“Told you I had a gift.” Maddox looked up at me with a wicked grin.
“Who’s this?” I asked in confusion.
“We’ve been canvassing hospitals within 100 miles of here. Guess who turned up with an infected bite wound?” X shared before glowering down at the groaning man. “You should have let that shit fester, asshole,” he taunted, delivering a swift kick to the chair.
Understanding dawned as I stepped further into the room, shutting the door behind me. This was the asshole who got away. Finding him was a stroke of luck, and we all knew it.
“Figured this might make up for my bad intel,” Mad grumbled.
“I still want to talk about that,” I warned before turning my eyes to the hunched figure. “My dog got a good taste of you, huh?” I snickered, my gaze on the man’s bandaged leg.
“Those dogs are fucking crazy!” he grunted in pain.
“When someone comes in and threatens their home and their mistress, then fuck yes, they are,” I replied with pride. “Now, let me tell you how this is gonna go. You’re gonna tell us what we want to know, and maybe, just maybe, the dog bite will be the worst of your injuries. Let’s start with your name.”
The guy whimpered, clearly terrified, which led me to believe he wasn’t a career criminal. He didn’t look that old, maybe twenty. We could use all of that to our advantage. “Johnny,” he answered finally.
“Johnny…?” Cash kicked his chair.
“Johnny Mann,” he replied quietly.
The name didn’t mean anything to me. “Who gave the order to attack my house?” I demanded.
“I don’t know his name,” he replied, receiving a threatening growl from Xander.
“I don’t!” he sputtered. “I was working with my cousins. They had more direct contact.”
“What did he want?” I demanded.
“He… he wanted the girl,” he blathered. “He said he’d set up a distraction so we could go in and take her.”
That explained the false intel.
“We were supposed to grab her and take her to an address in Reno. Then we’d get the money.”
My pulse pounded with rage. “What did he want with her?”
“I don’t know.” He shook his head. “I never talked to him directly, but it sounded like he was an ex-boyfriend or something. That he wanted her back.”
Realization slammed into me. “Her fucking stalker,” I growled low to Gunner who nodded solemnly.
Johnny looked at me with fear-filled eyes. “Are you going to kill me?”
“We might,” X broke in. He always loved this kind of shit.
“Not if you’re useful.” I shot a pointed look at X to shut it. “You find me someone who talked to that piece of shit directly and give me the address you were supposed to take the girl to,” I said, not wanting to use Wren’s name. “And maybe we’ll let you live.”
“I can try.” He nodded frantically.
X had him by the throat so fast I barely saw him move. “You’ll do more than fucking try.”
X let him go, leaving Johnny to cough and sputter for breath. “I can get you the address, but you already killed my cousins who knew everything,” he protested.
Fuck. He had a point.
“Technically, one died on us, literally,” Cash put in dryly.
I paced the room, ignoring Cash. How did Wren’s stalker know about our business with the Rossi’s? Obviously, he knew enough to set us up so we’d be away from my place. And he was obviously getting desperate to pay kidnappers to make such a bold attempt at a snatch and grab.
“Get what else you can out of him,” I grunted to X. “I need to get back to Wren.” Even knowing she was safe inside club walls, she was still too far from me.
X offered a chin lift as I strode out of the room, trying to get a handle on the fear and fury equally permeating through my system.
This needed to end, and soon. I’d never looked forward to having blood on my hands so much in my life.
Chapter 24
WREN
I’d just slammed the hood shut on the Mustang, content with what I’d done for the day, when Max walked into the garage. He didn’t pause when he saw me, but instead walked directly into my space, pulling me against him and taking my mouth with a kiss so intense all I could do was cling to him for support and give myself over to his mouth.
“We’re going now,” he panted against my mouth.
My entire body shivered at his throaty command as he tagged my hand and began to pull me toward his bike.
My laughter at his haste was promptly swallowed when he pressed me up on the nearest wall, his expression nearly feral. “I have a very loose hold on my control,” he warned. “So, let me tell you what’s gonna happen. I’m gonna get us home, and you’re going to take that fine ass in the house and strip for me. I want you on the bed, and I don’t want anything hiding that body from me. Can you do that?”
Instead of feeling shy as I would have just mere weeks ago, I was unbelievably turned on by his request and nodded dutifully.
“Good girl,” he murmured, his eyes straying to my lips before he backed off, pulling me once again toward his bike.
My heart hammered in my chest as we hit the freeway, anticipation like a living thing between us. Surprisingly, I wasn’t nervous. Not with Max. Instead, all I felt was exhilaration that the man I’d coveted for years was about to be mine.
“Remember what I said,” he reminded me, his voice an octave lower than normal, after we pulled up in front of his house.
I bit my lip and nodded. Getting off the bike, I headed for the house. I dismantled the alarm the way Max had showed me and walked on shaking legs back to the bedroom.
I rid myself of my clothing, my hands trembling as I unhooked my bra and slid my panties down my legs. I crawled onto the bed as ordered, my heart hammering in my chest as I waited for Max. I didn’t need to wait long. Within moments he appeared in the doorway, his dark eyes sweeping over me.
“Christ, you’re perfect,” he breathed reverently, his tongue licking his bottom lip in anticipation.
He truly believed that, I knew he did.
“I don’t know where to start,” he admitted hungrily.
I squirmed on the bed. “Well, you’d better start somewhere,” I warned, “or I’m going to have to take care of things myself.”
His brows rose. “Is that right? That I have to see, but not yet. Not today. Today, you’re all mine.” He pulled his tee off with one hand, revealing the gorgeous abs I’d kissed at every opportunity. His pants came next, leaving him in boxer briefs that did nothing to conceal just how much he wanted me.
He crawled up from the bottom of the bed, kissing me as he went. When he came to my core, he breathed in deep as though my scent gave him life. His journey continued, licking my belly button before ravishing each breast with his lips and tongue. By the time he reached my mouth, I was a bundle of frantic desire.
He settled between my legs, pressing against me deliciously as he took my mouth. There was nothing frantic about his movements. His kiss was deep and leisurely, as though he had all the time in the world.