Sara glanced back several times to make sure Saxton was still following her. He might change his mind and go back and kill Carter after all. They reached the top of the stairs and she bolted to the room they’d been held in. She flung open the door and saw Ian huddled in the corner, looking afraid.
The moment he saw her, Ian jumped to his feet and ran to her, throwing his arms around her legs. “Are we safe now?”
“Almost,” Saxton said. “We still have to get out of here alive, without any of the Cruel Crows coming after us.”
“Let’s move then,” Sara said.
They turned to leave the room, but a large figure stood in their way. “Not so fast.”
Sara didn’t recognize the man. She didn’t know if Saxton knew him or not. But he didn’t waste any time on introductions. Saxton’s fist connected with the man’s jaw.
The man took a step back, which was a mistake because it gave Saxton enough room to lift his leg and kick the guy square in the knee. The man crumbled to the ground, holding his leg.
Saxton turned to Sara. “This way.”
They ran to the back of the building, away from the front where the majority of the windows were. It grew darker, but hopefully that would help hide them.
Footsteps thundered in the distance, growing louder by the second. Sara glanced over her shoulder and saw a group of three men advancing on them. “Saxton!”
He turned, too, and saw them. “Keep running. Get Ian out.”
Sara ran and kept looking behind her to make sure Saxton was okay. He charged at the men, his gun held in front of him, aimed at them. They had guns pointed back at him. When the first gun shot rang out, she flinched and turned to see who had been hit, fearing the worst.
But when she looked, more men were there. Another five or six men, all wearing leather jackets, came from the other side of the building. Saxton joined them and several more shots rang out. One of Saxton’s guys fell to the ground. Then, one by one, in quick succession, the three men who must have been Cruel Crows, all dropped.
She hoped they weren’t all dead. She’d never wanted anyone to be killed, even if they were all evil and were part of this gang. Maybe they’d only shot them in the legs to keep them from chasing after them. She chose to believe that as her and Ian reached the door.
Saxton and the group of Jagged Souls were now the only ones running toward them. Sara stopped to wait. When Saxton reached her, he threw his arm over her shoulder and they all charged through the door.
“Wait here,” Saxton said. He ducked into the shadows and then she heard his bike start. A moment later, Saxton rode out and stopped in front of her. “I’ll have Crasher take Ian and I’ll take you.”
Sara exchanged glances with Ian. She didn’t want to be separated from him, not after all that had happened, but what choice did she have? There was no car and all the Jagged Souls were hopping on bikes.
She grabbed him into a tight hug, then met Crasher’s gaze. “You’ll be extra careful with him?”
“Absolutely.” Crasher nodded and handed a helmet to Ian.
Ian stuck the helmet on his head and it was far too big. It was probably Crasher’s helmet. Crasher made some adjustments, but Saxton pulled on Sara’s hand before she could finish watching. She slid into place behind Saxton, looked back to see Ian being helped onto the bike by Crasher, and felt a little relieved that Ian had some sort of protection in the helmet.
Her and Saxton drove off, a chorus of bike motors behind them. Just before they turned the corner, a group of men crashed out of the building. Sara couldn’t be sure from this distance, but she thought she saw Carter, clutching his side and half bent over. The men fired a few shots at them, but they were too far away and moving too fast.
When they turned onto a more populated road, Sara felt much safer. It started to sink in that they were going to be okay. Saxton had come and rescued them. Carter was still alive. Saxton was still alive and wouldn’t go to prison for life. And they were going to be okay. At least for now.
Sara squeezed Saxton’s waist tighter and wondered what would happen now. Would Carter come after them again? Would he try to kill Saxton again? Maybe he wouldn’t stop until Saxton was dead. Maybe the nightmare was just beginning and this was their one shot to get away safely. Maybe next time, they wouldn’t be so lucky. She wondered, too, about the Jagged Soul that had gone down. Did they get him out or leave him to the Crows?
She’d gone from being relieved to complete panic over it all happening again. Maybe they could all leave. Run away some place far, some place Carter couldn’t find them. Would Saxton be able to leave his MC though? Or were they stuck here in Chicago forever, doomed to be chased until someone was dead? Maybe leaving Carter alive had been a mistake.
They pulled into Saxton’s driveway and Crasher and Ian pulled in right behind them. Sara ran over and pulled Ian off the bike, hugging him tightly.
“Thanks, man,” Saxton said.
Crasher nodded. “Sure thing.”
They stood in the driveway and watched Crasher drive away.
“Let’s get inside,” Saxton said. “We need to sleep.”
Sara took Ian’s hand and they followed Saxton in the house. She didn’t think she could sleep, though. Not when there were so many unanswered questions. So many things to worry about, and her heart still hadn’t slowed from the chase.
