Skull thought we should give Dragon’s crew a heads up about the Donahue Brothers, so for the past hour we’ve been talking with the Savage Brothers. I barely make it out of the plant’s door before Latch’s old truck comes zooming up the parking lot. Only one thing would make him drive that way. My heart stalls.

“Son of a bitch, Sabre. I told the damn woman to sit still. I was only gone for thirty minutes,” he starts.

“Where is Annie?”

“I don’t know, man. I got back to the house and she was gone. I had to take Lucy for her dance practice. It was thirty minutes, tops!”

“Was there signs of a struggle? Any idea who might have gotten her?” I ask, trying to fight through the panic. If anything were to happen to Annie…

“I don’t think anyone did, her car’s gone. I think she left to meet that fucking uncle. He called and she seemed real upset. I tried to call you but cell signal is shit out here. Then Lucy had practice. Fucking hell, I’m sure she went to meet him.”

“Where at?” I ask already getting on my bike.

“That’s just it, I don’t know.”

I holler at the rest of the club which are standing to the side talking to Dragon and Dancer, “Torch! My woman’s in trouble. Check the GPS coordinates on that tracker you put in her car and call me. Like yesterday.”

“On it!” He calls, already on his bike. The sound of pipes echoes in the air, as my brothers jump on their rides. I’m already on the road, though. Torch will call as soon as signal pops in so he can get the coordinates from his cell. I’ve got to keep my shit together long enough to save my woman. I don’t know what the uncle has planned, but after hearing Annie tell me what her motherfucking father did to her before she fled to Kentucky, I figure it’s not good.

It’s about ten minutes, the single most torture-filled ten minutes I’ve ever endured before Torch finally calls me. I get the directions, push down the throttle, and pray nothing has happened to her.

* * *

I barely let my bike come to a stop before I’m off of it. I’m running to the damn door and not giving one fuck about my back. I’ve got my club with me that can watch it, but I can deal with these miserable fucks on my own. I’ll make them regret the day they were ever born.

What greets my eyes when I open the door is the last thing I expected. It will be something I tell my grandkids about, and I do plan on having grandkids. In fact, just seeing my woman right now makes me long to have children with her. Children that will be strong, sassy, and beautiful, just like their momma.

Annie is standing over her father screaming at him. I know it’s him from the things she’s yelling. He’s unconscious, his eyes are swollen, red and wet. She’s also hog-tied him with duct tape. She’s giving him down the road and telling him what a sad fuck he truly is. Though not said in those words, the message is still there. The uncle isn’t unconscious, but his eyes are also red, swollen and he’s crying profusely. He’s also been hog-tied.

“Annie, what the hell?” I ask flabbergasted that somehow my woman managed to stop two grown men from hurting her. I’m glad and I’m proud as hell. I’m just not sure I understand it all.

“I…Sabre?” She questions, stopping mid-tirade to answer me.

“What’s going on here? How did you do this?”

“I’m not stupid, Sabre. I didn’t show up here without my stun gun and mace. How did you find out where I was?”

“I never called you stupid, woman, but I’m starting to think I need to sleep with one eye open,” I joke, my heart definitely feeling lighter now that I know she’s okay.

“Very funny, Sabre.”

“I try, now would you mind telling me what these two assholes were trying to do to you?” I ask, even though I have a good idea what.

“They seem to think I’m riddled with demons because I like sex with the man I love,” She grumbles and uses the stun gun on her already unconscious father again.

My lips stretch into the biggest smile I believe I’ve ever had, even as I take the weapon from her hand. She looks up at me and it’s then I see the tears in her eyes.

“I think I hate him,” she whispers with tears in her eyes.

“I know baby, I know. I need you to go home with Latch while I see to a few things.”

“I want you to take me home,” she answers, the tears are trying to escape but she’s doing her best to keep them contained.

“I’ll be there baby, I just want to take out the trash.”

“What are you going to do?”

“Show them what a real demon looks like.”

“You won’t kill them?” She asks and I study her face.

“You would care?”

“I hate them, and I know you said, sometimes, in your job you have to see to things I probably wouldn’t like. But, if you kill them…I don’t want you to even risk jail for the likes of them. They’re not worth it. Plus…I know it sounds stupid, but he is my father.”

“Then I won’t kill them. I’ll tell them an angel begged her demon for their lives. Now kiss me, woman.”

“I love you, Sabre.”

“Show me,” I urge her and she gives me her lips. I’ve never been more proud of a woman in my life. She amazes me. I’m still going to tan her hide for risking her life, that’s a given. We break apart slowly. The best thing I’ve ever done in my life is claim this woman.

“I’m going to tan your hide for scaring me, Annie.”

She smiles through her tears and leans up on her tip toes to whisper next to my ear, “Well, at least something good came out of this then.”

I laugh. I’m still mad at the fuckers who dared try to hurt my woman, but I laugh.

“Get your ass home, woman.”

“Yes, Sabre.”

“Practice those words, you’ll need to know them tonight,” I order her as she walks off, partly because everyone is listening.

She stops at the door, holds her head down for a second, and then shocks the hell out of me.

“I’ll do my best to remember them, as long as the cookie monster comes out to play.”

Every single brother in there starts laughing. Fuck me. After I get over the shock, I laugh, too. I laugh hard. Annie doesn’t know it, but I honestly wasn’t sure I could keep from killing her fucker of a father. She just saved his life. Still, Keys and Shaft will have to drag him and his sorry ass brother back to Illinois because they won’t be walking for a little while. They’ll also have a message to deliver to Annie’s mom, personally. I watch as Latch and Annie leave the room and then turn to the boys. I look at Skull and he gives me the all good sign and nods his head in agreement. He knows where I’m coming from—no words are needed.

“Torch, you’re in charge,” I growl, taking off my cut and rolling up my sleeves.”

“Of what?”

“Making sure I keep my promise to Annie and don’t kill these weasels,” I growl and grab her sorry uncle first. Hopefully, by the time I finish with him, her lousy excuse for a father will have come to.

“Don’t we get to join, man? We all like Peaches,” Shaft asks.

“No way. These motherfuckers are all mine,” I tell him as I take off my belt. I think I’m going to start with a little eye for an eye. I’ll just make sure their scars are much bigger than the ones Annie carries.