by T. O. Smith
“Thor, oh, God -” I sobbed.
He turned me so that I was facing his chest as he wrapped his arms tightly around me. “Shh, sweetheart. We don’t know what happened.” He tried soothing me.
“She overdosed on whatever was in that needle,” Alex informed us as the sound of sirens reached my ears.
“Why would she do that?” I cried. “Her kids need her.”
Thor soothed his hand over my hair. “I don’t know, Lex.” He told me quietly. “But we’ll find out. Layla hated Hatchet when he did drugs; this doesn’t seem like her.”
I moved away from Thor and back over to Layla, staring down at the syringe. Paramedics flooded the backyard. My heart was thumping erratically in my chest as I searched for the telltale sign of this being the Burning Devils. “What is it, Lex?” Thor asked me as he came up behind me and pressed his hand to my lower back.
Tears blurred my vision as I knelt down and picked up the needle, my hand shaking as I did so. I finally saw it. It wasn’t heroine in her bloodstream. It was a mixture of drugs that the Burning Devils put together to kill people – an easy way of never being found. They just normally were more careful not to leave traces behind.
“You’re right; she didn’t do this to herself,” I said quietly, my voice breaking. “She was injected. They got to her – somehow.”
“Get inside,” Grim ordered. “Thor, you don’t leave her fucking side, you got me? I’ll have Scorpion pull security footage, find out what happened. As soon as the rest of the club gets back here, you’ll get a protection detail on the way back to your property and two men will stay with you two at all times.”
“Let’s go,” Thor told me as he gently led me back into the house.
“Thor, what if something happens to her?” I sobbed. “This is all my fault.” I wailed. “Her kids might be without a mom now!”
He wrapped me up tightly in his arms, letting me cry into his chest. The club house doors burst open, Hatchet rushing in with the rest of the club behind him. “What happened?” He demanded.
“I’m so sorry.” I cried.
“Shh, sweetheart.” Thor soothed as he brushed his hand over my hair. “It’s not your fault.”
“Can someone please tell me what the fuck is going on?!” Hatchet roared.
“Take a seat, brother,” Alex said as he stepped into the clubhouse with Grim right behind him. Grave was currently on the phone in the corner of the room, speaking quietly to someone.
Hatchet clenched his jaw but took a seat. “Layla is being rushed to the emergency room, Hatchet. She’s fighting for her life.” Alex said quietly.
Tears filled Hatchet’s eyes. “No – you’re kidding me.” He breathed. “I had just spoken to her about an hour ago; she was going to get help as soon as I could take her to a doctor when I got back from surveillance.”
“I’m sorry, brother,” Grim said quietly. “One of the men can take you to the emergency room. You don’t need to be driving like this.”
“Hatchet, I’m so sorry,” I told him, my voice breaking. I pulled myself from Thor’s arms, moving towards him. “This is all my fault. They injected her with enough drugs to almost kill her.” I swallowed thickly. “The Burning Devils will stop at nothing to get their hands on me.”
I looked at Grim, knowing he was the ultimate decision-maker. “I want your club’s protection off of me,” I told him before anyone could speak up. This wasn’t fair to any of them – not to Layla, not Hatchet, and not their children.
Hatchet shook his head as he stood up, pointing a finger at me. “No.” He said, his tone hard. “You’ll be staying right here at this clubhouse where we can protect you. I don’t ever want a brother of mine to feel what I feel right now.” He looked at Thor. “Don’t let this woman out of your fucking sight, brother.”
With that, he strode out the front door with Scorpion and Bullet on his tail. I stepped back from Thor when he turned to face me. “I mean it, Thor. I don’t want the protection anymore. I never wanted it to begin with, but it got shoved down my throat. I will not have protection put on me at the expense of innocent lives.”
“You’re not going any fucking where, Lex.” Thor snapped at me, his eyes flashing dangerously. I swallowed thickly, eyeing him warily. I knew how Thor could get when his orders were defied.
“Watch me.” I snapped at him. “Grim, pull the protection,” I demanded, not removing my eyes from Thor’s large, towering frame.
“Grim, you pull that protection from her, and I’ll hand in my cut, brother,” Thor warned his president. He narrowed his eyes at me. “I will follow you to the ends of the fucking earth, Alexia. Don’t fucking try me. You’re mine. I’m not letting any son of a bitch touch you again.”
“This isn’t your call to make, Thor!” I shouted at him, losing my temper.
“Like hell, it’s not!” He shouted back at me. Tears tracked down my face. “I’m not letting you walk out of this fucking clubhouse by yourself!”
“It’s not your decision!” I yelled back at him. “They’re killing your family, Thor!”
“Lex,” he snarled in warning, “I will fuck you into submission until you remember that you belong at my side. If I let you pull this stunt, you won’t make it five minutes before a Burning Devil snatches you up.”
I angrily jabbed my finger in his direction. It was shaking from how furious I was at that moment. How dare Thor think he could just fuck me, and I would succumb to whatever he wanted? Who did he think he was?
“You fucking touch me, Thor, and I swear to God, I will shoot your fucking hands.” I snarled.
