Iron & Bone (Lock & Key #3) (16 page)

“Catch, let Jill go,” Butler said. “You got a problem? Let’s talk about it inside. But you let the girl go.”

“Was this part of your sweet little plan all along, Butler?” Catch said. “What else you got up your sleeve, huh?”

I slowed my pace down, slinking through the people craning to see, all my senses tuned to the joker holding court.

“What the hell is your problem?” Grace asked, her voice sharp.

He shoved Jill in front of himself, her rounded belly sticking out of her pink T-shirt. “She’s fucking pregnant!” he growled. “I let her come up here with you and my sister. You’re supposed to be watching out for her and my kid. You fucking promised. And this is what happens?”

“You have no idea what you’re talking about.” Grace’s eyes flared. “Let her go now! You’re hurting her!”

I remained still as I followed Lock’s progress.

“I told you. I warned you, warned you both. She’s got my kid up here, and she’s been fucking a Jack the whole time while she’s in my house, in my bed?” He pushed at Jill’s rear with his knee and aimed his gun at her belly. “Didn’t take long, did it?”

Butler pulled Grace behind his body. “Put the gun down, man. Not on a woman.”

“No!” Grace jumped in between Butler and Catch, her arms outstretched over Jill.

“Fuck off!” spit out Catch, twisting Jill away. “You think I haven’t been watching her? I’ve seen them together. Where is he? He too much of a pussy to show his face? Is he partying without her tonight? He got himself another whore here at his club while this one’s at home?”

“What the hell is going on?” Mindy grabbed at me.

“Get back,” I said on a hiss, shoving her away.

I snaked in between the men and women. They parted for me. I slid the safety on my 9mm, the clicking sound of the metal making me high.

Here I am, motherfucker.

Catch’s wild eyes found mine. Eyes of a rabid dog, eyes I’d seen so many times before on men and women who thought they had the upper hand on me, eyes that I quickly drained of their arrogance with a look, a shot, a slice, a slam.

I aimed my gun at his face.

“There he is!”
He shook Jill in his grip. “Did you forget your whore tonight?”

“Let her go. Now.” My voice pierced the night air.

A venomous grin split his face.

“Catch, it’s not Jill’s baby!” Grace said.

“You know how stupid you sound right now, Grace? You smoking the special house weed, drinking their juju juice?”

“It’s
my
baby,” Grace replied.

“What?” Catch’s face twisted.

Grace stood still in front of him, Butler’s hand gripping her arm. “Jill’s my surrogate. She’s carrying
my
baby
for me
. Now, let her go!”

Leaning into Jill, Catch slanted his gun toward Grace. “What the fuck, babe? You sold yourself to them?”

Jill cringed and shrank in his hold.

“You doing this shit for money? You—”

Catch’s head jerked back in one hard swift motion, his eyes popping open wide like a spooked horse. Lock angled his long knife at the fucker’s throat, his other hand thrusting in Catch’s hair, yanking his head back further.

“Drop the gun, let her go, and get on your knees. NOW!” Lock’s voice boomed, his black eyes glinting.

Gasps and a needling jittery silence reigned. Adrenaline rapid-fired through me, all my senses focusing on Catch’s face still in my range.

Butler let out a hiss as he twisted the gun from Catch’s hand. I moved forward and peeled the fucker’s grip off of Jill, and she fell into my arms.

I pulled her behind me and pressed my gun into Catch’s forehead. “You do not touch my woman ever again. ”

Catch staggered. “
Your
woman?”

“And you do not spy on her, motherfucker,” I continued. “Ever. You hear?”

Lock pulled on Catch’s arms, pinning them behind his back, and Catch grunted, stumbling.

I tilted my head back, eyeing him. “Jill is mine.”

Mine.

Jill shuddered, clutching at me, pressing into my back. Her tremors jolted my heart into overdrive, into my new millennium. Her arms wrapped tightly around my middle.

“You need to respect the mother of your kid, and you need to respect my old lady,” I continued. “Basic principles in life, which are obviously still beyond you.” I twisted the gun against his head, grinding it into his skull. “I think you need a lesson.”

“Your old lady?” He struggled against Lock’s hold.

“My old lady.”

There. I’d fucking said those words for the first time.

My heart banged against my ribs, as if I’d snorted too much blow. But there wasn’t any coke in my system. There was only Jill. Me holding on to Jill and Jill holding on to me. My body surged with the rush, the high intense.

“Jill? Jill!” Catch shouted, straining toward her.

Jill stepped to my side, an arm still around me, wiping at her face as she straightened her head. “I’m with Boner.” Her voice was steel, her gaze hard. “And I’m carrying Grace and Lock’s baby.”

Catch bucked off of Lock with a grunt, but Lock snatched him back in, shaking him like a marionette on strings, muttering threats in his ear.

I pushed Jill toward Grace and Lenore, and the three of them scrambled out of the way.

“He here on his own?” I asked Lock, my eyes and gun remaining on the trash at hand.

“Looks that way,” Lock replied, still holding the blade at Catch’s throat.

“I’m here, and he’s a brother. What the fuck?” muttered Led.

Nina stood beside her bodyguard from home. Led was a fucking Flame brother to Catch, albeit from another chapter. The two other Flames from Ohio stood at Led’s side.

“We got a few personal issues we need to iron out here, Led,” Butler said. “Gotta be dealt with.”

“The fuck you say.”

“Shit’s gotta be dealt with,” Butler said, raising his voice. “No more, no less than what he deserves.”

“Enough of this fucking chitchat.” I gestured at Tricky and Dawes. “Cellar.”

“Let go of me! Fucking Jacks!” shouted Catch.

Lock kicked Catch, and he sprawled to the ground.

