by Jen Davis
Sucre clapped, and the crowd followed suit.
Brick cracked a half-smile and waited for the noise to die down. Then, he stood next to the man who’d made his life a living hell. “Thank you. Sucre is right. I’ve done this job for many years. All this time, it’s been about what I can do with my fists and what I can do with this gun.” He pulled his Glock out of his waistband and waved it carelessly in the air. “I’m ready for a new challenge.”
Still smiling, he turned the gun on his longtime boss and slammed it into the side of his head. Before the bastard’s body even hit the floor, he opened fire, picking off the shell-shocked men around him.
They were still reaching for their own weapons when the brothers of The Skulls M.C. ambushed them from behind.
Kane trained his gun on Sucre, allowing him to watch his empire crumble in front of his eyes.
The massacre took less than a minute to play out, and not even the bartender was left alive when it was all said and done. Bodies littered the floor.
He turned to Sucre, who rose to his knees and lifted his chin defiantly, despite the inevitability of what was to come.
“Go ahead and kill me if you want, but you’ll never be free of me, Brick. You’ll never be anything more than the monster I made you.” The boss laughed darkly. “I’ll be with you for the rest of your life.”
He cocked his head. It was strange to see Sucre on his knees. Strange, but satisfying. “The only thing you’ll be…is a stain on the linoleum.”
A single shot to the head ended the reign of Sucre de la Cruz.
It was a cleaner death than he deserved.
Kane stepped forward. Blood dotted his face and matted his beard. “Where’s your girl?”
He grimaced. “Tre took her to the apartment. Will should be there already, but I’ve got to go.” He surveyed the blood, brains, and other nasty shit around him. “You sure your guys can take care of all this?”
“For ten thousand dollars paid in advance? Yeah, brother. We’ve got this.”
“Thanks, man. I’ll never forget it.” He leaned down and put one more slug in Sucre’s head, one last fuck you, before wading through the bodies out the front door.
Half of his plan had been a success, but none of it mattered if Will couldn’t get to his sister in time.
***
Liv
A loud crash verified Tre had stepped into Liv’s trap, but even with such a hard fall, there were no guarantees. In every horror movie she’d ever seen, the bad guy always got up again.
Her heart thundered in her chest. She held her breath, straining to catch a hint her stalker had resumed his hunt.
Before her lungs gave out, a familiar voice cut through the silence. “Liv!” It was her brother. “Liv, where are you?”
It sounded like he was right outside. Having him so close mobilized her to break out of her frozen fear. “Will, I’m coming out.” She sent up a prayer of thanks he was here. Now she just had to find a way out of this damn building. This side of the structure was unfamiliar.
She tested each step before she took it, making sure the floor could support her weight. Within a couple of minutes, she found the stairwell and made her way to the bottom floor.
Relief washed over her when she finally pushed her way out and saw her brother’s face. She should have known he’d be here. He’d always promised he’d be there when she needed him.
But why was he raising a gun?
Suddenly, an arm clamped around her neck. A shot thundered past her, and her brother fell to the ground.
A voice she knew would haunt her for the rest of her life, whispered in her ear. “You think you’re so smart,” Tre hissed. “I’m going to fuck your dead skull, you bitch.”
She didn’t think about it. Her body took over.
Tuck. Push. Step. Duck.
She tucked her chin beneath his arm, pushed back with her shoulder, stepped out, and ducked under his arm. Then she did exactly as her sister had instructed… She ran like hell.
***
Brick
Brick stopped breathing when Tre put Will on the ground and grabbed Olivia from behind. No way he could get a clean shot from here, and he wouldn’t take the chance of hitting her with a stray bullet.
His only hope was the element of surprise. He stalked forward.
But suddenly, his girl took off running. Twisting and turning, she’d escaped Tre’s hold and fled his way. He knew instantly the moment she recognized him. Her face transformed from terror to hope.
