Lucky's Choice
Page 78
“Don’t be vulgar in front of Sissy,” Willa snapped.
“You’ve got to be kidding me. When are you going to get it out of your head that I’m not a child? I wasn’t one before I turned eighteen,” Sissy gloated.
“Sissy, I know you think you’re an adult, but you’re not. You grew up too fast, and Lewis put too much responsibility on you. You’ve done nothing the last few months except show you’re still a child.”
Sissy snorted in disbelief. “How?”
“You’ve been screaming for attention like a child does. I think you’ve been screaming for help for a long time, and no one was listening,” Willa said softly. “You were so hurt and angry when your mom went to prison. When she died, you had to live with Lewis, and then he died. You don’t know who you can trust, who won’t leave you. That’s why you won’t trust anyone. That’s why you wanted in The Last Riders so badly. They watch each other’s backs, and they protect their women.”
“They’ve done a shitty job watching out for you,” Bridge interrupted. “Sorry, but I have to hurry this along. It’s not going to take Lucky long to get here with that bodyguard he has watching every move you make. Get your ass over here.”
“What are you doing, Bridge? You said you were only going to scare her.” Sissy went to stand next to him, tugging at the arm with the gun. He lifted her off her feet, holding her around the waist.
Willa ran to help her then stopped when he pointed the gun at the girl’s head.
“You have two choices: either jump or I shoot her. You’ve got ten seconds before I make up your mind for you.”
From the callous way he talked, the man wanted his revenge. Therefore, Willa was left with no choice, and she stepped toward the edge of the cliff.
“Drop the gun, Bridge!”
Willa spun around at the shout from behind her. Douglas and four other men Willa recognized from doing various jobs at her house during the remodeling ran from the cover of the trees and spread out, covering Bridge from different positions.
“Willa, come here,” Douglas ordered.
Willa took a step toward him.
“Take another step and I’ll blow her brains out.”
As Sissy began crying, Willa couldn’t leave the girl. She stopped moving, listening as the roar of motorcycles could be heard in the distance.
“Your husband is going to get to see if you can fly.”
Willa didn’t show any trace of her fear, unwilling for the last image Lucky had to be of her crying and begging. She wanted him to remember their last night together and how much she loved him.
The motorcycles came to a stop and Lucky got off his bike, his fury palpable. The other men got off their bikes, trailing behind him.
“Bridge, let Sissy go. This is between us. Neither Willa nor the girl has anything to do with us. You want me. I’m here.” Lucky spread his arms open. “Take your fucking shot.”
“I don’t want you. I want to see your face when she goes flying,” Bridge snarled then turned with the gun to Sissy’s head. “Jump, bitch!”
Willa watched as Sissy turned her head to the side, biting into Bridge’s shoulder. The man tossed her into the air at the same time a shot rang out.
“Sissy!” Willa barely managed to grab Sissy’s hand, losing her own balance on the edge of the cliff.
“No!” Lucky yelled as another shot rang out.
Willa felt herself tumbling over the edge, her body twisting sideways from the force of catching Sissy’s weight with her hand.
Willa screamed in agony at the pain radiating from her arm. Her free hand clawed to catch the edge of the cliff before grabbing onto the safety chain that Bridge had unhooked from the edge, holding on with what strength she could.
Sissy’s screams sounded from beside her as the girl held on.
“Hang on, Willa. Don’t you fucking let go!” Lucky’s hand grabbed her forearm as Viper fell down on the ground next to him, reaching for Sissy.
Willa was unaware of the whimpers of pain escaping her as Viper and Train lifted Sissy, taking her weight off Willa. As soon as they moved away, Cash bent to help Lucky pull her up.
“Don’t pull her up from her arm; it’s out of its socket!” Lucky ordered.
Cash reached down farther, taking the waistband of her jeans and lifting her straight up into Lucky’s arms. Then his hands went to her arm, holding it steady as Lucky carried her away from the edge of the cliff, sinking down on the ground with her on his lap.
