Chapter 16
Tori tried to use her powers, such as they were, to jam the gun pushing against her neck. Her mind fuzzed, and her body shook from cold and fear, but she needed to focus. The gun hurt her already damaged throat. But seeing the gun pointed at Adam filled her with an all-new terror. One that made it nearly impossible to move.
No expression sat on Adam’s angled face, but fire burned in his eyes. Hot and dark, it glittered with fury. He was absolutely more than a man, and it was shocking the other people in the room couldn’t see the predator preparing to attack. She watched him, waiting for a signal.
Then he moved.
Somehow, he launched himself across the table toward Jamm. The gun went off, but it didn’t stop Adam’s momentum. He plowed a fist into Jamm’s face the same second he wrenched the gun free, pivoted, and shot Pyro in the head.
Blood sprayed across Tori’s face, and she screamed, falling against the door as Pyro plunged to the floor. Adam didn’t pause. He turned again and shot Tinker between the eyes. Then, doing a full turn, he pivoted and shot Jamm, whose head jerked back, hit the wall, and then dropped forward. His body slumped in death.
Tori opened her mouth, but another scream wouldn’t come out. Her body shook, adrenaline flooding it.
Adam turned toward her, his fangs out, raw rage in his glittering eyes. “Are you okay?” His voice sounded more animalistic than human.
She slowly shook her head, spraying tears. “N-no.”
“I’m sorry you saw that.” He pounded the gun against the table, shattering the wood. Then he moved toward her, and she recoiled instinctively. Pain flared in his eyes, but he kept coming, his movements calm and deliberate, as if he hadn’t just killed three men. “It’s okay, sweetheart.” Taking her hand, he led her from the room and away from death.
What had just happened? The smell of blood filled the world. She followed woodenly behind him, her movements stiff and jerky. “You’re bleeding,” she whispered.
He looked down at the bullet hole in his left shoulder. Blood flowed down to his wrist. “It’s okay. I’ll heal.” His voice remained low, almost soothing, as he helped her through the clubhouse and out into the rain. Away from the macabre scene.
She lifted her face, taking a deep breath. The smell of blood and death continued to linger, but the punishing rain helped wash away some of the terror. Her legs trembled.
Glancing around, he took her over to one of the garages, leaning her against the door under an awning. The wind burst against her, but she was out of the rain. “I need you to stay here for just a couple of minutes, okay?”
She nodded, the entire world fuzzy. Shudders wracked her body, but she didn’t really feel the cold. She wasn’t feeling anything.
He shook out of his jacket and pressed it around her, zipping it up. “You’re going into shock. Just give me a second. Stay here.”
Her head lolled on her neck, and she pushed against the building, forcing it to hold her up. Adam disappeared inside the garage. Her knees shook so hard she just gave up and slid to the wet ground. Her arms instinctively wrapped around her calves, and she hugged her knees to her chest inside his jacket. So much blood and death.
The smell of him surrounding her helped her to find a shaky center. She breathed deep his scent of wildness and the forest before a storm.
Adam had just killed three men. Oh, they were bad men, and they probably would’ve killed both Tori and Adam. But he’d moved so quickly and shot so rapidly without even thinking it through. And he hadn’t used any fire or witch abilities. Just sheer male power.
Except for the speed. Maybe the speed was witch born. It was as if he’d flipped a switch to go from Adam to somebody else. To something else. Was that him in true Enforcer mode? Was it a mode? Or was it the true being at his core? She bit back a sob.
Even so, his scent offered comfort. Protection. Safety. No matter what he’d done or how easily he’d done it . . . he’d saved her.
She lost track of how long he was gone.
Rain continued to pelt all around her, hitting the concrete and bouncing up. Her body ached but the pain seemed to come from a distance. Nothing touched her. Not right now. Maybe not ever. Somewhere deep down, she realized it was shock. Closer to the surface, she just couldn’t find the energy to care. The numbness helped, and she let it hold her.
Adam finally came striding out with a backpack over one shoulder, a hard angle to his jaw. Concern lit his eyes when he saw her on the ground. “The clubhouse is empty right now, baby. We have to go.”
His words kind of made sense, but she couldn’t make herself move.
He curved a hand around her elbow and gently lifted her. She wavered. “It’s okay, Victoria. I’m getting you out of here and to somewhere warm.” Sliding an arm around her shoulder, he led her to his bike. Without waiting for her to get on, he lifted her by the waist. Her hands flattened on the leather seat to keep herself from falling off.
He lifted one leg in front of her and straddled the bike with the pack still over his uninjured shoulder. “Can you hold on?”
She looked numbly toward the trees down the lane.
“Victoria.” His voice sharpened.
She jerked. Rain slashed across her face. She shivered.
“Hold on. Now.” His voice held a frightening command, and she obeyed instantly, holding him and settling her face against his back. The rain had already drenched his thin T-shirt, but his warmth radiated beneath. She tried to lean into him, to borrow some of that warmth, but nothing penetrated her haze.
He gunned the motor and the bike jumped forward. They’d gone nearly half a mile down the drive when he swung the bike in a wide arc, facing the clubhouse.
