Wild Like the Wind (Chaos #5)(141)
Except if it wasn’t Chew who did it.
If it was Valenzuela who did it, attempting to frame Chew not only for Natalie, but for Crank and Black’s killer.
Which meant Valenzuela had the bones.
“You got anything for us on that?” Lucas asked.
“Valenzuela is back,” Tack said as answer.
“You get that note?” Lucas went on.
“Got word an ex-brother might have issues with us. He also might have issues with Valenzuela. We offered him a chat. With parlay. This was weeks ago. We’ve heard dick,” Tack told them.
“The skulls?” Lawson asked.
Tack said nothing.
“We can’t be doin’ off-radar favors when bodies are piling up, Tack,” Lawson bit off.
“There’s a new war goin’ down,” Tack told them.
“And Chaos is caught in the crossfire,” Lucas guessed.
The night was opened up by the flashing lights of police cruisers pulling into Ride.
Tack let that be his answer.
When Hound returned home, he did not find it a surprise walking into their bedroom when he saw Keely wearing one of his tees sitting cross legged in the middle of their bed with the lights on both nightstands blazing.
“You okay?” she asked the second she saw him.
He shrugged off his cut and tossed it to her ridiculous, fur-covered chair.
She hadn’t been in their place long enough to get stuck in and make it wild.
She’d get to it and he wouldn’t stop her.
If he did, he wouldn’t get the fun of giving her shit about it.
“I’m okay,” he answered, moving to stand at the end of their bed, crossing his arms on his chest and taking her in, all legs and hair and gorgeous face.
He’d experienced a lot of shit in his life then gone back to his room in the Compound and crashed, or to his crap apartment, and then crashed, never having anything as magnificent as Keely waiting for him to help him drive the shit away.
Now he’d just seen the dead body of a woman he knew, who he didn’t like but that didn’t mean he wanted to see her dead and laid out on Chaos. And he knew his brother Shy was going home with his father-in-law to land bad news on their girl that would cut Tab deep.
He’d never experienced it so he could never know what it meant to come home to that sitting right there in the bed they shared.
He just lived his life.
Now he shared it.
And staring at the woman he’d always wanted who he was sharing it with, for the first time since his memories started, even after earning her love, he felt blessed.
“You wanna talk about it?” she asked.
Blessed.
“We had an enemy,” he told her. “That enemy got a new enemy who doesn’t like us much.”
She studied him, and then said quietly, “Chew.”
“Yup.”
“And the enemy of your enemy is your friend,” she went on.
“This is not a friend we want.”
She nodded.
“Shit got ugly tonight, Keekee,” he told her gently, concerned about how she’d react since the last time shit got ugly, she was the biggest loser.
So it shocked the piss out of him when she replied, “We’re winners.”
“Say what?” he asked.
“We’re winners,” she said it stronger then.
“Baby,” he whispered.
“Do you want a big wedding?” she asked abruptly.
Christ.
Blessed.
“Go to Vegas today, you didn’t have to work,” he told her.
Keely nodded. “I want the boys and Bev there, you’ll want the brothers there. So no Vegas. Not with things getting ugly. We’ll ask Big Petey to get ordained or something. Do it in the Compound. I’ll wear a short skirt. Then we’ll all go out for a big ride, come back, hit the Compound for a party, do it the day before we head off to Baja and make Baja our honeymoon.”
“That’s two weeks away,” he pointed out.
“I need a dress, a bouquet, a cake and a trip to the liquor store. Two weeks is plenty of time.”
That was his Keely.
All she needed was him and their boys and maybe a bottle of wine or some beer.
And she was good.
He grinned at her.
“No more birth control, starting today,” she declared.
Hound stopped grinning at her.
Blessed.
“We’re both committed to riding this fast and wild, cowboy,” she said. “I’ve got my ring. You got your house. We’re all in for the win. No stopping us now.”
“Yeah,” he said, that word gruff.
She rolled up to her knees and her expression grew determined. “No one is going to beat us, Hound. I don’t care how ugly they get. It’s gotten as ugly as it can be and look at us,” she flipped her hands out to her sides. “We came out of it winners.”
“I gotta wear somethin’ stupid to this wedding?” he asked.
“No,” she answered immediately. “Just that black bib shirt and your cut.”
“That works,” he muttered.
“You’re changing diapers,” she declared and he scowled.
“Of course I am. Why would you say that shit?”