“Kobe,” Easton choked out as he grasped the back of Dante’s black hoodie and lifted him off me. Dante’s eyes were wide, vacant. “Kobe, babe, are you okay?” Easton tossed Dante’s body to side and scooped me into his arms.
I glanced down to the gun Easton still held as the sound of feet running got louder.
“Is she okay?” Ridley asked. Her arms were pulled behind her as Captain Getty moved in to stand next to me.
“Ridley? I spat a mouthful of blood onto the ground beside me. “What are you doing here?”
“You didn’t think I’d let you run off alone and have all the fun?” she scoffed and came to my side. “I knew you would probably be okay, but I wasn’t going to let that asshole hurt you or kill a cop.” She nodded at Easton.
“How did you know?”
“Come on, seriously? The guy screams goody two shoes. I can spot that crap from a mile away.” She rolled her eyes at me.
“Shit, Spider? Where is he?”
“Don’t worry, he’s been apprehended,” Captain Getty assured me.
“Who shot who?” I asked looking between the three of them.
“I saw Ridley, and she signaled for me to take out Dante and she would get Crow.”
“If only you would have waited five more seconds then I could avoid the extra ten pages of paperwork that I already have to fill out,” Captain Getty stated. He must have seen the look of confusion on my face because he explained. “Easton’s kill was in the line of duty but your friend here, she shot someone. There’s still a homicide.”
My heart sank at his words. Was Ridley going to be charged with murder.
He continued talking, “Calm down, she’s not under arrest, the shooting was justified but I still need to take your gun.” Captain Getty pulled a plastic bag out of his pocket. “It’s only for a limited time, you’ll get it back.”
“I totally trust you, sir,” Ridley spoke with such confidence. “I’m Harley Scott’s cousin. She’s still fairly new.”
Flashing lights and sirens raced across the parking lot and their loud blaring noise silenced us.
I tried to stay focused but was having a hard time, my head was getting fuzzy. Paramedics were here, yeah. It was all okay. I closed my eyes.
Easton
I loved the way her body felt against mine, especially while we snuggled on the couch and the vibrant sound of her laughter filled the room. Her face was still bruised, but the first shades of bright red and purple were fading to a more putrid greenish yellow.
“You know, Kobe, I don’t think I’ve seen you this happy in a long time,” I said as she rested her head on my shoulder and the scent of lavender shampoo filled my lungs.
“That’s because I haven’t been,” she said as she ran her hand up and down my thigh, sending ripples of desire through me. “My life had been so dark. Every day, I woke up, obsessed with the DT Coyotes. It was all I could think about, and when I went to bed at night, it was what I dreamed of. I have wanted this day for so long that it doesn’t feel real. It’s like I am in some kind of dream, and part of me worries that I’m going to wake up and be back in my shitty apartment, running late for my shift at Sasha’s.”
“You’re not dreaming,” I said as I took her warm hand in mine. “And I’m glad I’ll never see you in another bar like Sasha’s.”
Captain Getty had everything organized, while he came to where Kobe and I had been with Dante, he had sent other deputies to seize Sasha’s and Dante’s house. In one smooth night all of the DT Coyotes including their hang-arounds like Missy were arrested and taken into custody.
“I hated the way they stared at your ass all day. It was only a matter of time before I lost my cool and put a fist through Spider or one of them.”
A laugh bubbled from Kobe’s healing lips. “Who said I was done with bars? Maybe I’ll get a job at a biker bar this time, I’ve been thinking of buying a motorcycle. Ridley and I have been talking about finding some other ladies who ride and go out together.
“You owning a motorcycle?” I liked the vision of her sailing down the highway, wind in her hair. Something about a strong woman riding a powerful motor turned me on.
“Yep, and you’ll come with me. We can ride together.” Kobe rose from the sofa, wine glass in one hand. She moved slowly, her steps lazy as she crossed to the stereo system and changed the song to something slower and more romantic. The song “Pray for You” by Jhené Aiko carried across the room.
“Other than buying a motorcycle, what else will you do?” I asked and drank from the bottle of beer in my hand.
“I’m going to be a tattoo artist,” she said, and swayed to the pulsing music.
“You told me that, anything else?”
“Nope, not right now. I’ve been practicing my art skills.”
I raised a brow hoping that she would tell me more.
“Yep.” Kobe stepped across the pale pine floors to sit in front of me. “In fact, that’s one of my pieces over there.” She gestured to a watercolor of red roses in a white vase.
“That’s beautiful,” I said as my eyes scanned the other paintings. “Did you do the others too?”
“No, Ridley painted them. She’s really into flowers and birds.” Kobe nodded toward the wall of orchids in varying sizes.
“She’s talented. Will you go to a tattoo school or is she going to apprentice you?” I tried to remember if I had ever even heard of a program that taught tattoo artistry.
“It isn’t something you go to school for, you just need someone to mentor you. I can go to school for an art degree but
