Chapter 31
Pyre
Everyone was quiet as we all loaded into the SUVs. It was better to get back to the clubhouse and debrief there, rather than stick around the saw mill. Demo and Warrant were the only two who stayed behind. They were in charge of cleanup.
They would start over at the covered bridge, if the deputies hadn’t already made their way on scene, and get rid of as much evidence as possible.
The less the deputies found, the less likely we’d be brought up on charges.
Not that Cypher would allow that to happen.
He had too many contacts that could get us out of a bind if need be.
Still, better not to use those unless we had to.
Of course, we were all hoping that since we helped save not only the deputies’ lives, but Owen’s, that the whole thing would be dropped.
That was going to be up to Owen ultimately.
We’d find out later if he’d consider our involvement necessary in order to save lives and protect the town, or if he was going to be a dick about it.
Owen was usually pretty reasonable, so we weren’t too worried yet.
We got back to the clubhouse and I wrapped my arm around Rae, pulling her in close while we walked inside.
My brothers all looked relaxed and satisfied.
That would probably seem like a weird response after all the carnage we’d just inflicted, but it was what was necessary for us to maintain an outward appearance of normalcy. On occasion we needed a good bloodbath.
“Anyone hurt?” I asked, eyes scanning my brothers, looking for anything I’d need to patch up.
“You mean besides you?” Jury asked, pointing to my leg.
Rae gasped and pulled out of my hold, turning and looking down at my leg. “You got shot. I thought he missed you!”
“I’m fine,” I told her.
“That’s not fine.” She squatted down and started poking at my thigh. She was actually just moving the material out of the way so she could look, but I was a grumpy ass patient.
I didn’t like other people working on me. I never went to the damn doctor. It was hard to pass my own fucking care over to people who were probably less trained than I was. “Rae.”
She ignored me, making little distressed noises as she examined the entrance wound.
“Rae.”
Nothing.
“Reaper,” I growled.
She looked up at me then.
I reached down, pulling her to her full height and staring into her eyes. “I’m fine. I’ll take care of it.”
Her eyes narrowed. “How are you going to take care of it?” she countered. “The bullet is still in there. The minute you go digging around in your own leg, you’re going to pass out.”
My brothers all chuckled and I glowered at them. “I don’t fucking pass out.”
She put her hands on her hips. “Oh, so you’re immune to the pain responses the rest of us have?”
“Yeah, I am,” I muttered. I wasn’t.
“I’ll get it out,” she volunteered.
“You’re not a surgeon,” I reminded her. “Or a doctor.”
“I’ve dug bullets out of dead bodies a lot,” she explained. “It can’t be too different.”
“I fucking think it will be,” I told her. “No way.”
“It’s her or the hospital, Pyre,” Cypher said, cutting into our argument. “Owen’s going to hear about it if they’re digging a slug out of your thigh at the hospital.”
“I’ll just say it happened when we stopped to help Shane and the others.” Then I thought about it. I trusted the doctors at that damn hospital way less than I did my woman. “Dammit. Fine.” I looked down at Rae. “You can do it.”
She patted my chest. “I’ll be gentle.”
That had the others laughing at my expense. Then fucking Jury spoke up. It was like he was about to bust at the seams, like he’d been holding what he wanted to say in until my leg was figured out. “I like her nickname.” Everyone looked over at him. “Reaper.”
“Yeah,” Rotor cut in. “It rolls off the tongue way better than death chick.”
“Shut the fuck up,” I replied. “I told you to stop calling her that.”
“And now we will,” Jury said with a shrug. “It’ll just be Reaper.”
“Or you can stick with Rae,” I told him with a scowl.
“Yeah, whatever pops out will work. Hell, it might even still be death chick. I’ve thought of her like that for so long, it could be hard to change.” Rotor scratched the top of his head, then scrubbed his hand through his reverse Mohawk, making it stand even more wildly on end than before.
“You need a fucking haircut,” Jury told him. “You look like an idiot.”
“How come you never give Pyre shit about his hair?” he complained.
“Because he looks like fucking Fabio, or some shit,” Jury replied. “You look like an animal that stuck its nose in a light socket.”
They started arguing back and forth. I was glad to be out of the spotlight. Mostly. Feeling someone watching me, I glanced over and met Cypher’s gaze.
“Get it taken care of, Pyre.”
“Yeah, I will,” I told him.
His eyes narrowed. “Before infection sets in.”
“I will… After.”
