Page 5 of Reconciling the Consequences

Kevin ran his fingers through her messy hair and held her gently. “Kara,” he muttered, at a loss for words.

Johnny hated that she was so fucking hurt, hated that his brothers were heartbroken seeing her like this. He hated that his greatest failure in life had been not protecting her. His heart ached. He wanted to go to her, pull her into his arms, and beg for her forgiveness. But he knew she wasn’t safe with them.

She needed to be as far away from him and the club as she could get. Only then would she be safe. “You shouldn’t be here,” Johnny said, his voice low.

“Dude, what the fuck?” Kevin snapped, whirling around. Kara leaned sideways on the car as Kevin faced Johnny, his brown eyes blazing as he glared.

Johnny ignored him and kept his eyes on Kara. Her blue eyes were alight with a fire he hadn’t seen the last time she was at the clubhouse—over a week ago, when she ended things. “Oh no, Johnny? Why’s that?” She shot back at him, raising an eyebrow.She’s going to make me say it, isn’t she?

He steeled his spine and his heart for the words that would drive her away. She needed to be safe, and safe meant not being associated with him or his club. “You don’t belong here. Never did. Just another—”

“Fuck you,” she snapped before he could finish. “You don’t think that. Not in the slightest.” She shook her head. “You wouldn’t have pulled me out of my burning house if that were the case.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” He denied it immediately.

“The fuck you don’t.” She glared. “Why were you there that night? Huh Johnny? And don’t feed me some bullshit line either about not being there. I remember you.”

Johnny’s heart raced and his cock kicked in his jeans. Fuck, he loved it when she got all riled up; it turned him on so fucking quick. She was so fucking beautiful, even now. “I think you hit your head. Maybe you should go back to the hospital or go check into a hotel room.” He deflected.

Kara’s glare was glacial, her baby-blue eyes ice-cold as she stared at him. “You really are an asshole,” she snapped.

“I’ve been tellin’ ya, Princess,” he shot back. “You don’t want to listen. But in case you haven’t noticed,” he continued, “we’re a little busy around here.” He motioned around the compound as a whole. “You don’t belong here. So run on back to yourDaddy,” he stressed, “and go back to your ivory tower. Forget you ever slummed it with the likes of us.”

She laughed sardonically and shook her head. She stepped away from the car and leaned back against Derrick, letting him take her weight. She was pale and looked like she was growing weaker by the minute. “I would, you see,” she rasped, “but I can’t. I’m not safe anywhere. That man that broke into my home and attacked me? His name was Randall Diggins. He’s been my father’s hit man for decades.”

“What?” Kevin breathed, shoulders tensing.

Johnny stared at her in disbelief.

Derrick tightened his hold on her hips.

“Yeah.” Kara nodded. “My father tried to kill me because he didn’t want me digging into the case anymore. Even after he threatened that he would have the three of you thrown in jail for bullshit cases,even after he called me a whorefor sleeping with the three of you and made me break things off, he still sent his guy to kill me.” She laughed and shook her head. “All because my father is the one framing Mac. Mac and Vince started Case Holdings together forty years ago, but my father is the only one who used it. He’s been embezzling money from his own firm and clients for decades.”

Johnny’s mouth dropped open. He was utterly speechless.

“What the actual fuck?” Kevin voiced what Johnny was thinking.

“So you don’t want to break up?” Derrick questioned.

She shook her head slowly, looking between Johnny and Kevin, before she looked back over her shoulder at Derrick. “No, I never wanted to break up. He threatened to put you guys in jail if I didn—”

Derrick cut her off midsentence with a kiss. He kept it gentle by the looks of it, but Kara still groaned and eased back. “Sorry,” he muttered.

“Don’t be,” she mumbled. “Everything hurts.” She closed her eyes and rested her head back on Derrick’s chest.

“Kara.” Johnny breathed, taking a tentative step toward her.

He wasn’t the only one. “Kara!” Kevin shouted at the same time Derrick cursed and caught her as she passed out.

Derrick gingerly scooped her up bridal style. “Well, now what?” He looked at Johnny.

Johnny rubbed a hand over his buzzed blond hair. “Lay her in the back seat of the truck. We’ll take her home.” He sighed.

“Seriously?” Kevin asked, shooting him a look.

“The clubhouse is full. You want her bunking with one of them? No, we’ll take her home with us. She’ll be safer with us anyway,” Johnny said.

Derrick didn’t need to be told twice. Johnny opened the back door for him, and he climbed inside with Kara cradled in his arms. Once he had her situated on the back seat, he snaked the middle seat belt around her waist before he climbed out and closed the door.

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