Burn: Outlaw Romance (Hotter Than Hell Book 3) (25 page)

“I say we vote,” I tell the board.

Yeahs go up around the table. It’s unanimous.

Sofia smiles. “I’ll head over this afternoon. I need to take my car. Is there a problem if I go alone? I think it will look better in case there are eyes in the office that might know what we’re about.”

I give her a smile. “Sounds good. Is there gas in that thing?” It hasn’t moved since the day she arrived.

“Enough to get me to Globe. I’ll fill up there.” She stands and moves closer to me, ignoring the men in the room. She leans in and kisses me. It’s short and sweet. I’m not going for it. I pull her back when she tries to move away.

“This is why we keep pussy out of church. Too distracting,” AJ grumbles.

I don’t give a fuck. He’s jealous he doesn’t have his own woman in here. I finally release her when the complaining from all of them grows too loud. Sofia is flushed and my dick is semi-hard. If there was time and we didn’t have more to discuss, I would cut out and take her to our room.

I quickly sign the lease paperwork and Skull co-signs. I surprise Sofia by handing her the keys to her car. I knew how the vote would go and I also knew I needed to trust her to do this alone. She smiles and gives me another quick kiss before leaving the room.

“Hell, that woman has you wrapped around her finger.”

“More like she has her fingers wrapped around my cock and I want to keep it that way,” I throw back.

They laugh and we continue the meeting.

Sofia

FREEDOM. THEY TRUST ME
enough to allow me to drive out alone. Until now, Rufus or Dagger has been with me every second. I’ve tried not to let it bother me but it has.

The papers are beside me on the passenger seat. I crank up the rock music. I can listen to about everything
but
country. I sing along with Aerosmith while tapping my fingers against the steering wheel. I take the turnoff for Globe, happy that my air conditioner works in this heat. They tell me the humid season hasn’t begun yet and that’s when it’s really miserable. I’ve lived in Florida since I was a baby. I like the heat to a point. Now that we have air conditioning and it’s bearable inside the clubhouse, I’m enjoying the desert more.

Saguaros pepper the hills. Dagger told me they’re the state tree. Six to eight foot cacti is what they look like to me. Trees offer shade and have leaves. I’ll admit these do offer a majestic beauty that I’m starting to appreciate.

This stretch of highway is pretty much deserted. I see the flash of a vehicle far behind me and keep singing to tunes as the desert flies by. From my rearview mirror, I notice the vehicle gaining on me. When it’s a few hundred yards back, I realize the vehicle is actually two motorcycles.

“Fucking Dagger,” I say aloud. He should have just said he didn’t trust me to take this trip alone. I haven’t had a burst of temper this week and he’s just gone and ruined it. I’m pissed and it’s hard to hold my speed down as they gain on me. I won’t forget this and the club will be lucky if they eat a good meal for the rest of the week.

The bikes are a hundred feet behind me when my back window explodes and my shoulder catches fire. Fuck, they shot me. I can’t control the car and swerve off the road heading down a small embankment into desert scrubs. I slam my foot against the brake and come to a stop. Someone’s trying to kill me. The men on the bikes can’t belong to Dagger.

My shoulder screams as I try to unbuckle the belt with my other hand. I need to get away. The sun shines into the vehicle and I can see very little outside.

I grab the door handle as soon as the belt is undone. Before I can open the door it’s wrenched from my fingers and someone drags me out. I kick and punch with my good hand until a heavy blow hits the side of my jaw. It stuns me. The asshole has no idea who he’s messing with. The second biker tries to grab my legs, but I land a nice kick to his upper thigh. Too bad I missed his cajones. If he gives me another chance, I won’t.

“Fucking bitch,” he yells.

The other man tosses me to the ground and cactus needles pierce my arms and back. The man I kicked boots me in the ribs and I roll, trying to protect myself.

“Fucking spic. What the hell is our club fucking doing with a piece of brown meat?”

Another kick strikes my hip and the second man lands one on my chest. I would curl into a ball but one of them lifts me. I can no longer keep track of who’s who. They turn me into a human punching bag. I have no doubt they plan to kill me. I’m losing blood from the shoulder wound and the sun has a dark ring around it. A fist hits my eyes and another my nose. My breasts, stomach, and ribs take their share of hits. The pain diminishes and it’s like I’m looking down from above my body watching them beat me to death.

This is how I die. I always thought it would be this way. Violence begets violence.

“
Sofia Guadalupe, you’re a fighter. You fight for you and the babies.”
My mother’s voice drifts through my head. I’ll be with my sister and brother soon.

Oh, Dax. I never told you I love you.

Dax

I WASN’T WORRIED WHEN
Sofia had been gone for three hours. An hour to Globe and an hour back meant she hit the county office, dropped the papers, maybe talked to someone there for a short time, and then filled up her car before hitting the road again. It was after the fourth hour that I began to worry. Now it’s after six in the evening and the county offices are closed.

I can’t sit still, so I’m pacing in the front room of the clubhouse. All but a few of the brothers are here. We
were
celebrating a second chance to put our plans in motion. Now everyone’s mostly quiet. No one says she took off, but I know they’re thinking it.

