“He didn’t mean to hurt anyone, Battle. Not me, not even you. He just—” She took a long breath like she couldn’t find the right words, and I pulled her away from my chest so I could look at her.
“He loves you, Q, I get it. Don’t even fuckin’ blame him for it. Not for lovin’ you, not for tryin’ to kill me, not for makin’ you motherfuckin’ promise to stay with him if he left everyone you loved alone. That’s what love is. It makes you do crazy shit so that everything gets all twisted and fucked up and you don’t know which way is up anymore. I can’t let him get away with it, and I can’t say I agree with the shit that he’s done, but I get it.”
“You make it sound so ugly,” she said.
I scoffed. “It is fuckin’ ugly, Q. Love is one ugly motherfucker, and I’d love to punch it in the fuckin’ face. It ain’t all flowers and hearts and singing birds and shit. It’s bleeding and killin’ and living through shit you don’t wanna live through just so you can spend one more fuckin’ second with that one person that means everything to you. Love is ugly, and our love is the ugliest. But babe?”
“Yeah?”
“I wouldn’t change it for anything.”
She threw her arms around me, almost taking my damn breath away, and I held her close, breathing in her scent and locking it inside me.
My cell vibrated in my back pocket and I pulled it out to look at it. It was Fighter and it was go time.
I pulled her arms away from me and brought her hands to my mouth so I could kiss her knuckles.
“It’s gonna be all right. You know how I know?”
She shook her head, her eyes all big and round and fucking beautiful.
“Because I love you, Quinn. Don’t know how this shit happened, but it did. So I’m your man now, and there ain’t nothing that can change that. Not life, not death, and none of the bullshit in between. You’re my woman, and I’m gonna do what I need to do to keep you safe and to keep both our hearts beating so we can be together.” I kissed her knuckles again and she nodded. “Need you to go to the gates. There’s a brother of mine waiting for you there. He’s gonna take you somewhere safe, and I’ll be there soon.”
I leaned down and kissed her mouth, wanting to deepen it but knowing there wasn’t the time then. I pulled out of the kiss reluctantly and reached down to pull the small gun from my boot. I handed it to her.
“You know how to use one of these?”
She raised an eyebrow. “I’m not a complete damsel in distress, Battle,” she laughed before wiping away at the tears on her face and taking the gun from me.
“That’s my girl.” I smiled at her. “Fuckin’ love you, Quinn,” I said. “Need you to get to the gate now, okay? I don’t want you here when shit goes down.”
She nodded. “I’ll go out first.”
She turned and headed to the door and as she cracked it open, the light spilling in and illuminating her face to me, she looked back.
“Make it quick,” she said quickly before turning and leaving the room.
She clicked the door closed behind her and I sent a quick message to the prospect waiting at the gate, letting him know that she was coming. He was new, but Gauge trusted him and so I did too.
I waited for his reply that he’d gotten her, and once my cell lit up with the message I slipped it into my back pocket and pulled out my gun.
Ripped had blindsided me the first time I’d come to claim my woman. Probably would have died if Fighter hadn’t saved my ass. Then I’d been left to believe that she’d chosen him and I’d let her go. But not this time.
This time I was taking what was mine or I’d die trying.
I meant what I’d said to Quinn—that living for someone you loved was harder than dying for someone you loved. It was just that sometimes you didn’t have any choice but to die. Because if I had a choice, I’d live a thousand lives and a thousand deaths so I could be with her.
Unfortunately, I didn’t think I’d ever get that chance.
~ 24 ~
Quinn
The clubhouse party was loud and getting louder by the second. I slipped down the corridor, keeping my head low. I was acutely aware of the small gun that Battle had given me tucked into my waistband and rubbing against my skin with every step I took.
“Hey, girl,” Poppy said as she came out of one of the side rooms readjusting her small top. She glanced back in and blew a kiss before closing the door behind her and walking in step with me. “I swear, that Lincoln is never satisfied, no matter what we girls do.” She tugged at her underwear and frowned. “I think because he’s so big, ya know, he can’t get satisfied properly or something.” She shook her head and shrugged. “What can I do though? I only have a short cervix and my gag reflex is strong.” She laughed and patted my shoulder as she took off toward the kitchen and I sighed, grateful that she’d left me.
There was no way I’d have been to think of what to say to her if she’d asked where I was going. I was going to miss her, I realized. I was going to miss a lot of people in that place. Perhaps even Ripped, to some extent, though I hated to admit it.
