Chapter Thirty-Two
Ghost
I stare fucking dumbfounded, at the chick in front of me, holding a gun loosely pointed at my chest. The whole ride here she’s made comments that allude to the fact I know this bitch somehow. The problem is, I have never seen her before in my life. This situation is definitely a fucking new one. At least I know Tizzy is back safely at the fabric store. Well, actually, she’s probably back at the clubhouse by now with my brothers, all trying their damnedest to track me down. I can handle anything this woman wants from me just knowing that.
Now I just have to figure out who this bitch is. There’s no way she's a former contact or someone who served under me in the military. First off, I would recognize her if we were on a mission together. You never forget the people you serve with. She’s not CIA or MI6. She has no real training with that weapon, and if I hadn't wanted to avoid creating a scene or risking Tizzy’s safety, I could have disarmed her before she got a shot off.
Still, she’s got the drop on me now. She kept the gun pointed at me the whole way to this abandoned apartment building. Making me drive and pointing me in the direction we needed to go. Before I could ask questions, she mentioned finally getting me alone, so I let her talk it out instead of interrogating her. She gave me all the information she would provide to help me assess my situation. The information is good and I have a feeling it will keep me alive. Clearly, this woman is delusional. She swears we know each other, but I can't place it.
“I knew this day would finally come. Just a couple more hours wait, and then we can head out of town and live happily ever after.” She squeaks before jumping up and down. I test the cuffs she locked me in once more, but they are pretty tight. Still, I think I can get out of them. If I had to break my hand to pull them through, it wouldn't be the first time. Still, I’ll save that for when the real trouble starts… if the real trouble ever starts. I have a feeling this woman is anything but a real threat.
“How about you let me in on your plans? What's happening in a couple of hours?” I ask, wanting to get her talking.
“The bus will stop at the station down the road, silly. We can hop on and be out of town before anyone finds us! Isn't that great? I’ve had it all planned out for months. I just needed to get you away from that cult and those people,” she says like I should already know this. I really need to figure out where I know her from, but I'm worried that asking straight out will send her into a spiral.
“Um, that cult? You mean my family?” I ask, and that does it. She loses it.
“NO!” she screams, bringing the gun up to my head again. “They’re not your family! I am! ME! You belong to ME!”
Oh fuck. Yep. Delusional.
“Well, hey, my darlin’ doodles! Uh, fancy seeing you guys here!” I close my eyes and sigh at the familiar voice of my woman, whom I might just actually strangle myself. Tizzy hollers, waltzing right out into the middle of the room. So fucking much for her being safe with my brothers back at the compound. What the hell is she doing here, and why in the hell would she just walk straight into a situation like this? Then I think about who my woman is… and I really, truly, and honestly should not be surprised.
“No! No, no, no! What are you doing here?” the crazy-ass bitch screeches as she swings the gun in my woman's direction. I suck in a deep breath, hoping and praying I can get out of these cuffs before it's able to go off.
Tizzy just holds up her hands in a surrender motion before laughing with no nerves in her voice and replying, “Would you believe me if I said I was in the neighborhood?”
“You being here is ruining everything! You can't ruin everything! He’s mine! He’s mine! Not yours!” This woman is quickly becoming even more unhinged by the moment, and I'm concerned that any sudden move I make is going to cause that gun to go off. This is not a situation I have ever prepared for. When my bitch of an ex-wife was in this position, I won't lie; I wished the fuckers would kill her. That bitch sold my daughter to a sex trafficker. She's lucky I never got my hands on her.
This situation, though, is totally different. My whole reason for being alive is standing toe to toe with death, trying to keep me safe. My reason for leaving is hanging in the balance, and I don't know what the fuck to do.
“All right, sugar. Calm down,” Tizzy soothes. The woman swings the gun back and forth between me and Tizzy for a minute. Looking crazier and crazier with each passing second. Finally, she settles the gun on me, and I can breathe deeply again. If it's on me, that means Tizzy’s that much safer.
“Don't come near us. I’ll take him out and then follow behind him. If I can't have him, neither can you. He was supposed to be mine, Tizzy, and you stole him from me! He was mine! He was coming for me!” she yells. What in the hell is this woman talking about?
