Maybe it was justsome drunk.
Silence finallyreturned to her room … followed by a knock at her door. There was no way it wasLord already. He was still on the road outside.
“Open the door,Ally.”
She bit her lip.He knew her name, but she didn’t recognize the voice at all. Ally paced backand forth, finally deciding to ignore the constant knocking.
When he began poundingon it, the frame buckling, panic set in. He was trying to break in, which hadto mean he was one of Lord’s enemies. She looked side to side, unable to catchher breath. In a last-ditch effort, she locked herself inside the bathroom,keeping as quiet as possible.
The door burstopen, slapping against the wall behind it. “Ally?”
She hated hearing himsay her name. The same fear she’d felt when that cop kidnapped her and lockedher in his trunk came back with a vengeance. This would probably end up much worse.The Skull Nation would want to make an example of her, to rub her violent deathin Lord’s face.
Please hurry up andget upstairs.
The knob of thebathroom door rattled. She didn’t move a muscle. Within seconds, he’d picked thebasic lock and opened the door, flicking on the light. Ally sat there on theclosed toilet with no way to defend herself, completely cornered.
“Oh, thank God.” Heexhaled and rested a hand against the wall. “You’re okay.”
She relaxedsomewhat.
“My name’s Whisky.I work for Lord.”
“What’s going on?”
“Three guys weretrying to break in your room. If I hadn’t stopped them, Lord would have had myhead.”
“Where are theynow?”
“Still in thehallway.”
She hadn’t heard anygunshots, but she didn’t dare ask for details. They were likely dead, but she didn’tneed to know.
“Thank you,” shesaid.
“I’m just glad you’re okay. You are okay, eh?”
Ally nodded, the reliefmaking her limbs feel heavy. Her pulse lowered, her breathing returning to normal.
“Where the fuck isshe?” the voice bellowed in her hotel room.
Whisky rushed awayfrom her. “In the bathroom,” he said.
Lord’s heavy footfallscame closer. He looked like the devil himself, immediately lifting her up toher feet. “What happened? Are you hurt?”
“Whisky saved me. Strangerswere trying to break in my room.”
“Not strangers.Skull Nation. Brick was right, it’s too dangerous keeping a woman,” he said. “They’llnever stop using you against me.”
She narrowed hereyes, not liking where this was going. The thought of losing Lord was just toomuch.
“Whisky, how’dthey get up here? Why weren’t they stopped before coming in the building?”
“There were threeof them. They knew exactly where they were going and took the stairs. I got onein the lobby, and was right behind the other two,” said Whisky. “No way was Iletting them in this room.”
“Good work. Youcan head out now that I’m here. Just deal with those bodies.” Lord set his handgunon the nightside table, then shrugged off his leather jacket. Whisky and Lord’sother men filed out of the room, pulling the broken door closed behind them.
He sat on the edgeof the bed once they were alone and scrubbed his hands over his face, leaning overhis knees.
“Lord, they nevergot to me. Everything’s fine.”
He ignored her, shakinghis head as he stood up, walking back and forth in front of her. “When a prez or high rank has an old lady, it’s a weakness for theentire club. I never thought about the consequences of keeping you. I’m supposedto put the good of the club before everything else.”
“So, you’re not allowedto be happy? You can never have a family?”
He stopped pacingand cupped her face. “When it was my own club that hurt you, I dealt with it. Itwas in my control. This shit is different. The SkullNation knows who you are. I don’t know how yet, but they do. This isn’t justabout the safety of the club, it’s about protecting you.”
A new desperationcrept up on her. She couldn’t lose Lord, not when her heart already beat his name.They’d just started their unorthodox love story.
“So, what are yousaying, Lord? You’re done with me? You took my virginity and played with myheart, and now I’m too dangerous to keep?” She pulled away and turned her backto him. No way would she beg him, not after everything she’d endured.
“Ally, you know it’snot like that,” he said. “You want to live your life looking over yourshoulder? I can’t be with you every second of every day.”
“What aboutWhisky? He saved me. He was there. So why are you worried?”
He stood upstraight, his expression hard.
“I should have beenthe one to save you, Ally. Not Whisky, not anyone.”
“They’re your men,doing your bidding. Same thing, Lord.”
“It’s not.”
“Whatever, you manageyour whorehouses and do your thing. I’m sure your bedwill always be warmed by club whores. Nobody wants tomurder them. I’ll just get the hell out of your life. It’s easier for you thatway.” Her emotions were bubbling up all over the place. She was a mess, an angry,bitter mess.
She was about tostorm out and make the necessary dramatic exit, but he grabbed her arm to keep herin place. “I don’t want this, Ally. But Brick was right.”
“Brick is aloneand miserable. He’ll die alone because he doesn’t believe in love.”
“He seems happy.He’s popular with the women,” Lord said.
“Women who sleepwith half the club don’t count. You’re all so shallow. Nothing is real in yourworld. I thought what we had might be different. I was wrong.”
He pulled heragainst his chest, whispering into her hair. “I wanted to be the one to saveyou, not Whisky.”
“I don’t careabout him, Lord. I’ve been wishing you were here all night. I miss you everytime you’re gone.”
His hands tightenedin her hair. “I thought it would be easier to cut you loose. You’ve only beenin my life for the blink of an eye. But it’s fucking hard.I don’t know why.”
She hoped it waslove, some connection deeper than sex and control.
“I want to be withyou,” she said. “You’re all I have now.”
Even though her fatherwasn’t a factor in her life, Lord had turned everything upside
