8. Braxton #3
“Let’s not try then,” Jude says. “I vote for walking in and shooting anything that moves.”
“Fast and dirty. Let’s go,” Ozzy says and marches up to the door of the building with all of us following close behind. He doesn’t break his stride as he lifts his boot and kicks the ancient door practically off its hinges. We all quickly file inside with our guns drawn and ready to fire.
But the only noise in the space is what we’re making. The van sits in the middle of the empty room, save for a couple of folding chairs and a few old tires in the corner.
Ozzy holds up his hand, and we all stop.
Using his raised hand, he holds up four fingers and points to the left before signaling that four should go to the right.
We break off, Ozzy leading one group and Knox leading the other.
When the eight of us are on the other side of the van and there’s still no sign of anyone, Ozzy points to the back door.
We all nod, and Ozzy stands on one side while Knox grabs the handle of the opposite door.
The other six of us have our guns raised, ready to fire if anyone is inside.
They wrench the doors open at the same time.
Empty.
“Fuck,” Jude says. “They already left. That puts a damper on my plans for the evening.”
The man is actually disappointed he won’t be able to torture anyone for information tonight.
Linc and Barrett hop in the back and uncover every hidden compartment.
“Everything’s gone,” Barrett says, stating what all of us can clearly see.
“Son of a bitch!” Ozzy yells and kicks over the folding chair next to him. “Those fucking Russians.”
It isn’t often our prez loses his temper, but he’s at his wit’s fucking end with these assholes just as much as the rest of us are.
The man takes several deep breaths, then turns back to face the rest of us. He reaches into his pocket and pulls out a set of keys, tossing them at Jude.
“Good thing I had these made. You and Braxton take the van back to Shine,” he tells Jude. “We’ll talk about our next move after Braxton and Cash have had a chance to get cleaned up and looked over.”
Knox opens the bay doors of the old shop to allow us to back out. We wait for the rest of the brothers to get on their bikes, then head back to the highway and back to Shine.
By the time I step through the clubhouse door, all of the aches and pains from getting jumped have made themselves known in the worst possible way. As far as I can tell, nothing is broken, but I’m bruised to shit.
Vanessa is sitting on the couch with a book in her hand, and when she glances up, her blue eyes widen into saucers.
“What the hell happened?” she asks, tossing the book on the coffee table, then rushing over to me. Her hands come to my dirty face, and I feel a bruise forming on my cheek where someone’s boot connected.
“We had a little run-in with some people who don’t like us.”
Her eyebrows shoot up, nearly touching her hairline. “I would say so.”
I cover her hands with mine and lower one to my mouth before kissing her palm. “I’m fine.”
“Is this where you tell me I should see the other guy?” she asks as she gently turns my face from side to side.
“No. They got away scot-free. Me and Cash? Not so much.”
She shakes her head. “Come on. I still have some stuff in my room from Cece.” Vanessa takes my hand and leads me down the hallway, opening her bedroom door and pointing to the bed.
“Sit,” she tells me as she disappears into her bathroom and returns with some cream, alcohol, and bandages. She stands in front of me and lifts my chin, examining my face. “Looks like the cut is already closed, but you should still clean it out.”
My knees part, and I wrap my hands around Vanessa’s thighs, pulling her between my legs. “I need a shower.” I lean forward and kiss her stomach before looking back into her worried eyes. “Can you help me wash my back?”
She stares at me blankly, then blinks a couple of times. “Are you seriously trying to get me naked with you right now?”
The corner of my lip tips up, and I shrug. “I like having you try to take care of me. Thought I could kill two birds with one stone.”
She arches her brow. “What birds?”
“Making you come and getting clean.”
Vanessa shakes her head and blows out an exasperated breath. “The only bird you’re killing is the getting-clean one. I’ll make you something to eat and find you some painkillers.”
My mouth turns down into a pout. “I like my plan better.”
At that, Vanessa lets out a quiet laugh. “I’m sure you do. But what you need is some rest and recovery.”
“What I need is you,” I say without meaning to, but I don’t take it back.
Vanessa clears her throat and steps back from my hold.
Goddammit. That was too much.
“Come on, I’ll help you get in the shower.” She holds out her hand and shoots me a tight smile.
I slide my palm into hers and allow her to lead me to my room.
Vanessa goes into the bathroom, and I hear the shower turn on before she walks back out. “You get cleaned up, and I’ll be right back, okay?”
I nod, and Vanessa walks out of my room, her walls firmly in place.