“Hey! It's alright, Kayti, I get it. Hey, remember the time we were in the bar, and that song came on the radio? Oh, shoot! What was it?” Tizzy asks as she slowly starts making her way closer to Kayti. Kayti actually looks distracted as she thinks back. And why does that name sound so fuckin’ familiar?
“Which one? We stayed late together almost every shift.”
“Oh, crud. Let me think.” Tizzy is getting closer to the crazy woman, and I wonder what she's planning on doing. Still, she keeps her distracted. “I think it went like this.”
Tizzy starts humming a tune, but it's one I don't recognize. For a minute, it looks like Kayti doesn't recognize it either, but then I see the light in her eyes, and she smiles. She starts to lower the gun.
“Oh! I do remember that night. It was when…” Before she can finish, Tizzy, who is now within reaching distance of the bitch, reaches into her cleavage. Yes, her big, juicy as fuck, apparently bottomless storage receptacles cleavage, and pulls out a taser. Not taking a second of hesitation, she puts it against Kayti’s neck and lights the bitch up.
Kayti squeals and squeals, then shocks, and squeals some more—until the bitch is knocked out cold on the floor and twitching. Still, that's not good enough.
“Hey, baby girl?” I call out to Tizzy.
“Yeah, beef cakes?” she says, smiling wide at me.
“Hit her again for me, would ya?” and she does. Fuck, but this woman has my fucking soul. Then she saunters over to me and climbs onto my lap, peppering kisses all over my face.
“Oh my goodness, I was so worried. I didn't recognize her when I saw her in the store with the hood hiding her face. Even when I climbed into the trunk of the van, and she was talking the whole way, I didn't recognize her voice. I should have…”
Her words hit me.
“Wait, wait, wait. You climbed into the bitch’s trunk? Woman! I’m going to spank your ass so hard. I thought you ran out to flag down Caesar!” I growl, spittin’ mad at the thought of her putting herself in danger like that. “What would have happened if she would have opened the trunk? She could have shot you dead right there and then.”
“Well then, it's a good thing she didn't. And I sent Caesar a message, thank you very much,” she says, crossing her arms over her chest and harrumphing at me.
“You did? How?”
“I waved at him out the window. My guess is he’s already called in the calvary, and they are just waiting out front, trying to make a plan, before they come storming in.” She smiles sneakily at me.
“I really wouldn't call that getting a message to Caesar, but knowing my men, you're probably right.”
“Aren't you glad I did? I just saved your life,” she says triumphantly, but if I'm honest, no, I’m not glad. I would rather have her as far from her as possible.
“My princess riding in to save me,” I say, instead of possibly hurting her feelings. “How about you search the crazy bitch for some keys so I can get out of these cuffs?”
“Oh! I can take care of those for you.” My woman says as she pulls a pen out of her hair and then leans those glorious tits right up against my chest as she reaches around my back and starts working to pick the lock. Fuck, I could stay locked up forever if this is how I get treated. Still, something Tizzy said to the woman, Kayti, has my brain trying to focus.
“Bunny, how did you know her? And why the fuck did that woman think she knew me?” I ask, leaning in and smelling her neck before biting her ear. Fuck, she smells fucking amazing. Like sunshine, wildflowers, and home.
“Kayti. She was a waitress at the Steel Toe in Omaha. She told me on my last night about this man who saved her from some bastard in the back alley. I had a feeling it was you, but she just mentioned wanting to buy you a drink, and I was leaving town anyway since I caught wind that you had found me.” She winks at me with that little statement. “You don't remember her?”
“I remember a girl getting hassled by that mob boss wannabe fucker, but I told her to run along and left it at that. Took care of the fucker who touched you and thought it was the end of it. How could we have missed that she was gunning for me and not you?” I ask, stunned.
“Seeing as I was the one receiving all the gifts…”
“Gifts intended to kill you or scare you into running the fuck away from me,” I growl, glaring at the still downed body of the crazy bitch.
“Anndddd… done,” Tizzy says triumphantly, pulling the cuffs off and holding them in front of my face. Now that my hands are free, I grab her by the hips and pull her fully against me. Kissing her with everything I have and moaning into her mouth before pulling back.
“Don't you ever fucking scare me like that again. Never run headfirst into danger. I don't care if it's to save me or anyone else on this planet. Don't fucking do that to me again. Just the thought of losing you…” I choke up and duck, pressing my forehead to hers and closing my eyes at the pain those thoughts slice through me.
