Chapter 10
Chapter Ten
H is Little girl disappeared into the blanket fort Kade and Faust had created for the Littles after dinner without a hint of hesitation. The giggles that ensued shortly after made him happier than Blade had been for many years. Sapphire had run back to dash through the beads to grab some elastic string and beads. It appeared that the Littles loved making bracelets.
After helping Gabriel clean the kitchen, Blade challenged Storm to a rematch at darts. “Come on, you can help me keep my targeting honed.”
“You’re a fucking beast throwing anything with a point,” Storm groused.
“Maybe you’ll win this time,” Blade suggested.
“Not a chance in hell, but I’ll see how close I can get,” Storm told him.
“I could play left-handed?”
“Fuck you. Like I want these guys to see you beat me that way too.” Storm looked at the bar. “Grab me a beer. I’m going to need fortification.”
After a fierce battle that drew onlookers, Blade shook Storm’s hand. “Thanks, brother. You’re a worthy opponent. Let me know if you want to try the left-hand thing for the next game.”
“Cocky bastard,” Storm growled good-naturedly. He realized he’d played well against the unequaled champion. “Buy me a drink.”
“You got it.”
“Daddy? Can we have some juice?” Brooke asked.
“That’s a lot of sugar before bed, Little girl. How about some water or milk?” Storm asked, ruffling her adorable curls.
“Chocolate milk?” Brooke asked, giving him a winning smile.
“You got it,” Storm agreed, holding out his hand for hers.
A flurry of activity at the entrance to the blanket fort drew the men’s attention. “She got it,” Carlee’s voice sounded inside. A cheer resounded under the muffling covers.
Blade shook his head, sure that the group had targeted the chocolaty beverage from the beginning. The Littles made their lives interesting.
Blade couldn’t keep the smile from his face the next morning. Last night had been an enormous success. Waking up this morning with Sapphire cuddled to his chest had started the day off with a bang. With Kinsley now back at her sitter’s, his Little’s need to get to the shop early had evaporated. Their lovemaking had put them both in an excellent mood.
Blade assembled a package of unsharpened weaponry that needed Sapphire’s jeweled embellishments. He’d make a trip to The Blue Door to see her. Finding Kade in the shop’s office, he leaned against the door.
“Hey. I’m taking a bunch of hilts to Sapphire for her to jewel. I’ll be back in a couple of hours,” he said to Kade.
“Don’t forget you have that appointment for a consultation at three,” Kade reminded him, pointing at the calendar on his wall.
“I’ll be back,” Blade assured him.
“Is she going to be here tonight?” Kade asked. “Remi likes her.”
“She’s pretty incredible. Yeah. They’re doing nails this evening. Sapphire’s promised to bling out their manicures.”
Kade rolled his eyes. “Get ready. We’re going to have a bunch of fingernails to ooh and ah over.”
“And you’ll love every minute,” Blade predicted.
“Damn, Blade. Would you carry your phone with you? It’s been going off every few seconds,” Faust complained.
Blade grabbed the device, noticing five missed calls from Sapphire. As if on cue, the ringer blared loudly. Quickly, he answered it. “Sapphire? What’s wrong?”
“He’s back. I locked the doors and called the cops, but he’s banging on the windows. I think he’s going to break in.”
“I’m on my way.” Blade held the phone to his rapidly thudding heart and said, “Anyone want to scare a thug straight?”
In seconds, a posse of Shadowridge Guardians were on the road to The Blue Door. Blade had switched the phone call to the headset wired into his helmet to continue talking to Sapphire. “Three minutes and I’ll be there. Where is he now?”
“He disappeared from the front. Wait. The security camera just picked him up at the back entrance.”
“Is it locked, Little girl?” He tried to keep his voice calm as he increased his speed. His gut twisted inside as he rushed to her side. The downtown traffic and lights limited his progress, increasing his frustration and worry.
“Yes. Always. Hurry, Blade. He’s banging on the door with something. Where are the police?”
“I’m coming, Blue Eyes. Go lock yourself in the bathroom,” he ordered as he raised one arm to point to the right. Steele and Faust peeled off from the group, understanding completely Blade’s request to split into the alternative route. He’d come in through the rear parking lot.
Finally, he turned into the industrial space behind the building where deliveries happened and the employees parked. Racing to The Blue Door’s back entrance, he saw the man trying to batter his way inside. He’d never parked his bike faster in his life. Jumping from the seat, he ran forward.
“Hey! Why don’t you pick on someone your own size?” he bellowed to distract the thug. In the distance, sirens blared, growing in volume. He’d have to work quickly to deal with this before the police arrived. The Shadowridge Guardians’ way of dealing with anyone who threatened one of theirs was much harsher than the authorities would be.
The man whirled with a tire iron hoisted above his head. Blade didn’t hesitate. He threw a knife from his vest toward the man’s hand holding the weapon as he swung. The blade pierced his wrist, and the metal rod clattered to the ground. Without reacting to the pain, the assailant wheeled around and snatched the tire iron in his other hand. He retreated to the left of the battered door.
Blade saw the Shadowridge Guardians move into place to back him up. “You’re not going to win this,” Blade admonished him as he readied another knife. This wouldn’t end well. One of the guys would have already started videotaping to prove Blade’s restraint.
Glaring at him, the man stood silent. Not moving. Not talking. Five feet separated him from the MC.
“Blade? Is it over?”
Sapphire’s voice attracted everyone’s attention. The man moved unbelievably fast to grab Sapphire’s arm and pull her out of the doorway. He held her in front of him like a shield, making Blade’s blood boil. His wild eyes focused on Blade. He gripped Sapphire’s arm in his injured hand. The injury weakened him, but whatever fueled the aggressor also allowed him to ignore the pain.