Butler stood before Catch. “You fucking idiot. Such an idiot.” Butler jerked his head at Dawes and then in the direction of the clubhouse.

Tricky and Dawes grabbed Catch’s arms and hoisted him upright. They dragged the asshole through the courtyard and inside the building with Led and the other two Flames behind them.

I lowered my gun and sucked in air as I turned to Jill. Gripping her by the neck, I planted a kiss on her mouth, thick curls of her hair tickling my face. “You’re staying with me here tonight.”

“Okay,” she breathed, her eyes lifting to mine.

Yes, mine. All fucking mine.

“Did he hurt you?”

“No, no—”

“What’s this then?” I held her chin, my eyes glued to the purplish-red mark on her cheek.

“He slapped me.”

“He’s gonna pay.”

“Boner—” Her fingers dug into my shirt.

I pressed my forehead into hers. “I’m not gonna kill him—not tonight. But he’s gonna learn his lesson.” My gaze skimmed down her body. Short leggings, T-shirt, flip flops. “Jesus, he dragged you out here like this? On his bike?”

She only nodded, her breath choppy.

“Motherfucker—”

Her hands cupped my face, and she kissed me.

Was it to shut me up, stop my rage? Or was it for her own relief and reassurance?

I had to control my shit and give her that reassurance now. That was what she needed.

Fuck, I need it, too.

I kissed her hard taking her in my arms, pressing her against me, warming her. “Stay with Grace until I get back, okay?” I forced my voice to come out gentle.

“I need to call Rae, make sure she and Becca are okay,” she said hoarsely.

“Jill, let’s go inside and call them,” said Grace, touching her arm.

I shot Grace a look. “Take her to my room, stay with her.” I brushed Jill’s forehead with my lips and stalked off toward the clubhouse.

“Your old lady?” Mindy caught up with me, matching my long strides, her eyes flaring. “Since fucking when? If I’d known that, I—”

I kept moving. “Get the fuck out of my way.”

HIS BLOOD SOAKED MY SHIRT
and stained my knuckles.

And I fucking loved it. But I always loved this.

A rush of white heat surged through my veins and filled my pumping heart to the edge of erupting. I nicked his neck with my knife, my other hand yanking his head back.

Eye-to-eye.

The tension in the room was absolutely mouthwatering.

“Say it again, motherfucker.”

“Jill is yours.” Blood spilled out of his nostrils. Blood tinted his teeth, seeped over his broken lips. “Jill ain’t mine. She’s…she’s your woman. All yours.”

“You fucking touched her. You hit her, you cocksucker.” I seized his middle finger and bent it all the way back.

Catch howled, his body flinching. The loud pop and snap filled my ears as a loud moan broke from his throat. I twisted the loose digit and then shook it.

His skin drained of all color, his lips loose, his sweat and blood splattering at my feet. Warmth spread through me, and the room slowly came back into focus. Butler against a wall, Kicker and Dready against the door. Lock at my side.

Lock punched him, and Catch collapsed with a satisfying
crunch
to the floor.

Jump approached the douche bag. “Now that we’ve all made our points real clear”—he shot me a look, and I pushed back from Catch’s heaving body, my hand flicking out in a take-it-away-Prez
gesture—“why don’t you tell us what this is really all about? This has to be about more than pussy.”

Catch coughed and spit on the floor. “Tell me you all haven’t sweet-talked her into telling you shit.”

“Like what?” asked Jump.

“’Bout the Flames of Hell.”

“We don’t strong-arm chicks unless we really have to. And, as far as I know, shit between our clubs is good. Isn’t it? Or maybe you got cause for what I see as this fucking out-of-control paranoia?”

“The Broken Blades have been shitting on us lately. We’ve had deals and agreements in place for years. Suddenly, they’re reneging on ’em. That shit with Creeper kidnapping my kid a few months ago was only the beginning. He thinks I owe him more than what I paid him for doing some side work for us. Then, he goes over to the Blades and does shit for them, too. Bottom line, Creeper was a Jack once upon a time. What do you want me to think? Jill—”

“Eh!” Kicker shoved the point of his cowboy boot into Catch’s ribs.

Catch choked. “I mean, Boner’s old lady.” He coughed and swallowed hard. “She comes up here, gets cozy with you, and it would be the obvious choice for the Blades or you to get to me.”

“Finger okay this bullshit you pulled tonight?”

“He only knows I came to see my kid. When I saw—”

“Boner’s old lady is a good girl,” Jump said. “She’s real special to us. Last thing we’d want to do is put her on the spot, make things uncomfortable for her. We don’t do that to one of our own.”

Lock made a noise in the back of his throat, and I threw him a glance. I had to agree. Jump could twist shit when and how he liked. He’d done it with all of us at one point or another, most recently Grace. The mark of a fine leader.

“The Blades have been assholes for a long while now. Sounds like we have a few things to talk about. But I ain’t in the mood now, for some reason.” Jump moved toward the door, followed by Lock and Kicker.

Catch’s head sank back on the floor. “You should make the time.”

Jump slanted his head. “Oh, yeah?”

“You ever heard of the Calderas Group?”

“New tacos from Mexico?” muttered Jump.

“No, asshole.”

Dready shoved his boot into Catch’s side. I lit a cigarette.

Catch coughed up blood, and a gob of red slobber fell from his mouth. “They’re from Denver. Gangbangers gone upscale. Been playing footsie with the Blades, and Notch has been licking their brown dicks. Finger ain’t happy. You should check ’em out and then come lick my dick.”

Dready punched Catch hard across the jaw, and his head fell to the side, his eyes snagging on mine. I spit on his face.

“Who’s running their show?” I asked.

Catch jerked his head at the sharp sound of my voice. “This ‘Spic. Calderone. Alejandro Calderone.”