...or something: Ronacks Motorcycle Club (12 page)

Not to mention she was sexually involved with Battery when he decided he wanted her, but that was none of Raelyn's business, no matter how well she got along with the other woman. Raelyn, at twenty-five years old, was the closest to her age within the whole club. Even the women who hung around the house during the parties were older than her.

"Maybe he'll ease up on you once he settles down." Raelyn sat forward and brushed her hands off on her thighs. "He's been a little high-strung lately."

"Maybe," she mumbled.

"Want to go swimming and cool off?" Raelyn leaned to the side and bumped her shoulder against Bree.

She flinched at the contact and scooted away. "Battery has all my bikinis hidden someplace in the house and won't let me have them, even though he says he has no idea where they went. Admitting that to you makes me wonder why I'm sitting here. I should be far away."

"Come on." Raelyn stood and peeled down her shorts to reveal her bathing suit. "Wear your shorts and tank."

"No, cause then I'll need to walk through the house wearing wet, dripping clothes to get dry clothes upstairs, and I don't want to go inside yet." Bree slapped her hand down on the deck. "Never mind. I'll take my clothes off and skinny dip. Everyone is inside at the meeting anyways."

"I'll watch the house while you get in the water." Raelyn turned her back on the pond and Bree.

She undressed, leaving her clothes in a pile, and slipped off the end of the deck into the water. The shock of the coolness soon settled over her as she dipped her shoulders in the water and swam out into the middle of the pond.

"You can turn around and get in." Bree dunked her head, arching her neck, and resurfaced. Her hair laid down her back.

Raelyn joined her after a little shriek at entering the pond. "I wish Duke had a pond or even a river going through his property. Without air conditioning in the house, I'd love to have somewhere to cool off. I bet you go swimming all the time."

"Most days." She floated on her back and stared up at the moon already showing up before dusk. "Do you ever hate the fact that Duke is part of Ronacks?"

"Only when he's gone a long time and I don't know where he is. It gets lonely at the house by myself." Raelyn tread water. "I think it's different for you. You're more like Battery's daughter than involved with a member."

"Maybe." She righted her body and swam back to the dock, pulled herself out of the water, and sat on the edge to let her body dry before she dressed.

Crossing her arms and holding her shoulders, she watched Raelyn swim back and forth and then when she was dry enough, she dressed. By the time Raelyn pulled herself out of the water, Bree had finger combed her hair and already felt the warmth from the summer night again.

"The guys are starting to come out." Raelyn slipped on her tank top over her wet swimsuit.

Bree spotted Battery watching the dock and her. She turned to Raelyn. "Thanks for keeping me company. I'm going to go upstairs now."

"Sure, catch you later." Raelyn bent down to pick up her flip-flops.

Bree walked back on land and ignoring the members, went to the front door of the house. She turned the handle, and the door flew out of her hand with a loud bang.

A heavy force knocked her off balance, and strong arms tackled her from behind and propelled her into the house and onto the floor. She stared at the wood with her ears ringing, confused over what happened.

"Stay down," shouted Battery.

Only then, she knew it was Battery's weight on top of her, and that was the reason she couldn't breathe. She gasped and fought against him.

"Damnit, carny-girl. Settle down. It's me." Battery rolled to her side, and she panted for her lost breath.

"What happened?" she said, trying to look behind her.

It was when she noticed the two holes in the door that she felt the pain in her body. She glanced down and found blood running down her arm.

"Battery?" she said, panic rising in her chest.

"Fuck, Bree. Hang on, carny-girl." He grabbed her and carried her deeper into the house.

He sat her on the pool table. She cradled her arm. The stinging gone, she couldn't feel anything. All she could do was stare at the bright red trails of blood running clear down to her wrist and dotting the green felt on the table.

Battery hurried back to the door and shouted, "Swiss, get your ass in here. Everyone else spread out in twos and find the person who did this."

He returned to her side. She gazed at him straight in the eyes, the first time since he dragged her out of the bar a week ago. His concern stared intently back at her.

"Have I been shot?" she asked, wondering if he could hear her. Her voice sounded different and far away.

