I glance at the door, the dent there a reminder that someone was trying really hard to come in here.
“We’re they trying to kidnap us?”
Whitney, Reva, and Haley all reply at the same time. “Probably.”
I freeze. “Are you serious?”
“We’re a liability, it’s part of being in the club’s circle and belonging to important men,” Reva says as if she’s saying she drives a Ford.
“Oh for Christ’s sake, will you bitches quit whining,” a woman in a leather mini-skirt moans. “I been trying to land me an old man for a fucking year.”
“Ever thought about keeping your legs shut as a strategy,” Haley asks, lifting her brow.
The vibes in the room shift dangerously close to cat fight, but a knock on the door makes all our heads snap that way.
“It’s Skull. Open the door.”
We jump into action, pushing the couch out of the way, scraping the giant thing across the concrete.
The door swings open, and Skull storms in with his eyes wild and the tendons in his neck bulging.
I gasp, covering my mouth. “You’re bleeding.”
“Ain’t mine,” he growls as he strides to me, swallowing me in a rough hug.
His leather vest carries the scent of smoke, metal, blood, and sweat.
“Church at eight in the morning. Get some rest, the compound is secure,” he rumbles to everyone. “Open meeting tomorrow. Old ladies included.”
As if he senses my uncertainty, he kisses my forehead and murmurs, “You too, sweetheart.”
When we’re alone after the girls all leave, he rubs his hands up my arms and holds me away from him. There’s a tremor in his hands and worry creasing his forehead. “I was losing my mind, Katie. I nearly had a heart attack when I saw they tried to ram the door.”
It seems like it would take a lot to rattle a man like Skull.
He’s torn up. His eyes are bright and wet, his breathing is uneven and I want to hold him and tell him everything’s okay.
But he’s covered in blood. There was murder and mayhem and I know zero about this kind of thing.
Maybe everything is not okay.
“The girls would have shot whoever came in,” I tell him, searching his face for signs he’s really okay. When I’m satisfied he’s not hurt, I tell him, “I think you should teach me how to use a gun.”
With a groan, he grabs me close to his chest, nodding into my hair. “Tomorrow. And you’ll practice every day after.”
But there’s a catch in his voice that makes me pull back.
“What is it, honey?” I ask as I press my hand over his heart. It’s beating madly, the rhythm stuttering.
He shakes his head, then exhales roughly. “They came for you, Katie-girl.”
“What?” I gasp as my skin ices over one inch at a time. “Me? Why in the world?”
“There’s more. I’ll tell you everything. But I want you to know that I will protect you with my life. We know they want you now and extra measures will be taken to protect you.”
There is not a single doubt in my mind he means whathe’s saying. The man looks like he’s ready to fight the devil himself.
But I sag into him as I try to wrap my head around what he’s just told me. On top of everything else today, it feels like I’m beginning to short-circuit.
