Page 19 of Biker's Property

He endsthe call abruptly and before I realize he’s done, Steel’s fists hit the door.

“Joslin,baby. I need to talk to you.”

I flinch,but only out of surprise. If this man wanted to hurt me, he could have done it last night… When I open the bathroom door, Steel is practically standing in the frame and his face transforms once he sees me.

“Goddamn,”he says.

“What?”

“You look hot,”he says.

I’mflat as a board and literally dressed like a teenage boy. My “sleep braids” look like they were done by somebody left-handed with a hurt arm — which happens to describe me perfectly. I might look a lot of things… but I don’t look hot.

And why isthis man saying that?

I’mmarried to someone else.

Or a widow.

Or somethingthat he shouldn’t touch.

Chapter Ten

SOUTHPAW

Modern men don’t get it. Chasing pussy will never be worth the trouble. Marriage on the other hand? Worth every fight. Worth every fucking hard moment – even when I’m the one causing most of those hard moments. I never thought I would have to bring something like this to Anna again. A list of the dead.

Hawk is on his way to Missouri. This time, Juliette agreed to a safehouse. Anna did too, but she hasn’t left yet. Part of me doesn’t want her to leave. If it weren’t for the kids… I would keep this woman right by my side where she belongs.

“Your mom says it’s the nicest spot you could hope for in Arizona,” Anna says as she packs the last of her things in the Louis Vuitton suitcase I bought her last Christmas. She told me that she didn’t have a real need for anything so fancy, but I insisted. I’m beginning to regret that sentimental purchase wrapped up in an apology for being a degenerate gambler…

“My mother lied to me three damn times about the Hollingsworth love-child situation. Excuse me if I’m not so quick to trust her.”

“She started a college fund for Junior three months ago,” Anna says, tossing a Ziploc bag of her weird womanly creams and potions into her suitcase. “She loves you. She also loves Tanner. I think she did the right thing.”

She packs in silence. Tylee has Junior for the next hour so that I can say a proper goodbye to Anna. We don’t get much time like this with the baby, but I appreciate every last one of these precious stolen moments. But the silence allows the weight of the latest news from Steel to weigh between us.

“I don’t wantto be here again,” I tell her. “I’m sorry.”

“You didn’t kill six Barbarians in the desert,” she says. “Just stay away from temptation while I’m gone.”

Defensively, I come up behind her and wrap my arms around her. I hate even the slightest reminder that we have to be separated. Anna leans into my embrace. I love everything about my wife. I knew she would be mine the second I saw her walking around that gas station convenience store. From the second I met her, I proved I would do anything for her.

I kiss her neck, hoping she can’t feel my sadness. I just want the gorgeous dark-skinned mother of my child to feel my love. Anna sighs and leans against me.

“Wyatt,” she whispers sadly. I love how she says my name but this time, her concern fills me with guilt. I never wanted her in this position. But we can’t let this go.

Jairus and Jotham Blackwoodwere both found beheaded in a ditch in the middle of the desert along with Tanner’s cousins, Gage and Mason Hollingsworth. My second cousin, Christian Shaw and Hawk’s first-cousin Coleton Sinclair were also in that ditch. Beheaded. Steel doesn’t have much information and apparently, he got himself into trouble out there with some “witness” who he refuses to give details about.

All we know now isthat we have closed casket funerals to arrange and an emergency club meeting to decide what we do about the Nazis. This shit is all connected: Oske and her baby kidnapping stunt, Tanner’s infant half-sister and everything uncovered in the desert. As far as we know, Jairus and Jotham were out on a job when the neo-nazi fucks killed them.

There must have been some other reason, but our club meeting will determine all of that…

I squeeze Anna tighter.

“I will come back to you in one piece, woman. I promise.”

She stops packing (finally) and turns to face me. Anna still has the incredible effect of making me rock fucking hard the second I properly look at her. The longer we’re together, the more I fall in love with her.

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