Page 62 of Savage Outlaw

“Ah, baby, you’re frozen solid.”

She didn’t cry but she trembled, and he had to remind her to breathe while he tried to rub warmth into her limbs.

He’d smelled death many times and it was here in this alley cloying up his nose. Time was of the essence, as much as he wanted to stand holding her and having her tell him what the fuck really happened with Ruiz’s man. Of all people it had to be the Mexican kingpin. That was going to have some repercussions somewhere when his wife spilled her guts. He didn’t know either of them well, they never tried messing with the club, but he’d heard enough to know what kind of shady operation they ran.

Now his Roux was messed up with them.

Cupping her face, he leaned in and kissed her softly. She made a frightened kitten noise and it tugged at his heart.

It was like looking at a brand new version of her. One whose default wasn’t to verbally fight first with piss and vinegar sarcasm.

He didn’t like it one bit.

“Everything is going to be okay, but we need to move quickly, okay, baby?”

She nodded and tried to move around him so she could see the body. He suspected she hadn’t taken her eyes off it this whole time. “No, you don’t need to see that. We’re gonna take him to the truck, wait here, baby.” Again, she bobbed her head, and he had to bite down on his back teeth.

Fuck, all he wanted to do was erase time and make this go away for her.

She was going to suffer.

Taking a life, even in defense wasn’t easy.

She talked a massive game, did his girl. She put up verbal walls and smack-talked with the best of them. But inside, where she didn’t let many people in, she was soft and could hurt.

“I didn’t mean to do it, Tad.” She whispered urgently.

“Ah, baby. I know that.”

“He was trying to get my money and he hit me.”

The surge of anger came quick and now he wanted to stab the dead cunt multiple times. Butcher pulled in her trembling body.Fucking hell, she was going to die of pneumonia if he didn’t get her out of her sopping clothes.

Kissing her forehead, her cheeks, and lips, she listed into him, taking a shuddering breath. “Slider, let’s do this.”

“Yeah, boss.”

“Cookie, use the light on your phone to check the ground for anything you might have dropped.Now, Cookie.” He hardened his voice to get her to pay attention. Shock had taken over as he watched her stunted movements. He and Slider got the body into the back of the truck, leaving Slider to deal with wrapping it up so he could retrace his steps.

It was too risky to be out here like this for a long period. Too long already but his girl needed him, and it wasn’t to sooth her soul yet.

He took her by the shoulders and waited until her dazed eyes lifted.

“Goddammit, Roux. I thought you were smarter than this, stronger thanthis. You’ve wilted like a fucking flower. I thought you were a survivor?”

Oh yeah, he knew that would work to get her back. It put flames in her eyes and brought her out of her shock. She tried to push him off and he held on tight. “I didn’t ask you for help so you’d be a cruel fuckhead.”

His heart wanted to scoop her up and never let her go but that wasn’t his kickass girl. He needed her to be present until he got her to safety then she could fall apart.

“Then fucking survive, you listening? It’s happened. It’s done. So, we deal with it now and you can punch my face later.”

A crack of a smile and he lessened his hold so he could stroke her lovely face, so drawn with paleness.

“We?”

“Always we. Fucking always, yeah?”

That went without saying. They’d been a we even when they couldn’t. A dead body wasn’t going to make him change his mind at this stage of his feelings. He was knotted up in Roux as much as he was his own skin and bones.

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