“Tonight,” Nash corrects him with a grin.
I stomp off down the pier, irrationally irritated with both of my brothers after their ribbing.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Maeve
“You’re both free to go,” the guy with long brown hair says when he comes into the bedroom. Malcolm, I think his name is. He pulls out a big knife from the holster on his belt and cuts off Rian’s zip ties.
“How is he? How’s Cormac?” he jumps up and asks as soon as he’s free.
“He’s going to be fine. Just grazed his shoulder like the bullet grazed mine. It burns like a son of a bitch but will be fine in a few days,” Malcolm replies. “The prospect can give you both a ride to the hospital if you want. Cormac’s going to say he got hit while shooting at a range in the backyard with some drunk friends to try and keep the police away.”
“Let’s go,” Rian says to me as he rushes out of the room.
“Thanks for not killing him,” I tell Malcolm.
“No problem,” he says. “I’m getting soft in my old age. Having a kid and an old lady doesn’t help. They need me, so I can’t be trigger happy anymore.”
“Yeah,” I agree as I follow him out of the house where Rian is already climbing into an SUV with the former Knights’ prospect, Freddie.
I quickly look around, hoping to find Wirth to apologize to him and see where we stand.
“He’s not here,” Malcolm says, having figured out what I’m doing. “He said he had some work to do back at the shop.”
“My car,” I mutter, because I know that’s what he’s probably working on despite everything that happened.
“You nearly got him and the rest of us killed,” Malcolm reminds me. “Better figure out a way to make that shit up to him.”
“I will,” I agree. “Where’s his shop at?” I ask, and he rattles off the address.
“It’s only a few blocks from the pool hall.”
“Okay, thank you,” I tell him just as Rian rolls down the passenger window of the running SUV and yells, “Hurry up, Maeve!”
Since I know I would be frantic to see the man I love after he was shot, I wave goodbye to the Aces and jog over to climb in the back.
“Sorry,” I say. “Let’s go see how Cormac is doing.”
Wirth
I’ve got the rear axle out of Maeve’s car, and I’m working on getting the new one installed, when I spot her standing outside the open garage door, shifting her weight nervously from one foot to the other.
“You can come in,” I finally call to her.
“You don’t have to do this right now,” Maeve says when she comes into the shop, her heels clicking on the concrete.
“It needs doing. Now is as good a time than any,” I reply.
“Why didn’t you come by the house earlier when they let us go?”
“Wasn’t sure if you would want to see me,” I admit.
“See you? I want to do more than see you,” she says. “I owe you so much…”
“You don’t owe me shit. I’ve told you that from the beginning,” I snap at her. I don’t want another second of this…whatever this is with her, to be about trading favors.
“And that makes me want you even more,” Maeve says, coming up and wrapping her arms around my neck.
As she moves closer, I notice a dark tinting around her throat, bruising in the shape of big ass hands. “What the fuck happened? Did one of the guys hurt you?”
“It’s nothing,” she says, brushing it off. “Hunt was angry with me and he had every right to be upset. Can you really blame him? I deserved it.”
“And he’ll deserve my fists slamming into his goddamn face,” I threaten.
“No, Wirth. Please just let it go. Please?” she begs and it makes it nearly impossible for me to refuse her anything, even this. At least for now... “I’ve put you in enough danger as it is. And I’m so sorry, about everything. I can’t tell you how much it means that you got everything settled between the Irish and the MC. I don’t think I’ve ever met a man like you before. It’s no excuse, but my history with men has left me very…jaded.”
“Yeah, I noticed,” I mutter.
“The first man I was ever with bought my virginity from my father,” she says. It’s one of the most vile, disgusting things I’ve ever heard. In fact, I can’t even begin to understand the type of person who could do that.
“I’m sorry that happened to you, doll,” I tell her, and she shakes her head.
“I couldn’t believe that not only did the person I trusted more than anyone do that to me, but that a stranger could also be so callous. It felt like…like I didn’t have anyone on my side at the time and that I probably never would. But I was wrong,” Maeve says. “I’m not telling you what happened in my past to try and gain your pity. It’s just an explanation for why I wouldn’t let myself trust that you were a good man.”
“I don’t know if I’m a good man or not,” I admit to her. “I just want to make you happy and keep you safe.”
“And that’s all I need,” she agrees, pressing her lips to mine. Pulling away, she adds with a smile, “Amazing sex doesn’t hurt either.”
“No, it does not,” I agree. “But that’s only the beginning,” I promise her.
Epilogue
Wirth
A week later…
“Wake the fuck up! It’s homecoming day, motherfucker!” Devlin exclaims as all five of us barge into the bedroom at Joanna’s house. Last night she finally made the call, telling Nash that Fiasco had been fever free for four days, had finished up the antibiotics, and that his wounds were healing great.
“Go to hell,” Fiasco says before he covers his head with a pillow.
“Fine, we will, but we’re taking