“An ambulance is on the way,” Viper said from next to them.
Lucky held her arm still, telling her not to move, while Willa looked through blurry eyes at the man bleeding on the ground a few feet from where she was lying. Douglas was standing over Bridge with a gun pointed at his head.
When a truck came to a screeching stop, Willa watched as Shade jumped lithely from the bed with a rifle strapped to his back. His blue eyes ran detachedly over Willa and Lucky as he walked by Sissy sitting on the ground, crying helplessly, not stopping until he came to Bridge’s side. He crouched down next to Bridge, and his deadly, cold gaze had Willa shivering in the late summer heat.
“You missed.”
“I don’t miss. I hit where I was aiming.”
Bridge laughed, wincing in pain. “You should have killed me. I won’t stop coming after him.”
“Bridge, I’m done pussyfooting around with you. The only man responsible for Kale being dead is you.”
Bridge tried to rise up and go for Shade, but Shade reacted with lightning speed, grabbing the man’s shirt where blood was pouring out and pressing him back onto the ground.
“You were the one your brother followed into the service, not Lucky. You were the one who should have taught the dumbass to keep his safety on. You were the one who should have knocked some sense in him the first time he was reprimanded for not keeping his weapon close to his side. He was fucking careless with not only his life, but the other men on the mission. Kale was a goof-off, and everyone in the squad fucking knew it. That was why you asked Lucky to watch out for him.
“Lucky did everything he could do to save him, and I’m done watching you blame him for something he couldn’t prevent. If you go near him and Willa again, I’ll take out every family member you’ve got left breathing and those dogs of yours. When I’m done, there won’t be a person living to cry over the grave I bury you in. You got me?”
Bridge turned his face away, unable to meet Shade’s gaze. “I got you.”
“Good.” Shade released him, rising to his feet.
The ambulance pulled to a stop and the EMTs got out, grabbing their equipment. When they would have gone to Bridge, Shade snarled at them.
“You fucking treat her first. I didn’t shoot any vitals. He’ll wait.”
One EMT broke off, dropping to Willa’s side.
“Her shoulder’s dislocated.”
Lucky’s hoarse voice helped Willa bear the brief examination. Then she bit back her cries of pain as they immobilized her arm.
“You’ve got to be kidding me. When are you going to get it out of your head that I’m not a child? I wasn’t one before I turned eighteen,” Sissy gloated.
“Sissy, I know you think you’re an adult, but you’re not. You grew up too fast, and Lewis put too much responsibility on you. You’ve done nothing the last few months except show you’re still a child.”
Sissy snorted in disbelief. “How?”
“You’ve been screaming for attention like a child does. I think you’ve been screaming for help for a long time, and no one was listening,” Willa said softly. “You were so hurt and angry when your mom went to prison. When she died, you had to live with Lewis, and then he died. You don’t know who you can trust, who won’t leave you. That’s why you won’t trust anyone. That’s why you wanted in The Last Riders so badly. They watch each other’s backs, and they protect their women.”
“They’ve done a shitty job watching out for you,” Bridge interrupted. “Sorry, but I have to hurry this along. It’s not going to take Lucky long to get here with that bodyguard he has watching every move you make. Get your ass over here.”
“What are you doing, Bridge? You said you were only going to scare her.” Sissy went to stand next to him, tugging at the arm with the gun. He lifted her off her feet, holding her around the waist.
Willa ran to help her then stopped when he pointed the gun at the girl’s head.
“You have two choices: either jump or I shoot her. You’ve got ten seconds before I make up your mind for you.”
From the callous way he talked, the man wanted his revenge. Therefore, Willa was left with no choice, and she stepped toward the edge of the cliff.
“Drop the gun, Bridge!”
Willa spun around at the shout from behind her. Douglas and four other men Willa recognized from doing various jobs at her house during the remodeling ran from the cover of the trees and spread out, covering Bridge from different positions.
