Page 4 of Ace

“Most people haven’t.I’d say it’s just a flesh wound, but that doesn’t make it hurt any less.Just means it’ll be easier to clean and bandage.No digging around to find the bullet.”

A wry smile crossed her lips.“I suppose I should be happy about that.”

I shrugged.“Not really, but it’s something.”

I watched the emotions chase each other across her face as she took a moment to digest that.“Yeah.I guess it is.Sorry for freaking out on you.I’m a little more rattled than I thought.”

She carefully placed her arm across her chest so as not to put any pressure on the bullet wound.“Not every day I witness a murder.I got off work late, and I took a shortcut through Merrymen Park.I know it’s not a great place to be after dark, but I was tired and my feet hurt.I didn’t see anyone at first and I wasn’t really looking, because, you know, it’s dark in there in some places and I didn’t want to trip and fall so I was looking at the ground more than anything.The streetlights don’t all work, vandalism and whatever.Even with a full moon it can be tricky.”

She looked so vulnerable; I had to resist the urge to pull her back into the circle of my arms.“Yeah.It can be dark in there.”She wasn’t trembling as much now, which was good.“So, what happened next?”

“I didn’t see anyone before I heard the first shot.They were off to the side of the path, where it opens by that old band shell.Like I said, I was mostly looking down.When I did look up, this big guy was holding the gun still pointed at the other guy.I could see the outline of the revolver.The metal kind that shines in the moonlight, you know?”

She paused as if waiting for me to comment.I grunted my agreement.Some do, some don’t, but I wasn’t about to start a discussion on the finer points of identifying weapons.She said she saw a revolver; she saw a revolver.It didn’t matter.The guy had a gun, and he took a shot or two at Emma.He’d pay for that.

“He shot the other guy two more times, right in the forehead.I guess he wanted to make sure he was dead.The back of the other guy’s head just kind of disintegrated and blood and stuff went flying everywhere.He didn’t make a sound, just crumpled to the ground in a pool of blood.”She worried her bottom lip with her teeth.“His eyes were still open, and he looked surprised.Like he didn’t think it was going to happen.”

This was not good.The park was in Riptide territory, and we didn’t take kindly to outsiders committing crimes on our home turf.The cops inevitably thought we were involved.By we, I mean the Riptide MC.We were a close-knit bunch, most of us closer to our club brothers than the families we came from.We protected each other and what was ours.I had no idea who these guys were, or what the hell they were doing, but they were doing it on our territory.Big mistake.

I strode across the room and placed my hands on Emma’s shoulders, being careful not to hurt her.She looked up at me, her eyes wide.They were as beautiful as I remembered, deep green with flecks of gold.A man could drown in those eyes.It took a major effort to drag my attention back to the task at hand.

I knew she had an independent streak a mile wide, and she would detest being treated like a helpless wimp, so I didn’t bother to sugarcoat.She’d grown up in the same neighborhood as me.She knew the world wasn’t all unicorns and princesses.

“I need you to tell me exactly what happened after you saw the guy get shot.Don’t leave anything out.”

She took a deep breath.Her eyes lost focus as she related the whole damn thing from the time the shooter realized there was a witness until she stumbled onto my porch and pounded on the door.That included the fact that the shooter had fired at least three shots at her as she ran.The explanation definitely shed light on the terror-stricken expression she had when she arrived.I was impressed she’d managed to hold it together that long.

She slumped against me when she finished.“I didn’t know where else to go.I remember someone saying you were in a motorcycle club, and one of the girls I work with, Katya, she pointed out your house one time when we were walking to the bar.”She paused, peeking up at me from under her lashes.“She’s kind of a bad guy junkie, and she was hoping to catch a glimpse of you.Except she called you Ace, instead of James.”

Bad guy junkie?I’d seen my fill of those.Club whores that hung around the clubhouse, hoping one of the brothers would ask them to stay.Didn’t matter which brother.

“Ace is my road name.No one’s called me James in years.”

“Ace?”Her forehead wrinkled in a frown.“You’re into gambling?”

“No.”My mouth curved up in a wry grin.“Ace because just when some asshole thinks he has me down, I always manage to pull an ace out of my sleeve.”

She still looked confused.

“A solution.I always find a solution.”

The blank look on her face gave way as she let out a delighted laugh, quickly followed by a yelp of pain.She pressed a hand against her injured side.“Damn, that hurts!”

I scooped her up in my arms and carried her to the sofa, careful not to touch her wounded side.She buried her head against my chest, and I felt a protective urge sweep through me.I just wanted to make everything all better for her.No matter how tough and independent she tried to be, everyone has a breaking point, and I suspected she was damn close to hers.

Sinking into the well-worn cushions, I kept my arms wrapped around her and pretended I couldn’t feel her shaking as she sobbed quietly into my shirt.I kept a tight rein on my temper.There were so many things wrong with this mess.

I was not okay with someone committing murder on territory under Riptide’s protection.

I was totally not okay with some idiot taking potshots at my Emma.

Yeah, my Emma.

From the moment I’d opened the door and stared into her panic-stricken eyes, all those feelings I’d squashed down when she was dating my little brother had come roaring back.

I didn’t know who the shooter was yet, but he’d just signed his own death warrant.

Chapter Two

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