He fired as she scurried behind him. The bullet clipped Tre in the shoulder, and the bastard’s gun clattered to the ground. Not good enough. He pulled the trigger again, but nothing came out. He reached in his pocket for another clip, but there was nothing there.
Fine. He’d kill the sick fuck with his bare hands.
Roaring, he ran full tilt toward the man who tried to take away his girl. Tre was already reaching for his gun. A shot went off, and fire tore through his bicep, but he didn’t slow down. He couldn’t. He smashed into Tre at top speed. A hard right-hook to the jaw dropped the kid to the ground.
The calm detachment he wore like a second skin burned away with the fire of his wrath. He kicked Tre in the ribs, the steel toe of his boot crunching bones beneath it.
He reached down and clamped his big hand over the front of Tre’s face, lifting him back to his feet. Then locking his fingers around Tre’s forearms, he shook the bastard violently.
“You wanted the thug life, you dumb fuck? You think you’re all badass trying to destroy something perfect?” he bellowed in his rage and began slamming his fist into Tre’s face. “You. Will. Never. Touch Her. Again.” He accentuated each word with another hit.
Tre had long stopped struggling beneath him. The only sound was the slapping of his knuckles against wet, meaty flesh…until Olivia whimpered behind him.
Grasping his enemy’s head, he twisted until he heard the familiar crack of a broken neck.
Tre had asked him once what his favorite way to kill someone was. Now he had an answer.
He released his opponent, dropping him gracelessly to the ground.
Sobs wracked Liv’s small body as she ran to her brother. “Will,” she cried. “Oh my God, Will.”
He closed the distance between them in a few long strides. “Let me check him.”
She dropped down beside him as he knelt next to her brother and took his pulse. It was faint, but unmistakable. “He’s still alive.” He handed Liv his phone. “Call 911.”
A quick inventory of Will’s body revealed the bullet had hit him in the chest. It was on the right side, though, so it didn’t hit the heart. The lung might be another story. Distantly, he heard Olivia begging for an ambulance.
Shivering against the chill in the air, he pulled off his dark flannel shirt and put pressure against Will’s wound. He couldn’t do anything to help the man breathe, but he would do his damnedest to make sure the guy didn’t bleed to death.
Olivia crawled to the other side of her brother, whispering nonsensical words of love, her tears dripping down into his blonde hair. Soon, the plaintive wail of a siren grew close, and the running footsteps of paramedics moved in behind them.
Gratefully, he stepped out of the way, into the beam of a police flashlight. “Put your hands in the air,” the young cop shouted.
He did as the officer commanded. Olivia stood next to him, her hands up as well. “He’s been shot too. Please. Look, he’s bleeding.” Keeping one arm up, she gestured to Tre with the other. “He’s the one who did this. It was him.”
Cops were always wary of him because of his size, and it didn’t help he’d been hovering over Will’s body when they arrived. But Olivia’s pleas were difficult to ignore.
One of the EMTs checked him out, while the other loaded Will into the ambulance. “It’s a through-and-through,” she barked out to her partner, her attention trained on Brick. “Come on, you can ride in the ambulance with us.”
“No.” H
is voice was implacable. “I’m not leaving Olivia here alone.”
The woman’s hard face softened. “One of the officers will follow with her right behind us. Right, Jude?”
The young officer nodded grudgingly.
“I’ll be right there,” Olivia assured him. “I’m safe now. I promise.” She wrapped her arms around his waist.
How could she want to touch him when he just showed her the kind of thing he was capable of? He murdered a man with his bare hands, and he did it right in front of her eyes. Yet here she was, seeking comfort in his embrace.
He allowed himself a moment to soak in her touch before he stepped back. Holding her by the shoulders, he scanned her from head to toe. A bruise was forming on her left cheek. Cuts and scratches peppered her arms. She was filthy, but he could find no signs of any substantial injury.
Still, he needed to keep her close. “I’ll ride with Olivia and the cop.”
