Page 73 of Queen of Blades

Paul hissed, then pressed his lips to the crown of her head as he continued to pet her in slow, soothing motions. “I’ll find a way to get you checked out.”

She nodded. “I know.”

“Where are we headed?” someone from the third row asked.

“The hangar,” Paul’s brother answered.

Hangar?“Like for planes?” Harper blurted.

“Yeah,” Paul said. “We have some shit to work out.”

Groaning, she nuzzled against his chest. More complications. That was the last thing she needed. If she had her way, she’d jump on a plane today, go home, and leave this all behind her.

What about Paul?

The intrusive thought barged into her brain, but she couldn’t answer it. She honestly didn’t know what to do about him—and them, because they’d crossed that threshold. They were a them.

There was nothing more obvious than the attraction that existed between the two. Paul had demonstrated time and time again that he’d sacrifice himself for her. Honestly, she’d do the damn same. She couldn’t move on with her life and forget he existed.

She’d tried that once.

Every day in North Carolina felt empty. The men she dated weren’t as charming. They didn’t have that effortless magnetism Paul possessed. It was why she’d thrown herself into her work. Her love life was stagnant and lacking, so she figured being the best possible lawyer out there would be enough.

But it wasn’t, and not because she needed a man to make her whole. Fuck that noise. It was because she knew Paul existed. She’d experienced the explosive chemistry between them and craved it deep within her core.

Denying herself had worked for a while, but the moment he appeared, her resistance melted away. Paul waved every red flag in existence. He was a dangerous criminal with blood on his hands. Every day he walked this Earth was another day closer to his inevitable destruction.

He lived on borrowed time and wanted to spend it with her. How was she supposed to turn that down? He did it twelve years ago, and again over the last few days. No one would ever offer her that amount of devotion. Every breath he took was a gift.

Could she really turn her back on that?

42

Paul

Somewherealongthetwo-hourdrive on I-44, Harper fell asleep against Paul. He took comfort that her injuries weren’t so severe that pain prevented her slumber. She had to be exhausted. He was, and he hadn’t been through half the hell she had.

When Eddie turned off the highway, Paul let out a breath. “How much longer?”

“I don’t know. Another ten, maybe fifteen minutes.”

Paul nodded. The mood in the car had shifted. They weren’t running on adrenaline anymore. Men were injured. They’d lost five of the fourteen. Tragic, but to be fair, they were horribly outnumbered. There were at least thirty bikers in the clubhouse, not to mention two prospects, and the multitude of others who got in the way because they were looking for a good party.

Pinching the bridge of his nose, Paul did his best to ignore the pain in his leg. While it hurt like a son of a bitch, he hadn’t actually looked at it. At least the bleeding had slowed. It only leaked when he moved.

He was fairly confident it wasn’t a through and through, or even a lodged bullet. Just a graze. Nothing serious. Stitches were in his future, and he’d deal with that.

Harper was in far worse condition. The longer he watched her, even in the dim light of the evening drive, he could see her bruises darkening. Her breathing had a whistle to it. She often flinched when jostled. Internal bleeding or unseen injuries were his concern. She needed to be thoroughly examined.

But where? And by whom?

He couldn’t exactly take her to the local hospital. While they had connections, they didn’t havethatkind. Someone would report her injuries, and that would mean questions. No one wanted to be put in a position to answer any of them.

They had to be creative and maybe call in a favor or seven.

Another hard turn and the SUV plunged into darkness. There wasn’t a streetlamp in sight. The headlights illuminated the long dirt road flanked by overgrown trees. They’d made it to the large cattle ranch owned by one of their former casino employees.

Tommy worked for them when times got tough. They may have even lent him a few grand to save his family’s land when the bank tried to steal it from him. The country needed more family-owned farms.Especiallyones with private airports.

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