His lips were thin white lines as he grunted, lowering and lifting me over his shoulders like a caveman. I protested, but it was no use. Bear knew how to manhandle me. It was what I loved about him. He was the only one who would ever be able to tell me what to do.
He planted my feet down on the ground at the door to the clubhouse. Arms snaked out and hauled me back. He was already down the stairs, back into the warzone before the doors closed.
My heart seized as I turned to see Shona looking at me apologetically. “You have to let them do this.”
I knew she was right, it didn't mean I wasn’t pissed off about it. I moved over to Sheridan who shook with fear as she watched her ex-husband try to beat the crap out of her current beau. Maree was comforting the twins on a couch away from the lounge, while the bunnies all tried to block the windows so they couldn’t see. I moved over to Sheridan and put my arm around her. Together, we watched as our men fought to keep us safe.
Bear
Fucking woman would be the end of me.
I told her to stay put, and what does she do? Comes out here with a fucking crowbar. The punch to my jaw fucking hurt, and it still ached, but I knew she needed to be in that clubhouse with the others, safe.
I located Ace, punching on with Neal who had at least three guys with him. Knives were pulled and I felt my legs carry me over to him faster than I could have ever moved, especially post-coital.
I gripped the crowbar tighter, annoyed that I’d left my guns in the cabin tonight. We definitely didn’t see this coming, or we would have posted a lot more sentries at the gate. Kirby was recovering from what I could onlyassume was a broken jaw with the way it hung at the side, blood gushing from his mouth.
“Get the fuck inside,” I yelled to him. He was no use here, especially not like that. I got to Ace just as Hawk got here. Ace had on his brass knucks and was hammering away into one of Neal’s men. Neal was punching on with Rebel who was giving much more than he was receiving. I moved over to dispatch another guy coming for Ace from behind. Raising the crowbar, I brought it down on top of his head. He fell back instantly, before I moved to the next guy, slamming the length of it into his gut over and over again until he fell back, in agony. Next, I grabbed the guy hitting Ace and let the end of the crowbar slice into his abdomen, twisting it until he grunted and cried out, blood dripping from his wound. I had to yank the crowbar out of his chest to carry on and he fell to the ground, a large gaping wound in his gut.
Ace pushed Rebel out of the way and hit Neal under the jaw with his knucks. The pure rage in his eyes told me he wouldn’t stop until Neal was dead.
Brogan’s words filtered through my mind and I knew with Neal’s death, Ace would go away. Neal would win. I couldn’t let that happen. I shoved Ace back by the scruff of his shirt and landed the crowbar in Neal’s gut. He hunched over immediately. It would be too easy for meto end him here and now, and the women would be safe. There would be no one threatening our claim on this town.
It would mean prison, but the club and everyone would be safe from this fucking monster.
I looked down at the pitiful excuse for a man and thought of all the horrible things he’d done to us, to Sheridan, to his own flesh and blood.
The fury inside of me lashed out, and I knew I would end his life.
It had to be me.
It had to.
I raised the crowbar up to smash down on him again when I felt someone tug me back. I looked over to see Brogan coming through with a bunch of cops, cop cars everywhere as they approached Neal on the ground. Guns were aimed at my men, his men, and everyone who carried a weapon.
“Weapon down, O’Leary,” Brogan said, aiming his gun at me. I dropped the crowbar and backed up with Ace and Hawk on my sides. He lowered the gun to Neal, coming to stand over him. “Neal Foley, you are under arrest. You have the right to remain silent…”
As he carried on with the miranda rights, I felt the fury slowly dissipate. He’d been the sign I needed to stop.
When Neal was hauled up into custody and shoved into the back of a vehicle and his men were slowly being thrown into the back of a bus at the front of the compound gates, Brogan made his way over to us.
“Look, the likelihood that one of these fuckers is going to press charges is slim, but there’s always one. You stand by that they were carrying, threatening, and you acted in self defence. They were trespassing. It won’t go far.”
I nodded at him, knowing he was doing everything to help us get out of this in one piece. We already lost two of our men, we couldn’t afford to lose any others.
And I really didn’t want to lose the ability to be able to touch, pleasure or hold Orla.
Brogan saved my ass.
He nodded quickly, and led his men off the compound and toward their cars. Once they were gone, we heard the women come outside, tending to those who had been wounded.
“At least he’s behind bars now,” we heard Rebel say. He’d been behind bars before too, and got out. The fucker deserved death.
“Viper,” Ace called him over. “Tomorrow, when you visit Chains and Razor, drop them a little knowledge about what happened tonight. Make sure Neal’s stay in prison ain’t going to be pretty.”
Viper nodded. “Got it, prez.”
“What the fuck we hanging around for?” Hawk bellowed. “Get inside and turn the tunes up.”
