Hellbent (Four Horsemen MC Book 5) (37 page)
Read Hellbent (Four Horsemen MC Book 5) Online
Authors: Sara Rayne
"Go for it. Unlike you, I'm all paid up with the people I need favors from." Beauregard straightened his suit, and faced Duke. "You boys can go now. Give Shep my well-wishes, will you?"
Duke's fingers tightened on his gun and Pretty Boy guessed he was trying to figure out whether or not he should just shoot Beauregard in the face and save them all a lot of trouble down the line. His eyes flickered around the room to the Dixie Mafia thugs and he seemed to think better of it.
Instead he shot Junior in his other kneecap. Then bent down to look the guy in the face. "The next time I see you, I'm going to shoot you in the knee again. Then we'll rinse-repeat until you decide it’s in your best interest to stop seeing me. Understood?"
Duke didn't wait for a reply. He lifted his hand and made a circular gesture and the bikes headed for the door. He grabbed Pretty Boy by the shoulder and yanked him along as he headed out.
"Take care, boys! Be in touch." Beauregard called. As Duke hauled him out of the building, Pretty Boy heard Beauregard say to the Raptors, "It was the whole kidnapping and prostitution thing, if you're wondering. Why I chose them over you. Just so you don't think it about the hygiene issues—I'm an equal opportunist."
Duke dropped Pretty Boy's shoulder as they reached the parking lot and made a beeline for Coyote. "How bad did you mess up my fucking bike?"
"Relax, your little POS is just fine. Not like you could tell which scratches came from me anyway." Coyote shrugged.
"What fucking scratches?!" Duke began running his hands over his bike. "Why the fuck you couldn't take your own goddamn bike—"
"And mess up my custom TARDIS paint job? No fucking way. Dani would put my balls in a vice grip if I scratched her work," Yo protested.
Pretty Boy breathed in gulps of cool Fall air. Holy shit. He was still alive. He jogged over to where Voo was laughing his ass of at Yo and Duke arguing over their bikes. "Where's Shep?"
"Axel and Ryker took him to the hospital. He's stable," Voo confirmed.
He'd never prayed before, but …
thank you, God.
"Thought my ass was grass in there. How did you change their minds?"
Voo smirked. "I called out the big fucking guns."
"You didn't."
"Sure did. And I'd hate to be Axel and Ryker when Eddie gets back from her and Cap's little honeymoon." Voo laughed, dreads dancing around his face. He'd call the fucking Prez's mom. Well, if you wanted to reach Axel's heart, as far as Pretty Boy could tell, Eddie was the only woman on the planet he truly gave a damn about. “I heard she played the protection tatt card and then double downed with a ‘you’re better than your father’ guilt trip.”
“Damn.”
“She don’t screw around when it comes to family.” Voo grinned. “That’s why we love her.”
t
Shep woke up in a room that smelled like too much bleach and rancid chicken soup. A large vase of red roses added a sickening sweetness to the scent, a card dangling from the ribbon around the vase read, 'best wishes to the biker and groom, ~B'. He groaned as his body lit up with pain.
"Shep?" The edge of his bed dipped and suddenly his vision was full of Pretty Boy's green eyes. "Hey, welcome back."
The noise that came out of his mouth when he tried to reply sounded like something out of a horror movie. Pretty Boy poured some water out of an ugly, tan plastic pitcher into a cup and held it to Shep's lips. He drank it down and tried again. "I told you not to come after me."
"Since when do I do what I'm told?" Pretty Boy laughed.
"Good fucking point." After some struggling, he managed to pull himself into a sitting position. "Speaking of being rescued, when the fuck can I get out of this sterile hell-hole?"
"Tomorrow." Pretty Boy smiled. "Though, you're going to have to talk to Jane the Lawyer. She thinks you have grounds to press hate crime charges."
"Fuck that." Shep rolled his eyes. "She wants to send them away for general douchebaggery that's just fine. But I don't want no part of testifying."
Pretty Boy's hands cupped his face. "You ain’t gotta do nothin' you don't want."
"What about what I do want?" Shep swallowed. "I was so busy worrying about keeping you safe, I overlooked all the times you had my back. So worried about losing my family, I almost lost you."
"Never happen," he vowed fiercely. Pretty Boy's lips swept over Shep's in a gentle caress.
