Page 69 of Unmasked Anarchy
“This what you really want?”
I nod, curling my fingers around his wrist and pressing his hand to my cheek, closing my eyes, feeling the rough surface of his palm against my skin.I will always love Gage, in my own special way, but it isn’t the kind of love that will get me through this life.
“I’ll let you go,” his voice is low, “because regardless of what you think, I love you.”
I open my eyes and look at him.“And I love you.”
I reach up, cupping his face in my hands, and bringing my lips to his.It’s a long, soft kiss, and when I pull back, I can see resolve in his expression.He is going to let me go, and he’s going to do it without violence.All this time I wondered if Gage would ever show his love for me, and in this moment, I see that’s exactly what he’s doing.
In letting me go, he’s finally showing me just how much he loves me.
I will be forever grateful to him for that.
~*~*~*~*~*~
THE CHAOS HAS STARTEDto break into order.The clubs have split up, some hauling out bodies, some holding each other steady, some scouring the dirt for left-behind brass or blood or any proof that we were here.They’re not subtle, these men, but they’re good at cleaning up when they have to be.I see Talon dragging someone I don’t recognize by the ankles, a trail of red where his brains used to be.Even in death, the violence feels personal.
Everyone’s covered in blood and mud.Zane stumbles past, his shirt torn away so I can see the ragged mess of his tattooed ribs, now with a new puncture that’s not supposed to be there.He doesn’t look good.Not at all.I call out to him and walk over, reaching out to grip his shoulder.“Hey, you good?”
He nods, but his face is pale.
He’s not good.
I turn, yelling out to Kael.He is beside me in seconds, his eyes narrowing at his wounded brother.
“He’s hurt.I think it’s bad.”
Kael rips Zane’s shirt back and his face twists.“Fuck brother.We gotta get you to a hospital.”
They move quickly after that, getting Zane into one of the SUVs.Frantic voices ring out everywhere.They’re going to clean up the mess, and hope that when the cops show, which will be soon, that they will simply believe the Cartel got into trouble with someone.
It shouldn’t blow back on them, if they’re careful.
Wolfe and Kael are trying to come up with a solution to Zane.It’s Kael who speaks first.“We gotta take him to Mercy, not here.They’ll ask questions and link it to us real fuckin’ quick.”
Wolfe claps his hands once.“Talon, Knox, load Zane up and get him out to Mercy.You know the drill.”He flicks his gaze sideways at me, a muscle in his jaw twitching, then grunts at Kael, “You take her to local.She needs lookin’ at.Less heat, less paper.”
Kael’s hand finds mine.I can’t feel anything but the bite of his fingers, the way they dig in to remind me I’m still alive.I let him lead me toward the other SUV, one that doesn’t even belong to us.I don’t bother arguing though, not when Kael opens the door and nods his head for me to get in.I don’t want to be here anymore.
I don’t want to see the carnage.
The ride to the hospital is mostly silent.We ditch the SUV where we can, and a prospect brings a new one for us.He will then go and discard the SUV so it never traces back in any way.My body is aching now, a slow, dull ache that starts from the inside and spreads out.I have dried blood all over me and my skin burns.
Kael reaches over, his thumb brushing my wrist.“You good?”
I laugh, weakly.“Still here.”
“Nearly there.”
The hospital looms up, not too big, but large enough to have plenty of services.Kael parks and then comes around, helping me inside.The desk nurse looks up from her computer and goes wide-eyed when she sees us, doesn’t even try to hide the way she takes in the blood, the bruises, his size, my limp.It must look bad.
It is bad.
She gets into action quickly, calling us into a room.Her name is Candice, and she starts with the basics.“What’s your name?”
“Sable,” I croak.
“Can you tell me what happened?”
