CHAPTER 13

Mac

The sun still hadn’t risen when we pulled into the Charon’s compound. I glanced down at Zara again, watching her chest rise and fall with even breaths. Donna had been certain nothing was broken, but that didn’t mean Zara wasn’t going to be hurting for a while. Her wrists had white bandages around them and her face was shiny from the ointment they’d been continually applying to her jaw and mouth. Donna had also put in a drip to make sure she was fully hydrated, and given her some pain meds to keep her sleeping peacefully for another few hours. When we came to a stop, I carefully untangled my hand from Zara’s and moved to open the door. Rolling my shoulders, I stretched out my neck and spine while I watched the bikes and the other vehicles roll in around us.

When Maverick pulled a cuffed Sledge from the rear of another vehicle, I clenched my fists. That fucker was gonna be all mine to deal with.

“What the—”

I glanced to Donna who stood beside me, with her palm cupped over her mouth. Her face had drained of color and she suddenly looked seconds away from passing out. Before I could ask her what was wrong, Sledge started laughing. Crazy bastard.

“Hey, Jenny baby, how’s that daughter of ours doing? You didn’t think I’d ever find out about her, huh?”

Dead fucking silence.

The entire yard seemed to freeze in shock, myself included, before Donna snapped.

“You fucking bastard! It was you who got to her, wasn’t it? It was you who took my girl from me!”

“She came to me, darlin’. Not my fault she preferred her real daddy—”

She flew across the yard and delivered a harsh slap across his face. And when the fucker laughed, she followed it up with a kick to his groin before any of us knew what was coming. Whoa. Sledge went down with a groan, Maverick did nothing to stop the bastard from falling in a heap. Nor did he do a thing to stop her from getting a few more kicks in. I couldn’t remember ever hearing that woman swear before, let alone drop an F bomb. This violent streak was new, too.

Keys ran to his old lady and pulled her back from Sledge before he scooped her up against him. She wrapped herself around his neck as she started sobbing. No one moved until the door shut behind them.

“Well, I guess that answers the question of who Em’s biological father was. Along with why Donna ended up in Bridgewater. I swear we need to start having a fucking sit-down with every fucking woman that enters this damn town to get to the bottom of why the fuck they’re here. Way too many fucking secrets.” Scout continued to grumble and complain as he strolled toward the front door. “Maverick, bring that piece of shit downstairs, along with the other two. Mac, get your woman settled, then come find me. I’ll be in the bar. Need a good strong fucking drink after all this shit.”

Scout’s rant seemed to break the ice and everyone started talking and moving around the yard. I leaned back in the van to gather Zara in my arms. Rose helped settle a sheet around her so she was covered. Fuck, it felt good to have her warm, soft body against me. Even if she did look like a hot mess.

“I’ll carry her drip and get it sorted up in your room, then I’ll leave you to it. Are you fine to take it out when the bag’s empty?”

“Thanks, Rose. I’ve got it covered. Listen, I can get her settled on my own, if you want to go help with Donna.”

The older woman leaned in and gave me a peck on the cheek. “You’re a good man, Mac. Take care of your girl.”

With that, Rose set the drip bag on Zara before heading after Donna and Keys. Minutes later, I laid my woman out on my bed, and hung the bag on edge of the lamp next to the bed. Once I was certain it was all working correctly, I laid down beside Zara and gently ran my hand over her face, avoiding the bruises.

“I’m so fucking sorry, bunny.”

Knowing Scout was waiting on me and that Zara wouldn’t be waking up for at least another couple of hours, I pressed a kiss to her forehead before I forced myself to get up and leave the room. I found Silk pacing the hallway.

“How is she?”

“Sleeping. She’s pretty banged up, but nothing that won’t heal. You want to sit with her? I gotta go see Scout before I can call it a night.”

When Silk nodded, I unlocked my door to let her in, instantly feeling better that I wasn’t leaving Zara alone. I’d hate for her to have woken early and found herself all alone.

“Thanks, Silk.”

She winced as she looked Zara over. “I feel so fucking guilty. I should have—”

“Stop, Silk. This isn’t on you. You were sick. It’s not your fault and we all assumed Zara was safe here in the clubhouse. No way could any of us have known Sledge and gotten to Em somehow.”

“Didn’t see that one coming.”

“Don’t think any of us did. Okay, I gotta get moving. I’ll be back as soon as I can.”

She shooed me out of the room. “Go, do your thing. I’ve got her covered.”

I jogged down to the bar, wanting to get this shit over with fast so I could get back to my woman. Grabbing a beer from the prospect manning the bar, I went to Scout, who was sitting at one of the tables with Bulldog, Maverick and another Cowboy whose name I couldn’t remember.

“Where is the fucker?”

Scout raised an eyebrow. “Show some respect, brother. Sledge is down in the basement. He’s not going anywhere. Donna got a few good licks in but there’s still plenty life left in him for you to beat out of him. Although, I suspect Keys is gonna want a fucking go at him with you. Before either of you kill him, might want to see what information he can give us about Em.”

I scrubbed a palm over my head before I took a seat beside the two presidents. “Sorry, no disrespect intended. It’s been a helluva long night.”