"Don't know. This is going to hurt." He used his hand to wipe over her bicep.

She winced.

"Thank fuck," he muttered. "It's a wood sliver off the door, not a bullet, carny-girl. You're going to be okay as soon as we get it out of your arm. I'm going to have Swiss fix you right up."

"Can you hurry?" she said, staring at the blood on his hand.

"You'll be fine, Bree." Battery leaned his face close to hers and kissed her temple. "You're safe."

She swallowed air and yet she couldn't feel her lungs expanding. "I don't feel well."

Swiss rushed in, took one look at Bree, and ran back outside. Bree looked up at the concern in Battery's eyes, and the lines etched on his forehead. His set mouth made his mustache one with his beard and hid his expression.

"You hate me," she whispered.

The hand at the back of her neck tightened and he brought his head forward to kiss her forehead. Against her skin, he said, "I don't hate you."

A slight tremble in his voice had her raising her head to see him. "You threw me away."

"I never threw you away," he mumbled. "You're mine."

"Doesn't feel like it, Battery." She flinched and looked down at her arm. "Someone tried to kill me."

"Nobody is going to kill you." Battery moved to the side without letting go of her neck. "Let Swiss dig the piece of wood out of your arm and get it cleaned so we can stop the bleeding."

Swiss stood in front of her, set the first aid pack beside her, and proceeded to tie his long hair behind his neck with a thin leather strip. "Best not look at your arm, Bree. I'll try and be fast."

She looked up at Battery. "Don't leave me."

"Not going anywhere," he said, his voice gruffer than usual.

She panted. "I-I don't like seeing blood."

"Me, neither," whispered Battery. "Not yours."

At that moment, Battery belonged to her again. His focus, his pledge, his presence filled her clear down to her bare feet. Her body shook, and her teeth chattered.

"Hold her still and be ready to lay her down if she passes out." Swiss's grip on her arm tightened. "The wood is stuck in there good."

Battery leaned over and pulled her head to his chest. She closed her eyes, safe in his arms again.

Then all her worries and sadness disappeared, and everything went black.

B
attery stood in front of every member of Ronacks after calling a meeting when those he sent out to find the suspect who shot at Bree returned empty handed. Tension mounted around the room. Used to protecting others and putting themselves in front of a gun or fist while out on a job, his MC brothers were taken by surprise by a personal attack at the house.

While they'd had grudges against the club from those who had a grievance that came with their job, and new motorcycle clubs often pushed to test them on their stance with the territory, tonight marked the first attack made on his home, on their clubhouse, on Bree.

He was the only one with an idea of who was behind the shot and why the attack happened.

"I'd like to know how a car can park at the end of the road, and someone can get close enough to the house without anyone noticing?" Rod crossed his arms over his chest. "That shit doesn't blow. We need to at least put a prospect out on the road to give us a warning."

Battery's gaze swung to his vice president. "Members were leaving. Four of the women who hung out waiting for brothers to follow them home drove their cars right by the person or people. The sound of a vehicle would've been covered in the activities happening here. My guess is there were at least two people that were in on the attack. One on foot to get close enough to take out Bree and another to pick the shooter up and get him out of here before any of us could organize riders to go after them. As we know, once they hit the main road a mile away, their escape could go in ten different directions."

"Why would someone take aim at Bree?" Swiss, who'd worked on Bree for a half hour to get the chunk of wood out of her arm and all the little slivers out, leaned against the pool table. "She was gone for one day. Prez brought her back to the house before it got dark. What could one girl do in that amount of time in Haugan?"

"It's not Bree," said Battery.

"Sorry, Prez, but I'm not seeing it. If not Bree, then what is the reason for the attack?" Duke looked around at the others and brought his gaze back to Battery. "There's been no trouble out of the ordinary toward us, or the owners at any of the businesses we work at and no clubs have tried to move into the area. All the general warnings from around the states warning of gang activity and clubs trying to expand their territory hasn't reached this corner of Montana, yet. Either someone or some club has it out for us, or Bree is the answer to our recent problem."

