Page 69 of Wrath

But Wrath seemed unaffected by the thought as he continued towards me. With every step, his presence grew stronger, his strength and determination radiating off him. At that moment, I knew everything was going to be okay. He’d come for me. Without a word, he wrapped his strong arms around me, pulling me into an embrace that chased away my fears. I buried my face in his chest, breathing in the scent that was uniquely his, and cried, “Cody... They killed Cody.”

“Gotta get you outta here, babe.”

“But Cody... and Riley... Riley’s hurt, too.”

“I know, but you first.” He released me from our embrace, then turned around and stood with his back to me, shielding me with his body. “Stay behind me.”

I did as he said and followed him towards his SUV. We hadn’t gotten far when more shots rang out, but Torch was there to cover us until we made it over to the SUV. Once I was safely inside, Wrath turned to me and ordered, “Stay here.”

“Where are you going?”

“We gotta see about Riley and Cody.” He gave my hand a squeeze. “It’ll be okay. Just lock the doors, get low, and hold tight.”

As much as I didn’t want him to go, I knew he had to, so I nodded and watched as he closed the door. As they walked away, I heard Torch tell him, “We gotta hurry, brother. Only a matter of time before the cops show.”

“Yeah, I know. Let’s get this done.”

I watched as they made their way over to Riley. Wrath bent down and spoke to him. Torch stayed with him while Wrath rushed over to where Cody had been shot. Seconds later, he rounded the corner, and I could no longer see him. I tried not to panic, but several minutes passed and there was still no sign of him.

I was becoming worried when I finally spotted Wrath walking in my direction. He had Cody slung over his shoulder, and he had one of the men who’d shot at us walking next to him. His hands were bound, and Wrath had his gun at his back. As soon as they reached the truck, Wrath ordered, “Unlock the doors and get up front. I need you to drive.”

I nodded, then unlocked the doors and climbed over the console. He put Cody in the very back, then got in the back seat with the stranger. As soon as he had the man secured, Wrath told me, “Drive over and pick up Torch and Riley.”

I started the truck and whipped over to the side of the building where Riley and Torch were waiting. Torch helped get Riley to his feet, then they both got up front with me. Riley was in bad shape. He was bleeding from both his shoulder and his side. Knowing he didn’t have much time, I pressed my foot against the accelerator and sped towards the clubhouse.

I had my focus on the road when I heard Torch say, “We got her. She’s fine, but we’re gonna need Doc to prep the infirmary. Riley’s been shot.”

There was a brief pause, then he said, “Yeah, he doesn’t look good, but he’s hanging on. Just make sure Doc’s ready. We’re five minutes out.”

He hung up the phone, then turned to Riley and said, “Hold on, brother. We’re almost there.”

Riley nodded, and the truck fell silent.

I didn’t have to look back to know that Wrath was staring at me. I could feel the heat of his stare against my skin. I couldn’t tell if he was angry or relieved or both. He had every right to be furious with me. If I hadn’t gone back into the office, then those men would’ve never come after me and I wouldn’t have put them all in danger. Most of all, Cody would still be alive. The guilt of that weighed heavily on my heart.

I wanted to apologize, but I had no idea what to say to them.

By the time I worked up the courage to say something, we were pulling through the front gates and chaos erupted. The second I parked, Savage and Hayes rushed out to the SUV and helped Torch get Riley out of the truck. As they helped him inside, Wrath pulled the stranger from the back seat and led him around back. I had no idea where he was taking him or why, but I knew better than to question it.

So, I stayed put and took several deep breaths, hoping to settle my racing heart. I was still reeling when Dad came rushing over and pulled me from the driver’s seat, hugging me tightly. “Are you okay?”

“Yes, Daddy. I’m fine.” As I hugged him back, I cried, “I’m so sorry. This was all my fault.”

“No way you could’ve known it was gonna play out like that. None of us could’ve known.”

“But Cody...” Tears stung my eyes as I told him, “He’s in the back.”

“We know, sweetheart. Don’t worry. We’re going to take care of him.”

“I’m so sorry, Daddy. So, so sorry.”

I was still hugging him when Cotton appeared in front of me. His brows were furrowed, and he had an intimidating scowl on his face as he asked, “You wanna tell me what the hell happened back there?”

“I honestly don’t know.” I turned and reached inside the SUV. I grabbed Garrett’s laptop and offered it to Cotton. “I’d found what I’d found on the laptop and was at the office getting my stuff together when someone came to the front door. They were trying really hard to get in, but Riley stopped them. And it all went kind of haywire from there.”

“What’s on the laptop?”

“All these crazy pictures of women. When you see them, you’ll understand why I went back in there for it.”

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