“And as the sun’s not yet up, it ain’t fucking over.”

I nodded at Bulldog’s words. “So, what’s gonna happen with Iron Hammers now?”

Maverick leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table. “We’re going to give Joaquin and his boys a go at running things. If the club folds, another will take its place. Viper would prefer it happen this way, where we’ve got some control over them. I’ve seen the Iron Wolves’ setup in South Dakota. They run a good, clean club, not dissimilar to you boys here.

“They focus on mechanics and tricking out custom vehicles for their income. Well, that and their bar. I think a similar system would work well down in Galveston, once they get shit sorted with those women. But there’ll be none of that kidnapping and drugging shit that Sledge and his boys were pulling.”

I took in Maverick for a minute. The Satan’s Cowboys were a one-percenter club, so I hadn’t been one hundred percent sure they were going to disagree with how the Iron Hammers had dealt with the girls. “So where do the Cowboys draw the line in the sand on this shit? It’s not unheard of that one-percenter clubs to trade in skin.”

Maverick stiffened and growled at me. “The line is consent and being fucking over the legal age. I got daughters, and I wouldn’t stand for that shit happening to them. Sure as hell don’t want to see it happen to someone else’s baby girl, either.”

I lifted my palms. “Don’t get pissed off with me, I was just wanting things clear and in the open.” I took a swig of my beer as Maverick and the other Cowboy leaned back in the seats, calming down. “Speaking of out in the open—what the fuck is the deal with the Iron Wolves and that chick, Jenna, was it?”

Maverick shook his head. “Don’t ask, man. I’ve got no concrete answers for you. They sure as shit ain’t fully human. I’ve heard stories about Kellen that were enough to have even me watching myself around the man. I’d recommend not pissing him off. The best way to deal with the Wolves is to take a policy of live and let live. And be fucking grateful to have them on your side if you get in a bind. From what I can tell, Joaquin and his boys are of the same breed, so you’d best get used to them being a little different.”

I took another long drink of my beer. “They’re certainly different that’s for sure. What about clean-up down in Galveston? What was the body count in the end?”

“Before Kellen left, he said Jenna would handle the bodies. Not sure on a final number yet, but I’d guess somewhere around twenty. A fair few of them surrendered to us. Bastards seemed relieved when we took down Sledge and dragged his ass out. I’ll head back down there later today, after we take the scum downstairs back home, and help Joaquin sort out who’s staying and who’s going. Nothing the Charons need to get involved in at this point.”

Guess the Cowboys were taking the other two Iron Hammers that had been brought in with Sledge. I didn’t give a fuck, so long as they left Sledge for me. I gave Maverick a nod before I drained the last of my beer. “Well, if we don’t need to go back down south and are going to leave dealing with Sledge until later, do you mind if I get back upstairs?”

Scout chuckled. “Yeah, go take care of your woman. We’ve got more than just their president downstairs. We’ll keep Sledge for you and Keys. But if the boys need something to hit, I’ll let them have a go at one of the others, well, at least until Maverick takes them with him that is.”

I half wanted to ask how many Iron Hammers had fucking been brought back. But my need to check in with Zara was stronger. I stood, said a quick goodbye and headed upstairs. I knew I wouldn’t be inside her any time soon. I didn’t deserve the right after I’d not kept her safe. That, and she was too injured. She’d need time to heal. But it didn’t matter. If I could just have her in my arms, be close enough to hear her heartbeat, to see her chest rise and fall with her breaths—to fucking know she was alive and safe—that would be enough.

Zara

I frowned at the feel of the soft mattress beneath me. The fact that something was over my naked body keeping me warm had my mind spinning too. Was this another dream? I’d had some fucked-up dreams during the night. Angry men with eyes that flashed a bright blue, Mac coming for me, carrying me away and telling me he loved me. I had no idea what was real and what wasn’t.

My thoughts were so jumbled and I was so fucking tired.

I needed to take my meds.

“Wake up, bunny.”

I froze and held my breath, praying I was really awake and not dreaming. Callused fingers gently traced over my face.

“C’mon, Zara, open those pretty hazel eyes for me. See for yourself, you’re safe.”

“Mac?”

Wanting him to be real, I forced my eyes to open. I had to blink a few times before they’d open enough for me to focus on the beautiful face frowning down at me.

“You’re real.”

I lifted my palm to cup his cheek, and the scratching of his stubble over my palm was another sign this wasn’t a dream. He turned to press a kiss against my skin. So very, definitely, real. The stark white bandage on my wrist caught my attention and I pulled my hand from his face. Memories of the night before were mixed up with the dreams, but as I ran my gaze over both my wrists the memory of them snapping cuffs on me became crystal clear, making me whimper.

“Your wrists were cut up. Donna cleaned them up and bandaged them. She doesn’t think the cuts were deep enough to scar.”

I flexed my fingers and rolled my wrists, happy to discover I had full movement. “They didn’t like me fighting them, so they cuffed me to the bed.” I ran my tongue over my lips, wincing at the sting.

“You want a drink? Your meds?”

