Page 58 of The Devil's Reward
“Literally in your case, Goddess,” King leers at his woman, who gives him a cool stare. It’s no secret that King and Sage’s sex life is a bit wild.
Bullet says, “Prospect is just around the corner and he’ll be here to grab you. We’ll follow you to the clubhouse.”
“Maybe we want to make a couple of stops on the way,” Rose says with a smirk at her husband.
Bullet arches a brow at her. “A couple of stops?” he repeats.
Her smirk spreads into a wicked grin. “Maybe I want to pick up a couple of things that I think would be a little fun later,” she purrs at him. Bullet’s eyes glitter with interest. King and Torque groan, while Sage and Izzy share a grin.
I turn when I hear the sound of an SUV and watch as Kaleb pulls up, looking resigned to his fate. I nod at him because I know just how he feels. I don’t want to be alone with these women any more than he does. “Straight back to the clubhouse, son,” Bullet orders Kaleb when the women crawl inside. He gives Rose a warning look when she glares at him. “You think I don’t know that you’re trying to meet up with the rest of your group?” he asks her drily. “I wasn’t born yesterday, woman.”
Rose sighs. “It’s a good thing you’re handsome, Bullet, otherwise I’d have made your life a hell of a lot harder the past thirty-something years.”
King and Torque scoff at that, while Bullet reaches out and grabs her by the chin through the open door before leaning down and putting his mouth quick and hard on hers. “I’ll see you at the clubhouse,” he says when he pulls away and drops his hand. “Where you and I will discuss that sassy mouth.”
“I look forward to it,” Rose purrs. I roll my eyes. These two can be gag-worthy sometimes.
I step back and head for my bike while the Prospect puts the SUV in drive and pulls out onto the road. Bullet, King, and Torque saddle up and we pull out behind him. The drive through the city center and then to the outskirts towards the clubhouse, gives me time to think about my date with Quinn.
It may not have gone the way I wanted, but I also got to see Quinn interact the important people in my life. She didn’t flinch when the women were talking to her or when I called in their men. She didn’t cringe when I told her the reason behind them not being allowed to all congregate together unsupervised. She also didn’t mind that Macy liked to play with their kids.
I would think most mothers wouldn’t want their kid playing with strangers or talking to people they barely know, but she seemed comfortable enough. Maybe because I was there. Or at least, I would like to think it played a role in it.
It was nice to sit and talk to her about mundane things. Answer questions that seemed trivial, but were enough that I now know she has a weakness for cheesecake, hates pineapple, and has a small secret dirty romance book collection. That, I had to drag out of her, because when she started to talk about some of the books she reads, she clammed up like she was ashamed. When I convinced her to tell me, she opened up. Which of course led me to tell her about King being a cover model, thanks to Sage and her favorite hobby of messing with her man.
I also learned that Macy is as inquisitive as her mother, but where Quinn is shy and a bit awkward at times, Macy hits it with everything she has and then embraces the fallout. She asked all kinds of personal questions before her mother finally put a stop to it and sent her back to play. The only one that shook me was when she asked why I didn’t have a wife or kids.
It’s been no secret that I want a family of my own. Except that fate has given me a kick in the teeth with my new potential family. I can almost see Sam up there laughing at me. She’d think this was all a good joke. Hell, Macy reminds me of her. Sam was a no holds barred kind of woman, and she wasn’t afraid to go after anything she wanted, information included, much like Macy.
It’s like Sam sent me two parts of herself. Something to make me sit up and take notice. The shy, sweet woman that is the spitting image of her, and her go-getter daughter who could take over the world if she set her mind to it. Sam’s idea of a joke, I’m sure. Quinn and Macy Holt are not Sam Nolans, and I’m slowly starting to come around to the idea of that.
They are their own people, and I need to let Sam go. Sam is gone. I never dated Sam, never kissed her, never slept with her, and I know Quinn and Macy are my future. Sam is my past, and my shrink was right about it being time to let the past lie.
The sound of a roaring engine pulls me out of my thoughts and I glance behind me to see a large black SUV coming up behind us. I frown because that SUV is moving too fast. My senses tingle and that itch at the back of my neck starts. I rev my engine and in front of me, my brothers all glance back at me in surprise. When they see the SUV, their expressions harden.
Bullet barely has time to speed up before the SUV is on our asses, bearing down on us. “Evade!” I scream, hoping they hear, quickly jerking my bike over just far enough to keep from getting clipped. Except I quickly realize that I am not the target. The SUV clips the back of Bullet’s bike, sending his bike into the ditch and Bullet flying through the air.
I don’t stop or look at Bullet. Torque and King will see to him, because I know he’s not after us. He’s after the women. I need to get to them. Fast.
Only I’m not fast enough.
Suddenly, the black SUV hits the back driver’s side of their vehicle, sending it swerving towards the ditch. I automatically reach back and pull out my gun, aiming at the SUV that is getting ready to hit them again. I’m close enough that I can see Kaleb’s determined gaze as he pushes his foot on the gas, ready to get the women out of here. I aim for the tire of the enemy’s SUV, but my bullet misses the tire and hits the door instead.
I don’t stop firing until I unload the entire clip, but the SUV doesn’t slow down. With one last effort, he rams into them again again, hard enough to send their SUV flying towards the field on the right side of the road, and I watch in horror as it rolls, over and over from the force of the impact. Metal screeches and crunches with each turn. I don’t follow the SUV as it races off. My only thought is for the women and Kaleb.
“Sage!”King roars, terror clear in his voice.“Mom!”
I don’t even stop my bike, I just let it fall on the side of the road and I run. Smoke billows from the wreckage where it’s laying on its side and I pray. Pray that they’re alive. King is keeping pace with me as we reach it.
I go to the driver’s side and look in. Kaleb is unconscious in his seat, the airbags deployed. I look past him and see the women, bloodied and unconscious. And another thing hits me. I smell gas. “Fuck, we need to get them out,” I yell at King. “I smell gas. It could blow any second.”
King’s eyes are hard as granite, and he doesn’t waste any time climbing up and wrenching at the crumpled door. I get up with him and we’re grunting and roaring as we try to get it open. Finally, it gives after one final hard pull and I throw the offending piece of metal away. “Try to be careful, we don’t know how bad their injuries are,” I warn King.
King ignores me, the only thing on his mind is getting to his woman and his mother. I get to work on freeing Kaleb, getting Rose and Sage out will be the hardest with them on the passenger side. Kaleb gives a soft groan as I pull out my knife and roughly cut the seatbelt holding him in. I know I need to be worried about his neck, but the smell of gas is getting stronger and I don’t have time.
I snarl as I lift him out of the vehicle, my old training kicking in. Images flash in my head of pulling my team out of the line of fire as the enemy tried to take us out, but I push them firmly out of my mind as I drag his body away from the wreckage. I lay him on the ground, King right behind me with Izzy. He lays her down and runs back to the wreckage.
I follow and climb in through the driver’s door and check on Rose, while King works hard to get Sage out of the backseat. Both women are passed out, blood dripping down their faces. I put my finger to Rose’s neck to check for a pulse, and I feel the breath rush from my lungs when I feel it. It’s faint, but it’s there.
