Page 5 of Sniper

“You don’t have to be an asshole about it.”

“I’m offering you my name, my MC, And my protection, and I’m the asshole? Whatever.”

“Yeah, the same so-called protection I had before!” I was shouting. “He beat me. He raped me. He tortured me, and do you know what his club brothers and their protection did? Jack shit. They didn’t do a goddamn thing, so excuse me if I’m not willing to become property for another group of bikers!” I rushed from the office at that point because it was stifling without any windows or fresh air, and I couldn’t breathe.

“Katey.” I expected to hear Cal’s voice, but it wasn’t. It was Cole. “Stop.”

Dammit, my feet obeyed instinctively, and I cursed my traitorous body. I turned as he moved forward, not in a hurry and not at all disturbed by my outburst. “What?”

“This isn’t easy, I know that.” His voice was soft, almost gentle. “Cal told me some of what this asshole has done, and if we’re married that’s one less thing he can do to you. It doesn’t mean I fucking own you or you belong to me, it means that I will protect you.”

God, how I wanted to believe that. “What’s in it for you?”

“You want the truth?”

I nodded eagerly, hungry for a piece of truth in all of this. “I only want the truth, Cole.”

“I owe your brother for saving my life and I don’t like to leave a debt unpaid.”

I grinned against my better judgment. “Marriage is a pretty big debt.”

“Not for my life. I’ll never be able to fully repay him, but making sure some crazy fuck doesn’t take your life? That’s a damn good start.” He scrubbed one hand over his face and sighed. “I don’t want anything from you, Katey.”

His rationale made sense, but I still didn’t trust him. “A paper marriage only?”

He nodded.

I didn’t trust him. I couldn’t afford to. If, or when, they found out the rest of what I knew about Ethan, they would realize I wasn’t worth the trouble and toss me to the wolves themselves. “I’ll think about it.”

Cole—I mean, Sniper—if I decided to go through with this, then I needed to distance myself, so I would call him Sniper like my brother did. He nodded once and walked away.

Chapter Four

Sniper

It was my wedding day. A day I never thought I would experience, yet here I was, waiting to get married to a woman who was beautiful and curvy and annoying. My bride-to-be was a beautiful pain in the ass.

“Are you ready to take the plunge?” Gio bumped my shoulder with his, and laughed. “Never thought you’d make it down the aisle before me.”

“You’re enjoying this too fuckin’ much.” I expected it when I told the guys my plan to keep Katey safe, but now that the day had arrived and everyone had gathered at the clubhouse, I wasn’t in a joking mood. I was pissed off that some asshole couldn’t take no for an answer and had put me and Katey in this position.

“Damn straight. But hey, Katey is beautiful. She’s got nothing on Harper, don’t get me wrong, but you could do worse for a fake wife.”

It hadn’t escaped my notice that Katey was gorgeous with her big blue eyes, high cheekbones, full lips, and that damn haircut that made her look like a fuckin’ fairy. But her looks didn’t matter, because this was a marriage in name only. There would be no benefits, especially of the naked variety.

“Nothing to say, I see.” Gio snickered like a fucking teenager. “Incoming,” he whispered and disappeared when Katey strolled over to me.

“How’s your eye?” The bruise was ugly, but it was healing—a shade of yellowish green instead of the dark purple it had been when we filed for the marriage license a couple of days ago.

Her fingertips went to the eye, but she didn’t touch it. “Better. It’s ugly as fuck, but there’s no lasting damage, not physical anyway.”

“Want me to twist his balls when I find him?”

She nodded. “I would, thanks.” A hint of a smile touched her full lips, and I looked away.

No good could come from forming an attraction to my inconvenient wife. “No problem.”

“Hey guys, are we ready?” Ellie stopped a few feet away.

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