Damaged and the Outlaw (Damaged #4)

Vaughn even texted me to say he was heading home and I should be ready to soothe his anger with lots of vigorous sex. Technically, he wrote, “Man angry, want caveman sex.” I got the message.

After checking on Lark, I took a gun and walked to the apartment to prepare for Vaughn’s caveman needs. Just the thought of him doing his grunt talking made me laugh. He was finally free of the threats from the Devils and no longer an outlaw. Entering the apartment, I imagined ways to celebrate this fact. Caveman sex was just the beginning.

“You’re the secretary,” a voice said from behind me. Before I spun around, I felt the gun against my temple. “Don’t pull your gun or I’ll pull my trigger. Do you want your pretty face splashed on the walls?”

Struggling against the urge to fight back, I relaxed my body. I didn’t even flinch when he pulled my gun from my pocket.

“The secretary wants to live. That’s good. Now, sit on the couch and we’ll wait for Vaughn.”

Giving him no reason to feel threatened, I moved slowly to the couch and sat down. When my back was to him, I slid my engagement ring from my finger and shoved it into my pocket. Once on the couch, I sized up the asshole. He was tall and tatted. With a shaved head and mean eyes, I sensed he would kill me without blinking.

“You’re Caleb?”

He gave me a cold smile. “Did Vaughn wax poetic about how we’d bowl and bang chicks? You know, the good old days.”

“He just said you were friends and now you aren’t.”

“Did you tell him what I said on the phone that day when his mom croaked?”

I remember how Caleb said Michelle begged to see her son at the end. Even if this was true, I would never tell Vaughn. He suffered enough without knowing she asked for him. I planned to take Caleb’s words to my grave.

He smirked when I shook my head. “Protecting the pretty fucker. Well, I don’t think you’ll protect him today.”

“It’s not too late to just leave.”

Caleb ignored my comment and glanced at the door. “You people are so arrogant. Don’t even lock your damn doors,” he grunted, giving me dark glare. “You think you’re so safe here because the Reapers are tied to Memphis. Fucking Kirk always thought he was so special.”

“If you leave now, you can get away. Go back to Tucson. Help your club.”

“My club?” he sneered. “Your fucking prince got my uncle and dad killed. The Reapers laid waste to my club. Now, the fuckers in Tucson are feasting on the leftovers. There’s no club left, bitch.”

“You could still run. I have money.”

“I don’t want to run. I want to kill Vaughn. I want to watch him die and you’re going to help me by sitting here like a good little secretary. If you start shit, the last thing Vaughn will see before I blow his fucking head off is his woman splattered on the ground.”

“I don’t want to die,” I mumbled, trying to seem weak to a man who wouldn’t have been intimidated if I acted strong. “I don’t want Vaughn to die.”

“Too late for that,” he said, glancing out the shades while keeping his gun pointed at me. “You’re a hot bitch. No doubt you’ll have a new dick inside you quick enough.”

We remained silent while I imagined going for his gun. In my head, I already saw my love dead. Vaughn would die with his eyes open then Caleb would kill me next. I saw in his eyes how he didn’t care if he lived. Caleb would take us all out with him. Might even walk into the Johansson house where my sister rested. How many people might he kill before someone put his sick ass down?

Building my courage, I waited until the last possible moment to make my move. A part of me was certain I would die. My mind imagined him firing the gun. There’d be no fixing the hole in my head, but the shot would alert the others. One death was better than two or a dozen.

Whether God was real or not, I remembered what Vaughn said about faith. Believing my prayers would be answered, I prayed for God to protect the ones I loved. If I also managed not to die, that would be great too.

The sound of Harleys was the starter pistol my courage needed. His excitement and fear written on his face, Caleb turned his attention to the window and his approaching target. He didn’t even see me anymore. It was all about Vaughn.

The next few seconds were a blur. Overwhelmed with fear and desperation, I wasn’t even thinking. I simply reacted to the sound of the Harleys by jumping up and running for Caleb. He turned as I lunged at him. As we landed against the wall, I reached for the window. I hoped to make enough of a noise to warn the arriving men. Instead, I felt the sharp blow of his elbow against my jaw.

Seeing stars, I hurled my body against his and grabbed for the gun. For the slightest second, I had the momentum. As the gun loosened in his grip, I thought I might actually stop him. I could win. Caleb would die and everyone would be safe and…