Dauntless (Sons of Templar MC #5)(113)

“Scott,” I repeated. “Are you f*cking kidding me? I got it the first time. You nutcase, why didn’t you tell me?

He shrugged. “Was kind of funny. Hearing you come up with stupid names.” He paused. “And then after what they did.” He nodded to the body. “It seemed to distract you, kind of bring that part of you back, remind you of yourself. Couldn’t exactly take that away.”

Wow.

His name was Scott and he was awesome.

I reached out and grasped his hand, squeezing it. He squeezed back.

And… nothing. Nothing apart from his warm, slightly clammy grip.

No dirt. No ice. Just peace.

Then the doors burst open and the peace was shattered.

“Becky!” Gabriel growled, his voice low and dangerous.

Both of us whirled around and watched Gabriel, Gage, and Asher survey the room.

Only Gage smiled. Obviously.

Asher’s eyes went to the bodies, then me. “Oh f*ck,” he muttered.

Gabriel’s eyes did the same thing, though that was while he stormed over to us. His eyes were so feral, his body so tight, that Scott stepped in front of me as if to protect me.

He crumpled to the ground about two-point-five seconds later when Gabriel put his fist through his face.

I gaped at Scott’s unconscious body. “That was so not cool,” I shouted at him.

He grabbed my shoulders and shook me. Roughly. Enough so my teeth chattered together. “Are you f*cking insane?” he roared.

I waited for the shaking to stop. I wasn’t scared, though his fury was something to behold. I knew he wouldn’t go further than that. And he didn’t, stopping almost as soon as he started.

“I’m not insane,” I answered slowly. My gaze flickered to Gage, then back to him. “Especially not when compared to current company.”

Gabriel gritted his teeth. “You think this is a f*ckin’ joke?”

Ironic that the man who used to laugh about everything, failed to find the humor in this situation. Granted, there wasn’t much.

I didn’t lower my gaze. “No, I don’t think it’s a f*ckin’ joke. I think this is life. Which is really the biggest joke of all, but I’m not in the mood to talk philosophy.” I sucked in a breath. “I’m in the mood for revenge, and a taco. But the former was better.”

Gabriel gaped at me. “And you thought comin’ here, without f*ckin’ telling me, or anyone else, not letting us take care of it, was a suitable form of f*ckin’ revenge?” His grip tightened on my shoulders.

I jutted my chin up, not caring about the audience of Gage, who was kicking at a body with his boot, or Asher, who was talking on his phone, using the word ‘cleanup.’ “I’m not going to sit here like a little lady while the ‘men’ do the ‘man's work’ of exacting revenge. I’m not entrusting my revenge in someone else’s hands, no matter how muscular the arms attached to them are.” I regarded him evenly. “It happened to me. They took everything from me. Whatever shreds of my soul I had left, they tattered. I’m not letting someone else take care of the punishment for that theft. I’m going to be doing that myself. I’m going to make sure I take everything from them too, and I’m going to make sure I leave nothing.” I looked around. “Maybe the way you’re used to doing things is letting the man take the gun and do the shooting. I’ll tell you now, that’s not what’s going to happen here. I may have a kick-ass manicure, but that doesn’t mean I’m not afraid to get my hands dirty, to get them bloody. To squeeze some triggers.”

He stared at me a long time, then down to the body at our feet.

“You got this?” he asked Gage and Asher.

Gage nodded.

“Good. Take care of Becky’s car.” His eyes went back to me. “We’re leavin’ now.”

He didn’t really give me a chance to say anything before he just dragged me out. I didn’t protest because the smell of blood was starting to get more than a little sickening. That and the fact I’d spilled that blood.

Twice. I’d done that twice.

I chewed over that thought the entire ride home, wondering what that made me. I’d killed two people. Evil people, yes. But two wrongs didn’t make a right, or whatever. But they wouldn’t hurt another girl or woman now, and I was pretty sure that was right.

As soon as we pulled up at our place, Gabriel yanked me off the bike and pulled me inside.

He slammed the door and started pacing. Then he stopped. “How did you know? Where he was?”

“Nat called me,” I said.

His eyes were dark. “And it didn’t occur to you that it could’ve been a f*ckin’ trap? That they weren’t waiting for you to get there so they could take you away? Away from me, from everything, for f*ckin’ good?” he asked.

I scrunched up my nose. “Not at the time.”

He did make a good point. I guessed I was lucky.

“I didn’t think of anything, really. Apart from the fact he was still breathing. Polluting the earth with his presence. Hurting people. Then all I thought was how good it would be if he weren’t breathing. That maybe it might make me breathe a little easier.”

Gabriel stepped forward and yanked me into his arms, all brutality gone. “You’re fearless, babe. So f*ckin’ fearless that it scares the absolute shit outta me. You lay your life on the line for your friends in an instant. Without hesitation. Run in front of f*ckin’ bombs for them. I need you to have that hesitation, Becky. I’m proud as f*ck that my girl’s so fearless. But I need you to feel fear at the possibility of leaving this world. Leaving me.”