She lifted her head, blinking rapidly against the storm.
Adam held the handlebars, tension rolling from him. “They hurt you, Victoria.”
She gulped in air.
“This is what happens because of that.”
The world went silent for the briefest of moments. Then the ground shook. The clubhouse exploded, throwing fire, barstools, and debris high into the air. A second later the first garage went, and then the next. The hood from a cherry red muscle car crashed onto the road and tumbled end over end, fire consuming it, the metal burning with a shriek.
She gasped and went rigid but couldn’t scream.
Several smaller explosions rocked through the structures, blowing out every wall and window. Glass shattered out, scattering through the forest. Even the cement of the square cracked and gave, pebbles of concrete careening in every direction. The pool table imploded on itself, spraying burning billiard balls in every direction. An eight ball impacted with a nearby pine tree, sticking hard in the bark. Bottles of alcohol blew up, sending glass and liquid flying, increasing the spitting of the fire.
She couldn’t move. Not one part of her could move. He’d done this because they’d hurt her.
The flames rose high in the air, combating the rain, more powerful than the storm.
Any remaining interior walls crumbled and gave. The fire continued, somehow not reaching the surrounding trees. It was as if its hunger remained with the walls, targeting anything having to do with Titans of Fire.
He had ended them. The entire place. It was over.
Tori shivered again. He’d done this while protecting her—as her protector and possibly her lover. What would he do for a mate? The heavy mantle of responsibility slammed down on her shoulders. Belonging to a male like Adam held power . . . and duty.
She could see it so clearly in the glowering flames. Was she strong enough to even consider it?
Adam lifted a phone to his ear and dialed. “Detective Bernie Phillips, please.” He waited several beats before speaking again, his voice rising three octaves and gaining a Russian accent. “There’s been an explosion at Titans of Fire, and I don’t know how it happened. For now, I have files I’m e-mailing to you that will help you bring down the entire club. Hard copies and other documents are coming as well. You’re welcome.” He clicked off and watched the fire burn a little bit longer.
She shivered and pressed more closely against him.
He dialed another number. “King? Titans of Fire just exploded and the cops are going to raid all the members. Get your boys home.” He paused. “They’re at headquarters already? Good. Keep them there.” He slipped the phone into his jeans pocket.
“Boys?” Tori mumbled, her gaze caught on debris drifting slowly down.
“A couple of prospects who’d gone undercover with us. They’re young and they need to be away from here.” Then he slowly swung the bike around. “Can you hold on?” he asked quietly.
“You killed them,” she whispered, trying to get a hold on her emotions as well as on the reality of the moment.
“They signed their death warrants when they put you in harm’s way. The very second Pyro held that gun to your neck, he was a dead man.” No give, no regret, no real emotion rode on Adam’s words. “I get that you might not understand that. But it’s absolute.” He gunned the engine, driving rapidly away from what used to be Titans of Fire.
* * *
Adam reached the cabin, making sure Victoria kept a good hold on his waist. By the time he stopped the bike, he’d already healed his shoulder, although a residual ache remained. It had taken a minimal use of his powers, so hopefully he hadn’t sent out a signal.
He focused on the most immediate need—Victoria. She had certainly gone into shock, and he had to warm her up. Now. Turning, he swept her up and strode through the cabin, dropping the backpack on the way. In seconds, he had her in a warm shower and was shampooing the dirt and twigs out of her thick hair.
She stood mainly still, allowing him to tend to her, her blue eyes wide and unfocused.
So many emotions bombarded him he shut them all down, focusing on her. As an Enforcer, he knew well how to do what needed to be done.
It had been necessary to end Titans of Fire. Yet the precision and absoluteness with which he’d done the job had been because of Victoria. Because they’d hurt her. He might be a real bastard, but he was painfully self-aware.
Her skin was like silk, and her bones frighteningly delicate. Fragile and so breakable. He fanned his palms down her soft arms.
He’d taken Fire out without Coven Nine orders, outside the framework of his job. The betrayal of the Council, of the remaining members, left him lost and adrift. Yet even more determined.
“I’m all right,” she whispered, reaching out to cup his jaw.
He swallowed and finished washing a scrape on her wrist to keep it from infection.
“You’re all right, too.” She tugged his earlobe.
He blinked, focusing on her gaze. “I know.”
Her expression softened. “It’s okay to be angry, Adam.”
He paused. “Angry?” No. Emotion had never ruled him.
“Sure. Titans of Fire threatened us. Hurt us. But that’s not why you’re looking so lost.” Her voice was throaty, as if her neck ached.
He turned off the water. “I’m not lost.” Yet the words tasted like a lie.
“I understand betrayal.” She let him dry her, head to toe, standing there with acceptance in her eyes. “Believe me. My father has done nothing but betray us his whole life. My loyalty is still to my family, even though he was once part of that.”
