Just then, Daisy came up behind him. He was going to get shot before he could get near Grace with the dog’s wagging tail slapping against his leg.
Ignoring the dog, Ice looked around the corner to see Church sitting at the table with Grace on his lap. Her top had been ripped half off and her breasts were bared and bruised. Fury went through him when he saw her beaten face; one of her eyes was swollen shut, and her mouth was bleeding from the corner
Church stood up, throwing Grace to the floor and running for the kitchen when they heard the sound of breaking glass from the other room. Ice shot him, but Church, hearing the gun, turned toward him. The bullet that should have hit him in the back went into his arm. That’s when Jackal and Yo-Yo fell into the room, fighting.
Ice raised his gun to fire at Church again, but Yo-Yo managed to knock Jackal back. Ice hesitated, not wanting to shoot Jackal. Church read Ice’s hesitation and charged Ice, both of them falling to the floor. Ice saw Grace running for her mother as he and Church struggled.
Church was as big as a bull, but Ice had the advantage of having fought more fights, while Church had others fight for him. Church tried to take Ice’s gun away; however, Ice wouldn’t let it go, managing to get another bullet off that went into the ceiling.
Church then used his forearm on Ice’s neck, pressing all his weight on it and cutting off his air. Ice saw spots, and the harder he fought, the more oxygen he lost. As he struggled, Jackal and Yo-Yo fell onto Grace’s table, knocking dishes onto the floor.
With the last of his strength, Ice raised his gun, holding it against Church’s neck and pressing the trigger. Church couldn’t grab for the gun as he would have had to release Ice from his hold, yet he managed to move enough that the bullet only grazed his neck.
Ice’s arm fell to his side as blackness closed in around him.
When Grace ran to Church, trying to get him to loosen his hold, he ignored her, pressing down harder on Ice’s neck. Church’s malicious laughter was ringing in his head so loud it took a second for the gunshot to register. Half of Church’s head was blown off, and his body fell forward. Ice pushed him to the side.
“Church!” Yo-Yo screamed over Grace’s terrified cries. He quit fighting Jackal and ran toward Church, only to be shot. He grabbed his stomach, falling to his knees then face forward onto Ice’s legs.
Ice kicked him off, sitting up. He pulled Grace into his arms then turned to see who had shot Church and Yo-Yo, expecting to find Alec. Instead, Grace’s mother was standing there with a rifle in her hands. She set it down on the floor before running to Grace, pulling her away from Ice.
“Mon bébé,” she cried, rocking Grace back and forth.
The doorbell rang as Ice got to his feet, amazed Grace’s mother had managed to kill both men.
Jackal answered the door as Ice picked his gun up from the floor, hiding it in the waistband of his pants.
Alec and several of his men came in.
“The police are on their way,” Alec told Ice, looking at the dead bodies on the floor. “Why didn’t you call them?”
“They would have tried hostage negotiations with Church. He wasn’t going to be taken alive. He knew when he attacked Grace he was a dead man.”
The sound coming down the street alerted them the police were coming.
“I’ll go outside and tell them to call an ambulance for Grace.” Jackal went outside.
Ice started back to Grace, but Oceane’s glare had him staying put. Grace was already upset over her ordeal; he didn’t want to start a fight with her mother over who was going to hold her.
The police came in, turning both men over while asking rapid-fire questions. Ice answered as did Jackal, explaining what had happened. The ambulance arriving briefly halted their questions as they loaded Grace into the stretcher, placing a blanket over her. Ice was worried by the dazed look in her terror-filled eyes.
Finally, the ambulance took her, but they made Oceane stay for questioning.
Ice would have followed after Grace; however, Oceane stepped in front of him, blocking his path.
“Don’t you dare think you’re ever going near my daughter again. It’s because of you he attacked us. When he got Grace’s phone and saw the text that you would see her tomorrow, he told us he was going to kill us so you could be the one to find her body.
“If you try to see or talk to her again, I will use every dime of money at my family’s disposal to ruin you and destroy that club you belong to. Stay away from her!” Oceane screamed at him hysterically. “How many times are you going to almost get her killed before someone succeeds?”
