Chapter Twelve #2
I pulled up outside number twelve and got off the bike.
As I was rounding it, the door opened and Waverley stood there.
I stopped, just for a second. She was wearing yoga pants and a baggy hoody, her hair pulled back and her face, though tired, was clear and laced with concern.
I was at a complete loss for words as Waverley pulled the door wider for me.
Then my brain and body kicked into gear. She was here, she was safe and that was all I cared about right now. I pulled her against me holding her so tight it hurt. Her arms wrapped around my middle, her face pressed to my neck and I could feel the wetness of her tears on my skin.
I pulled back and took her face in my hands, staring down at her, my eyes roaming over her features. Leaning back slightly I looked her body over, moving my hands up and down her sides, searching for any injuries but she grabbed my hands and put them back to her cheeks.
“I’m okay,” she whispered. “I promise I’m not hurt.”
“God dammit, Wave,” I groaned, barely able to believe she was standing here in my arms.
I pulled her back to me and pressed my lips against hers, holding her lower lip between mine.
It wasn’t a passionate kiss, but I wanted to convey to her what it meant for me to be holding her.
I cupped the back of her head as I pulled back, shaking my head again, still struggling to believe she was actually here. Safe.
“What the hell is going on, Wave?” I asked. “How did you get here?”
“Long story. Listen, before we go inside, there is something I need to tell you.”
“What?” I glanced behind her but the room was dim and she was standing in the way. My instincts kicked up a notch. My gun was at my back, I didn’t go anywhere without it these days and my fingers itched to grab it.
“There is someone here.”
Adrenalin pumped through me, I moved around her, keeping her behind me as I walked into the motel room.
She grabbed my arm trying to stop me as my eyes searched and landed on a man lying on the bed.
He was wounded, a bandage wrapped around him and I could see blood seeping through.
He was tall and built and he was glaring at me like he wanted to kill me.
Waverley came inside and slammed the door. My eyes moved around the room rapidly, looking for any other threats and they landed on the cut on the floor. The Kingsmen patch hard to miss. My hands clenched and I snapped my eyes back to him.
“What the fuck?” I shouted, pulling up my gun and aiming it at his head.
Waverley jumped between me and the bed and held her hands out to me. “You need to let me explain,” she said. The gun was pointing at her chest, and I lifted it straight away.
“Explain why there is a fucking Kingsmen lying on this bed?”
“Hudson, stop. He saved me.”
“What?” I didn’t take my eyes off him. His eyes were empty, but his face was hard as he glared at me with defiance and anger. My finger hovered over the trigger. “Move,” I told her through gritted teeth.
“No,” she yelled. “You are not going to shoot him. He’s the one who saved me, Hudson. He got me out.”
“I don’t fucking care. Do you know who he is?”
“Of course I know. Put the damn gun down or I swear to God I will fucking lose my shit.”
I tilted my head and glared at her. She was fucking crazy if she thought I’d take my gun off this asshole. I don’t know what he did or said to make her want to protect him but whatever it was, I wasn’t going to fucking believe it.
“Waverley, move. Now,” I ordered.
“No,” she folded her arms and stood her ground in front of him.
He hadn’t taken his eyes off me. He was defiant but there was wariness in his eyes too. I looked down again at the bloody bandage.
“Think about what you’re going to do, Hudson. Are you really going to shoot him, in a motel miles from any back up? The cops will be here in minutes.”
She was right, I knew that but I couldn’t let my guard down. I looked around the room, there were ties that secured the curtains, I stormed over and grabbed one. I held it up to Waverley.
“What? You want to tie him up?”
“Call it insurance,” I said.
“He’s been shot, he doesn’t have a weapon, I took it.”
“Waverley. You want me to listen, you let me handle him.” Although I was glad to hear she’d taken his gun from him.
“You can’t kill him.”
I waved the tie again. “You do it, or I will.”
She scowled but relented knowing I was right. She turned to the guy on the bed. He was still glaring at me.
“Mace, just do it,” she said.
I jolted at the name. Mace? This was Mace? Neither of them seemed to notice how I’d reacted. He sat up and put his hands behind him, wincing as he did, his eyes came back to me. This was a curveball. Why was their VP here and who shot him? I couldn’t figure out what was going on.
Despite what Ranger told us and War trying to get in touch with this guy, he was still a Kingsmen, and I couldn’t trust him. Once he was tied, I pointed at the chair behind me. Waverley stood back and he rose. Shit he was a tall fucker.
