Loving Nicole (Savage Brothers MC #3)(41)

Skull pulls me from the chair and guides me outside to the limo. I go, not by choice. I go because I can’t breathe and maybe being outside will help. The harsh sun is bright and hurts my eyes. It seems wrong too. Everything about today is wrong.

“Ow…” I gasp as pain again hits my back.

“What is wrong, querida?” Skull asks and really his voice is annoying me.

Where did Bull go? I look around and see him climbing on his bike. How special. Yet another member of the Savage MC choosing the club and their rides over me.

“Pain in my back. Sitting too long, I guess.” I answer licking my lips and looking around. The sound of bikes starting is all you can hear and the pipes are echoing in the air.

“Can you get into the car, or do you need to stand for a moment?” Skull asks. He’s wearing a black suit and no cut. In fact if I didn’t know him, I would not even know he is the President over his own MC club. He has an expensive air of a businessman about him. He always has.

“I…give me a minute. I need to catch my breath,” I respond, and my voice is strained and distant over all the noise, but Skull seems to hear. I feel his hand at the base of my back and he’s rubbing gently. I should complain, but I can’t because it feels really good. Instead, I hold my stomach and try to breathe. The pain seems to be holding on longer than it had earlier. Maybe I have a kidney infection or something? I need to make an appointment for the doctor. I haven’t exactly been taking care of myself the last week or so. The racket dies down as the bikes start pulling out. I look over my shoulder at Skull.

“I’m ready.”

I’m not really, but I don’t want to hold up the service at the cemetery. Skull opens the door and I move to it, when another pain hits my back. This time it migrates into my lower stomach, and I nearly fall from the force of it. It hurts. I would almost think it was labor, but it’s not in the right area. You don’t have contractions in your back… right?

“Oh, shit.” I groan as the pain intensifies for a minute before slowly letting back up.

“Querida?” Skull questions.

“I’m…”

“I wouldn’t go any farther if I were you, Miss. Wentworth. Everyone keep their hands up please, so I can see them.”

Just like that the day gets worse. I watch as Skull raises his hands. Then I turn to the voice that has haunted me for the last month. Michael is standing between two men. Each man has a gun pointed at me and Skull. I look at the other limo and there are three men with guns around it.

“What do you want? Haven’t you taken enough from me?” I yell and I don’t put my hands up, but Skull doesn’t seem to worry about that. He is relaxed—almost cocky.

Michael smiles, but it’s a smile which twists my insides. It’s evil and cold.

“Not quite, but I will. Now we can play this two ways. You can come along quietly and your friends get to live. Or I can kill them all and still take you. The choice is yours really.”

“What the f*ck is wrong with you? All of this because you have a hard on for some woman who left you years ago? Man, do you have that much trouble holding on to a woman that you can’t replace the bitch with someone else?”

My head jerks over to Six, who gets out of the front area of the limo. I agree with everything he is saying, but right now might not be the best time to say it. Michael looks over at Six, and I just know he’s going to order the men to shoot. So, I try to distract him.

“You have to know Dani is in no shape to travel. It will kill her. Why are you here?”

Just as I predicted, Michael turns back to face me at the mention of Dani.

“Melinda will be coming with me. I thought only to preoccupy myself with you for now, but seeing as I’ve yet again managed to stay one step ahead of your dead boyfriend’s club, I shall take both of you.”

I ignore the way the words, dead boyfriend, hurt me. If I allow myself to think about it, it will decimate me.

“Querida, there’s a gun at my back, in a holster. Lift up my shirt, slowly, and get it while Six is distracting him. Then you must duck inside for cover. Do you understand?” Skull whispers.

My heart is pounding in double time, but I hear. I reach down to feel for the weapon.

“What are you two talking about? You must know that there is nothing you can do.” Michael says. I freeze afraid he will see me getting a weapon.

“Sure there is you sorry motherf*cker, we can kill you.” This comes from Torch who gets out of the limo; apparently he was driving. I thought when you rented limo’s they came with drivers? The inane thought settles in my brain, as I take the gun and carefully slide it from the holster. I hold it in front of me, below my stomach so that it is hidden behind the car.

“Now!” Skull cries while pushing me down behind the car. I can hear bullets flying all around me. They’re banging off the side of the limo and you can hear the pings as they hit like hail during a summer storm. Apparently, limos are bulletproof. Good to know. I slide inside the seat, figuring that was safer for the baby. Skull apparently had another gun because I can see it in his hand as he jumps in the car after me, sliding into the seat and pushing me along while he’s at it. He slams the door shut.

“Shouldn’t you be out there, you know, helping?”

“I’m doing what I am supposed to be doing. I’m guarding you.”