Burned (Devil's Blaze MC #3)(63)

Her eyes narrow down on me, her body jerking like I hit her.

“I hate you.”

I throw her over my shoulder, f*cking tired of her fit.

“I’m taking Katie back in Beth’s car,” I announce.

“You make sure you don’t drag your f*cking feet. I want all our men behind our walls before we attack,” Skull says.

His voice is thick and I’d be blind not to see the tears he’s shed. He’s holding his daughter and her little hand is reaching for the hoop he has in his lip. They look so much alike it’s freaking uncanny. I’m upset he didn’t let me get Katie last night, even if I can understand why. My anger has settled some, though, because I have Katie back in my arms.

“We’ll be there. Two days, max.”

“I thought you said you were taking my family with us? I want Bethie and Gabby with me!” Katie growls.

I look over at Beth. She’s crying, but her eyes are following every movement Skull and Gabby are making.

“My family will be with me,” says Skull defiantly. “You’ve been helping to run interference too f*cking long. If it wasn’t for Torch, I’d leave you here for Colin’s men to play with.”

“Watch it, Skull,” I retort.

He gives me a look. We’re going to have words later. I get that he’s upset, but Katie’s mine, even if I’m mad as hell at her for running out and not giving me time to talk to her. This whole situation is f*cked up, but it didn’t come from the girls trying to take Gabby, or from willfully hurting Skull. I only hope in time he can grasp that. Right now, he’s so angry I’m afraid he might do something he and Beth can’t recover from.

I take Katie towards the car. Beth’s voice stops me.

“The baby’s bag with her food and clothes… most of it is in the room… but there’s one bag in the car. I… Gabby needs it.”

“I’ll provide mi hija with anything she needs from here on out,” Skull growls, still not looking at Beth.

“There are things in there she can’t rest without. New ones wouldn’t work,” Beth’s soft voice comes back. “I know you’re planning on turning us back over to Colin, but please. Gabby. She shouldn’t have to suffer because of—”

“Te tienes que callar la pinche boca!” Skull growls. “Torch, grab la pinche bolsa.”

Katie has gone strangely quiet. I don’t know if she’s picking up on the undercurrents firing off between Beth and Skull or what, but I’m glad. I take her to the passenger side and get her in the vehicle. When she’s sitting in the car, I notice the tears falling. Katie is so tightly wrapped up, seeing the tears physically hurts me. Jesus, having a woman is so damned complicated.

I pull the handcuffs out of my back pocket and click them over her wrist, connecting them to the handle above the door on the interior. Katie’s head turns, looking at the handcuffs and back at me, and even in tears, she’s shooting fire at me with her eyes.

“Remember these, darling?” I ask. “Get used to them because you aren’t getting out of them any time soon.”

“I hate you,” she repeats.

“I’ve heard that one before,” I remark, slamming the car door on her. I see the large colorful bag in the back that’s covered by cartoon characters. I open the back door and grab it, taking it over to Beth. I kiss her cheek. “It’ll all be okay, Beth. Hold tight. I’m going to take care of your sister, I promise.”

It’s not much, but it’s my way of reassuring her. I just hope I’m right, for both our sakes. She gives me a weak smile through her tears, then I turn to go back to my woman. Everyone has loaded up and, as I look over my shoulder, Sabre’s putting Beth in his SUV. It doesn’t escape my attention that Skull still has Gabby and he’s in a separate vehicle. Fuck, I hope I’m right. I go get my woman so we can get out of here before the Saints figure out we jammed their signal, fix it, then deduce our location. That’s the last thing anyone needs.

Our plates are full enough.





We’re almost back in Tennessee and we still haven’t said a word to each other, which suits me fine, but when he reaches over and turns off the radio, I know my reprieve is over.

“I thought you had better sense than to pull the crap you’ve pulled. What the f*ck were you trying to do, get yourself killed? Not to mention spending the night in a f*cking rest stop!”

I know my eyes go wide. I guess it shouldn’t surprise me that he knows everything, since clearly he’s been tracking me. It does though, at least slightly.

“I was doing what I had to do to protect my family,” I say in response. “And I was perfectly fine at the rest stop. It was safe. I know what I’m doing, y’know.”

Torch mumbles something under his breath, his knuckles going white against the steering wheel, and I can see his pulse throbbing in his neck. Then, he turns on me and I swear if a man could breathe fire, he’d be doing it.

“You kidding me? Jesus on a Harley, you’re completely nuts! You weren’t safe! Nothing about the harebrained shit you’ve been pulling has been safe, and if it wasn’t for me and my brothers being there this morning, Colin’s *s would have gotten ahold of you.”

“Oh, they wouldn’t have, either! If you hadn’t been there to slow us down, we would be long gone.”