Page 24 of Rattlin' Bones

WHEN WE WALKED OUTSIDE, I noticed the temperature had plummeted. It was cold as fuck, and a light rain began to fall.

Lacey didn’t have a jacket or anything to protect her from the weather. She’d freeze in that skimpy costume and thin fabric.

I usually kept an extra sweatshirt or change of clothes in my saddlebags. Life was unpredictable, and I liked to be prepared. As I reached inside to grab the sweatshirt, I noticed Lacey shivering. “Here. Wear this. It’s not much, but it’ll help.”

“Thanks.”

She lifted her arms, and I helped her pull it on, satisfied when I saw it was huge on her, covering her enough that I could get her home before she got soaked. Or so I thought. The clouds decided to open up as we stood there, and the rain fell in thick sheets, drenching us as she laughed.

“I guess we’re too late.”

“Nah. I’ll build a fire as soon as we’re back at my place.”

I didn’t see the guy rushing us until he was only a few feet from Lacey. A knife glistened in his hand as the streetlights bounced off the steel blade. My military training kicked in, and I didn’t hesitate to act.

Without a care that he could slash me instead of Lacey, I dove into her attacker, knocking him onto the wet ground. Gravel and something sharp dug into my side as I landed, but I didn’t care about the pain. All that mattered was keeping Lacey safe.

A fight ensued. The fucker tried to stab me with his knife, and I caught his wrist, applying pressure as he hollered. The knife clattered to the asphalt a short distance away as I began punching the attacker in the face, hoping to knock him out. He jabbed at my side, and I nearly howled with pain, wondering why it hurt so damn much.

We rolled around as Lacey screamed, and a lightning bolt shot across the sky, followed by a loud crack of thunder. I worried about her out in the open, exposed to the elements, and far too vulnerable as I wrestled with the guy who’d come after her. What if he wasn’t alone?

My fist connected with his jaw, and the back of his head slammed into the ground with a crack. He wouldn’t be getting up anytime soon. I rolled him onto his side so the rain didn’t drown him, grunting as the pain in my side intensified.

“Skel!”

I turned my head as I shot to my feet, worried that someone else had come after Lacey. My gaze swept over the parking lot. No one was there. Not even people attending the Halloween party. The rain had kept everyone indoors, forcing them to wait for the downpour to slow down before they headed to their cars.

I didn’t see any other threats.

“Oh, God, Skel. You’re bleeding!” She stared at me with wide, frightened eyes. “You’re hurt.”

I looked down, noticing the slash in my hoodie and the tee shirt underneath, watching as blood oozed from the wound.

That motherfucker stabbed me.

Chapter 8 Skel

Present—

I left Lacey in the panic room as I reached for the guns in my office, taking several with me and extra ammo. I shoved one into the waistband of my jeans, palming the other as I heard someone moving through my living room. I had to steer whoever showed up away from my woman.

The house was so fucking dark. If I didn’t know where everything was placed or where my guns were located, I would have stumbled into furniture or made too much noise. But I didn’t. My head-mounted night vision goggles were stored inside the top drawer of my desk, and I snatched them, quickly slipping them on.

These ignorant fucks didn’t comprehend who they were fucking with. I’d end every threat and spill blood without hesitation. My fucking property. My rules.Fuck around and find out.

The bright flashlight beam shined into the hallway, and I hid behind the door, staying still as it approached, swept the room, and moved on. How amateur. He didn’t clear the room. His loss, my gain.

I checked the hall and entered, ensuring no one followed behind me. Following the flashlight as it searched my house, I crept behind the intruder. My mind focused on the task at hand instead of on Lacey. It wasn’t easy, but I knew she was safe.

Outside, I heard thunder before a light rain began to fall. It reminded me of the night three years ago when I went to the Halloween party with Lacey and fucked her in a dark corner. Everything about that night had been perfect until we were attacked outside the banquet hall.

I’d been stupid to leave her for the last three years. Luis Diego had waited for the right moment to return, and now he was after Lacey again. This time, he wasn’t holding back. Luis wanted my woman dead.

That would be his last mistake. Once I removed the intruders, I would handle this shit. I had to take it to the club. Maddog didn’t know the whole story. Before I went vigilante, I had to fill my new pres in on the details.

This wasn’t about the RBMC. It was personal.

I never truly left Vegas. I’d kept my house and visited friends. Even crashed a few times at Maddog’s place. Breaking all ties with this town meant losing my connection to my brothers, whom I served in the Corps, my father’s legacy, and the brotherhood, which still meant everything to him, not to mention the woman I loved. I’d never let that happen.