Page 31 of Saving Her
“The doctor gave her something to help her rest. She tried without it, but every time she closed her eyes, there was a nightmare waiting for her. Hangman had one of their women sit in the room with her.”
King nods, rubbing the side of his face. He grabs a seat and pulls it around, straddling it and leaning his front against the back of the chair.
“You don’t look like you’re in a g-g-good mood,” T responds, looking at King.
“Woman trouble,” King mutters, with a shrug.
“Women can take down the biggest of us,” I admit, drawing a hateful look from King. I don’t look away. He’s going to hate me. I’ve always known that. There’s nothing I can do about it.
Nicole elbows me and I over-exaggerate how much it hurts. I mean, there is pain, but I bend over, acting like it is more painful than it is. She knows my game. I can see it in her smirk. Then, she walks over to King and shocks all of us by hugging him. “Thank you for everything, King.”
“I didn’t do anything,” he mumbles, clearly uncomfortable.
“You did, and I will never be able to repay you.” She goes up on her tiptoes and kisses his cheek, whispering in his ear. He goes stiff, pulling away. As he looks down at her, I see him fighting with himself. The conflict is clear to read across his features.
I decide to pull my gaze away from them as I try to get control of my emotions. Over the years, Nicole’s blonde hair started going silver. Never being one to walk away from a challenge, Nicole dyed her hair a gorgeous gray and rocks it. She’s also become the ultimate old lady, and she has more leather in her closet than anything else. I know that I’m a lucky son of a bitch to be the one she chose. I don’t need anyone to make that clearer. Right now, I know she’s welcoming King into our family. I don’t deserve her. Fuck, I don’t know where she keeps coming up with the energy to put up with my ass.
As I look around the room, I stare at Hangman. “You know,” I accuse without explanation. Hangman nods. “For a few years, yeah. Blade discovered the truth right before his brother died. He thought about searching you out, but you had already banned our club from your territory. We had enough on our plate already.”
“I would probably do the same thing again, but I do regret everything going down the way it did.”
Hangman nods. “Water under the bridge.”
“It’s a fucking big bridge,” I mutter, and he barks out a bitter laugh.
“That it is.”
“Why did you decide to help me, considering the way things were with our clubs?”
“Blade. He’s getting out soon and has a huge score to settle. He didn’t want to take the chance that what happened to Bear would happen to you.”
“I owe you. If he needs us, call in the marker anytime. I’d be open to that alliance once more.”
“I’m sure he’ll be in touch once he takes over again.”
“Will you miss your role now?” I ask with a smirk.
“Fuck no. I never wanted to be his second, let alone the man in charge,” Hangman chuckles.
“Then why did you step up?”
“When your club loses so many members, you come together. It’s what you do. Blade and I had been friends since birth. I’d take a bullet for him. Hell, I’d take his place and be the one rotting behind bars if I could.”
I nod in understanding. That same devotion is what led me and my brothers to form our crew. I think back on those days, realizing we were young and stupid and had no idea what we were creating. We only wanted a home back then—a place to belong. We got so much more than that. I find myself hoping Blade manages to find the same shit, too. I frown and let out a sigh as I drop into a chair. Nicole comes over and gets in my lap. I hold her close and breathe her in.
“What are you thinking?” Ford asks. I look up at him and see his gaze on me and Nicole, and for a second I see hunger on his face. Not hunger for my woman—if it was that he’d be dead. He wants what I have. I kiss Nicole’s temple and squeeze her tight, knowing what a precious gift she is. I’ve always known that. It’s something you recognize quickly when you almost lose it. Irish almost took everything from me, and that’s exactly what is bothering me.
“I don’t understand how the photo of Irish ties into all of this,” I finally answer, giving a growl under my breath. “There has to be a reason the Feral Kings left it in the van. I don’t understand why, though.”
“Could Irish be behind all this shit?” Hangman asks.
I smile, but it’s not a friendly one at all. “No way. That’s one motherfucker who will never breathe air again. He’s gone. Which is why the photograph itself is so confusing.”
“Dragon?”
I look down at Nicole and squeeze her into me even more. “Yeah, Mama?”
“Did Irish have any children?”