As Alec put his arm around Oceane to calm her, Ice and Jackal walked away, seeing the ambulance turn the corner. He had wanted to snap back at her, but he was aware she had been bound and forced to watch Church manhandle her daughter. If Grace hadn’t managed to untie her mother before trying to get Church off him, there would have been a different outcome. Her mother deserved her moment. She had killed the two men he had unintentionally put in Grace’s path.
“Let’s get our bikes.”
They walked down the sidewalk, ignoring the stares of the neighbors who had come out to see why the police were there.
Once Ice had gotten on his bike and Jackal had mounted his, Jackal asked, “We going to the hospital?”
“No. We’re going back to the club.”
Chapter 27
Three Weeks Later
Ice opened the door to the clubhouse, frowning since he was used to hearing the music blaring from inside at this time of night. He was tired and hungry, having ridden his bike around the city for the last two hours to keep from riding to Grace’s house.
He felt his jeans slip around his waist as he walked. He had lost weight in the last three weeks, his belt now on the tightest hole. He was going to have to get a new belt or a new pair of jeans.
The brothers were all sitting at the bar, facing the pool table when he walked inside. Ice looked at the table, coming to a stop before moving closer. Not many men would have recognized the man playing pool against Max. From the look of it, as he watched, Dalton Andrews was beating Max because the brother couldn’t take his eyes off the famous movie star.
Ice leaned against the pool table. “I take it you’re here to see me?”
Dalton stood up after making his shot. “You’re Ice?”
“Yeah.”
Dalton Andrews, mega-star and rich as shit, looked him over him from his uncombed long hair to his T-shirt, which he wore under his cut. His eyes lingered on his patch then trailed down past his frayed jeans, ending with his dusty boots with the hole in the toe.
His mouth quirked in amusement. “The little bastard got your boot?”
Ice’s throat got tight with unexpected pain at the thought of the dog.
He cleared his throat. “I called it the little shit.”
Dalton took another shot. “Why haven’t you been to see Grace?”
Ice had expected another warning to stay away from her, not a question and answer session. “Her mother told me to stay away.”
“You look like a man who does what he wants. Oceane told me what she said to you. Are you worried I’ll come after you and your club?”
“No, it’s your money to waste. Besides, I don’t leave bodies where they can be found,” Ice said sarcastically, waiting for the actor to start spouting warnings to stay away from his daughter.
Ignoring the dog, Ice looked around the corner to see Church sitting at the table with Grace on his lap. Her top had been ripped half off and her breasts were bared and bruised. Fury went through him when he saw her beaten face; one of her eyes was swollen shut, and her mouth was bleeding from the corner
Church stood up, throwing Grace to the floor and running for the kitchen when they heard the sound of breaking glass from the other room. Ice shot him, but Church, hearing the gun, turned toward him. The bullet that should have hit him in the back went into his arm. That’s when Jackal and Yo-Yo fell into the room, fighting.
Ice raised his gun to fire at Church again, but Yo-Yo managed to knock Jackal back. Ice hesitated, not wanting to shoot Jackal. Church read Ice’s hesitation and charged Ice, both of them falling to the floor. Ice saw Grace running for her mother as he and Church struggled.
Church was as big as a bull, but Ice had the advantage of having fought more fights, while Church had others fight for him. Church tried to take Ice’s gun away; however, Ice wouldn’t let it go, managing to get another bullet off that went into the ceiling.
Church then used his forearm on Ice’s neck, pressing all his weight on it and cutting off his air. Ice saw spots, and the harder he fought, the more oxygen he lost. As he struggled, Jackal and Yo-Yo fell onto Grace’s table, knocking dishes onto the floor.
With the last of his strength, Ice raised his gun, holding it against Church’s neck and pressing the trigger. Church couldn’t grab for the gun as he would have had to release Ice from his hold, yet he managed to move enough that the bullet only grazed his neck.
Ice’s arm fell to his side as blackness closed in around him.
When Grace ran to Church, trying to get him to loosen his hold, he ignored her, pressing down harder on Ice’s neck. Church’s malicious laughter was ringing in his head so loud it took a second for the gunshot to register. Half of Church’s head was blown off, and his body fell forward. Ice pushed him to the side.
“Church!” Yo-Yo screamed over Grace’s terrified cries. He quit fighting Jackal and ran toward Church, only to be shot. He grabbed his stomach, falling to his knees then face forward onto Ice’s legs.