He smirked at me, but he didn’t look amused in the slightest. “Oh, is that so?” He asked softly. He stepped forward and cupped the side of my neck, tilting my chin up with his thumb. He leaned down and lightly brushed his lips with mine. “Shoot me then, sweetheart.”
I sobbed, breaking down. He caught me in his arms before I sunk to my knees.
“Lex, I never wanted an old lady. I saw the kind of man it turned other men of the club into, but I want you – which means that you are now mine. Being mine means that I protect you – that I take care of you. If I let you walk out of here right now, I can't do that. If something happens to you, I will lose a part of myself."
I clutched his cut in my fists, my sobs wracking my chest. "I can't let you guys suffer like this – let you suffer like this, Thor. Hatchet might be losing his wife because of me."
"Please don't make Grim pull the protection, sweetheart." Thor softly begged me. He knelt so he was at eye level with me. "I love you, Lex.” I whimpered. “Please don't make me choose between you and this club because if Grim pulls the club's protection off you, I will choose you. Before you, this club was my life, but the moment my eyes met yours, that all changed." My bottom lip trembled. “I will always come after you, sweetheart.”
"Listen to him, Alexia," Alex spoke up from near the kitchen, Trixie in his arms as she quietly cried into his chest. He tightened his arm around her and cupped the back of her head with his other hand, gently rocking her side to side. "Every man here is ready to protect you. Don’t make Thor feel what Hatchet is feeling right now because if you walk out of here, that’s exactly how he’ll feel because one way or the other, he’s losing something precious.”
Thor gripped my face in his hands, forcing me to look back up at him. "Please, sweetheart," Thor begged me softly.
"If something else happens to anyone else -"
"Nothing will happen, sweetheart. If it does, I'll let you go. I won't hold you here." He told me. He grabbed my hand. "I promise, Lex. You have my word."
I nodded, giving in, though I felt stupid as hell for doing so. He wrapped me up in his arms, holding me tightly against his body, his face buried in my air.
I grunted as I took a seat next to Scorpion on my porch. Grave was taking a shower, and Lex was throwing together a small dinner for us. I knew she was a bit antsy having Scorpion and Grave here with us, but she was taking it in stride. T
he girl had a backbone to her that I didn’t see much on women anymore these days.
"Can't believe you've been hiding this place from everyone." Scorpion said as he tilted back his beer bottle, swallowing a mouthful.
I shrugged as I looked out over my pond. "Preferred peace," I told him honestly.
"What changed, Thor?" He asked me as he glanced at me. "Don't get me wrong, you were always the one that was most outgoing – always cracking jokes and shit – but we all knew you liked to have your time alone." He jerked his head in the direction of the house. "And you certainly never wanted an old lady." He remarked.
"She's different." I instantly told him. I didn’t know what the hell that meant, but all I knew was that Lex fucking called to my soul. There was no damn way in hell that I could ever let her walk away from me. "Fuck, Scorpion, one look at her, and I wanted her – wanted to make her mine. Just the thought of another man touching her makes me want to kill someone." I growled.
"She's a good one." He told me. "A little insecure, but I know you'll quickly get through to her. But she’s got a backbone on her – isn’t afraid to stand up for what the hell she wants and believes in. You’ve got your hands full with her.”
I shrugged. I didn’t care if she gave me hell for the rest of our lives. "She's it for me, brother."
"Fuck, I feel better," Grave said as he stepped out of the house onto the porch, plopping down beside me with a grunt.
"Don't look any better." I retorted, a smirk tilting my lips.
Scorpion barked out a laugh. Grave rolled his eyes at me as he shoved my shoulder. I grinned at him before I tilted my bottle of beer to my lips. Lex stepped out onto the porch, and I instantly turned my attention to her.
"What's up, sweetheart?" I asked.
"Dinner is done."
"Fuck, don't have to tell me twice," Grave said, jumping up from the porch and going inside, Scorpion following right behind him.
I stood up from the porch and walked over to Lex when she continued to stand there. I placed a hand on her hip and drew her against me as I wrapped my other arm around her shoulders, my beer bottle dangling loosely from my fingers. "How are you holding up?" I gruffly asked her. Her entire world was being flipped upside down in a matter of days, not to mention the fact that I knew she was terrified that our club would fail her – that I would fail her. I knew no amount of words I could say to her would make her feel better. She wouldn’t feel better until we got rid of the Burning Devils.
She shrugged. "I'm fine, Thor." But she wouldn’t meet my eyes.
I tilted her chin up so her green eyes were forced to lock on mine. "The truth, Lex."
Tears instantly welled in her eyes, making my soul rage on her behalf. "Layla is in critical condition in the hospital because of me, Thor." She choked out. Layla was in a coma. She had seized numerous times in the past few hours, but the doctors were optimistic that she would pull through. "Her kids and her husband are suffering because I came to town, because I decided to be with you. I still don't have the willpower to pull away from you when every part of my brain is screaming at me that I should."
I rubbed my thumb over her cheek. "It's not your fault," I told her. I wished that I could get that through her damn head. None of this was her fault.
