Page 40 of Twisted

Katherine

Itry to get it together as he strides across the room and growls, “Fucking bastards. I should finish them now.”

My legs feel weak as he tears the cuffs from my wrists and I fall against his hard chest. His arms wrap around me and he holds me close, whispering. “It’s ok, darlin’, you’re safe now.”

He strokes my hair and I try to stop the sobs from wrenching from my body, but it’s futile. As he holds me close, I let it all out. Bravery becomes anguish as I shatter into a million pieces.

He must hold me for several minutes before he whispers, “You did well, darlin’, it’s over now.”

I shake in his arms as he holds me close. It’s too much seeing him walk into this room. I’m at my lowest point and seeing him was like a knife to my heart.

He pulls me down next to him on the couch and wraps a blanket around my shoulders. He says gruffly, “I’m sorry, Kitty.”

I look at him through water-filled eyes. “For what?”

He shakes his head. “For everything. You didn’t deserve what I put you through, and I never thought about your feelings. You only ever showed me loyalty and love, and I pushed you aside and then made you carry out my revenge. I’m a bastard, Kitty, we all know that, but my one regret was what I did to you.”

I shrug. “It’s done now. You did what was in your heart. I always knew you never thought of me in that way. You never pretended otherwise.”

He squeezes my shoulder and smiles ruefully. “You know you have a home with us, don’t you? You’re a Reaper and we care for our own.”

I smile shakily. “No, you have a new wife and I’ve moved on. We both know there’s nothing for me back at the clubhouse. This was my way of paying you back and I hope it was enough.”

Before he can answer, the door flies open and I look up in surprise. My heart flutters and my knees shake as Sam bursts into the room andcoversthe distance between us in two steps. He looks so anxious, and that’s all it takes to make me fold. The tears fall heavily as I see the anxiety on his face.

He reaches for me and I crumble. He sits on the other side of me and pulls me close and holds me so tightly I almost can’t breathe. I sob in his arms as he wraps me in a protective bubble that I never want to leave. No words are spoken as he holds me tightly. The relief is overwhelming as I sit sandwiched between the two men who mean the most to me. My past and future side by side at the turning point in my life.

It’s over.

Sam

When I watched Ryder walk into that room, I think I held my breath the entire time. It felt like a physical pain knowing he was rescuing the woman I love when it should have been me. But then again, he was the reason she was there in the first place and the rage is burning me up inside. As soon as I saw the President and his men had left, I flew toward that room like a demon.

The only thing that mattered was Katherine, even if what I saw would break me. I know she loves Ryder and the fear inside me won’t go away at the thought she may go with him. Back to her life at the compound and back to him. I know he has a wife now and when a biker marries it’s for keeps, but something is gnawing away inside me. What do I know of their arrangement? For all I know, it could be as much a sham as Katherine’s presence here. The trouble is, I have to know, even if what I discover breaks me.

But when I charged into that ‘fuck’ room, the look on her face told me everything I wanted to know. She looked at me with such love and relief I couldn’t get there fast enough. She was sitting wrapped up in a blanket next to Ryder on the same couch I watched her being abused on.

He wasn’t holding her; they were just talking quietly. As soon as I reached her, she held out her arms, and I pulled her close, vowing to never let her go. We are done paying Ryder back, it’s all about us now and I will spend the rest of my life making it up to her.

We sit for a while and then Ryder says gruffly, “We should leave. They want me to clear up the mess they’ve created. It’s just a shame they don’t know it was all because of me in the first place.”

He laughs softly and then turns to Katherine.

“Come on, honey. I’ll take you home.”

I feel my chest tighten as I hear his words. The blood rushes to my head and I tighten my grip on Katherine’s hand. I watch as she shakes her head and smiles ruefully.

“Home, you say. I’m not sure I have one. If I do, it certainly isn’t the Reaper’s compound anymore.”

He looks at her with a blank expression and I see the questions in his eyes as he looks between us.

I grip her even more tightly and say with an emotion I’ve never heard in my voice before. “Your home is with me, Katherine. If you want it, of course.”

I hold my breath as my life moves in slow motion before me. If she says no, I’m not sure what I’ll do.

She looks at me and I see the questions in her beautiful eyes. She whispers, “Why would you want me, Sam? I’m a whore. You could do so much better than me. You should find a nice girl who would love you without the baggage of her past crowding your mind.”

I exhale sharply and reach up and run my thumb over those plump lips. I watch the desire darken her eyes and feel my cock throbbing with an urgent need.

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