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“Priest?” She touches my face when we’re out of sight. “You’re… you’re really here?”
I sweep the hair back off her face. “Of course I’m here, I told you I’d keep you safe. I had no idea what Leo was planning or I would’ve been more diligent in?—”
She puts a finger over my lips. “Don’t ever say that,” she whispers. Tears leak down her face and I brush them away. “I thought you were dead… He told me…”
I shake my head. “I’m here, little dove. I’m always going to be here.” I pull her close, covering her body with my own. “I’ll never let you go again.”
I glance over to the side. I can’t see him in the dark, but I hope to God that bullet was enough to actually kill him. What we don’t need is him resurfacing again. Not that he has anyone left in the mob to back him. They’re all pretty much dead. The Carusos are finished.
“Need to get you out of here,” I mutter. She clings to me like a koala. “Keep holdin’ on, princess.”
“I love you, Priest.” Tears stream down her face. “When I thought you were dead, I didn’t care about anything anymore. I just wanted Leo dead. I wanted him to pay.”
“And he has. He’s gone now.”
“I don’t know if I killed him, what if…”
I tip her chin up. “It’s unlikely he’d survive a bullet wound to the chest, and the Mississippi River. Regardless, the mob is done. He’s done. He’ll wash up sooner or later.” I kiss her on the forehead. “You’re free now.”
She shakes her head, trying to look over my shoulder. “My uncle?”
I tilt her chin back to me. “You don’t need to see that, but he’s dead. So are his men. And we’re gettin’ out of here.”
I turn, Nevada and Harlem are practically on top of us. along with my dad. Thank God he’s okay. “Get movin’,” Nevada says. “Holdin’ off, but more men are arrivin’.”
“What about Rowan and his men?”
“They took the compound, half his men are waitin’ to ambush the rest of the soldiers headed this way.”
I nod. “Let’s move, Bella.” I lift her into my arms and I run.
We approach Nevada’s truck and he opens the door, my dad on the other side with his gun raised, guarding us. I shove Bella inside, climbing in after her. Harlem turns. “Gonna stay behind, get her out of here. She needs to see a doctor and so do you.” Harlem’s eyes dip and I stare down at the blood leaking from my shirt.
“Oh my God!” Bella shrieks. “You’ve been shot!”
“Fuck,” I hear my dad whisper-shout as he climbs into the front passenger seat.
I feel the wet patch above my shoulder. It’s a graze. I didn’t even feel it. “I’m fine,” I tell her as Harlem slams the door and Nevada starts the engine. “It’s a graze. Oh, Bella, this is my dad, West.” This is the second time I’ve been shot at and lived to tell the tale, but I can’t forget my manners.
Dad turns around, holding out his hand. “Pleased to meet you, Bella.”
She looks at his outstretched hand and to my surprise, she takes it. “I wish we were meeting under better circumstances Mr….”
“West,” he says. “You’ll make me sound like an old man callin’ me by my last name.”
Bella smiles softly. She’s covered in blood and dirt. I want to get her home to where she feels safe.
“Casey will be at the clubhouse,” Nevada tells us. “I’ve also named your dad, bro. After tonight, he deserves a biker name.”
“What's wrong with West?” Bella questions. “That’s a nice name.”
Dad chuckles. “Thank you, Bella.”
“Nah, it sounds too made up,” Nevada continues. Why the fuck they got him to drive, I’ll never know. He never shuts up.
I pull Bella closer to me, hardly daring to believe we made it out of there. We’re making small talk after all of that? I guess it’s better than her being a mess in my arms. I kiss the top of her head. “Do we want to know?”
“Hustler,” they say together. Then he and my dad laugh at the same time. Seems like they’ve been doing some bonding of late.
