Page 60 of Warrior Witch
A phalanx of cars screeched to a halt behind the lines of bikes, and uniformed men swarmed the road in full SWAT gear. As the droves of men stumbled to a stop at the sight of unconscious bikers everywhere, a man in a well-fitted gray suit let out a low whistle.
“Looks like you guys have already had all the fun.”
Ranto’s face lit up. “Mikey! You came in person.” He closed the distance between them, pulling the man into an enthusiastic hug. “Hey! You have to meet my mate.” And then they were headed my way.
I’d always had a love-hate relationship with officers of the law. Mostly hate, seeing as they were responsible for screwing over runaway orphans and took issue when we stole to survive. Killjoys. But this was Ranto’s friend, and for him, I’d make an effort.
“So, I guess we owe you thanks. Toto here tells me you’re responsible for bringing down the Grim Hearts.”
“Holy shit! Yes. That’s sticking,” Addie squealed, laughter bubbling out of her as she leaned on a grinning Lindsay.
Heat rose in my cheeks. Could I really take credit for almost succumbing to a curse and letting them all get caught in the fallout? Eh, why not.
“You’re welcome.”
Mike chuckled, looking around at us all.
“As much as we appreciate what you’ve done, we need to ask you to leave us to the arrests. This is now an active crime scene.” He glanced at Bruin with a frown.
“Why is he conscious? Bruin. Get down on the ground with your hands behind your head. You have the right to remain silent—”
“What?” I demanded, shooting a concerned look at Ranto.
Bruin had helped. Bruin was… well… not good. But he was mine.
Bruin sank to his knees, offering his wrists for cuffs and patiently waiting out the reading of his rights while sending me comforting glances.
“Mike,” Ranto said, gripping his friend’s shoulder.
“He’s the club’s enforcer and a legacy. He is the Grim Hearts MC. Give me one good reason why he shouldn’t rot in jail with the rest of them.”
Ranto flicked a look between Bruin and me before focusing back on his friend.
“He was my primary informer.”
Bruin choked on a denial he couldn’t quite squash, but Ranto talked over him. “He was instrumental in the demise of the club, and most importantly, he’s bound to my mate. I have complete confidence in vouching for the strength of his allegiances. If he steps out of line, I’ll rip him apart myself.”
Mike stared at him for so long I began fantasizing about jailbreaks to retrieve my man from custody, but eventually the click of cuffs being released caught my ears.
“All of you, get out of here and let us do our jobs. If there’s any trouble now or in the future from the enforcer, it’s on your head.”
Ranto nodded at his friend, then pulled him in for one more hug before we all turned back toward the motel. Kylen held back a little longer to explain the sedative to the officers and exchanged phone numbers so they could report on the effects.
Hendrix offered to stop off at the diner and get food for everyone, while Lindsay, Bruin, and Addie settled in to watch a trashy reality television show. Ranto shifted into his raiju form and curled his bulk around Addie, as though he still needed the reassurance that she was okay.
I waited by the door for Kylen to return, and as soon as he was in reaching distance, I cupped his face and pulled him into a devastating kiss. Pushing my tongue into his mouth, I tried to tell him without words how much he meant to me. How much I wanted him. The passion with which he returned the kiss stole the breath from my lungs and made all kinds of dirty fantasies kick off in my mind. I’d just decided that closing the adjoining room’s door would give us adequate privacy when Hendrix cleared his throat loudly.
“Eat each other later. Right now, everyone needs real food.”
I laughed, stepping away to let him through and flopped down at the small table, knocking Melisande’s diary to the floor. As I retrieved the book, a loose page slipped from its place, tucked in the back cover.
The writing was done in a different hand, and curiosity burned through me. Was this the end of the story? Or a new mystery to solve? With the curse broken, tomorrow would be spent planning our next move. Would we head to our respective homes? Would they come with me? I hoped so, but how could I ask them to pick up their whole lives so that they could all share little old me?
I looked around, realizing Kylen had followed the food into the other room, and for the moment, I was alone.
Praying this wasn’t the curiosity that killed the cat, I took a seat and started to read.
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