Readying the knife he’d pulled the moment the last one had left his grip, Blade yelled, “It’s over. Stop.”
A police car squealed to a halt, and an officer leapt into action. He shouted, “Drop your weapons” before calling for backup.
Blade nodded, unwilling to take his eyes off Sapphire. The MC members reluctantly eased back. “He’s got my girl. I’m not putting away my knife until she’s free.”
“Drop it,” the cop bellowed, dismissing Blade’s reasoning.
“Ow! You’re going to break my arm. Let me go!” Sapphire protested loudly.
“Sir, release the woman. Hurting her will not help you,” the police officer yelled to the assailant.
Sapphire’s yelp of pain ended Blade’s self-control. He launched the knife in his hand, hitting the man square in his left shoulder. The brute’s arm dropped like a rock, and the metal clattered as it struck the pavement. Sapphire twisted out of his hold and ran for Blade. He hugged her and placed her behind him, already rearmed.
The police officer walked closer to the two men. “Someone tell me what’s going on here.”
“He’s been lurking around. He tried to shoplift a bunch of things from my shop. Blade warned him never to come back. This time he’s violent. Look at my door,” Sapphire told him. Her voice was high and shaky.
Blade suspected she was on the edge of tears. “Wrap your arms around me, sweetheart. I need you to hug me.”
Instantly, she encircled his chest with her hands, plastering herself to his spine. The man lurched from his position against the wall. He took one step forward and fell to the ground, twitching from the Taser deployed by the officer. Blade restored his knife he still held to its normal spot as he backed away from the now-prone man. He had extras to replace the one still lodged in the assailant’s wrist. The police would keep that one as evidence.
Three more squad cars raced into the parking area and officers rushed to help.
“You waited to let that officer overpower him,” Sapphire whispered into his ear.
“You don’t need to see me take him down. Are you okay?” he asked, turning around after seeing the perp handcuffed. Unwilling to rely only on his sight, Blade ran his hands over her. Other than blood from her attacker on her clothing and her understandable fright, Blade decided she was unharmed.
“Sir, I’m afraid you’ll have to come downtown too. That’s standard protocol for any disturbance where weapons are involved,” the officer said.
“Of course, officer. My brothers will send the video of the incident to the captain, and my lawyer will meet me there,” Blade said calmly. “You’ll want to give me some time to remove my weaponry before you search me.”
“Blade!” A new arrival dressed in a suit called as he approached. Blade smiled at the familiar man.
“Hi, Detective Newel. How’s that bike?”
“Don’t tell my kids, but it’s the prettiest thing under my roof. After my wife, of course,” the detective said with a laugh as he reached out a hand to shake Blade’s.
The detective looked at the other officer and said, “You don’t have to take him in. We know where to find him. Besides, those are all wounds to impair. If Blade had wanted to kill him, he would have been gone with the first edge that hit him. Get the suspect to the hospital to be patched up. Keep him under guard with the leg shackles on the entire time.”
“Blade, introduce me to this lady you’re protecting and then walk away for a few minutes while I get her story,” the detective requested.
Every hell-no fiber of defiance stood on end inside Blade. He realized he was bristling when Sapphire stroked his chest, trying to calm him. Blade also didn’t care.
“I’ve got this, Blade. He’s doing this to wrap up the facts about that guy. To protect both of us. Go check on your bike,” Sapphire told him softly.
Blade studied her face. He didn’t like the strain and fatigue etched into her features. His first thought was to wrap her up and steal her away from this situation. The second was how hard she would fight against that. Sapphire was right. This had to be taken care of, and while he could support her, Blade had to allow her to get through this process.
He glared a warning toward the detective. “Be nice.”
“Gotcha. I will ask tough questions, but I understand she’s not the criminal,” the detective assured him.
“Thanks.” Turning his attention to Sapphire, he said, “I’m right over there. Make a peep and I’m at your side.”
At her nod, he turned and paced away. Each step felt like a mistake. When he reached the clump of MC brothers, Blade forced himself to focus on them even as he monitored the interview behind him.
“Thank you for backing me up,” Blade said, as he tried to shake the tension out of his shoulders and jaw.
“We’re like the old slogan, ‘All for one and one for all,’” Breaker answered.
“I’m no fucking musketeer,” Faust growled. Molly had softened the antagonistic MC member’s rough edges a lot, but Faust was always antagonistic. The Guardians accepted him the way he was.
“That knife through the wrist in motion was a skilled throw, Blade. Remind me never to piss you off,” Ink told him.
“Storm’s never going to beat you, is he?” Kade asked.
Blade shook his head. He understood they were trying to distract him. Movement caught his eye, and he turned without saying a word to meet Sapphire halfway.
“All done?” he asked, wrapping his arms around her. He could feel her still trembling, but not as severely as before.
“Yes. He was nice. It was a lot to go over again. I keep seeing that guy reach out to grab me in my brain. It’s as scary now as it was then,” she admitted.
“I’m sorry, Blue Eyes. That shouldn’t have happened to you.”
“The detective said by the time they get him seen at the hospital and processed at the station, he’ll be there for a couple of days at least. He thought there might be some mental health issues that needed to be addressed.”
“Might be?” Blade repeated, feeling his anger rebuild.
“Shh,” she soothed him. “There’s nothing we can do about their process. You already have a connection with that detective. They don’t usually show up for something like this. He heard the responding officer’s report that the Shadowridge Guardians were here on the scene of a hostage situation and sped here to help.”
The tension faded from his body. “He was great to work with. He’s seen a lot.”
“Thank you,” she whispered.
“You don’t need to thank me,” Blade said in surprise.
“I do. And all the guys. Take me over there so I can tell them as well.”
“Come on, Little girl. Let them know you’re okay.”