I’m a stupid fuck.

“This is bullshit, that girl hasn’t left us high and dry,” Red finally grinds out. “You’re all assholes for even thinking it.”

I stop and turn around. “Hell. She should be here.”

Red stands and faces me. “What about a car accident? Have you thought of that?”

I bring my hand over my stubby crop of hair in frustration. “It’s not exactly an accident-prone trip from here to Globe.”

“Okay, a blown tire, mechanical failure. Does she have her phone?”

Fuck, I didn’t think about a phone. “No.” I turn to Skull. “You and I are heading out. We’ll check the road from here to Globe.”

Skull rises and then Bear speaks up. “I’m in too. I agree with Red. She didn’t leave.”

I look at my brothers. “Who’s in?”

They all stand.

“Let’s ride,” I tell them.

Five minutes later we hit the pavement with colors on full display. There are seven of us, including Rufus. It sucks that we’ve needed a ride and it’s Sofia’s absence that takes us out of the clubhouse. No matter how this turns out, we’re taking a weekend ride as soon as possible.

The engines humming beside me are music. My cut flapping in the wind and the sun beating on my back feel like freedom. This is what the Crows are all about.

We hit the Globe turnoff and pick up speed. It’s a lonely section of highway. Having my brothers beside me keeps me sane. I don’t want Sofia to have run into car trouble. I also can’t face the possibility that she left. She was too excited about filing the papers. Fuck, I need to find her.

Twenty minutes into the ride, I see flashing lights ahead of us and my muscles clench. A white truck is the only non-emergency vehicle that I can see. We roll closer and I see Sofia’s car about twenty yards from the road and down a slight embankment.

I’m off my bike and running toward the car, when a deputy stops me.

“Whoa, you need to stay back,” he commands.

I twist away from the hand he places on my arm. “That’s my old lady’s car.”

He grabs me and Skull grabs my other arm.

“You need to stay back. Emergency services are working on her. They’ve called in a helicopter.”

“What the fuck?” I shrug both hands off me.

“Look,” the deputy says, “she’s in bad shape. Let them do their job and talk to me.”

My brain is racing. “Did she go through the windshield?” It’s all I can think of. I don’t see another damaged vehicle and a trip down a short hill wouldn’t hurt her.

“Step over here,” the deputy says in a sympathetic voice.

He isn’t one of the cops from the search warrant. I know he’s aware of who we are. Hell, our cuts point it out loud and clear. His tone is concerned without the usual sneer we run into. I let him lead me to his vehicle.

“Got your back, brother,” Skull calls.

The deputy gives me a level look and lays out what’s happening. “She’s been shot and beaten within an inch of her life. The fellow in the white truck saw the car off the road and called 911. Now that you’ve shown up, I’m guessing this is gang related.”

“It can’t be. Hell,” I say and place my hand on my head. It easily can be. I never talk to cops… never. I’m about to break the code. “I took over the club over a month ago. Several didn’t like the new leadership and left. We have no trouble with anyone else and we’re trying to clean our shit up. Fuck.” I’m breathing hard and feel vomit rise in my throat. “I need to see her.” I’ve never begged a cop for anything either.

“I need names.”

“I’ll give you names, just let me see her.”

He takes off his hat and wipes his brow before placing it back on his head. “The car is evidence. Bullet hole in the back window and through the front seat. Don’t touch anything and I’ll take you down there.”

“Thank you,” is all I can manage to say.

He walks me past my brothers and several hit my back as I follow the deputy. They hang back as we head toward the car and the team working around a stretcher. They have an IV line in the back of her hand, and her mouth and nose are covered by an oxygen mask. Between the blood and swelling, she’s unrecognizable.

“This is her boyfriend,” the deputy says. “Can you let him closer?”

One of the women steps back and I’m able to drop to a knee and touch her hand. Her shirt is off with one of the crew holding a thick pad to her shoulder. Small square pads are stuck on the skin of her chest and I follow the leads to a machine that shows she’s alive.

The woman who moved aside places her hand on my shoulder. “The helicopter is coming in. We need you to move back and let us take care of her. She’s in good hands.” She hands me Sofia’s purse. “Keep this. We have her driver’s license information. She’s being medevaced to Phoenix General. They have a top-notch trauma team.”

Sofia’s face is blurry and I realize I’m crying. I wipe my eyes and bend down farther and kiss her hand. It’s the only place I’m not worried about touching. “Can I go on the helicopter?” I ask.

“No, life support personnel only. I’m sorry.” I can hear the chopper now. “Cover your eyes,” the woman tells me. “This will move really quickly, and you need to step back,” she says over the roar of the blades.

Fuck, this is Savannah all over again.

“Head to the hospital. I’ll be there and wait for you to arrive,” the woman assures me.

I finally take a good look at her. She’s somewhere in her forties and I read compassion in her eyes, which are only partially shielded from the blowing dust. “Thank you. I’ll be there as soon as possible.” I stand and look one last time at the woman I love. “Her name’s Sofia Guadalupe Acosta. It’s a name to be proud of. She’s a fighter.”