Page 61 of Demo

The front door was already ajar. Demo shouldered his way inside. Not knowing where Paige was in the room, Demo kept the muzzle of his gun lowered and his finger off of the trigger.

A man in a disheveled suit stood in the living room. It took Demo a moment to see around the days-old beard and the stains for him to place Clifton Barrington. The once pristine, clean cut man from Keys’ pictures wasnotlooking his best.

Paige stood on the far side of the living room. She had tears streaked down her cheeks and red-rimmed eyes, but otherwise looked unharmed. Demo could not afford to spare her a longer look.

“Who the fuck are you?” Clifton demanded haughtily. As he shifted his body, Demo saw the small snub nosed revolver in his right hand.

Demo raised his gun, gripping it steadily with both hands. “Drop the weapon!” A sharp pain entered his shoulder at the quick movement, but Demo ignored it.

Clifton went to step forward. His arm twisted as if he was debating on raising it, but then spotted Bulldog behind Demo and thought better of it. Movement from the other side of the living room showed Bear entering with his Glock raised. Demo’s club brother moved to stand directly in front of Paige.

Demo could not let himself outwardly show his relief. Not while her stepbrother was still armed.

“Who the fuck are you?” Clifton repeated.

“The man telling you to drop your weapon or I will fire mine.” Demo might have been trained with a firearm, same as the others, but unlike his fellow club brothers, Demo had never fired his before.

He would do so now without hesitation if it meant keeping Paige safe.

Clifton glanced between Demo and Bear, whose large body completely hid Paige from sight. Slowly, he squatted down and tossed the revolver onto the beige carpeting of Paige’s living room. It hit with a muffledclunk. Once he stood straight again, Clifton backed away from the weapon with his hands raised.

“Sit,” Demo ordered shortly.

Clifton parked his ass on the couch.

Bulldog stepped to the side of Demo to pick up the snubby. As soon as Bulldog had possession of the weapon, Demo flipped the safety on his M17. He tucked it into his jeans at the small of his back as he rushed across the living room to get to Paige.

Bear stepped out of the way.

The fear Demo had been trying his damndest to suppress rose to the forefront as Paige came into view. She was shaking, her beautiful face coated in rivers of tears.

Demo wrapped her up in his arms, not caring in the slightest that the movement caused fire to burn through his shoulder and up the side of his neck. He’d burn for real for this woman and her two kids.

He clutched her tightly to his front, one arm around her shoulders and upper back with the other arm wrapped around her head. His fingers and face were buried in her thick brunette locks. Her scent of lavender, lemon, and peppermint permeated his nose…and he just breathed her in.

“Longest fucking ride of my life,” he murmured into her hair.

She had her arms locked tightly around his back. Her entire body shook as she cried into his chest. It took him a moment to realize she was asking about her boys.

Demo raised his head enough to look over his shoulder at Bear and Bulldog. “The boys. Upstairs, second door on the left. Mikey was trying to move a chair in front of the door.”

Bear nodded once and then left the room. Demo could hear his big boots pounding up the stairs. Mikey and Nelly Bean knew both Bear and Bulldog from playing with their kids.

Just then Steel and Lucky came bursting into the house with their guns drawn. As soon as they saw the living room, they immediately lowered and holstered their weapons.

“Upstairs,” Demo told Lucky. They knew Bear, but they would be more comfortable with their uncle.

Lucky went running up the stairs after Bear.

Steel turned his icy gaze down on Clifton as he stepped up beside Bulldog. The man flinched and looked away.

Demo carefully lifted Paige’s head up. She was a mess with red blotches on her cheeks, puffy eyes, tears, and snot. It made his heart hurt to see her so wrecked, yet it did nothing to diminish her beauty or strength in his eyes.

“Are you hurt?” he asked gently. He should have asked that first, but his priority had been getting to her.

She shook her head. “He just scared me. I thought it was you at the door.”

Demo scowled. “I told you, I will always text you first. You should never answer your door without knowing who’s on the other side.”

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