Chapter 28
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
JD
The metallic scent hit me first. Blood on the doorstep. Not the first time and wouldn’t be the last. Axel stood in the darkness, a grim expression on his face.
“It’s done.” His voice carried the burden of execution. Dark circles shadowed his eyes. “Tel’s handling the last of the details to make sure all of this is locked down and finished forever.”
“What about that shit with Zook’s accounts? I can’t believe how close we got to making the wrong decision.”
“Clean. Cash set it all up through some elaborate routing system to frame Zook. Tel said it was genius, really. Would have worked too if he hadn’t gotten sloppy near the end of it.”
My jaw clenched. Leadership weighed heavy tonight. Cash’s betrayal cut deep. Not just to me, but for every brother who’d trusted him.
“Any other loose ends?” I kept my voice low, conscious of Sasha resting in my room.
“If we can find her, Chel’s getting a tail. If she makes a move, we’ll know.” Axel leaned against the doorframe. “Bear’s got eyes on her old man too. That drug operation won’t last long and then he can slither back to Seattle where he belongs.”
I nodded, processing the information. The club would need time to heal from this wound. Trust, once broken, left scars deeper than any knife.
“How’s she holding up?” Axel glanced toward my bedroom.
“She’s strong.” Pride roughened my voice. “Stronger than any of us realized.”
Axel straightened. “You did right by her.” A ghost of a smile quirked at his mouth before turning grim again. “Club’s solid on this one. Everyone knows Cash made his choice.”
My trigger finger twitched as the memory of Cash’s hands around Sasha’s throat flashed through my mind. No regrets.
“Get some rest. Tomorrow we’re back to rebuilding. There’s still a lot of work to do.”
“Yeah.” He pushed off the doorframe. “Meeting at noon. Time to vote on some changes. This kind of shit ends here.”
His boots thudded down the steps as I closed the door. The cabin fell silent except for the soft hum of the heating system and the steady fall of rain on the tin roof.
There was a lot of work and a long road ahead of us.
“Why do you look so worried?”
My head shot up at her voice only to find her leaning against the doorjamb watching me.
“You should be sleeping,” I said, my body already gravitating toward her like a magnetic pull I couldn’t resist.
“Hard to sleep with you thinking so loud.” A smile played at her lips, but concern showed in her eyes. She understood more than she let on—always had.
I shook my head, fighting a smile of my own.
“Smart ass.” The words came out rougher than intended, but how do you tell someone they’re your light when your hands are still stained with blood?
She laughed and damned if that throaty, delicate sound didn’t ease some of the tension coiling in my muscles. That attempt at normalcy was what I needed to push back the darkness. It also got my dick paying attention again.
“You aiming for a spanking, baby girl?” I hated to break it to her that it didn’t really matter if she did. Spanking that beautiful ass of hers was going to be my new favorite thing.
A coy smile crossed her face. “Yes, Daddy.”
I really wanted to shake my head over that particular nickname, but it was too late for that. I was all the way in. It was the way she said it, all breathy and soft, that made my reservations melt away every time. She was into it and that made me into it just as much.
A laugh rumbled in my chest before I could stop it. “You’re playing with fire, baby.” But even as I said it, I knew I was already gone, hooked, and reeled in.
Whatever we had going on between us, one thing was certain, this firecracker of a woman made it impossible to keep walls up around my heart.
“You should at least be resting.” I tried to keep my voice stern, but it softened at the edges when I looked at her—bruised and battered, but still full of fight. Beautiful despite the haunting memories darkening her eyes.
“I’m tired of sleeping.” Her gaze fell to the floor. “Or re-living nightmares, really.”
I closed the distance between us, taking her hand in mine. “You were incredible. I’m proud of you.”
Her eyes flicked up to meet mine, the fire in them banked but not extinguished. “You think so?”
“I know so.” I pulled her close, breathing in the scent of her hair. “But we need to talk about what happened with Cash.”
“Is he…?”
“He won’t be hurting anyone else, ever again.” My voice hardened as I remembered the betrayal. “He got what he deserved.”
Sasha shuddered, her grip tightening on my hand.
“You did good, baby.” I kissed the top of her head, inhaling the sweet fragrance of her shampoo. “You stayed strong, and you survived.”
“I didn’t feel very strong.” Her voice was small, her body shuddering in my arms.
“You were fearless.” My lips found her temple, her jaw, the sensitive skin beneath her ear. “And you faced him. You faced your fear head-on, and that’s the bravest thing anyone can do.”
“But I froze.”
“Only for a moment.” I tilted her chin up, forcing her to meet my gaze. “You snapped right out of it, and you fought back. That takes courage, Sasha.”
Her eyes searched mine as if looking for doubt, but I wouldn’t give her any.
“I’m sorry I wasn’t there to protect you.” The words were a whisper, an apology I needed to make.
She shook her head, her eyes glistening. “I should’ve been stronger, faster—I shouldn’t have let him?—”
I silenced her with a finger to her lips, gentling my voice. “None of this was your fault.”
She leaned into my touch, a soft sigh escaping her lips. “I know. But it still happened.”
I pulled her closer again, breathing in the scent of her—that mix of vanilla and something uniquely her. “We’ll get through this together. You and me. Okay?”
I traced my fingers along Sasha’s jawline, memorizing every curve, every detail of her face. The bruises from Cash’s attack would eventually fade, but the memory burned hot in my blood.
“We need to figure out what comes next.” My thumb brushed over her bottom lip.
“What do you mean?” Her eyes met mine, uncertainty dancing in their depths.
“You. Me. The club.” I pressed my forehead against hers. “I want you by my side, Sasha. Not just in my bed, but in my life.”
“As your old lady?” A small smile played at the corners of her mouth.
“As whatever you want to be.” My hands cupped her face. “The club’s changing. After what happened with Cash, we’re tightening ranks, strengthening our bonds. You need to be certain this is what you want.”
“I think I was already pretty clear about how much I want you, JD.” Her fingers wrapped around my wrists. “The club, the life, all of it. I’ve never been more sure of anything. I wasn’t just saying that because I was having multiple orgasms.”
My laugh exploded. Fucking A. I loved her. “It won’t be easy. There’s still cleanup to do, loose ends to tie up. It could be ugly.”
“I know.” She lifted her chin, that familiar fire sparking in her eyes. “But I’m not hiding or waiting anymore. I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but this is my home now. These people are my family. Have been for a long time. Without you—without them—I wouldn’t know what to do. Like it or not, you let me in and I’d really not like to leave.”
My chest tightened at her words. “You mean that?”
“Every word.” She pressed closer, her body molding to mine. “Besides, someone needs to keep you in line, old man.”
I growled, nipping at her ear. “Watch it, little girl.”
Her laugh, bright and clear, filled the room. It was the sound of healing, of moving forward. Of hope. She’d asked me to trust her, and while I had to admit that trust had not come easy to me since Malia’s death, Sasha had earned mine. Maybe a little too much.
“So what’s our first step?” she asked, her fingers playing with the ends of my hair.
“Getting you back on your feet. Then we rebuild, stronger and better than before.” I kissed her forehead. “Together.”