Shot to Hell (Four Horsemen MC #7) (31 page)
Read Shot to Hell (Four Horsemen MC #7) Online
Authors: Cynthia Rayne
“When you’re dead inside.” He’d said the words teasingly, but there was an edge to his voice. “Of course, I’m assumin’ you don’t gotta natural knack for the work. Way I figure it, you’re born a
genuine
killer—psychopaths and such—or you get used to it.”
“And which are you?” This was probably the strangest discussion she’d ever had, yet it was somehow helpful.
“A lot of people would say I’m the former, but they don’t know me. I managed to escape my genetic predisposition as it were, so I had to work at it.”
Woah. Confessions of a killer.
“It’s not an option for me.”
“Maybe you could get a job with the Horsemen. They fancy themselves vigilantes. I don’t split those kinda hairs, but it might sit better with your moral compass.”
“They don’t let girls join their club. Besides, what makes you think I wanna stick around here?”
Beauregard gave an exaggerated sigh. “I read people very well, so don’t lie to me. We both know you’re in love with Steele. And it goes both ways, sweetheart.”
“I’m not in love with—”
“That’s a lie.”
“I don’t…love him.” Ash knew it didn’t sound the least bit convincing, but she said the words.
He waved a dismissive hand. “I’m a stranger, so you don’t need to impress me with your tough-girl routine. I can see right through it.”
“Why do you even care?” Ash was irritated he’d seen past all her bluster.
“I don’t. I’m just passin’ the time. And I don’t believe in love. I like passion, seduction, flirtation. Love is more…
volatile
. But we aren’t talkin’ about me and my hang-ups, we’re talkin’ about you and yours…which is a lot more fun. So the real question is, what are you prepared to do about it?”
Good question.
Too bad I don’t got any answers.
Chapter Twenty-Two
“Damn it!”
The next morning, Steele heard cursing and shuffling sounds emanating from Inferno’s back hallway. He’d spent a couple hours down at the shooting range and heard the ruckus when he came back into the main area.
He’d gotten to work early, hoping it would distract him from Ash’s departure. When he’d driven by Hades this morning, her SUV was gone. Steele tried not to think about Ash. He just needed to hold it together for a few hours.
Tonight, moonshine would ease the pain. Steele wondered if he’d ever be able to get it up again for a hellion—it didn’t look likely.
When Steele investigated the noise, he found Coyote halfway up a ladder, surrounded by a half-dozen boxes. One of them contained a shitload of comic books, and another was stuffed with Star Wars memorabilia. Steele wasn’t close enough to get a peek at the others.
“What’s all this?” He had a sinking feeling in his gut.
“I’m clearin’ the decks.”
“Yeah, I can see that. Why?”
Yo turned his way. His face was swollen and bruised, and his hand was swathed in bandages. Steele had heard other veterans talk about phantom limb pain from missing arms and legs. He wondered if Coyote still felt like his fingers were attached.
Coyote took another step up then gripped the edge of a poster frame with his good hand. He ripped it off the wall, and it slipped through his fingers and fell to the floor with a smash of glass.
Everyone had ways of coping, and this seemed to be Coyote’s. “Why aren’t you home restin’ up?”
“Don’t need rest. Duke gave me pain meds and antibiotics before he stitched up my stumps.” Coyote thrust his hand out, and while he’d wiggled the last two beneath the bandage, Steele got the impression he’d just been flipped the middle finger.
“Why don’t you leave this for another day? I was thinkin’ we could go for breakfast at Hades. Afterward, we can watch the bug show you like so much.” Steele knew very well the show was a space-western, but he wanted to get a rise out of Yo, shock him back to his senses.
“You mean
Firefly
. And I can’t, I’m busy.” Yo climbed down the ladder, then started tossing action figures off a nearby shelf and into a box like they were trash.
Okay,
now
Steele was worried. Under normal circumstances, Coyote would launch into a complicated explanation of the show and its characters. And Coyote had once ripped Steele a new one for knocking a figurine off a shelf.
“What’s goin’ on, Yo?”
He brushed his long black hair back and didn’t quite meet Steele’s eyes. “I’m fine, brother. Everything’s
fine
.”
Steele seriously doubted it, but he knew better than to push. His brother had gone through an ordeal, and he needed the time and space to heal. Speaking of healing, Justice was still staying with Etta May. She’d left him a message saying Justice was better but still
off
—whatever that meant. Maybe the Horsemen needed a new business—a nuthouse. Steele, Justice, and Coyote could be the first customers.
He decided to leave it alone for the time being and backed toward the door. “Okay. Well, I’ll be out front if you need me. Maybe we’ll get some dinner tonight?”
“Yeah, maybe.”
As Steele walked away, another poster crashed to the ground.
***
You got this. You can do this. You’ll kick its ass.
That evening, Ash stood in a field, trying to calm her nerves. She kept patting her body down and couldn’t shake the feeling she’d misplaced something important.
Maybe her mind.
She was surrounded by dingy brown grass and three half-dead pine trees, preparing to do the most romantic and rash thing she’d ever done.
No way to back out now, even if she wanted to.
Earlier, she’d sent a text message to Steele—a text, because apparently she was a baby who couldn’t use her big girl words to talk to him on the phone.
As she watched a lone headlight snake up the drive, she realized the moment had arrived. Ash swayed on her feet, feeling nauseous. Her fingertips had gone numb and cold, and her hands wouldn’t stop shaking.
Pull it together, Ash.
She hadn’t felt this scared since her first night in Afghanistan.
Steele pulled up then cut the engine and dismounted. She hadn’t been sure she’d ever get to see him again, but here they were.
