“I know that the pain of losing someone you love makes you want to die. Makes you want to kill,” I continued. “But you don’t really want to die. And if you kill me, that’s what will happen.”
“Fuck,” she hissed. Uncertainty clouded her face. The gun moved as she ran her fingers through her hair, as if she was momentarily forgetting that she was holding a gun.
I didn’t hesitate. This was the moment. To make sure I tucked my kids in tonight. That I went to sleep beside Kace.
I charged.
My body hit hers with a thump. We both landed on the floor, hard. The impact jarred me, but my hands were already on hers, yanking for the gun.
A shot resounded through my house only seconds later.I was sitting on the porch when Kace arrived. The police had arrived first. Because I’d called them first. I’d been an Old Lady for a long time. Lived in this town my entire life. I knew that back in the day, the police were on the Son’s payroll. As long as there wasn’t any blowback on Amber, they didn’t bother them. Certainly didn’t arrest them.
Things had changed, though. There was a new sheriff in town. Not Luke. Who definitely never would’ve been on the Sons’ payroll. But he was in love with Rosie, the daughter of the president, so he’d never hurt the club. Because he knew that hurting the club and hurting Rosie was one in the same.
So he gave up his badge for Rosie. Moved to L.A. to work at Greenstone Security. Did his best to rein her in.
Rosie wasn’t one to be reined in. Only a few months ago, she’d gotten involved with a movie star turned murder witness turned target of an organized crime boss. Things would never be boring with them.
Or me, as it seemed.
The new sheriff knew the score with the Sons. She was young, for a sheriff. Pretty too. In a hard way. She had a kid, slightly younger than Lily; I’d seen her at school drop-off sometimes. No husband. She had become acquainted with the Sons when she first arrived. They seemed to be on good terms. She’d looked the other way during the war that had been impossible to ignore. The one that stole my husband from me.
But I was erring on the side of caution now. I wasn’t going to have Kace at the scene before the cops.
I’d planned on calling him after I made my statement. But I should’ve known better. We had Wire, who was likely listening in on all 911 calls, especially ones that were being called to my house and involved the word ‘death’.
The roar of the bike sounded just after I’d given my initial statement. The sheriff said it was obvious self-defense, but I’d need to come down to the station anyway.
I’d expected this.
And the look on Kace’s face when he leapt off his motorcycle.
Cade, Brock, Gage, Asher, Bull and Gage rolled up behind him.
“What the fuck, Lizzie?” Kace seethed, hauling me up, eyes wide as he took in the blood staining my shirt.
“It’s not mine,” I reassured him.
“I know it’s not fucking yours,” he clipped. “What I need to know is why you’re covered in blood, why the cops are here and why I didn’t get a fucking phone call.”
His hands were tight on my upper arms.
“Easy, brother,” Gage commanded from behind him.
The men were all hanging behind, Cade on the phone, likely making plans, getting lawyers prepared should I need them. Instructing his wife to take care of the kids.
Kace didn’t acknowledge that Gage had even spoken. His furious glare remained focused on me. I saw past that, though. Saw the fear.
“Honey, I called the police first because they needed to arrive first,” I explained calmly. “You know that.”
“I know my woman is covered in blood, white as a sheet, sitting on her fucking own and I’m not clued in as to what’s going on,” he snapped.
Gage stepped closer. My eyes found his, and I gave him a look to show it was okay. He stopped moving but stayed close.
“It was an Old Lady,” I announced. “Of another club. She was the one doing this. Not Edmond. Not anyone from your past. Ranger had been involved in her Old Man’s death. Who knows how long ago? She wanted to punish me. She wanted to kill me. I didn’t let that happen.”
Kace stared at me, fury melting off his face. He yanked me into his arms. “Fuck, baby,” he murmured into my hair.
He didn’t let me go for a long time.
Not until the police came back and needed more statements.
Kace let me go then. But he wouldn’t let go of my hand. Straight up refused to let me go anywhere without him. Normally, that wasn’t something that police would be down with. But this was Amber. Kace was wearing a Sons of Templar cut.