“Need anything?” Saxton asked Ian.
“Water?”
Saxton poured water into a cup and handed it to him. Ian drank it down, then set the cup on the counter.
“You need to get to bed,” Sara said.
As if on cue, Ian yawned and rubbed his eyes. “Okay.”
They went upstairs together, but Saxton went into his room to let Sara get Ian to bed. He climbed right in and she bent over to hug him.
“We’re safe now,” she said.
He nodded. “And all the bad men are gone?”
“They are.” Though as she said it, she wondered herself. Were they coming? They’d lost them many streets ago, but didn’t the Crows have some idea by now where Saxton lived?
“I’m glad Saxton came to save us,” Ian said.
“Me too.”
“I like him.” He yawned again.
“Me too.”
Sara kissed his forehead, then closed the door softly behind her. She took a deep breath before entering Saxton’s room. They had a lot to discuss.
She knocked and waited.
“Come in,” he said.
He was standing by the bed in just knit pants. Why did he have to be shirtless? Just looking at him made her warm all over. Every one of his muscles was visible, tight and hard in the low light of the room.
“Are you okay?” she asked. “You’re not hurt or anything?”
He shook his head. “You?”
“I’m okay.” She took Carter’s knife, the one she had used to attack him, from her pocket. “Do you want this? It was yours, so I thought…”
He picked it up and turned it over in his hand. “Funny. For so long, I imagined killing Liam’s killer with this knife. And I wasn’t even the one who got to use it on him.”
“I’m sorry. I’m sorry for everything.”
He raised an eyebrow at her. Then he walked over to the dresser and set the knife on top.
“I don’t know why I threatened you like that,” she continued. “I wouldn’t have turned you in. I just didn’t want anything to happen to you, and I thought if you killed Carter, maybe you’d end up in jail or something. Or they’d come after you. I didn’t want either of those things to happen.”
“So, you threatened me to protect me?”
“I guess?”
A hint of a smile played around his lips. “How sweet.”
She let out an exasperated sigh. “You’re the only one who’s allowed to do the protecting?”
His smile faded. “I didn’t do a very good job of that, did I? I should have been there to save you and Ian.”
“You did save us.”
“No.” He shook his head. “I should’ve been there to keep you from getting taken in the first place.”
“The only reason you weren’t is because I ran away like an idiot. I shouldn’t have left like that.”
“That doesn’t mean I had to let you leave. I could’ve followed you to make sure you were safe.”
“Still. You got us out of there safely.”
He nodded slowly. “Barely.”
“Thank you for not killing Carter.”
Saxton let out a slow breath. “I’m not sure why I didn’t. I’ve wanted to avenge Liam’s death for so long.”
“You didn’t because I asked you not to. And that means a lot to me.”
“Yeah? I think it means I’m crazy.”
“Maybe. But then, does that mean you’re crazy for me?”
He looked at her for a long while, then took several slow steps closer to her. He took her hands in his.
“Yes. I am crazy for you. I… love you.”
Sara let out a small gasp. “You do?”
“I didn’t think it would ever happen. I thought I could avoid this whole love thing, but I guess I was wrong. I never thought I wanted a relationship like this. After everything that happened, I don’t want to be without you.”
She leaned her forehead on his shoulder, the heat radiating off of him. “I love you, too.”
He wrapped his arms around her. “I’m sorry I wasn’t there to protect you and Ian.”
“I’m sorry I ever doubted you and threatened you.”
He put his finger under her chin to lift her face to his, then he leaned forward and pressed his lips against hers. Their kissing grew more intense and her desire for him flared red hot in her chest.
He picked her up and set her on the edge of the bed. He kissed along her neck and back up to her lips, then pulled her shirt over her head. Chills ran through her when he unhooked her bra and ran his thumb over her nipples. She ran her fingers through his hair, tugging gently as he took her breast into his mouth.
She leaned back onto the bed so that he could pull her pants down. Then he pushed her legs aside and flicked his tongue over her clit. She moaned as he slipped a finger inside her and continued to suck her.
“I want you,” she said.
He groaned in response and stood up. Sara bit her lip and sat up as he pushed his pants to the ground. His erection stood out, long and stiff. She stroked him for a moment, until he grabbed her legs and wrapped them around his waist. He pushed into her and pulled her closer.
The sensation of him filling her made her dizzy with pleasure. She cried out and dug her nails into his back as he moved in and out of her. She squeezed him with her legs, trying to pull him in deeper.
He let out a moan and thrust in harder. He sped up and the faster he went, the closer she got to orgasm. She reached down to grab his ass, pulling him into her. The feeling flooded over her as he pushed in harder and she cried out as she came. He made several deep thrusts, then cried out himself as he came.
She wrapped her arms around his shoulders, panting and slick with sweat. He squeezed back.
