Page 12 of Protective Biker

She pulls back when I reach for her and crosses her arms over her chest. “Exactly what kind of wound is it, Diesel?”

My jaw tightens. I don’t want to tell her, but I know it will be better coming from me than someone else. “A bullet wound.”

Her mouth falls open. “A bullet wound? You were shot?” She jumps up from the chair and moves toward me. “You were shot... with a gun?”

I stand up and put my hands on her shoulders. “Yes, but I’m fine.”

She’s staring at the gauze wrapped around my arm. The truth is, it hurts like a son of a bitch, but I’ll never let her know that. I wave my arm in different directions before letting my hand go back to her shoulder. “See, I’m fine. It’s not a big deal.”

She puts her hand next to the gauze and then the other over my heart. “Another six inches to the left and you’d be dead right now, Diesel. Don’t tell me it’s not a big deal.”

She steps out of my arms and starts to pace the room. “I can’t do this. I can’t stand by and watch you get killed.”

“I’m not going to...”

But she doesn’t let me finish. Her voice raises an octave, and she points at my arm. “Six inches, Diesel.”

I shrug my shoulders. “I don’t know what you want me to say.”

She juts her chin at me. “I want you to quit. I want you to tell me that you’re done with this. Nothing is worth...”

I put my hand up to stop her. She doesn’t know the details, and I can’t tell her, but I do know I’m not quitting. I’m nothing without this MC and what it stands for. “I’m not quitting.”

She lets that sink in and takes a deep breath. “Fine. Then this”—she points between the two of us—“whatever this is is over.”

I’m pissed. Not only because she’s giving me an ultimatum but because she’s running scared, and that’s not who she is. Anger boils up inside me. “I’m not quitting, and if you think us fucking gives you a right—"

She rears back as if I’ve slapped her, and I know instantly I’ve said the wrong thing. Hell, the unforgivable thing. She turns on her heel and walks out the bedroom door. I should follow her, but I don’t. At this point, I think we both need time to cool off.

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