“Coop, behind you.” Her animated words draw my attention to one of the assholes on the ground, gun aimed at her or me, I’m not quite sure. I don’t take a second to think about it, I just aim and shoot, this time, dead center in his forehead. Kelsey shouts, at the noise or the death, I’m not sure because she goes silent again, body pressing so tight against mine like she might never let me go.
Gunfire sounds throughout the warehouse, but my main goal, my total focus on getting Kelsey to safety. I get her to the van where Nova is waiting with a mobile medical kit.
“Kelsey, babe?”
She lifts her head and notices Nova for the first time with a gasp. “Who is he?”
I smile tightly. “Come on, Kels. He’s not that ugly. This is Nova, one of my brothers and a doctor. He’s going to check you out, make sure you’re all right.”
“I’m not,” she answers, voice barely above a whisper.
“Then this is the man you want. He was a doctor in the Army, and now he’s our doctor. You can trust him. I swear.” I slide my kutte off and strip my T-shirt off over my head. “Put this on.”
She sizes up Nova warily at first, but she sees something in his eyes that removes much of the tension in her body. Kelsey takes the shirt and slips it on as I slide my arms back into my leather kutte.
“O-Okay. You can check me out.”
At her approval, I set her down inside the van and take a step back. This feels personal, really fucking personal and, as much as I want to stay, it seems inappropriate.
“What do you need, Kels?”
She reaches out to me with pleading blue eyes. “Stay. Please stay.”
The tension I don’t realize is tightening my spine and shoulders fades.
“I’m not going anywhere,” I tell her as more gunfire sounds behind us.
“You sure you don’t need to go in there to help your guys?” Her voice is small and scared, and that’s the moment I can acknowledge to myself that Shades and Ace are right. Kelsey is more to me than a lay. I’d known that for some time now, but at that moment, I realize what the fuck it is.
Love.
I’m in love with a woman I haven’t managed to protect. All the clubs, all the women and girls I’d saved over the years, and I couldn’t come through for the one who actually matters.
“It’s all right, Kels. Getting to you, making sure you’re all right is my only job today.”
She nods and her head drops forward, a moment later, a shocked gasp escapes.
“Is this blood mine?” She looks at her arms and legs, sticky with blood and brain matter and lets out a terrified scream. “What is that?”
Nova plucks a particularly big piece of brain from her arm and tosses it out of the van. “A piece of a dead Iron King.”
Her blue eyes snap shut, and I put a hand on her shoulder. “Don’t cry for that piece of shit. He was on top of you when I put that bullet in him.”
More tears pour down her cheeks, and I feel useless as I help her all the way into the van so Nova can check her out.
“He wasn’t…it wasn’t…just him.” Her body shakes with relief and tears, her skin frigid from shock. Trauma.
“I’m going to give you a sedative, Kelsey. Is that all right?”
She nods absently. “No known allergies. I think…I think I need other stuff too.”
Nova nods. “We’ll start with antibiotics and Plan B. You’ll need a screening for pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections, which I can do, but you might feel more comfortable with a female doctor.”
Kelsey shakes her head. “If I go to a hospital or clinic, they’ll call the cops, right? I don’t want this all over the news.”
Nova flashes a pleased smile. “I have a friend from the Army who can check you out. She understands.” That’s all he says, and Kelsey gives him a nod before collapsing on her back.
“Okay. Thank you.” Her eyes drift shut moments after she receives the sedative.
“She’ll be out for a few hours,” Nova says. “Go take care of business.”
I don’t move right away, and Nova nods again. “Go. Make sure Santos doesn’t get away.”
At his words, I stand, press a kiss to Kelsey’s forehead, and step from the van. “Keep her safe.”
Nova puts a hand on his chest. “Like she was my own.”
I nod and turn back toward the warehouse just as that piece of shit Nogales runs out like the bitch he is.
“Shit,” he grunts when his eyes meet mine.
“Shit is right,” I tell him and take aim just as he turns away and starts to run. I have to run to keep him in my sight, and when I catch up, he’s still about twelve feet away.