Ash only had to make it through the next five minutes. Blurt the words out and be done with it.
He wore a pair of soft-looking faded jeans and his cut. Beneath it, a hoodie, and she wanted to run over to him, wrap her arms around his waist, and bury her head in the soft, warm cotton fabric.
But she didn’t dare. Not yet.
“Thank you for comin’. I wasn’t sure you would.”
“Of course I came.” Steele stood in the glow of the torches. “What’s goin’ on? I thought you’d be long gone by now.”
Her body quaked as adrenaline surged through her system. It made her shaky, jumpy—which was ridiculous. She wasn’t fighting for her life.
Well, in a way, wasn’t she?
Ash sucked in a breath and fisted her hands at her sides. “No, I, um, need to tell you somethin’…or ask you.”
He walked closer. “What’s wrong, Dusty? What happened?”
“I put all my stuff in the car then drove down the street, but I couldn’t leave the township. I just stayed there on the side of the road this morning, thinkin’.”
“About what?” Steele sidled up to her.
“You…me…us. I told you how brave I am when it comes to chasin’ down bad guys or huntin’ terrorists. I’m a badass when it comes to the job.”
“I know. I’ve seen you in action.”
And here was the hard part.
“But when it comes to love, I’m a chicken. No, worse than that, I’m a fraidy cat. I’m the kind of girl who shakes in her combat boots when it comes to lettin’ men in. I’d rather pretend I don’t need anyone.” Ash blurted the words before she could lose her nerve. “And I hope I didn’t screw it up with you. I’m sorry I didn’t say yes when you asked me.”
His head tilted to the side, and he was watching with her the softest eyes. “I know you’re scared. Me too.”
“But what if I start needin’ you and relying on you?” Her vision blurred with tears. “What happens if I can’t live without you?”
Steel didn’t say anything for the longest time. It felt like years before he spoke again.
“I think that’s the point of being in love with someone.”
“This mornin’, I must’ve lost my mind because I bought all this dirt and grass….” Ash spread her arms and turned in a slow circle.
His eyes widened. “You bought this lot?”
“Yeah, and this tree. Because trees are about life and growth. They’re long-term. Get it?” Sitting on the ground next to her was a tiny sapling with its roots wrapped in burlap. A tree so small and so sickly, Charlie Brown would’ve walked away from it. But it’d been the only tree the nursery had left, so she’d bought it.
She couldn’t interpret his expression.
Then he gave her the most beautiful smile. “And it has roots.”
“Exactly! I wanna put down roots here. I want to
live
here
.”
“
With me?”
“Yes, with you. I want more than a job. I want real friends and I…I want you. I have since I was sixteen years old. You’re the one for me.”
“And you’re the one for me.”
They stared at one another, and Ash felt dopey all of a sudden, slaphappy and breathless—like the first time he’d kissed her.
“But, for the record, I’m not your girlfriend.” Ash smiled.
“Damn straight. You’re my old lady.” Steele opened his arms, and she ran into them. He swept her up into his arms and kissed her.
When he pulled away, Ash placed her head on his chest, and it felt just as good as she’d imagined.
Steele studied their surroundings, his gaze flicking over the property. “Know what this lot needs?”
“Hmm?”
“A house would be good. Unless you like campin’.”
She’d already spent her cartel reward check, so the house might have to wait a bit. “Good point. You sayin’ you wanna live together?”
“I want
way
more that. We’re gonna work together too. I think you’ll be a damn good bounty hunter. We can talk about it during dinner at Hades.” Steele led her over to the bike. “We’ve got some serious plannin’ to do.” He paused by the Harley expectantly.
“What?”
“When you ride on the bike….”
Smirking, Ash dropped trou and forked over her knickers. Steele tucked them in his pocket.
Afterwards, Ash climbed on behind him, and Steele started the engine. Before they put their helmets on, she whispered into his ear, “Can we have chocolate mousse for dessert?”
Steele groaned as her questing hands settled on his hips. “As long as we get it to go. I wanna watch you eat it in bed…while I do other things.”
And they took off to make plans for the future.
Together.
Thank y’all for readin’!
Want free Four Horsemen short stories?
Join the
newsletter
.
Check out the
upcoming releases
.
Take a gander at the new
Dixie Mafia Series
.
Books in the Series
Sweet Perdition
(Ryker & Elizabeth)
Hot as Hades
(Cowboy & Daisy)
Damned
(Duke & Rose)
Devil May Care
(Captain & Eddie)
Hellbent
(Shepherd & Pretty Boy)
Hell on Wheels
(Axel & Charlie)
Shot to Hell
(Steele & Ashton)
Hell or High Water
(Voodoo & Lex,
coming soon
)
A Living Hell
(Justice & Etta May, coming soon)
More titles coming soon!
About the Author
Cynthia Rayne is a USA Today bestselling author and co-author of the Amazon bestselling Four Horsemen MC series along with her sister, best friend, and partner-in-crime,
Sara Rayne
. While Cynthia was born and raised a damn Yankee in Ohio, her parents hail from Dixie, and she grew up on homemade buttermilk biscuits and southern wisdom. In her spare time, she enjoys shopping, reading way too many romance novels, and drinking a truly obscene amount of coffee.
Copyright
© Cynthia Rayne 2016
All rights reserved. Except for use in any review or book discussion, the reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part is forbidden without the written permission of the author.
Editing
Stock Photo
Cover Art
© Sarah Laney 2016
Disclaimer
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and events are the product of the author’s wicked imagination. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental and frankly a bit creepy.
Table of Contents
