Undeniable (Undeniable, #1)(40)

“Preacher,” he growled. “Frankie’s gotta go to ground.”

“That’s my f*ckin’ son-in-law you’re talkin’ ’bout! This is family business, and I aim to keep it that way! Now shut the f*ck up and get my girl home, or I’ll f*ckin’ take you to ground!”

Preacher hung up.

Jesus. Crazy. All around.

? ? ?

Groaning, I rolled over, gripping my head. Where the hell was I? Why did my head feel like the Incredible Hulk had been Irish step dancing on top of it?

I had…three beers? Not nearly enough to merit a hangover of this magnitude.

With one hand holding my forehead, I reached around in the dark. Okaaay. I was on a bed with cheap, scratchy sheets and a nylon comforter.

Had Frankie and I gotten a motel? Why would Frankie and I get a motel while on a run when there were MCs we could stay at?

“Frankie?” I croaked, wincing as my own voice reverberated painfully inside my skull.

No answer.

I felt my way around the bed until I found the edge. Carefully, so as not to jar my head, I swung my legs over the side and met with floor. I cracked an eyelid. To my left, a small clock read 2:43 a.m. I edged my way over and felt around until I found a lamp.

I switched it on.

Yep. Motel. Crappy one, too. Burnt orange walls and floral pattern comforters. A carpet that had probably been new in the seventies and furniture that had seen better days.

Shielding my eyes, I headed for the door. The chain lock wasn’t on, so I grabbed the wobbly knob, turned, and pulled open the door.

Deuce and Cox swiveled around.

I gaped at them. Deuce took a step toward me.

I slammed the door closed and put the chain lock on.

Shit.

Shit.

That * got Frankie arrested and kidnapped me. No, he knocked me out, and then kidnapped me!

The door slammed open a total of five inches, hindered by the chain lock. “Eva!”

“Fuck off!” I yelled, and then crumpled to the floor, grabbing my head.

I heard the chain lock snap, and the door hit the wall. I heard heavy footsteps, and then I felt myself being lifted against a large, warm body and gently set back down on top of the uncomfortable bed.

“I need to go to the hospital,” I whimpered.

“Do you?” Deuce asked. “Or are you just tryin’ to get the f*ck away from me?”

“Yes and yes!” I snapped. “I don’t often associate with f*ckwads who steal my husband, and allow their friends to pistol-whip me!”

“Eva,” he said evenly. “I get you’re f*ckin’ pissed. But I didn’t have much of a choice.”

I snorted. It hurt to do, but I did it anyway.

“Showed up at the party plannin’ to take him out for what he did to Ripper, saw you there, and didn’t know what the f*ck I was gonna do. Frankie blindsided me outside, put a f*ckin’ gun to my head, and started spoutin’ crazy. Only way I could get the drop on him was to tell him the one f*ckin’ thing in the world that would distract him from a kill. You know what I had to tell him, don’t cha?”

Oh God.

“No,” I whispered.

“Yeah,” he bit off. “That’s when he decided to tell me about his hit on you. Didn’t know what the f*ck to do at that point. Thought if I let him go, he was gonna f*ck you up for f*ckin’ me, and I knew if I buried him, you were gonna be next. Didn’t want either to happen, so here we f*ckin’ are.”

“Go away,” I hissed.

“Sorry, darlin’. Paid for this room, and I plan on gettin’ my money’s worth.”

“Go f*ck yourself,” I shot back.

“Later,” he said. “Right now I gotta get a girl outta her muddy clothes.”

He took my Chucks off first, then pulled my pants down my legs, and lastly, he lifted my shirt over my head, leaving me in only my underwear. His eyes dropped to my breasts. I watched as he leaned forward and lifted up his father’s medallion. He stared at it, his nostrils flaring.

“It’s all his f*ckin’ fault,” he growled. Then he gave the chain a sharp tug, and it broke.

I sat up too fast and gripped my head. “What are you doing?” I cried.

Deuce stormed across the room. He threw open the door and tossed the necklace outside. “Get rid of that,” he barked to someone I couldn’t see, and then slammed the door closed.

“Shoulda never given it to you,” he said roughly.

My mouth fell open. “What?” I whispered.

“You heard me. You been wearin’ that piece of shit’s tag for eighteen years now. For eighteen years, that f*ckin’ bastard has been hangin’ ’round your neck, and I’m f*ckin’ sick of it.”

Tears burned in my eyes. “But that was mine. You gave it to me, and I loved it and I—”

“Shut up,” he growled. “Reaper was a dirty f*ckin’ bastard who didn’t care who he had to f*ck, beat, or kill to get his way. No way in hell should I have ever given you somethin’ that belonged to him.”

My chin began to tremble. What was he trying to say? That everything that happened between us had been a mistake? I couldn’t handle this right now. Not after today.

Frankie had always had problems, but to do this…to put a hit on me. Me. I’d given him everything—me, my love, my body, my life.