“You feel so good,” he said.
“So do you.” She kissed him again and flopped backward onto the bed.
Saxton climbed onto the bed beside her and she curled into him. She rested her head on his shoulder and enjoyed the warm afterglow flooding her body. But as it faded, the thoughts crept back into her mind.
“Are we safe?” she asked.
“Of course. Nothing will happen to you when you’re with me.”
“I mean, are they going to come after us again? What if Carter doesn’t stop?”
Saxton let out a long breath. “That’s part of the reason I wanted to kill him. To make sure he wouldn’t come after us again.”
“You don’t think injuring him like that is enough?”
“Maybe. But he’ll heal eventually. Then he’ll be even more pissed and want to kill me that much more.”
“What do we do?” she asked.
“Carry a gun and pay attention. Watch for anyone coming and get them before they get us.”
“So, we watch over our shoulders forever, just waiting to be attacked again? I can’t live like that.”
“What do you want me to do?” he asked. “The only way to stop him for sure is to take him out for good, but you didn’t want that.”
“No, and I still don’t. But there has to be something we can do.”
“Like what?”
“I don’t know.” She stared at the ceiling for a long moment. “Do you have any evidence?”
“Of what?”
“That Carter killed Liam?”
“The knife and the fact that he confessed. But the knife has our fingerprints on it, too.”
“It belonged to him, though, and I can vouch for that,” she said. “I heard him confess, too.”
“So, you’re saying what, exactly?”
“We go to the police. Get him arrested. That way he’s off the streets, but you stay out of jail.”
“I don’t think it’ll be enough,” he said.
“We can try, can’t we? If it’s not enough then we’re no worse off.”
“Except that then they’ll know that we went to the police.”
“We’ll go anonymously. If there’s enough evidence and they need us, then we’ll deal with that then.”
“You really want me to go narc on someone?” he asked.
“Narc? So, the Cruel Crows are your friends now and not your enemies? They should just be allowed to kill whoever they want and kidnap whoever they want and get away with it?”
“No…”
“Well if you see it as narcing, then that’s what you’re saying. You’re saying it’s more important to let them get away with all this than it is for you to not be someone who runs to the police, because of what, some stupid criminal code? You think they’d do the same for you?”
“Probably not.”
“Then what’s the problem?”
He didn’t answer for a long while. Then, finally, he said, “I don’t want to lose the respect of my MC.”
“And by avenging Liam’s death, you would lose their respect?”
“That’s just not how we do things.”
“Right, no, you just kill people. Forget the law and its whole purpose. Just kill someone because two wrongs make a right. When will it stop? Carter killed Liam, so you kill Carter to get revenge. Then the Cruel Crows kill you to get revenge. Then, what, your guys kill the Crow who killed you? And it just keeps going until everyone’s dead on both sides? You’re right. That sounds like a much better choice than losing a little respect.”
He glared down at her. “Don’t act like you know how it works. You know nothing about my world.”
“Explain it then, because you’re right. I sure don’t get it at all.”
“There is a kind of code. It’s not a criminal code or whatever you called it. It’s more like an unspoken thing. There’s us and there’s them. The cops are the ‘them’ and anyone the cops come after is the ‘us.’ That’s the way it’s always been. And usually when there’s a murder, it’s an eye for an eye. If a member of one gang kills another, it’s expected that the murderer will be taken out. It usually stops there. If it doesn’t, then you have a gang war. That’s how they get started most times. Then, yeah, they just keep killing each other. But this isn’t two gangs. It’s a gang and an MC. Big difference. Our main goal isn’t violence. Theirs is.”
“Still doesn’t make any sense. It’s okay to kill someone, but not send them to jail. Sending someone to jail is the nicer thing to do.”
“We don’t do nice.”
“Well, maybe it’s time you start.”
“Right…” he said. “Meet the Jagged Souls, the nicest motorcycle club in town. That’ll go over big.”
“They don’t have to all be nice. You’re doing the bigger thing. The more noble thing.”
“By letting a murderer walk free.”
“No, that’s exactly the point,” she said. “You’re not letting him walk free, but you’re not stooping to his level, either.”
He shook his head and squeezed her tighter. “You’ll be the death of me, woman.”
“No, the death of you is precisely what I’m trying to avoid.”
“But the fact that I’m actually considering it means the end of me.”
“Or maybe it’s just the start of something new. A new age where killing isn’t the best answer.”
“Look at you trying to change the world.”
“One biker at a time.” She nuzzled her head into him, taking in his scent of faint body wash mixed with sweat. She could smell him all night long. “Maybe there’s a way I could help convince you.” She reached her hand down and took hold of his cock.
He groaned and began to stiffen at her touch. “It’s certainly a start. Let’s see if it works.”