A scattering of rocks draws my attention back toward the open doorway. Claws pierce the tips of my fingers, my cat wanting to defend its mate.
“Slash, damn it! Where the fuck are you? We’ve got to get out of here.” Kid’s harsh whisper rings with truth. “Jesus fucking Christ. If we fuck this up, Wraith will have both our heads.”
“Give me a second,” I growl. Bending down, I scoop her up cradling her to my chest. The baggy gray shirt and long skirt hide the luscious curves I feel pressing against me. Her head leans back over my arm exposing her pale neck causing my gums to tingle.
Right there, my cat purrs. That’s where my bite will go.
As I rise, something clatters to the metal floor. A pair of black-framed glasses lie at my feet. Without putting her down, which ain’t happening, I can’t grab them.
“Kid get your ass in here,” I hiss.
“Fuck my life,” he mumbles as he jumps inside. “What the hell… Who is that?” His eyes widen when he sees her in my arms. “Holy shit! They had a woman in here?” He extends his arms toward me to take her from my arms.
“Mine!” I growl, clutching her to me.
“Oh shit! No wonder you’re acting fucking crazy. We’ve got to get out of here before they come back.”
The sound of an approaching engine draws my attention back to the door. Fuck.
“Her glasses are by my feet. Grab ‘em. See if anything else is hers.”
He sweeps by me, plucking the frames from the ground while I try to find some place soft to put her if I have to fight these bastards to get her out.
“I found her purse. Let’s get the fuck out of here.” Headlights flood the inside of the car. “Fuck, fuck, fuck.”
“Open the other door and we’ll make a run for it.”
Kid pulls it back enough for us to jump through. The screech of the metal is obscene in the dead of the night. We land lightly on our feet before hauling ass. We’re mere feet from tracks when I hear Ernesto cursing up a storm in Spanish.
“Find her, damn it! She can’t have gotten far!”
A feral grin slashes across my face as we disappear into the darkness of the night.
The van is still running where Kid left it after I bailed out. Kid opens the side door of the already jam-packed van.
“Lay her down.”
“No.” Clutching her closer, I take a step back.
“Look,” Kid backed up holding his hands up complacent. “I know that I’m not feeling what you are, but we need to get out of here. You holding her in your lap might attract attention that we don’t want. The cops will still be out when we get back to the clubhouse. It’ll be less suspicious if you aren’t holding her.” My chest continued to rumble, the thought of relinquishing our mate pissing off my cat.
“Think man. If we have an unconscious woman in the vehicle with us all hell will break loose and they will take her from you.”
“Over my dead body.”
“Let’s not have it come to that. There are some blankets I’ll put down so she’ll be more comfortable. You can keep an eye on her the whole ride,” he placates. The sound of an engine coming closer spurs us into action. He lays the blankets down and I gently place her on top before sliding the door closed. Climbing into the cab, we take off.
“Watch the bumps, damn it!”
“God save me,” Kid whispers under his breath. “I’m trying, but this isn’t exactly a smooth fucking road.”
A minute or two later our wheels are on asphalt heading back into town. To the safety of our clubhouse. Dread fills me over Wraith’s reaction when he finds out what I’ve done.
153
Slash
“Tell me again what the fuck happened?” Wraith orders, running a hand through his dark hair.
“They had my mate. I took her.” I shrug my shoulder. Why the hell did Kid have to open his big mouth, and tell Wraith that I brought an unexpected bonus from the job home with me? It shouldn’t have surprised me when all my brothers stomped up my front steps shortly after.
“And possibly fucked up this alliance before it even had a chance!”
“My mate is asleep. Keep your fucking voice down,” I whisper yell. Fuck, I’m turning into a damn pussy. “What would you have done in my place? Left her there? The one person in the world meant for you and you’d have left her with them to do God only knows what?”
“Wraith give the kid a break,” Killer growls from his seat on my couch, fingering his long gray beard. Big Bry stands behind him with his arms crossed over his massive chest, nods in agreement. “Mates are a once in a lifetime thing. There was no way he was leaving her there. If it fucks up this business deal it fucks it up.” Killer takes a drink of his beers as if it’s not a big deal.
“What the fuck am I supposed to tell the other chapters? These guys were supposed to provide our new influx of weapons.”
“Wraith, man. It is what it is. Here have a beer.” Shadow walks out of the kitchen with two bottles of beer and a bottle of water. He passes one to Wraith before walking to his mate, Shyla, who’s parked in my oversized chair. Shadow sweeps her up and sits down with her in his lap. I didn’t envy what they