Tizzy settles more fully into my lap, her hands trembling just a little as she drops the cuffs to the floor. I barely notice the clatter; all I see is her face. Her eyes are wild, her breathing heavy, adrenaline coursing through her as she hovers over me, like she’s not sure whether to cry or scream.
“You okay?” she asks, her voice shaking.
I nod, flexing my hands now that I can move them. My wrists ache like hell, but I don’t care. All that matters is her. “Better now,” I rasp.
Before I can stop myself, I reach up and cup her face, pulling her lips down to mine. She doesn’t hesitate. The kiss is desperate and raw—both of us pouring everything we can’t say into the way our mouths crash together. I feel her hands slide up my neck, her fingers tangling in my hair, and I groan against her lips.
The world around us blurs, fading away. It’s just Tizzy and me, her warmth pressed against me, her lips soft but insistent. My hands roam down her back, gripping her hips, anchoring her to me like she’s the only thing keeping me grounded.
But then something shifts—a scrape against the floor, subtle but enough to jolt my instincts into overdrive.
Without breaking the kiss, my hand darts to my boot, and my fingers close around the hilt of the knife I always keep there. I feel the movement behind Tizzy, and my blood goes cold as I glimpse Kayti out of the corner of my eye. She’s on her feet, the gun in her hand aimed squarely at Tizzy’s back.
Not today.
In one fluid motion, I pull the knife and throw it. The blade flies true, knocking the gun out of Kayti’s hand with a metallic clang. She screams as the knife embeds itself in her shoulder, sending her sprawling back to the ground.
The gun goes off, the deafening crack ringing in my ears. A sharp, hot pain blossoms in my shoulder, and I bite back a curse.
Tizzy jerks away from me, her eyes wide with panic. “Devon!”
“I’m fine,” I grit out, grabbing her hands to steady her. “It’s just a graze.”
Her gaze darts to my shoulder, where blood is already seeping into my shirt. She looks ready to lose it, but heavy boots thunder into the room before she can spiral.
The door bursts open, and my brothers flood in, weapons drawn, ready for war. Taz leads the charge, his shotgun sweeping the room as his eyes land on Kayti writhing on the floor, the knife sticking out of her.
“What the fuck?” he says, lowering the gun.
Mania steps in behind him, taking one look at the scene before letting out a disappointed sigh. “You couldn’t wait five more minutes for us to save the day?”
Tizzy glances back at them, her hands still pressed against my chest. “You’re late.”
Caesar snorts, leaning against the doorframe. “Looks like you two had it covered.”
Omen crosses his arms, giving me a hard look. “You good?”
“Peachy,” I say, wincing as I shift my shoulder.
Taz crouches next to Kayti, who’s clutching her bleeding shoulder and glaring at all of us like a cornered animal. “What do we do with this one?” he asks.
“She’s all yours,” I say, my focus still on Tizzy. “Just make sure she doesn’t come back.”
Taz grunts, grabbing Kayti by the arm and hauling her up like she weighs nothing. She screams and struggles, but he’s not fazed, dragging her out of the room while Mania follows, muttering something about duct tape and the trunk of a car.
When they’re gone, Omen gives me a pointed look. “You’re bleeding all over the place. Might want to get that looked at.”
“I’ll live,” I say, my voice low as I glance back at Tizzy. She’s still staring at me like she doesn’t know whether to kiss me again or yell at me for being reckless.
Caesar smirks, heading for the door. “I’ll leave you two to…decompress.”
The door clicks shut behind him, and Tizzy exhales sharply, her hands fisting in my shirt. “You scared the hell out of me,” she says, her voice trembling.
“I’m fine,” I promise, brushing a strand of hair out of her face. “It’s over.”
She glares at me, her eyes glassy with unshed tears. “Don’t you dare do something like that again.”
I pull her back into my lap, ignoring the sting in my shoulder. “Can’t make that promise, Bunny. But I’ll do everything I can to make sure I’m always here for you.”
Her lips press together, and then she leans in, resting her forehead against mine. “You’re an idiot, Devon.”
“Yeah,” I murmur, my arms tightening around her. “But I’m your idiot.”