Page 53 of Mace

“Stop where you are. Turn around. You’re gonna come with me,” Alejandro ground out, his voice rough. “Both of you are gonna pay for me getting injured by that fucking biker.”

Alicia jumped in front of her mother and yelled back. “What are you talking about?” she demanded. “My mother hasn’t done one single thing to you.”

“Your papa said you were mine,’ he replied triumphantly. “He’ll thank me for returning his property. Don’t know what he sees in your mama, but he’ll look kindly upon me for returning her before she got too far away.”

“He’s going to have a hard time showering you with gratitude, since his brains are splattered all over the floor in that barn back there.” Alicia said the words with calm indifference while pulling one thumb back over her shoulder.

He glanced from Alicia to the barn behind her and back again. As he thought it over, Alicia took a step forward, lifting her pistol. “You’ve always been such a smug bastard, Alejandro.”

“You don’t have the courage to draw down on a man, Alicia. You know that and I know that.”

I stepped out of the shadows and my voice rang out. “Maybe she doesn’t, but I sure as fuck do.”

He spun around and caught sight of me almost immediately. “You,” he snarled. “You have caused me no end of trouble. And today to you are going to pay for it, you gringo motherfucker.”

I just shook my head, frowning at him. “I’ve already killed your boss today. Abducting my old lady has given me a twitchy trigger finger. So, how’s about you don’t try my patience today.”

He raised his gun to take aim and before I could pull the trigger, Alicia did. Of course she was aiming for his legs. She missed though and caught him in the balls. Which, to be fair, was probably an even more effective deterrent. When he pulled his gun back to aim at her, I nailed him with a head shot. He fell to his knees and then forward onto what would have been his face if it were still intact.

I lowered my weapon and rushed over to where Alicia and her mother were standing. “Sorry again. You shouldn’t have been subjected to the sight of brains twice in one day. That’s just horrific.”

“You’ve managed to kill both the men who were intent upon trafficking me in one day. There’s no need for you to apologize for anything.”

I gestured towards Alejandro with the end of my pistol. “Dude could have spent years trying to escape from a super max prison, but he threw it all away trying to kill us today.”

Alicia lowered her gun down by her side and gazed up at me. “Some people just aren’t too smart.”

Standing there looking into her eyes, if there had ever been a doubt that Alicia was my one, it disappeared. My phone buzzed with the all-clear from Storm, so I put it away and tugged Alicia closer. “Thanks for having my back just now.”

She slid her gun back into the holster at her back and moved closer, resting her hands against my chest. “I can’t let anything happen to you because you’re my old man.”

“You got that backwards, sweetness. You’re my old lady.”

Her fingers walked up my chest to my collar and she tugged me down. “Are you going to kiss me or stand there arguing with me?”

“You never have to tell me twice,” I mumbled before dipping my head and giving her a long lingering kiss. I don’t know how long we were kissing because it was just such a relief to have her safe and sound, and in my arms again.

Eventually, her mother cleared her throat. And I’ll be honest, I had forgotten she was there.

“Good afternoon, Mrs. Ramirez,” I said apologetically. “Pleasure to—”

My attempt at making a good first impression on my future mother-in-law went haywire at that point, as my words got cut off when Alicia grabbed my braid and tugged me back down for another kiss. Truth be told, I didn’t have the heart to deny her.

Eventually, her mother got into the truck. Whether it was to get away from our public display of affection or the dead body nearby, I couldn’t say.

The one thing I was sure of was that this just became the new best day of my life, the day I eliminated the men who had made it their life’s mission to keep the woman I loved down. That had been some horrific shit for anyone to go through, much less an innocent woman like Alicia. From now on, I’d be her protector and make it my life’s mission to see there was only sunny skies and rainbows in her future.

Epilogue

Alicia

Three Month Later

Today was special occasion. I planned a small private party at Mace’s clubhouse that somehow turned into a full club party. Rosie walked up to me while I was hanging streamers, with a delivery driver from the local bakery in tow.

The man announced, “Your cake is here. Where do you want it?”

I pointed to the bar, which was covered in food. “I saved a place of honor for it on the end of the bar.”