I take Joaquin’s face into my hands and firmly make him glance at me. “Joaquin. Pull yourself together, you’re not helping.”
His eyes are still fixed on the ground behind me. I risk a glance over my shoulder and notice Alfie is awake and growling at the EMTs who are lifting him onto the stretcher.
“Joaquin,” I snap, his eyes now landing on mine. “See? He’s still alive. Now you need to swallow back the panic and go with him to the hospital. I’m going to be right behind you, okay?”
He stops struggling and closes his eyes a moment to inhale a deep breath. When he opens them there’s determination flaring and he says in a firm tone, “You’re right. I got this. He’s got this. He’s going to be fine and then I can spank his ass for almost dying on me.”
“You’re not spanking my ass, boy,” Alfie grunts.
Joaquin releases a sound close to a mix of a sob and a laugh and I whisper, “He’s a fighter. Go support your man. We got this.”
Colt lets go of him and Joaquin rushes off to follow the EMTs who are loading Alfie into the ambulance. Colt opens his arms and it takes three steps before I let myself fall into his embrace.
His lips brush against my head. “Come on, let’s go inside. I need some fucking coffee.”
“You and me both,” I croak.
Hours pass where we are faced with answering questions and cleaning up the mess that happened before we’re able to head for the hospital. Once there we’re told Alfie needed emergency surgery. He was shot twice in one leg, once in the shoulder, and twisted his ankle of his other leg.
He needs to spend some time in the hospital followed by weeks recovering but he’s allowed to do it at home as long as he uses the wheelchair since his shoulder, and both of his legs are injured, and there’s no way for him to use crutches.
Joaquin will look after him but I think the hospital will arrange a nurse. Whatever, I have no clue but he’s getting help to change the bandages and care Alfie needs these upcoming weeks.
My head isn’t functioning properly after this fucked up day and even if Colt and I are lying in the swing bed on the back porch–exactly where we were this morning when all went to shit–there’s some form of serenity blanketing us.
As twisted as our day started, it’s a valid promise our past is closed now. I didn’t think Cannon would be nuts enough to bring a prospect to come and get me–guns blazing–because he had some kind of fucked-up idea I belonged to him.
There are so many things to say and yet lying here in Colt’s embrace and watching how our horses are enjoying the moonlight settles my heart to know this is home. And yes, our house is now littered with bullet holes and we need to repair the windows but we will, because we have all the time in the world to do just that.
Colt reaches for the beer bottle and takes a long pull before passing it to me. “Maybe we should ask Ledger and my sister to build a cabin next to ours.”
I have to swallow hard to prevent the beer from bursting out of my nose in surprise of what he just said.
“What?” I croak and clear my throat.
Colt chuckles. “If anything has been proven to me today it’s that it’s good to have a brother near. I can’t help but think what would have happened if Alfie wasn’t close and opened fire when they came for us. It’s a good fucking thing he was checking the herd when Rowen called Weston about Cannon going rogue. And I also like the idea of having my sister live closer. She’s been here on the ranch a few months now, but we hardly ever run into each other. She has her own company and me and my tasks for the ranch and MC and living here and all. And to be honest, I bet you’d love to help her with those lunch packages and having her close. Ledger isn’t that much of an asshole: I could live with him on my property.”
I place the beer back on the table and snuggle against his chest. “I think it’s a great idea. And yes, I’d love to help your sister with her company. We could make the delivery rounds ourselves now that the danger has completely vanished.”
“You two will always have a prospect trailing your asses. I won’t ever leave you unprotected. But, yeah. You know what I mean.”
A smile tugs my mouth and heart. “Yeah, I know what you mean.”
He cares. He loves. As much as I care and love him in return.
EPILOGUE
Six years later
– COLT –
I guide my bike to the luxurious hotel I’ve booked for tonight. We always stay a night here when we visit Rowen and his old lady. Even after all these years Kadence still has a hard time connecting and opening up to her brother. But they’re both trying and it’s good to obtain some form of a family bond.
Rowen has reached out to her on a frequent basis after Cannon came for her. Though Kadence needed time to process all of it. He understood and gave her space to wait for her to reach out to him.
But when we received a long letter from the woman who was pregnant with Rowen’s kid–and with Kadence being pregnant herself at the time–she opened up to the idea of restoring their family bond.
Though it had to be on her terms and since Rowen was happy with any form of a connection, he quickly agreed. It’s why we ride upstate every now and then to meet Rowen, his old lady, and their kid. Sometimes
