Page 65 of Savage King

“Dead. I can’t tell because of the way she’s positioned, but she might have been raped first.”

“Shit.” The woman had been a pain in his ass for years, but he wouldn’t have wished this ending on her. She had a daughter, someone who would miss her. And now, poor Bethany was an orphan.

“I’ll call Ms. Modelle with the news. She’ll tell Bethany. Raiders will be sure she’s taken care of. For Tosser.” Because fuck Bonnie. Jealousy and greed had driven her to risk everything for a chance at money and revenge.

Standing over Trucker’s body now, Odin, Trouble, and Hound stared down at their fallen brother. No, not brother. Traitor.

“I can’t fucking believe he turned on us like that. And for some bullshit about the club killing his brother. That’s bullshit. Tosser had one foot in the grave for years. Everyone knew his heart was no good, and it wasn’t like he was living on salad and cardio. The man lived to die.”

Hound wasn’t wrong.

“This is just one big fucking mess,” Odin remarked, looking over Trouble’s shoulder to where Skathi was still kneeling beside her friend.

He could have lost his woman tonight.

If Trucker had been quicker on the trigger, he’d been kneeling beside Skathi’s body. A broken man.

If he’d lost her, he would have lost everything.

Need to claim her. Can’t live without her.

The shrill call of sirens shattered through the quiet tension in the warehouse.

An ambush, a traitor…. Tonight could have gone so much worse. He thanked the gods that, once again, the Raiders had won the battle.

Odin rolled over, sleep having abandoned him hours ago, despite his desperate need for it. But no matter how much he wished for sleep, the movie reel behind his eyelids kept playing the same scenes on repeat. Scenes that tore his heart from his chest, made his lungs seize, and made hot tears prick behind his eyes.

He could have lost Skathi. Twice in one day. That was two times too many.

Once the hell at the warehouse had been dealt with, they’d returned the clubhouse where they debriefed for more than two hours. It had dragged, his men and his woman all wary, coming down from the adrenaline rush, and ready to shower and get some sleep.

Tessa was in the hospital, her knee shattered, waiting for the orthopedist to come and get her scheduled for life changing knee replacement surgery. Skathi was heartbroken for her friend because both women knew that her dreams of fighting professionally were over. Tessa, angry and in pain, had begged Skathi to go, and she’d listening, knowing her friend needed the time and space to come to terms with her new reality. Surprising enough, Fang refused to leave, saying he’d camp out in the waiting room just in case she needed anything. Tessa hadn’t argued but she hadn’t seemed all that happy about it either.

With Trucker and Bonnie dead, traitors to the brotherhood, the club was in disarray. Brothers were furious that one of their own had been turned, and they were pissed that someone they’d supported for years was greedy for more. Bonnie and Trucker got theirs, but so had Alfanzo, Jose, and their bastard cartel crew.

Chavez had already been in contact, livid that one of his most trusted men had betrayed him, using cartel resources for unsanctioned business. He was adamant that Odin and the Raiders wouldn’t have to deal with the unsavory part of the cartel’s business in Vegas again, and he also assured Odin there would be no blow back for taking out Madrigal and Melgar.

Not that Odin cared about blow back. If it were just him and his brothers, they’d take on the cartel without hesitation, but it wasn’t just them anymore. There was Skathi, and now Tessa. Their brotherhood was growing, and he couldn’t be more excited to see what would happen for the Raiders next.

After all he’d seen and done that night, he wanted to wrap Skathi in his arms and let the world fade away. So that’s what he did.

In his private apartment, he slowly, carefully, stripped Skathi, kissing her, adoring her, and then he took her into the shower where they took their time cleaning each other. Once the cleaning was done, he’d taken her to his bed where he made love to her. Slow. Telling her with his body how much she meant to him. She was just as eager, her body responding to him as though she was starving for him. As he was starving for her. I that moment with her, he didn’t give a fuck if he got off, as long as she knew and understood that he couldn’t live without her.

He still hadn’t told her though…because there was something else he had to tell her first.

Now, in the aftermath of their long and emotional night, he couldn’t hold her close enough. Couldn’t get enough of her scent into his lungs. Couldn’t press enough of her naked body against his.

Skathi shifted beside him, the sheet covering her luscious body slipping down to reveal the pale globes of her breasts. He cupped them, brushing a kiss over the tops of them. She moaned.

“You’re awake,” she observed, her voice husky from sleep. “Did you sleep?” Her concern wrapped warm arms around him and she grinned down at her.

“Nah, I couldn’t get the images out of my head. Last night was…a lot. I’d seen and done a lot in the Rangers, but last night was different.”

“It was personal. There was more at stake because everyone involved was someone you cared about. As a Ranger, you were following orders. As president and brother, you felt a deeper connection to those in danger.”

He kissed her lips chastely, then rolled to his back, taking her with him so her breasts were squished against his side.

“It wasn’t just that, though, baby. I was sick with worry over you—”

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