“We’ll debrief later.” He didn’t bother asking what would be coming first. He knew. Shaking his head, he crossed his arms over his chest, but didn’t say anything else.
Rae let out a yelp as I took her into my arms. “Pyre! Your leg!”
The men around me stopped arguing and I didn’t need to look to know they were all grinning as they watched me take Rae downstairs.
Most of the apartments were upstairs. The only exceptions were mine and Glitch’s.
Mine was right next door to the med bay and Glitch’s was next to the armory.
He said being underground was a cooler space for all his computer shit.
“Put me down! You’re going to hurt yourself!”
I scoffed at that. “It doesn’t hurt.” It did.
“I can walk, Pyre.”
“You can,” I agreed, but I kept my arm banded across her little ass. This was way more fun for me. Not to mention it was soothing my nerves. She was here, in my arms, safe. There’d been so many unknowns once I’d heard she was in danger. I wasn’t going to let her out of my sight for weeks.
She was still complaining that I was carting her around like a sack of flour as I opened my apartment door.
The second I had it shut behind us, I had her down off my shoulder and standing in front of me.
She blinked hard a couple times as she tried to catch her balance from going from hanging upside down to standing so quickly.
I wouldn’t let her fall. Reaching out an arm, I steadied her with one hand while beginning to undress her with the other. I flicked open the button of her jeans and pulled the zipper down.
“What are you doing?” she asked, sounding wary.
“Getting you out of these clothes. There’s blood all over you, Reaper. I need to make sure you’re not hurt.”
“I’m not,” she insisted. “You’re the one who’s hurt.”
“I’m not,” I said, repeating her words.
“You’ve been-” she broke off with a gasp as I yanked her jeans down her luscious legs. “We need to get that bullet out of your thigh.”
“We will,” I said in a soothing voice.
“Pyre,” she snapped as I used both hands to lift her shirt off over her head.
She wasn’t fully cooperating, but that wasn’t deterring me. “We need to clean up before you can go digging around in my leg,” I explained.
As soon as the shirt was over her head, she scowled at me. “And that’s the reason you’re completely undressing me? I’ll wash my hands and forearms thoroughly. I may only be a medical examiner, but I know-”
This time it was my mouth that made her stop talking. She groaned as I pulled her closer and deepened the kiss. I didn’t care that I had a bullet in my thigh. I wouldn’t give a shit if there was one in my chest. My woman was nearly naked in front of me, and I was going to take full advantage.
She was stiff in my arms, but not for long. As soon as my tongue slid between her lips, hers dueled with mine. My hands ran up her back, finding her bra, and undoing it with practiced ease.
It didn’t take long before she was pressed against me, her nipples brushing against the fabric of my cut and shirt. I pulled back and grinned at her. Her eyes were closed and her cheeks were flushed.
“Come on,” I told her, grasping her by the shoulders and turning her around.
“What- Hey!”
I marched her into the bathroom in nothing but her panties.
Those would be coming off soon, but we were seriously covered in blood and most of it didn’t belong to us.
We needed a good scrubbing. I reached down and turned the shower on, letting the water get hot while I stripped out of my own filthy clothes.
I set my cut on the bathroom counter, and tossed the rest into the corner.
I was standing in nothing but my boxer briefs, watching her. “You first.”
She sighed, but smiled as she gave in. “Fine. But then we’re taking care of your leg.”
“Sure.” After I fucked her. I needed to reconnect with her. To run my hands over her body and assure myself that she wasn’t hurt. And I couldn’t do that without doing more. She was going to try to change my mind. To take care of me first, but I was a stubborn man.
She hooked her thumbs into the sides of her panties and drew them down.
My mouth went dry at the sight. Her body was perfect. She was small but had curves in all the right places. Small curves, but they were there nonetheless. Her tits were perky, her nipples already hard. “Come here,” I urged.
She stepped up to me and put her hand on my chest.
Just the feel of her skin on mine soothed something in me. Eased the tension that had been building from the moment Ainsley had said she was in trouble. Leaning down, I fit our mouths together.
I had no words to tell her how fucking scared I’d been that I was going to show up at that bridge and find her broken body lying on the ground.
That I’d finally made the decision to make her mine, only to lose her a short time after.
The thought made rage pound in my blood.
I’d killed a lot of men for her tonight.
Not that I’d ever phrase it to her like that, it would make her feel guilty.
But I had. And I’d have killed a whole fuck ton more of them just to get to her.