Jude shook his head emphatically. “No way. You ride in the rig, sir. The lady will be okay with us.”
“Jonathan, please. I’ll be fine. Let them take care of you.”
Her plea did what the EMT’s demand couldn’t. He could deny her nothing.
Shooting the cop a dark look, he warned the man. “She’d better be okay.” He hadn’t come this far to lose her now.
It was his first time riding in an ambulance. The siren blared in his ears. He was mesmerized, though, watching the paramedics work.
Will struggled to breathe. The EMT said something about a pneumo-hemothorax. The monitors went crazy. He tried to stay out of the way.
The woman did something to help. He couldn’t really see what with her back to him, but the frantic beeping of the heart monitor returned to a normal rhythm. When she leaned to the side, he could see she held a big needle in Will’s chest.
He shuddered. Liv would be devastated if Will didn’t make it.
“Are you all right, sir?” the petite brunette asked. It took a moment to realize the paramedic was talking to him.
“Yeah.” He gripped the bandage wrapped around his arm. “I’m just worried about my friend.”
“I think he’s going to be okay. Rest. You’ve lost a lot of blood.”
He closed his eyes, intending for it to be only a moment, but the second he relaxed, he passed out.
***
Liv
“We need another gurney.” The paramedic was already calling for help the moment the ambulance doors opened. Liv stood only a few feet away thanks to Officer Jude’s ability to keep up with the rig.
A swarm of doctors stood at the back of the ambulance and whisked Will’s gurney away the moment the wheels hit the ground. She stood on her tip-toes, trying to see Jonathan. She couldn’t so much as catch a glimpse until the doctors unloaded his limp body in front of her. It took three men to lift him.
“What’s happening?” She chased behind them.
The EMT she’d seen examine Jonathan’s arm grasped her hand. “He lost consciousness. Probably from blood loss. Are you family?”
She nodded, her neck still craning to follow Brick and the doctors, but they were now out of sight. “Will is my brother.”
“The blond man with the chest wound?”
She nodded miserably.
“And the big guy?” the woman prompted.
“He’s—he’s my everything.” Tears poured from her eyes. “I need to be with him. Please.”
“Do you have anyone you can call?” The paramedic guided her to a chair in the waiting room.
“My sister,” she whispered. “But I don’t have my phone.”
“We’ll get her here,” the woman assured her. “And I’ll wait with you until she arrives.”
Once she sat down, and the adrenaline began to fade, her surroundings sank in. The green walls, the cacophony of crying, whispers, and the hums and beeps of various machines. The smell: antiseptic and mop water.
Hospital.
Her stomach threatened to rebel with the barrage of sensory information, every sound and scent reminding her of the poison the doctors pumped in her veins to keep her alive. Reminding her of the warrior woman who inspired her to live, even as she lost her own fight for survival.
Minutes clicked slowly into an hour.
The paramedic, Lara, kept her word and stayed at her side until Iz ran frantically into the room. “Any word?” Izzy’s eyes moved wildly. “Will. Do you know anything?”
She shook her head. “I’m still waiting.”
The wait was interminable. Police detectives filtered in and out, asking questions. She filled out paperwork, though she had precious little information she could give about Jonathan. She vowed to herself she would learn everything about him after this, from his middle name to his blood type. Every fucking thing.
It was one o’clock in the morning before one of the doctors came out with news. “Are you the family of Jonathan Barlow?”
She jumped to her feet. “Yes.”
“He’s stable. We’ve moved him into a semi-private room if you want to see him.”
“And Will? William Turner?”
The doctor shook his head. “I’m sorry. He’s not my patient, but I’ll see what I can find out.” He led them to Jonathan’s room.
Her chest hurt to see him so vulnerable. Had she looked this fragile when she was a patient here?
A thin hospital gown covered his thick torso. The doctors had taped an IV to his hand. “Is he going to be okay?”