"It's not Bree," he repeated

He wanted to believe his statement to his members that Bree wasn't the target. He'd worked hard for years to make sure Bree remained off the radar. Tonight's event thrust him back in time as if trouble never left.

As if all his work and dedication to make sure Bree had a chance at life were for nothing.

"I want two guards outside of the house at all times until further notice. Those of you who don't have a woman or family at home can bunk downstairs and relieve the guards. During the day, Bree doesn't step foot outside of the house until I say she can leave. Swiss, I need you to redo a new roster for work details to accommodate the changes here at the club." He stepped toward the door leading upstairs. "If any problems arise or something looks or seems out of place, come get me. Everyone watch your back and watch your brother's back."

He escaped the room, the questions, the unease permeating the Ronacks members. Hell, he understood the risks his men lived with on top of the added dangers surrounding Bree. But, until he understood the enemy's intent, he had to wait like the rest of them.

In the meantime, he wasn’t leaving Bree's side. After she'd passed out and Swiss had cleaned Bree's arm and stitched the skin together, he'd put her in his bed. The second she came to, he'd slipped a Percocet between her lips and told her to swallow. She needed the rest, and he needed to make sure she was fully protected before she could ask him more questions.

He opened the upstairs door, anxious to reach her side.

At the bedroom, he paused at the view of Raelyn cuddled against Bree on the bed, smoothing her hair off Bree's forehead. The sight surprised him, and he wanted to tell Raelyn to step away. Bree avoided others touching her but him. Personal contact made her uncomfortable.

Except with him. Bree never kept her distance, even when he pushed her away.

"Did she wake?" he whispered.

Raelyn nodded and gently removed herself from the bed and approached Battery. "She woke and called out your name. The only way I could get her to settle down was to lay beside her, and Bree's not one who likes others in her personal space. I think the pain pill has worked. She's resting now."

"Thanks for staying with her." He stepped closer to the bed. "Go ahead and go down to Duke. If he's outside the house, make sure you wait inside for him to come in and get you."

Raelyn hesitated. "I know you won't tell me what is going on, but if Bree needs anything I'd be glad to stay with her."

"Thanks, Raelyn. I appreciate the offer." He rubbed his beard, looking at Bree—asleep, quiet, too still for his carny-girl.

Left alone in the room with Bree, he sank to his knees beside the bed and took her hand, pressing her palm to his face and closed his eyes. When he'd heard the blast from the gun, saw the door splinter away and Bree pitch forward, he thought he'd lost her.

He hadn't had enough time with her.

He hadn't protected her.

He hadn't told her he loved her. That he'd always loved her. Everything he'd done, he'd done for her, and it wasn't enough. He should've done more.

She almost got taken from him and she had no clue how much she meant to him and how big of a part of his life she'd become. His whole life.

A soft moan came from Bree, and she mumbled, "Batt..."

He raised his head. "I'm here."

Bree blinked awake. "What did you give me?"

"A painkiller." He moved up onto the bed and lay beside her. "You needed to sleep."

"Sleep? Or, did you need to go cause trouble while you knocked me out?" She smacked her lips. "I'm thirsty."

He stood from the bed and went into the bathroom and filled a glass half full of water. When he returned, Bree had sat up and waited for him.

"You shouldn't get up." He sat on the edge of the mattress and handed her the drink.

She drank thirstily and handed him an empty glass. "My arm doesn't hurt. The only thing bothering me is the woozy feeling. I'm extremely tired, and my stomach is making me nauseous."

"That's the Percocet." He eyed her upper arm where Swiss put six stitches in to stop the bleeding. "When the medicine wears off, your arm will be sore. If it is too uncomfortable, you need to take another painkiller. You also need to watch it for any redness. Wood is dirty, and it splintered off in your arm. Swiss had to clean it—"

"Ugh. No more talk about my arm. There was so much blood." She yawned on a shiver. "Where did Swiss learn how to play doctor?"

"Army." Battery shook his head. "If he hadn't of been here, I would've taken you to the hospital. Maybe I still should and have someone else look at it. We could tell them it was a construction accident."