Adam finished gently rubbing her skin to a pretty pink glow, his chest heating. Could he stay true to his values, to his vows, and not protect the sitting council members? His head began to ache as he lifted her against his chest and moved toward the bed. Now wasn’t the time for him to figure out his messed-up life. She needed rest. “Get some sleep. We can talk later.”
She nodded and snuggled under the covers.
Barely thinking about it, he leaned over and kissed her forehead. Then he grabbed clean jeans and a shirt to yank on before heading into the living room, where he built a roaring fire.
The flames crackled, and he straightened, his muscles tensing. Had there been a way to finish off Titans of Fire without putting Victoria through the ordeal of watching it? Or had he, perhaps, wanted to let her see the real him?
If they mated, and he was truly considering the possibility, then she needed to know him. Him.
He examined the situation from several angles and couldn’t find another way he could’ve handled the evening. Pyro had held a gun to the woman’s neck. Speed had been of paramount importance.
Closing his eyes, he calmed his body and then his mind. Control was his.
He made coffee and took a steaming mug over to the table, spreading out all the documents he’d taken from the motorcycle club. If there were any pertaining to him or his brothers or even Dublin, he needed to destroy them before sending the rest on to Alexandra’s partner at the police station. Bernie Phillips was a smart guy, and it wouldn’t do to give him any threads to pull.
Several future plans caught Adam’s eye, including one that involved Pyro kidnapping a bunch of kids from the local elementary school for ransom. His stomach rolled. Adam had already known that at least one of the assholes was a pedophile. Good thing he’d taken them out.
The door opened, and Victoria walked out, her feet bare and her damp hair curling crazily around her shoulders. The paleness of her face only emphasized the cuts and bruises.
Just seeing one scratch on her fragile face made him want to kill again.
She reached him and flopped into his lap.
He stiffened, surprised, and then slid both arms around her. “I told you to go to sleep,” he murmured, feeling the hard-won control over himself spin away into nothingness.
She set her cheek against his chest with a soft sigh. “I wanted to check on you.”
He inhaled the fresh scent of her hair and allowed himself to settle. Finally. “I’m still here. Not leaving for a while.”
“That’s not what I meant.” She played with a loose string on his collar. “Are you all right? I mean, after what you had to do.”
He frowned. It took him a minute to catch her meaning. “At Fire?”
“Yeah,” she said softly. “Taking those guys out and then blowing the place up. That has to weigh on you. I wanted to make sure you were coping okay.”
He closed his eyes, holding her tighter. Everything in him warmed, spiraling out from his chest. When was the last time anybody had been concerned about his feelings? His soul? “Ah, baby. You’re a sweetheart.” He kissed her forehead. “Pyro was a criminal selling drugs to kids. Tinker was a creep who liked little girls, and he was dead the second I discovered that. And Jamm was a twice-convicted rapist, and no way had he reformed.” All three had needed to be wiped from the earth.
She nodded against his chest. “I understand. They were bad guys, and they kidnapped me. I get it.” She leaned back to study his eyes, hers a luminous blue that nature could never duplicate. “But are you okay with it, anyway?”
He swallowed, wanting nothing more than to hold her like that forever. “Aye,” he murmured. His life was black and white, cut and dried, and he’d never searched for flowery words. Offering comfort was foreign to him, yet it was in her very nature. So he just went with the truth. “Part of my job is to get difficult things done. But I am truly sorry, more than you can know, that you had to see me doing it.” If there had been any way to protect her, he would’ve done it. Without question.
She cleared her throat. “I know, Adam.” Leaning in, she pressed a comforting kiss on his neck. “I was thinking about, well, the bodies.” She stiffened.
He rubbed her back. “Don’t think about it. Just let it go.”
“No.” She frowned and shook her head. “I mean, bones don’t burn completely. There will be three bodies found, and there will be bullet holes in them. You’re a known Fire member. We should probably get out of town.”
Ah, the sweet woman. She truly was worried about him, and it was impressive how her mind worked despite the shock she’d had. He couldn’t help but lean in and press a kiss against her full lips. “I used more than regular fire.”
“Oh.” Her face brightened. “Hotter than regular?”
“As hot as an incinerator,” he confirmed. If this wasn’t the oddest conversation he’d ever had with a woman he’d slept with, he wasn’t sure what had been. “Stop worrying about the logistics and my getting caught. I know what I’m doing.” He nearly winced as he said the words. “Though I’m not usually a killer. I’ve killed, but only when necessary.” He didn’t want her thinking he was some sort of serial killer.
A slight smile hovered on her lips. “I know. Don’t worry about that.” Then she sobered. “Wait a minute. I thought it was too dangerous for you to use your powers.”
He held her tighter. “I barely upped the heat for the fire. Unless somebody was in the immediate vicinity, I should be all right.” Yet he couldn’t do it again. His powers were significant, and if another witch had been in the area, he would’ve been felt. Without question.
She fingered his wet hair, and her eyelids fluttered. “Would you come back to bed with me? Just to sleep?”
The moment caught him around the throat and clenched. He had no doubt Victoria Monzelle had never trusted a man enough to ask for comfort and shelter. His heart warmed and turned over as he stood. “Of course, darlin’.”