I nodded absently as I ran my tongue over the insides of my cheeks. There were small rough patches where the hooks had been. Damn the bastards. Mac helped me sit up, making sure I had enough pillows behind me. He was being painfully gentle with me and I had to wonder if he would still want me like he had before. He was such a strong, powerful man. And his passion was rough. I liked him that way. A lot.

He leaned over me, his scent distracting. Fresh, clean and all man. My favorite smell in the world. I tried to smile, stopping when my lips hurt.

“Here’s your meds from your handbag, and some painkillers Donna left for you. She told me these ones wouldn’t knock you out, but would just take the edge off.”

I quickly took the pills and the glass of water Mac held out, and made fast work of swallowing them. Then I leaned back against the pillows and stared at Mac as he returned everything to the bedside table. He came back with a tube of something in his hand.

“No idea what the fuck they did to your mouth, but your lips are messed up. We’ve been putting this ointment on every couple hours. It seems to be working. Your mouth is looking a lot better than it was.”

I lifted my palm to his face again. He was so sweet, and clearly out of his comfort zone. He was speaking faster, and saying more than he would normally.

“Thank you.”

His expression softened as he covered my hand with his, holding it to him for a few seconds before he released me.

“How can you thank me? If it wasn’t for me, you wouldn’t have been here, wouldn’t have been taken.”

My heart softened. Seemed my big, tough biker had been busy beating himself up.

“Don’t be stupid, Mac. They would have snatched me from wherever I was when they found me. I’m not sure how they knew I was here since I hadn’t met Em until last night, but she already knew exactly who I was.”

He winced but didn’t say another word until he’d carefully applied ointment to my lips and the skin around them.

“What happened when you were taken?”

With a sigh, I stared up at the ceiling. “I was helping Silk set up the tables in the backyard. I guess she pushed it too far and she raced off to the bathroom, looking a little green. I was walking back to the kitchen to join the other women when Em came to me in the hall and asked if I would help her get something from her mom’s car. I stopped at the bathroom quickly to check on Silk, then followed her outside. I knew something was wrong when I realized there were no prospects guarding the door. I tried to come back inside but was grabbed from behind. When I went to scream, Em slapped her hand over my mouth, bitched me out, then a needle was jammed in my neck and I was out.”

Hot tears ran down my cheeks as I thought about where I’d woken up. I hoped like hell Mac didn’t ask about it. I realized it was a stupid hope. If Mac didn’t ask, I knew Scout would. He seemed to want to know all the details about everything.

“What’ll happen to Em?”

I had no idea how a MC would deal with such a betrayal. She’s the daughter of a brother after all. I probably didn’t want to know, especially going by the look on Mac’s face, but I needed to know what had happened to the woman who’d handed me over so willingly.

“When we went looking for you, we first found the bodies of the two prospects that had been guarding the front door. You were taken out through a hole in the fence behind the work shed. We found Em with her neck broken, near the fence.”

“Oh, fuck. Keys and Donna must be devastated. Wait, you said Donna was the one who patched me up?”

“Yeah, she refused to be left behind. Not sure what she was thinking, but as a trained nurse, we couldn’t turn her down.”

“Do they know she was the one to hand me over?”

“No, bunny. We didn’t know if she handed you over or tried to help save you from being taken. We feared she was behind it, especially after Silk told us she took you out there but we all hoped she wasn’t. I’m sure Scout’ll want to talk to you when you’re feeling up to it.” He gaze turned intense. “I hate that you were hurt. That I broke my promise and didn’t keep you safe.”

Now that my meds had kicked in, I was feeling more myself, with no lethargy, and my thoughts were clearer. I knew I had to cut through Mac’s misguided opinion this was his fault. I cupped his face between both my palms.

“Not. Your. Fault. You can’t watch me twenty-four/seven. Shit happens to everyone. You came and got me out of there. That’s what matters. Stop blaming yourself for shit you didn’t do.”

His eyes glossed over with moisture, shocking me. “You looked so fucking broken when I found you. I thought–fuck, for a second I thought I was too late. Again.”

I frowned as I held his gaze. “Again?”

He pulled from my grip and jumped up from the bed. He paced like a caged lion as my heart thundered in my chest. Something had happened in his past, something big that all this shit with me had triggered his memories.

“You can tell me anything, Mac. I’ll keep your secrets.”

He turned to face me, his stare burning with pain. “If I tell you this, bare my soul to you, will you return the gesture? Will you tell me everything those fucking bastards did to you last night? Because I know you don’t want me to know, to even ask. But if I do tell you what you’re asking of me, you’ll have knowledge of me that not even Taz and Eagle have. I’ve not spoken a word to anyone about it in nearly twenty years.”

I had a strong feeling whatever this secret was, it was the reason he’d joined the USMC in the first place. It was something huge, and life-altering, and I knew deep down I needed to know to understand this man fully. As much as I really didn’t want to have to rehash last night, I would. For Mac, I would do it. Our relationship was new, but he was already part of my heart and soul. I didn’t want to live without this man. So it looked like I was going to have to put my big girl panties on and be brave. Tell him everything I could remember from last night.

“Okay, then. You show me yours, I’ll show you mine.”