Page 25 of Torching Vixen
“What are you talking about?” I question. I realize we’ve been out of the loop for a bit, but my only goal is to get up to speed as quickly as possible so we can make a plan. Revenge is on my mind, and I’m ready to burn it all to the ground to ensure that fucker stops breathing.
Smith turns a picture to me, and I see the little shit laying at the base of a set of stairs with a gunshot to the back of the head. Well, there goes that thought, and suddenly, I feel like someone popped my balloon. I should be glad that we don’t have to dirty our hands, but I was looking forward to showing him the error of his ways.
“Who the fuck did he piss off to end up dead?” Razor growls from the corner of the room.
“When you kidnap the only daughter of the O’Malley family, Mason O’Malley’s woman,andTheo Steel’s woman as well, showing up dead is the only way that ends,” Dad replies, leaning back in his chair.
“Why do those names sound so familiar?” I ask.
“Do you remember when we would go to Nashville for vacation, and while we were there, I’d do a little work? You would always hang out with Mason O’Malley and his best friend, Theo,” Dad waits for the names to click with me.
“I remember them. So, this asshole kidnapped not one but two of the most important women on the East Coast, and they’re a part of this family?” I’m stunned someone could be that stupid.
“That is exactly what happened. So, on to Fire and Ice. As soon as we find them, we will be putting them to ground. All ties to any allies and friends they had are done,” Prez advises, coming to his feet again. “Men, now we show him and that shithole he calls a club what happens when you mess with Hell’s Sacrifice.”
We all roar in agreement and set to planning the fall of that asshole and his club.
17
Vixen
Well, that was a lot for first thing in the morning. First, Torch wanted to spend time with me and then the kiss on the side of my head as he was leaving. I’m falling more for him than I should. I don’t know what this is or even what he’ll think about the fact I’m carrying another man’s baby. Is he different from all the other bikers I know? Could this possibly be more? I get so lost in dreams of Torch, the baby, and myself having a future that when Lo sits down next to me, I’m startled.
Lo did her makeup to hide the fact she’s been crying, and she is holding herself so that she seems smaller and takes up less space—like she did back when we were in hell. While I don’t know what happened, I’m about to fuck somebody up. She and Razor have been getting really close, and I thought there might be something there, but it’s looking to me like he needs a good old-fashioned ass-whooping.
“You want to tell me who hurt you and why, or do I just need to start knocking heads together?” I ask her, one-hundred percent serious.
Lo looks over at me, and I watch as the shutters come down on my bright, vibrant, and sassy best friend. “I’m with you on getting out. As soon as we can, let’s find out who we are without a fucking club hanging over our heads.”
“Lo, I don’t know if I can leave. Most of all, I don’t know that I want to leave,” I tell her and know it’s the truth.
Lo looks me over and quietly asks, “You love him?”
“I really do, and I believe that he loves me. I just don’t know that he can love another man’s baby. I mean, fuck, we have only known each other such a short amount of time.” tell her, and I know that it’s the truth.
“I’m so happy for you, Vix. I just can’t stay. I need to be on my own and figure things out. Go back to school or travel some. I don’t know, but I do know staying here isn’t an option,” Lo says, and I can see the heartbreak and fear she is trying to hide.
There is one thing about this woman; there is no changing her mind once it’s made. So, I don’t try. I just give her a nod and finish my food, thinking of a way to keep her around. If nothing else, maybe in town since she wants to leave the club. I need her close—always have, always will.
It’s probably selfish of me, but I can’t help it. She’s all I have.
“Just don’t go traveling until after the baby is born. Please?” I ask her, not brave enough to look her in the eye. The slap on my arm makes me turn to her so fast I almost fall off my stool.
“You bitch, you know good and damn well I’m not leaving until that baby is born. Who else is going to make sure you don’t hurt someone when you go into labor?” she asks me with a glare.
“I just had to be sure. I mean shit, if I don’t keep a close eye on you, you’ll be gone like the wind in the night,” I tell her, sticking my tongue out at her like a child.
“You’re a right bitch. You know that, right?” she asks, taking the last bite of her breakfast.
We move from the kitchen to the main room and start playing a game of pool while we wait for the men to come out of church. The front door opens, and a woman I haven’t seen since Ox was taken away struts through the door. She walks over to the other club girls sitting around the bar, who start to squeal and hug her like long-lost family. Lo and I stand back and watch, unsure what to do when Blue comes through the kitchen door.
“Why the fuck are all of you squealing?” The club girls’ part so she can see who is standing there. “Why are you here?” Blue is not at all happy to see the woman.
“I came to see some old friends and get a few things that I left here when Ox just up and left,” she says with the fakest look of disappointment I’ve ever seen.
“Bitch, you know good and damn well that we sent all the girly shit from his room to you. You are not welcome through the gates, much less in my fucking home!” Blue says in a tone that if it were used toward me, I would fucking hide.
For a split second, I see the look of pure hatred cross her face before she hides it and continues, “It was special to me. My grandpa gave it to me right before he died, and I just can’t leave without it.”
