I sat up, careful not to push on any parts of Sebastian’s body since I still didn’t know where his injury was. “Of course I did. You’re already injured. And I still have uses for you. Like helping me wash the dishes.”
He chuckled and sat up as well. Guess that was a good sign.
“I would be happy to wash your dishes for you, gorgeous,” he said, his face lighting up with amusement.
“Well, that was fun,” the stranger said, grinning down at Sebastian and me.
“Jacob,” Sebastian said.
“Good to see you lying on the ground, waiting for someone to rescue you,” Jacob said, raising a brow at Sebastian.
“I had a plan,” Sebastian replied, standing up.
“What would that be? Play dead and hope he leaves? Didn’t they teach you anything at that fancy police academy you went to?” Jacob asked.
Sebastian ignored him as he held out his hand and pulled me up as well, tucking me under his arm once we were both upright.
“Why the hell are you at the clubhouse? I thought you were banned from ever setting foot in here again,” Sebastian said.
“That ban was lifted months ago. I was in the neighborhood and heard about you having a girl. Wanted to meet her. Things have gotten boring since Jameson stopped talking to me. And all over a little kidnapping. How could I have known Willa was his girl? He never tells me anything.”
Sebastian raised a brow at Jacob before leaning down, his hand going to my cheek. “Are you okay?”
I blinked at him in disbelief. “Shouldn’t I be asking you that question? You’re the one who got shot.”
He lifted his arm, and I could make out a rip and a dark stain on the sleeve of his T-shirt. “He’s a terrible shot. We’ve been to the shooting range a few times together, and he barely hit the outline of the targets.”
“So you did have a plan,” I said.
“Of course I did. I’d do anything in my power to keep you safe.”
Oh my God, he was willing to get hurt for little old me. There wasn’t any hope left of recovering my heart.
“I was going to take his gun if he came closer. He always liked his coke, and it makes his hands shake.”
“But he could have hit you. Especially if he was such a bad shot. A shaking arm might have pointed his gun in the right direction,” I said, horrified that he took a chance like that with his life.
“Baby,” he said, kissing my cheek, then my nose. “I knew what I was doing.”
I was ready to argue about his strategy more when Malena burst into the room, eyes frantic, thick dark hair tangled around her face.
“Holy shit, are you okay?” she called out to me, pushing her way through the bikers still standing in Sebastian’s room.
When she reached me, she lunged, not caring that I was still attached to Sebastian. I caught her in a tight embrace, falling into Sebastian, who had wisely let me go just before she attacked.
“You scared the shit out of me.” She sniffed against my shoulder.
She turned to where Clive was detained, his hands cuffed behind his back and one of the guys patching up his side. Shame, I was hoping they’d hit something important.
“I’m going to sue your ass until you don’t even know your own mother’s name. You better brace yourself, because you’ll never see the world without bars again.”
I put my arms around her middle when she made a move in his direction.
“He’s already in a world of trouble. But I appreciate the thought,” I said.
“If you’re worried about paying me, don’t be. I’m taking this on pro bono.”
I let her go when I was sure she wouldn’t turn into Rocky and patted her arm. “I know you would. But it’s really not necessary.”
She glared at Clive, who was being led out of the room.
That was as much as she’d relent, and I’d let it go for now. If she really wanted to take on another case on top of her insane workload, she was welcome to.
When we got back downstairs, we heard sirens coming closer, and soon the clubhouse was filled with uniformed police officers and paramedics. Sebastian refused to go to the hospital, and since it was just a graze, they patched him up and sent him on his way.
Clive was officially arrested. After they took him away, one of the officers came over to speak to us.
“I’m Officer Leland,” he introduced himself. “I know this is a bad time, but I need you both to give your official statement. You can either do it tonight or come to the station tomorrow.”
We both nodded, eager to get this night over and done with. The thought of having to go to the police station to give our statement tomorrow seemed too daunting, and I was glad we could do it now.
“Do we know yet how he got inside the clubhouse?” Sebastian asked once we’d both told our versions of how the night had gone down.
“I’ll see if they got anything out of him at the station,” Officer Leland answered, then pulled out his radio. He walked a few steps away to make his call, and Sebastian pulled me into his body, kissing my head. I sank into him, holding on, counting my lucky stars that tonight didn’t have a different ending.
The officer came back, frowning. “Looks like a guy called Bullet let him in?”
He’d barely finished speaking when Sebastian charged across the room and up to a group of guys. He plucked someone out and punched him so hard he went down like a sack of bricks.
“You fucking traitor,” Sebastian growled.
Officer Leland ran up to him, stepping between Sebastian and the guy on the ground. “I’m going to pretend he fell and hit his head. But that was your only free shot.”
Sebastian gave him a curt nod but backed off. I joined them