He dug his fingers into Pretty Boy's silky black hair and deepened the kiss, wishing his body was more up to movement. "You still want to be with me?"
"Never want to be with anyone else," Pretty Boy said, voice too rough and eyes glistening. He smirked despite the seriousness of his tone. "You asking me to be your old lady?"
"We're gonna have to come up with a better name for it, but yes." Shep's throat worked. He could feel where Pretty Boy's name was carved into his back, scabbed and irritated. But it would heal. And he'd never be able to hide how he felt again.
"Then we'll get me a new tattoo with your name as soon we break you out of this joint." He threaded his fingers through Shep's.
"What about the MC?" Shep asked. "Technically, you shouldn't be here talking to me. Once I quit—"
"Don't fucking worry about it."
A short rap at the door proceeded a parade of Horsemen. Jag, Voo, Coyote, Ryker, Axel and Justice trooped in. Shep took a slow breath, hand on his ribs. "I owe you guys—"
"Shut the fuck up. You owe us shit." Duke stepped forward, a bundle of leather in his hands. He shook it out and with efficient movements, draped it over Shep's shoulders.
Shep slid a hand over the leather, feeling his eyes prick with tears which he damn sure wasn't going to let fall. "My cut?"
"We voted. You stay." Duke put a hand on his shoulder and looked him hard in the eyes. "When I dug you out, I said we were family. And that still counts, even if you do like dick. I shouldn’t have forgotten that."
Holy fuck. Had Duke just …
apologized?
"Thanks, brother," he whispered. He looked up at the crew of bikers. He'd never considered the possibility they'd still want him around.
Yo leaned closer to Voo. "Hey, did you know Duke actually had a heart?"
"Shut the fuck up, Yo. You still owe me a new paint job," Duke growled. "Speaking of which, let's you and I go over to Seventh Circle and see about you paying for that."
Yo frowned. "Painting your bike's like putting lipstick on a pig. Don't see the point."
"Allow me to show you." Duke shoved him towards the door and headed out.
Shep grinned, knowing Duke couldn't handle staying in a room with emotional men. Just not his scene. He leaned back against the mattress which Pretty Boy had kindly adjusted to a sitting position for him. The leather of his cut against his skin made him feel human again, himself again. Pretty Boy's squeezed his hand.
"Alright, we're going to leave you two to … uh, recovering," Justice said hastily, turning on his heel and following after Duke and Yo.
“Just so you know, Duke paid for your entire hospital bill—and an upgraded room if you want it.” Axel set a hand softly on Shep’s shoulder while Ryker tucked a twelve-pack under his hospital bed with a wink. "So, you want that VP patch back?"
Shep's eyes fixed on the patch now stitched to Voo's cut. "Naw. I’m gonna need a little break."
Axel nodded. "For what it's worth, I let my own issues with lying get in the way of blood. I get why you hid that shit. And I'm sorry you felt like you couldn't tell me. Just don't lie to me again."
Shep clasped his hand. "You got it, cuz."
As the group started for the door, Jag hung back a second. "Don't do anything I wouldn't do, fellas. And just remember—apparently you got to know a person's first
and
last name to have sex with them."
"That so?" Shep laughed. "I think we got this."
The door closed behind them, and Pretty Boy stretched out beside Shep, careful of his IV and his bruised ribs. "Well, Isaac Rollins. What do we do now?"
Shep pressed his lips against Pretty Boy's ear. "What do you say we try to get me kicked out of the hospital?"
"Yes, sir."
Copyright
© Sara Rayne 2015
All rights reserved. Except for use in any review or book discussion, the reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part is forbidden without the written permission of the author.
Stock Photo
curaphotography
via
Can Stock Photo
Cover Art
© Sarah Laney 2015
Disclaimer
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and events are the product of the author’s wicked imagination. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental and frankly a bit creepy.
Editing
About the Author
Sara Rayne is the author of Hellbent, #5 in the Amazon best-selling Four Horsemen MC series. She enjoys endless Netflix binges, drinking truly obscene amounts of coffee with her partners in crime, and surfing social media for her favorite fandom fixes. Please connect with me on social media. I look forward to getting to know you!
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[CR1]
He’s got what? Eight years on her? And they grew up in the same place.
[O2]
Merely a suggestion.
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