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“Not just yet, soldier. You got a second hit in the leg.”

Looking down, Bandit grins. “Well, what do you know? I never felt that one.”

Hovering around, not knowing what to do now that I know she’s safe, I see her watching me. “Go and do something useful. Check his bike over or something. Just go.”

Hell, I don’t know where I am with this woman. I was the first one she called when she needed help, and now I’m getting under her feet. Maybe I wasn’t the first she called. How come Bandit was here so fast? She could have called him first and then me as backup? Or he told her to ring someone else, and I was just the first she reacted to?

Whack walks over to where I’m studying Bandit's bike. “I see you’re overthinking things again, Fury.”

“What? No, the bike looks fine. He’s going to need a new paint job, though. Looks like he laid her down as he slid to a halt.”

“How on earth you expect to get a woman to take you on is beyond me? Maybe there’s one in an asylum somewhere that could be persuaded, but a normal, sane, good woman is going to run a mile at the merest hint that you could be her one.”

“What’s that supposed to mean, Pres?”

“She was in trouble, and her first thought was you. She knew you were the one to turn to. You get here and the first thing you do is something to make her slap you. You really are a piece of work, you know that? For fuck’s sake, man. I think you need a therapist or a counselor or someone to make you see sense. Maybe another couple of rounds with Molly would knock some sense into that thick skull of yours.” He walks away towards his hog, shaking his head, and I kick Bandit's bike, several times until I hear him shout at me to leave his girl the fuck alone.

Checking with the brothers who had been to the treeline to see if they found anything useful, which they hadn’t, I then look toward Jamie one last time. She sees me looking at her, but gives away nothing that she may be thinking or feeling.

Straddling my hog, I head back to the clubhouse. I need a good stiff drink to drown my sorrows. I give a little wobble when someone suddenly appears by my side, taking me by surprise. Seeing Breaker shaking his head at me, I know I’m in for another brotherly love conversation.

As soon as I’m in the compound and my feet hit the ground, he starts shouting. I am so wound up, frustrated, and confused that I don’t listen to a word he has to say. I just wade in, fists flying.

I get a couple of good hits in, but then he swamps me with the volume of punches that land. I feel like I’m up against a world champion MMA octopus. So many hits are landing that I can’t begin to deflect, I end up standing there like a punching bag. As soon as I stop defending, the hits stop. I look at Breaker and he looks angrier than I think I’ve ever seen anyone, ever.

“I’m done with you, Fury. You’re like a two-year-old having a tantrum because you broke your favorite toy. Every chance you get to put things right with Jamie, you fuck it up even further. She cries for help, you turn up, insult the one person who was there for her, and then ride off into the sunset leaving her in tears.”

“I didn’t see any tears. She looked right through me. That’s why I left.”

“God, give me strength. If there were two of you, I doubt I could knock your heads together and make one brain cell from the big bang it produced. Women are hard for men to understand, but you abuse even that excuse.” He storms into the clubhouse and I’m left standing there as the rest of the brothers return. They all walk by me without a word, and I think I’ll forego the stiff drink and just stay out here alone.

Just as I think it can’t get any worse I hear a vehicle screech to a halt at the gates. Looking up, I see Molly staring daggers at me from her SUV. The gate opens, she roars through them, stops just short of driving over me, and slams the door after she explodes from the driver's seat.

“Well? You might as well have your pound of flesh,” I say.

The look she gives me hurts more than I can say. “I have no words, Fury. For once in my life, I am at a complete loss for anything to say.” Walking into the clubhouse, she leaves me alone once again.

Five minutes later, and Cannon appears. “Pres wants you in his office now. Don’t keep him waiting. He’s on a very short fuse.”

Great. Just what I need. Another talking-to, dressing-down, ripping a new one, whatever other term comes to mind for being told something I already know. I fucked up, again!

Walking into the office, I’m surprised to see Jamie and Molly sitting there opposite Whack’s desk. Stopping in my tracks, I blurt out, “I can’t do this right now…” Jamie is on her feet as soon as I walk through the door and starts to say something to Whack.

His short fuse is shorter than any that Cannon could have explained, and he roars at the room in general. “Breaker… Griller… In here… NOW!”

They both crash through the door, almost taking it off its hinges. Breaker only has eyes for Molly, but her eyes are the size of dinner plates as she looks at Whack.

“Get these two into the shed. NOW!” We all look at the two women, wondering what brought this on, until Pres sees where we’re looking.

“Not both women, you idiots. I mean Fury and the Doc. Get Fury and Jamie into the shed.”

We are both marched to the shed, and the door slammed shut. We look at each other but don’t speak. The door bangs open and Whack stands before us, red in the face.

“I am done pussyfooting around with the pair of you. You!” Jabbing his finger towards Jamie. ”You know that someone is out to get you, but go wandering off to do home visits like it’s a Sunday go-to-church outing. Not only putting yourself at significant risk, but getting one of my brothers shot, TWICE, because you didn’t have the right level of security. If it hadn’t been for the armor-plated truck that this moron bought for you, you’d be dead and more likely, Bandit would be too.” Shaking because he’s so angry, he turns his attention to me.

“As for you, you asshole. I’m done watching a lovesick teenager wander around in a man's body. Get a grip, man. You have one hour, and when I come back, we’re gonna play Fuck, Marry, Kill. I’m sure you’ve played it before, but this time, you’ve already done fuck. You're going to decide whether you marry her so she is gonna be your old lady, wife or whatever, or you're killing this relationship once and for all. I am done with this, and so is the rest of the damn club!”

Leaving us both stunned with the fierceness of his rant, we just stand against opposite walls and look everywhere but at each other. After what must be ten minutes, I look at Jamie. She takes another couple of minutes before she looks back at me.