Her bottom lip trembled. "How is it not, Thor?" She asked me, her voice shaking. "The Burning Devils would never have been in town if it weren't for me."
I shrugged. "So? You're not in charge of the moves they decide to make, Alexia." I reminded her. "Anything they do is of their own will – not yours. You're only trying to live your life away from their brutality and their harshness. There’s not a damn thing wrong with doing that.”
"But it's not - it's -" Her chest rose and fell in rapid breaths. She clutched at her chest, her face extremely pale.
Fuck.
"Lex, sweetheart, breathe," I commanded as I gently knelt to the porch, pulling her down with me. "Come on; breathe with me," I ordered, drawing in a deep breath and slowly releasing it, trying to show her what I was doing. She copied me, her entire body trembling in my arms.
When she was finally breathing normally again, I wrapped one arm under her knees and one around her back and lifted her against my chest, carrying her into the house. Grave and Scorpion both looked up at my entrance. "Fuck, is she okay?" Scorpion asked, setting his fork down.
I nodded as I moved towards the back hallway. "She'll be fine – just needs some rest. We're going to bed for the night."
Without waiting for their response, I disappeared down the hall and into my room, gently laying her on the bed. She reached for me, a whimper sounding from her lips. I soothingly ran my hand over her hair. "I'm not leaving, Lex," I assured her.
I pulled my cut off and draped it over a chair, shedding myself of all my clothes after. Then, I moved over her, determined to take her mind off of the horrors she had faced that day in the only way I knew how.
By filling her with pure ecstasy and bliss.
When I woke up the next morning, Lex was no longer beside me, but I could smell bacon frying. With a groan, I heaved myself out of bed and stumbled to the bathroom to take a shower, desperately needing something to wake me up.
I would have preferred to have another round of sex with Lex that morning, but it didn't look like that was going to happen. She was antsy, and her anxiety was acting up with everything going on. She wouldn’t be sleeping much until this shit was over with and taken care of.
Once I was out of the shower, I walked to the kitchen where I found Grave and Scorpion already scarfing down a plate full of bacon, eggs, and pancakes. "Fuck, man, your old lady can cook." Grave commented, making Lex blush.
I smirked as I looked over at Lex. Her cheeks burned even brighter as she flipped a pancake. I walked over to her and gently grabbed her hips, pulling her ass back against me. I pressed a tender kiss to the curve of her neck, listening as she quietly moaned. "Good morning, sweetheart." I softly greeted.
She turned her head to give me a small kiss. I groaned. Fuck, I loved her kisses. They were sweet – and this morning, she particularly tasted like syrup. "Good morning, Thor."
I pressed a kiss to her cheek before I released her. "Heard anything from Grim?" I asked as I sat at the table.
Grave shook his head. "Nothing," He said after he swallowed a mouthful of food.
Lex set a cup of coffee in front of me. "Thanks, sweetheart," I told her before I turned my attention back to the two men in front of me. "I'm going to call Grim – find out what the plan is. I don’t like sitting here like sitting ducks."
Scorpion nodded in agreement as he shoved more food in his mouth. I pulled my phone out and called Grim. "Yeah?" He asked when he answered.
"Anything yet?"
"No." He grunted. I sighed, scrubbing a hand down my face. "Not a damn thing. All we know is that Layla was injected with a lethal dose of heroine – almost enough to kill her. But she’s hanging in there."
"She wouldn't have done that to herself," I remarked.
"I know." Grim agreed. "And there are no other traces of her doing any drugs. Doctor can't find anything in her system. Looks like she was injected on or around the clubhouse grounds.”
"Fuck." I swore as I ran a hand down my face. "We'll camp out here. I'll let you know if something happens. Keep us updated."
"Will do, brother."
Grim hung up. Lex set a plate of food in front of me and one next to mine before she took a seat in the chair beside me. I brushed my lips over her temple. "Good girl." I praised as I shot her a grin. I was damn proud of her for eating without having to be hounded.
She blushed again, still not used to compliments. I looked at Grave and Scorpion. "There’s nothing new. Grim said he'd keep us updated. Doctor confirmed everything we already knew. Layla was injected somewhere on or around the clubhouse grounds."
Lex tensed next to me at the news. I grabbed her thigh and gently squeezed it – a gentle reminder that she wasn’t alone and that everything
would be okay.
Grave nodded as he got up from the table and put his plate in the sink before he refilled his coffee cup. "We chilling here then?" Scorpion asked.
I nodded. "For now," I confirmed.
I looked over at Lex to find her staring silently at her plate. "Lex, sweetheart, none of this is your fault." I softly reminded her.
She just mutely nodded. I clenched my jaw and grabbed my phone, typing out a text to Hatchet in hopes that he could prove to her that she wasn't at fault because she wasn't believing my words.
I wanted that spark back in her eyes again.
I fucking hated seeing her like this.
Lex wasn't the kind of woman to be drawn into herself. When I had first met her, there was so much fire and spunk inside of her. It was one of the things that had drawn me to her so quickly.