“Waverley get over here,” I told her.
She rolled her eyes but moved behind me.
I was going to spank her ass for this when it was over.
Mace didn’t turn his back on me, but I grabbed his arm and spun him, testing the knots.
It was tight enough. I pushed him and he stumbled against the chair, then turned and sat down.
I went over to pick up his cut, checked the patches, then dropped it on the floor.
If it was possible, Mace’s expression got even harder seeing me toss his cut. He looked like he was in a serious amount of pain, hunched over, unable to lean back and get comfortable. Good.
I stepped back, ran a hand through my hair then turned to look at her again. She was panting a little, her eyes wide as she looked from me to Mace. I hated that this was how I was getting her back. After what I said on the phone, and I’d stormed in here and yelled at her. Shit.
“Wave,” I took a step towards her. Her eyes dropped to the gun. I tucked it back behind me. “Are you really okay? Please, tell me.”
“I’m fine,” she looked at me and her eyes softened. “I’m…”
“You’re not,” I walked over to her and cupped her cheek, stroking away the tear that fell. “It’s okay,” I said pulling her back into me.
At least she came willingly. I didn’t like having my back to the asshole, but I didn’t want him to see this.
Still, I didn’t have a choice. I turned and sat on the bed, pulling her into my lap.
Her arms were looped around my neck, her face buried into my shoulder.
I didn’t look at Mace as I stroked her hair.
I took her chin and tipped it up, so she was looking at me.
“I will never let anyone take you again. I won’t let anyone hurt you,” I whispered to her.
She didn’t look as if she believed me. Fuck everything going on, fuck him, I needed to let her know that this was real, that I meant everything I said.
She was mine. I caught her lips with mine and kissed her.
She opened up and let me in. I cupped the back of her head, pulling her closer as our tongues tangled together.
This woman was all I ever wanted. She moaned and my hand moved up to her hip, gripping her tight.
But I wasn’t about to take this any further in front of this asshole, although I got some perverted sort of pleasure out of him knowing she’s mine.
I pulled back and stared into her dark eyes.
She was still crying, and I hated it, it tore me apart inside seeing her like this.
“They told me about Connor,” she whispered, looking like the world had ended.
“He woke up yesterday,” I reassured her.
She stiffened and sat up, her nails pinching into my shoulder. “What?”
“He woke up, he isn’t out of the woods, but he was talking. Rosa is at the hospital with him and some of the girls.”
“He’s alive?”
“Yes. You said they told you.”
“They told me he was dead. She said she killed him.”
My jaw clenched. “Lily?”
Waverley covered her face with both hands, I kept a tight hold of her hip, keeping her close to me. “Oh God, I can’t believe he is alive. He’s going to be okay?” she begged.
I nodded, brushing her hair back behind her ear.
I could see Mace behind her, his head was averted, looking at the door.
We had to deal with him. I needed answers but she was fragile, slumped slightly against me, tears on her cheeks.
All I wanted to do was whisk her away from here but that couldn’t happen.
“Her real name is Kristy,” she said after wiping her tears and straightening on my lap. “She’s a fucking bitch. But I kicked her ass.”
“Yeah?” my lip kicked up. “Good.”
I kissed her forehead, then tapped her hip.
She got up, I steadied her, making sure she was okay.
Then looked back at Mace. He watched us, his eyes flicking from me to her.
I didn’t like the way he was looking at her.
I felt the violent urge to punch him in the face but Wave grabbed my arm, I guess she could see what was going through my head.
“About this,” she waved her hand towards Mace. “He got shot saving me.”
I frowned. “Saving you from what?”
“Their President, him and another guy came into my room, they were… Doesn’t matter what they were going to do,” she looked away.
“The fuck it doesn’t,” I whirled on Mace. “What were they doing to her?”
He looked up at me with those arrogant green eyes.
“Hudson will you stop and just listen to me. I have a fuck of a lot to tell you, not least about my mother,” she shook her head and sat back down on the bed.
“Your mother?” I was starting to sound like a parrot, repeating everything she said.
“I know you think he is the enemy,” she made sarcastic quotations with her fingers which she knew I hated. “Without him I’d be dead right now. He fought his President for me, Hudson. Then he got me out of there. If they catch up with him, they’ll kill him.”
I scoffed, about to say let them but she got up and took hold of my arm.