I stalked toward her, grabbed her gently but firmly by the elbow, and hauled her up, my eyes still locked on hers.
“This is why you do as you're told,” I snarled, the words low and thick, rougher than I meant. But I couldn’t stop the edge in my voice. It was fear echoing through fury. “Because next time, I might not get here in time.”
She blinked, then whispered, “Okay.”
I nodded and went to put my arm around her waist when she put her hand on my chest and murmured, “Thank you.”
Frowning, I looked down at her.
“Don’t thank me for protecting you, baby. It’s my damn job.” I speared her with a look that was full of dark promise. “Doesn’t mean I’m not gonna punish you for disobeying me. Especially when it puts you in danger.”
Maren’s lips parted, and her breath caught. But it wasn’t fear I saw clouding her eyes. She looked like she’d never been more turned on in her life.
Fucking hell.
I wanted to kiss her and shake her all at once. But I knew if I got my lips on her, I’d be taking her virginity in the storage closet of the diner. Not an option. So I settled for gripping her waist and guiding her to my bike, then opening the saddlebagand pulling out a clean rag to press into her scraped palms. Her hands were trembling, and I kissed each scraped palm.
The roar of motorcycles filled me with relief. My brothers were here, which meant I could get Maren the fuck away from this shit.
Without a word, I opened my saddle bag and pulled out the helmet I’d picked up for her. She beamed as I put it on her head and buckled it under her chin. Then I climbed onto the bike and helped her get on behind me.
Giving Blaze a nod as he rode into the parking lot, I gunned it and took off. One hand stayed on her knee the entire ride back—partly to remind me that she was there and safe, partly to anchor myself. If I let go of her right now, I wasn’t sure I’d be able to hold myself back when I got her home.
The clubhouse gatewas already open when I roared in. Rebel, our road captain, Echo, and Cross were waiting outside with a gurney. As I skidded to a stop, a black van raced in behind me. They’d barely hit the brakes when the back doors were flung open, and Razor jumped out, followed by Nora, Ash’s old lady, and an EMT.
Echo pushed a gurney over just as Razor and Blaze began lifting Jace out on a stretcher. He was pale, shaking, and barely conscious. Blood was seeping through his jacket where one of the guys had stuffed gauze against the wound.
“Get him inside,” Razor barked.
Then he started shouting out orders as he, Blaze, Echo, and Cross lifted Jace onto the gurney and rolled him toward the side building that housed the club’s private clinic with Nora at his side. I waited until I knew we wouldn’t be in the way before I gotus off my bike, put the helmets where they belonged, and lifted her into my arms.
As I carried her to the door, Maren didn’t argue or demand to be let down. Instead, she rested her head on my chest and sighed as if she’d never felt safer. I wasn’t sure if that calmed me or made me want to be inside her even more. Maybe it was both. I didn’t know…I’d never been in love before.
The smell of antiseptic hit me the second I carried her through the door. But the clinic lobby was decorated in warm colors, meant to be soothing.
Maren’s head turned as they wheeled Jace toward the back. “Is he?—”
“He’ll make it,” I gritted out. “They’ll take care of him.”
She blinked at the words, confused. “Who are they?”
A voice from the next room answered for me.
“Doctors, sweetheart. Surgeons, actually.” Flint stepped into view, already in gloves and scrubs, clipboard in hand.
Maren’s mouth parted. “Surgeons?”
“Some of the best,” he added with a wink. “I run trauma rotations at County, and Razor works in cardiothoracic. But the club comes first, and for our brothers and their families, we’re whatever we need to be.”
I growled at him for his borderline flirty attitude with my woman as I carried Maren past him into the exam room. It was the complete opposite of the front, all sterile white and stainless steel.
Flint gestured for me to set her on the padded exam table. I almost said no because I didn’t want to let her go, but I wanted her checked out to make sure I hadn’t missed any injuries.
He kept talking as he grabbed a blood pressure cuff and wrapped it around her arm. “This place exists because hospitals have pesky things like paperwork. Gunshots get reported.Questions get asked. This way, we skip the part where the feds get curious.”
He glanced over at me, and I shot him a look. His lips twitched as he removed the cuff and checked her temperature. “What? I’m easing her into it.”
“Ease quieter,” I muttered.
