a hard stare when she saw my face. I didn’t suppose my color was great, but I couldn’t worry about it now. We needed to get the hell out of here and I needed to get in touch with Shep. He’d probably want to shoot me himself for taking off alone again, but once he understood why, I just prayed he’d be on board. And I prayed trusting him with what I knew would be the right choice.
“Come on,” Beth said. She slid her arm around my waist. I hated to admit it, but I needed her for support if we were going to get out of here with any kind of speed.
