Matt fires his gun, the sound echoes through my ears as I see Nick jump out of the way while Alfie keeps standing tall as if he’s bulletproof. Dammit, Alfie. I’m about to scream for him to get down when I notice Nick who has his eyes wide as he takes a step back.
I don’t know what’s happening but something slams into us from my left and it makes both Matt and I crash to the ground. Pain bursts free in the upper part of my arm where my body takes the brunt of the fall.
A thick, black paw enters my vision as growls reach my ear. Wetness sprays on my face and I scramble away on my hands and knees. Risking a glance over my shoulder I barely manage to catch a flash of black fur dashing over the rocks like a feather bouncing in the air. The animal heads for a man I recognize as Ash, a biker from another charter Alfie introduced me to earlier today, before the both of them disappear out of sight.
I’m stunned and still staring when Alfie’s hands surround my face. “Are you okay? Are you hurt?”
I tear my eyes away to make them collide with his. “Was that a dog? A wolf? No, a dog. There are no wolves in Texas. Are there?” Looking over Alfie’s shoulder I see Matt’s body on the ground, his neck is ripped right open. “Holy shit, oh yikes, that’s nasty. Though a bullet can do more damage, but…yikes.”
“How in the fuck am I going to explain this, Decker?” Nick rumbles. “I thought you guys didn’t own these type of dogs?”
“Hey, don’t look at me, it’s not my dog,” Decker states. “I have an Australian cattle dog. And I don’t know what the hell that breed was, but thank fuck it was here and ended the hostage situation. Fuck, that would have ended badly otherwise. Neither of us had a clear shot. Matt had nowhere to go and nothing to lose.”
“I hear ya.” Nick puts his gun away and I hiss from the pain when Alfie tries to pull me up by my arm.
“Oh, fuck, I’m sorry.” Alfie turns his head in Nick’s direction. “Call an ambulance, I think she dislocated her shoulder.”
Decker kneels beside me and I hear Nick talk into his phone.
“You should call Joaquin,” I tell Alfie. “He must be going crazy.”
He reaches into his pocket and taps his phone before he’s holding it in between us. He’s put it on speaker and on the second ring I hear Joaquin’s voice.
“Is it over? Are you guys okay?” The worry bursting from those words is evident.
“I’m fine. Matt isn’t though, he’s dead.” My eyes almost slide to the body but I don’t need another visual of a ripped-out throat.
I take a deep breath and hold it, the pain in my shoulder is tormenting me. The adrenaline rush I was riding must be fading.
“What the fuck am I hearing, boy?” Alfie growls and my attention goes back to them.
“Nothing,” Joaquin says a little too quick.
“Right. Well, I’m taking her to the hospital. I’ll call once we’re there, okay?”
“Talk later,” Joaquin quips and ends the call.
“What was that about?” I question but at the same time EMTs come rushing my way.
Alfie’s lip twitches. “Nothing you should worry about. I might spank his ass if it is what I think it is, but you’ll love it.”
“I think you two would love the spanking part too,” I mutter underneath my breath, making Alfie laugh.
And even if the pain is hard to breathe through, hearing this man laugh soothes my soul and warms my heart. Knowing Matt and the situation is dealt with we’re now able to really have our mutual shared future wide open for the taking. And I’ll be sure to grab hold with both hands.
“Fuck, that hurts,” I grumble and glare at the EMT who I know is only trying to help.
I guess we have to swing by the hospital first before I’m able to grab hold of anything.
– JOAQUIN –
I pace the room until I finally hear a car approach. Stalking to the door, I swing it open and patiently wait for Alfie and Greta to get out of the car. Her arm is in a sling and my heart squeezes knowing how much it must have hurt.
She will need to take it slow for a few weeks. Alfie called and talked me through what was done. The doctor gave her a sedative and was able to maneuver the shoulder bones back into position. And it takes around twelve to sixteen weeks for it to heal completely but the next two weeks she will have it in a sling and will be pampered by the two of us.
As soon as she steps over the threshold, I have her face in my hands to give her a kiss. I need it as much as her. To make sure my body and brain knows she’s still right here with us. She moans into my mouth and it’s music to my ears. But I have to end it all too soon.
“I would like nothing more than to take you into my arms and squeeze you,” I sigh in regret, knowing I can’t because I don’t want to hurt her. “But I guess we can wait. I do have a surprise for you.”
“I thought we agreed–” Alfie starts but I shoot him a glare to silence him.
“We agreed to disagree on the pond you’re going to dig.” I turn and guide Greta toward the couch where there’s a box.
“A pond?” Greta questions and when her eyes lock on the contents of the box she gasps.
Tears form in her eyes and she takes a seat right next to the box with the ducklings.
“You got me a duck,” she croaks and places her hand in the box, gently stroking a finger over one of the fluffy bundles.
“Seems he got you three. And what the fuck is on their heads?” Alfie grumbles.
I roll my eyes. “They’re Crested Khaki Campbell ducklings, they have a mohawk.”
“Great, not only do we have three ducks, we have three weird ones,” Alfie mutters underneath his breath and I once again shoot him a glare.
“Who wants normal?” Greta says in adoration as she swoons over the ducklings.
“Normal is overrated,” Alfie agrees as he takes a seat on the other side of the box. “If we’re also getting a dog…we should get one without any hair. Or one who has a mohawk to fit in with the ducks and all our weirdness.”
Greta giggles and I laugh right along with her.
Her face grows serious. “We’re not getting a dog like the one that attacked Matt.”
She visibly shudders.
“That was a special breed, no buying those,” Alfie states. “And didn’t you hear me? We’re getting one with a mohawk.” He reaches out and brushes his knuckles against her jaw. “Don’t worry about the dog, sweetheart. He protected you, like we all will. Me, Joaquin, our MC, along with every chapter of Iron Hot Blood. No one dares to mess with us. Not now, not ever.”
Alfie stands and places a kiss on the top of Greta’s head. “I’m going to grab the ice cream I promised you.”
He stalks off into the kitchen and Greta whispers, “I might have been a big baby before they shoved my arm back in place. I whined about needing ice cream to make me forget all about it.”
A chuckle slips past my lips. “You deserve all the ice cream, woman. Even if we have to hand feed you. Are you sure you’re okay?”
She nods and I’m happy to see the small smile on her face is an honest one. “Yes. Though the whole dog ripping out Matt’s throat was something I could have done without. But on the other hand, the dog saved my life. Not only mine, who knows what might have happened if he didn’t take Matt out. Yikes. Do you think the dog is okay? Is it normal for a dog to do that? And why would a dog save me and run away the next instant? Why didn’t Ash stick around? I saw the dog ran to him, is it his dog?”