The doctor smiled. “Yes. He just needed blood and some fluids to help fight the dehydration. We cleaned and stitched his wound. Now, the best thing for him is rest.” The man turned for the door, then glanced back. “I’ll go check on your—”
“Brother,” Iz whispered.
She pulled a chair up to the bed and wrapped her fingers around Jonathan’s free hand. Feeling the warmth and vitality of his skin soothed her instantly. She rested her head on his chest, feeling even more comfort from the steady beat of his heart. She closed her eyes and concentrated on the rhythm. In moments, the exhaustion of the day hit hard, and she drifted to sleep.
She startled awake at the sound of voices.
“—really very lucky he got here so quickly. We’ve repaired the damage to his lung, and he’s recovering in the ICU.”
“Can I see him?” Izzy spoke before Liv could even finish processing the doctor’s words.
“Only one visitor at a time.”
Izzy glanced over, and she nodded tiredly. It’s not as though she could be in two places at once anyway.
She watched her sister disappear out of the door and jumped in her seat when Jonathan squeezed her hand.
“I’m sorry.” His voice was raspy, but it was the sweetest sound she’d ever heard. Her eyes brimmed with tears, and she pulled his hand to her lips for a kiss.
“Sorry?”
“You went through so much because of me. And then—then you really had to see who I am. What I am. Not in some video on your phone, but right there in your face. I killed the crazy fucker with my bare hands right in front of you, and I would do it again. I’m not sorry I did it, but that’s the whole point. You deserve better than a fucking thug like me.”
“I would have killed him myself if I could have. You saved me. Don’t you dare judge yourself for not regretting it.” Her voice shook. She rubbed the back of his hand over her cheek. “I was so scared leaving you in the bar. I didn’t think you’d be able to get away.”
“I would die before I’d turn my back on you. Never doubt it. I am a lot of things, but above and beyond all of them, I am the man who loves you more than life itself.”
“What about Sucre?” she whispered. “Won’t he come after us?”
He shook his head, his features grim. “He’s dead. They’re all dead. I killed them.” He sat up, his eyes blazing. “They will never hurt you again.”
“But your grandmother…” She could never live with herself if she paid for her freedom with an old woman’s life.
Jonathan rubbed at his eyes and rested against the pillows. “She passed last week. The doctor only told me this morning. I was on my way to tell you when I found out you’d been taken.”
“I’m so sorry,” she murmured.
“Don’t be. She died of natural causes, and she was ready to go. I did my duty by her, but now I’m free. For the first time in my life, I can do what I want. Be what I want. And all I want is you.” He paused. “If you’ll have me.”
“If I—? Oh baby, wild horses couldn’t drag me away.”
CHAPTER THIRTY
Brick
Brick only spent one night at the hospital, but it was enough to make him glad he’d ponied up the money for healthcare coverage this year. It really did pay to have insurance. He was surely the only guy on Sucre’s crew with a PPO. Of course, there was no crew left anymore.
Olivia hadn’t left his side the entire time he was there, and she desperately needed some real sleep. They shared a car to her place, while her sister stayed with Will. Olivia had peeked in on her brother before they left, but he was still heavily medicated and unconscious. She’d return later to give Izzy a break. In the meantime, he’d make sure she got some rest herself.
They stumbled into her shower, and he barely got a chance to enjoy the warm press of her skin before they got out again. The baser part of him wanted to make love to her now, to prove to himself she was whole and his, but her wan face and the circles under her eyes convinced him to take the high road.
They tumbled into her bed without a stitch on, but they both fell asleep in minutes.
He woke up with Olivia’s back to his chest, her breast in his hand, and her round ass cozied up next to his cock. His very hard cock. The last time he’d woken up this way, he couldn’t have her. This time, it was a different story.
Without jostling his girl, he leaned back to the nightstand and grabbed one of her condoms. After sliding it on, he returned to his position at her back. His hand crept back to her breast.
