Beast: Learning to Breathe (Devil's Blaze MC #5)

“Bring it motherfucker. I’ve taken worse than you down without blinking,” I tell him truthfully, already turning away and walking to Hayden. I have to get her out of her head. I have to bring her back to me.

“You’ll pay for interfering, old woman,” one of the men growls from behind me, and I hear another gunshot go off and the cry of a man. I hope she killed him, I think, only to feel disappointment when I hear Charlie.

“Drag his ass out of here and get him patched up while he’s still breathing. Any of you set foot in my place again, I won’t be as forgiving, and you can bet that Victor Torasani will hear about the shit you pulled today,” Charlie warns them.

I file away the knowledge that she seems to know the head of the Torasani family as I finally make it to Hayden.





53





Hayden





I can feel Michael’s arms go around me. Slowly the heat of his body surrounds me. I’ve panicked again, though at least it’s not as deep as I normally go. I feel Michael stroking my hair. His rough fingers somehow gently wrap around my ponytail. His other hand has captured one of mine and his thumb is brushing back and forth across the top of my wrist. I concentrate on that as I let the shudders slowly leave my body and try to control my breathing.

“Come back to me, Beauty. Don’t let them drag you back there. You’re safe. I’m keeping you safe. Nothing will touch you and Maggie again,” I hear Michael whispering in my ear. He keeps repeating the same things over and over, so softly I have to strain to hear them over the way my pulse is pounding in my ears. But, I concentrate on the words. I take them in. I hear his conviction, and I know he means them.

Maybe it’s weak to look to someone to save me, but right now it feels like a miracle. I let the tension leave my body as I collapse against him with a sob. I wrap my arms around him.

“That’s it, come back to me,” he whispers, his voice hoarse and cracking.

I don’t tell him, because saying the words out loud would terrify me, but I’m pretty sure as long as he wanted me to, I’d always come back to him.

I feel him lift me up in his arms and he walks me to a chair and sits down. I go to move off him, but he doesn’t let me. I don’t fight him too hard. I feel safest when he’s around.

“I’m okay,” I tell him, or maybe even myself. I can’t be sure.

“I know you are, sweetheart,” he whispers, and I can’t decide which is better. The sound of his heart beating when I’m pressed against his chest, or his voice talking to me so tenderly.

I’ve never had that. Nothing has ever been sweet in my life. Michael gives me glimpses of sweet and I can’t help but want more.

“Did they leave?”

“Yeah, they headed out. Fools. I don’t know what’s got them acting so damned brave all at once. Victor has been letting too much slip by. I’ll call him tonight,” Charlie answers.

“You need to make sure you keep that gun close,” Michael warns her. “Do you have law here you can trust?”

“I’ve got it taken care of,” she says cryptically. “You just need to take care of our girl here. How are you doing, cupcake?”

“I’m sorry, Charlie,” I tell her, feeling like an idiot and hating myself for bringing all of this to her doorstep.

“Nothing to be sorry for, sweet girl. That bunch is a plague. They’re nothing but cockroaches. Unfortunately, cockroaches seem to survive no matter what you do to kill them.”

“That’s what you think,” Michael growls.

“Michael, you can’t go up against Blade and his men,” I tell him, fear laced in my words.

“Why in the fuck not?”

“I don’t want you to get hurt—especially not because of me,” I tell him, pulling back enough so that I can look into his eyes. Curving my hand along the side of his face, low around his chin and jawbone, I allow my fingers to slightly curl into his beard. “I couldn’t handle it if they hurt you.”

“Fuck,” he growls and my forehead scrunches up in confusion. Before I can talk to him further, he stands up. I move my hands around his neck to hold on, since it becomes clear, even when I try, that he’s not letting me down. “Charlie, make sure you stay safe,” he warns. “They may try to come back.”

“You do the same and keep our girl safe,” she orders back, as we go out the door.

“I’ve got her,” Michael grumbles, though not to Charlie because we’re outside.

I have questions in my head, but I don’t know what I want to ask, so I remain silent as he puts me in his truck and buckles me in. Even when he leans up from connecting my seatbelt and stops to look me in the eyes, I remain silent. When his ink-covered, scarred hand comes up to my face and this thumb brushes against my temple, I’m still silent. When his lips briefly touch my forehead, I keep quiet. Mostly, I don’t know what to say. Yet, there’s a part of me wondering why he kissed my forehead and not my lips.

I really wish he’d kissed my lips.





54





Beast





The road to Hell is paved with good intentions. I needed to keep Hayden at arm’s length. I failed. I wanted to protect her and her child and somehow, I’ve let Hayden get to me. I can admit it, what I can’t figure out is how to stop it. Being around Hayden is like standing in quicksand, and I’m slowly sinking, the more I struggle the deeper I get pulled in.

I look down at her sleeping form and barely restrain a growl. Today was messed up. I can’t believe those fuckers thought it was okay to come at Hayden like that. Not if they’d been leaving her alone all this time. It has to be more than me showing up in the town. I’ve called Skull and Diesel and swallowed my pride enough to have them looking into it. Skull mentioned sending some men down as back-up. I don’t want that, but if this shit keeps up, I may not have a choice. I had Skull send a shout out to Cade and one to the Torasani clan. Maybe if I can talk to both of them, I might get better protection for Hayden and Maggie. It’s old school but nothing rings quite as true as the old adage, “The enemy of my enemy is my friend.” I definitely need some friends in this damn town if I’m going to make sure Hayden is safe. I shouldn’t do it, but I find myself crawling on the bed behind her. Wrapping my arm around her stomach, spooning her, and pulling her into me. I bury my face into the back of her neck breathing in the strawberry scent of her shampoo.

“You’re still here,” she whispers.

I have the room dark, shades pulled on the window, but it’s barely dusk outside. The street light out front has just started buzzing, I can hear it through the window.

“I told you I wouldn’t leave.”

“It might be better if you did Michael. I’m trouble. I thought Blade had given up, but he won’t stop. I know that now.”

“Why do you say that?” I ask her, but I’m sure she’s right. The Blade I saw today had blood in his eyes. He wants to punish Hayden. I could see it. She’s going to have to tell me more about their past. I’ll talk with her about it soon, but not right now. She’s definitely had enough today.

“He said that horrible word…about Maggie. He referred to her as…”