Ice kicked him off, sitting up. He pulled Grace into his arms then turned to see who had shot Church and Yo-Yo, expecting to find Alec. Instead, Grace’s mother was standing there with a rifle in her hands. She set it down on the floor before running to Grace, pulling her away from Ice.
“Mon bébé,” she cried, rocking Grace back and forth.
The doorbell rang as Ice got to his feet, amazed Grace’s mother had managed to kill both men.
Jackal answered the door as Ice picked his gun up from the floor, hiding it in the waistband of his pants.
Alec and several of his men came in.
“The police are on their way,” Alec told Ice, looking at the dead bodies on the floor. “Why didn’t you call them?”
“They would have tried hostage negotiations with Church. He wasn’t going to be taken alive. He knew when he attacked Grace he was a dead man.”
The sound coming down the street alerted them the police were coming.
“I’ll go outside and tell them to call an ambulance for Grace.” Jackal went outside.
Ice started back to Grace, but Oceane’s glare had him staying put. Grace was already upset over her ordeal; he didn’t want to start a fight with her mother over who was going to hold her.
The police came in, turning both men over while asking rapid-fire questions. Ice answered as did Jackal, explaining what had happened. The ambulance arriving briefly halted their questions as they loaded Grace into the stretcher, placing a blanket over her. Ice was worried by the dazed look in her terror-filled eyes.
Finally, the ambulance took her, but they made Oceane stay for questioning.
Ice would have followed after Grace; however, Oceane stepped in front of him, blocking his path.
“Don’t you dare think you’re ever going near my daughter again. It’s because of you he attacked us. When he got Grace’s phone and saw the text that you would see her tomorrow, he told us he was going to kill us so you could be the one to find her body.
“If you try to see or talk to her again, I will use every dime of money at my family’s disposal to ruin you and destroy that club you belong to. Stay away from her!” Oceane screamed at him hysterically. “How many times are you going to almost get her killed before someone succeeds?”
As Alec put his arm around Oceane to calm her, Ice and Jackal walked away, seeing the ambulance turn the corner. He had wanted to snap back at her, but he was aware she had been bound and forced to watch Church manhandle her daughter. If Grace hadn’t managed to untie her mother before trying to get Church off him, there would have been a different outcome. Her mother deserved her moment. She had killed the two men he had unintentionally put in Grace’s path.
“Let’s get our bikes.”
They walked down the sidewalk, ignoring the stares of the neighbors who had come out to see why the police were there.
Once Ice had gotten on his bike and Jackal had mounted his, Jackal asked, “We going to the hospital?”
“No. We’re going back to the club.”
Chapter 27
Three Weeks Later
Ice opened the door to the clubhouse, frowning since he was used to hearing the music blaring from inside at this time of night. He was tired and hungry, having ridden his bike around the city for the last two hours to keep from riding to Grace’s house.
He felt his jeans slip around his waist as he walked. He had lost weight in the last three weeks, his belt now on the tightest hole. He was going to have to get a new belt or a new pair of jeans.
The brothers were all sitting at the bar, facing the pool table when he walked inside. Ice looked at the table, coming to a stop before moving closer. Not many men would have recognized the man playing pool against Max. From the look of it, as he watched, Dalton Andrews was beating Max because the brother couldn’t take his eyes off the famous movie star.
Ice leaned against the pool table. “I take it you’re here to see me?”
Dalton stood up after making his shot. “You’re Ice?”
“Yeah.”
Dalton Andrews, mega-star and rich as shit, looked him over him from his uncombed long hair to his T-shirt, which he wore under his cut. His eyes lingered on his patch then trailed down past his frayed jeans, ending with his dusty boots with the hole in the toe.
His mouth quirked in amusement. “The little bastard got your boot?”
Ice’s throat got tight with unexpected pain at the thought of the dog.
He cleared his throat. “I called it the little shit.”
Dalton took another shot. “Why haven’t you been to see Grace?”
Ice had expected another warning to stay away from her, not a question and answer session. “Her mother told me to stay away.”
“You look like a man who does what he wants. Oceane told me what she said to you. Are you worried I’ll come after you and your club?”
“No, it’s your money to waste. Besides, I don’t leave bodies where they can be found,” Ice said sarcastically, waiting for the actor to start spouting warnings to stay away from his daughter.
