Page 54 of Protector

With that in mind, I dug my toes into the carpet and sank all of my weight into the move. Eventually, the joints would give. If I was lucky, the bones would snap too; giving me a fighting chance.

Bits of wood flew through the air as the door was kicked in. The room plunged into darkness as men entered, and I realized that I’d never considered what would happen to my girls if I didn’t succeed.

I should’ve taken my chances with the gun.

Manny moaned loudly as I put my weight on his elbow again. If I was going down, I was going to inflict as much pain on him as possible before they took me out.

A rough hand latched onto my hair, forcing my face up toward the ceiling. “Sorry, sweetheart, but Pres said no witnesses.” He ground up against my backside. “I’d love to take my time with you too.”

Familiarity pierced the veil of panic as his arm tightened around my throat. I knew that voice. I released my hold on Manny and tried using my stance to free myself from his unforgiving grip.

He kicked my legs out from under me and lifted me higher until the tips of my toes just grazed the carpet. The sounds of struggle were muffled in my attempt to get oxygen.

“Michael,” I croaked, clawing blindly at his arm. “Comedian—”

Instead of going dark, everything became brighter, and I squinted against it, only to see the man I’d been trying to protect glaring back at me.

“Jesus Christ, Celia,” Jamie growled. “What the fuck are you doin’ here?”

At the sound of his voice, moisture pooled between my thighs. Proving that I was beyond saving, it had taken four years and Death himself to make me wet.

Chapter Eleven

Grey: 2004

Comedian relaxed his hold, and Celia stumbled forward on the carpet, coughing violently. My arms instinctively came up to catch her, but she planted her bloody palms against my chest and pushed off.

“Where is he?” She croaked, scanning the room with eyes that were wild—with rage? Lust?

I didn’t know.

It had taken a former stripper turned madam for us to get a lead that finally paid off. Three of her girls had disappeared around the same time she noticed an increase in bikers in the area, and she’d confronted Comedian, convinced my club was behind it.

The fact that I’d heard about the encroachment from a whore instead of a hang-around hadn’t set well with me. If another club even sneezed in our territory, it was their job to let me know.

“Answer the fuckin’ question, Celia,” I demanded through clenched teeth. “Why are you here?”

“Go to hell, Grey.” Her chest heaved up and down with each ragged breath she took, pulling my attention back to her tits. Tits that were covered by nothing more than some see-through lacy shit that pushed them up under her chin.

Torch sucked air through his teeth at her insult and dropped his gaze down to the stained carpet. Bear scratched an invisible itch on his neck and studied a cheap painting on the wall, clearly waiting for the explosion.

There was a time when I would’ve demanded she show me respect in front of my men; a time when I would’ve dragged her kicking and screaming back to the clubhouse. As it was, it was taking everything in me not to shed my kutte and wrap it around her as a reminder to anyone stupid enough to look.

She laid eyes on the gangbanger and with a low growl, stalked over to where my newest patch, Crossbones, held him.

He looked up at me helplessly. “Pres?”

What I needed to do and what I wanted to do were miles apart, but I had to stick with my original plan where she was concerned.

No matter how much it hurt.

“Couldn’t do it yourself, could you, Ma?” He spit in her face, and I stepped forward, only to be met with Comedian’s arm.

He appeared to be oblivious to the tension in the room as he watched her with something like admiration before muttering, “Let’s see what she’s got.”

Crossbones held the prick’s arms back, and Celia drove her knee into his groin with a vicious smirk.

He doubled over with a quiet grunt before cackling. “You put up more of a fight with Cobra—”

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