“Willa, come here,” Douglas ordered.
Willa took a step toward him.
“Take another step and I’ll blow her brains out.”
As Sissy began crying, Willa couldn’t leave the girl. She stopped moving, listening as the roar of motorcycles could be heard in the distance.
“Your husband is going to get to see if you can fly.”
Willa didn’t show any trace of her fear, unwilling for the last image Lucky had to be of her crying and begging. She wanted him to remember their last night together and how much she loved him.
The motorcycles came to a stop and Lucky got off his bike, his fury palpable. The other men got off their bikes, trailing behind him.
“Bridge, let Sissy go. This is between us. Neither Willa nor the girl has anything to do with us. You want me. I’m here.” Lucky spread his arms open. “Take your fucking shot.”
“I don’t want you. I want to see your face when she goes flying,” Bridge snarled then turned with the gun to Sissy’s head. “Jump, bitch!”
Willa watched as Sissy turned her head to the side, biting into Bridge’s shoulder. The man tossed her into the air at the same time a shot rang out.
“Sissy!” Willa barely managed to grab Sissy’s hand, losing her own balance on the edge of the cliff.
“No!” Lucky yelled as another shot rang out.
Willa felt herself tumbling over the edge, her body twisting sideways from the force of catching Sissy’s weight with her hand.
Willa screamed in agony at the pain radiating from her arm. Her free hand clawed to catch the edge of the cliff before grabbing onto the safety chain that Bridge had unhooked from the edge, holding on with what strength she could.
Sissy’s screams sounded from beside her as the girl held on.
“Hang on, Willa. Don’t you fucking let go!” Lucky’s hand grabbed her forearm as Viper fell down on the ground next to him, reaching for Sissy.
Willa was unaware of the whimpers of pain escaping her as Viper and Train lifted Sissy, taking her weight off Willa. As soon as they moved away, Cash bent to help Lucky pull her up.
“Don’t pull her up from her arm; it’s out of its socket!” Lucky ordered.
Cash reached down farther, taking the waistband of her jeans and lifting her straight up into Lucky’s arms. Then his hands went to her arm, holding it steady as Lucky carried her away from the edge of the cliff, sinking down on the ground with her on his lap.
“An ambulance is on the way,” Viper said from next to them.
Lucky held her arm still, telling her not to move, while Willa looked through blurry eyes at the man bleeding on the ground a few feet from where she was lying. Douglas was standing over Bridge with a gun pointed at his head.
When a truck came to a screeching stop, Willa watched as Shade jumped lithely from the bed with a rifle strapped to his back. His blue eyes ran detachedly over Willa and Lucky as he walked by Sissy sitting on the ground, crying helplessly, not stopping until he came to Bridge’s side. He crouched down next to Bridge, and his deadly, cold gaze had Willa shivering in the late summer heat.
“You missed.”
“I don’t miss. I hit where I was aiming.”
Bridge laughed, wincing in pain. “You should have killed me. I won’t stop coming after him.”
“Bridge, I’m done pussyfooting around with you. The only man responsible for Kale being dead is you.”
Bridge tried to rise up and go for Shade, but Shade reacted with lightning speed, grabbing the man’s shirt where blood was pouring out and pressing him back onto the ground.
“You were the one your brother followed into the service, not Lucky. You were the one who should have taught the dumbass to keep his safety on. You were the one who should have knocked some sense in him the first time he was reprimanded for not keeping his weapon close to his side. He was fucking careless with not only his life, but the other men on the mission. Kale was a goof-off, and everyone in the squad fucking knew it. That was why you asked Lucky to watch out for him.
“Lucky did everything he could do to save him, and I’m done watching you blame him for something he couldn’t prevent. If you go near him and Willa again, I’ll take out every family member you’ve got left breathing and those dogs of yours. When I’m done, there won’t be a person living to cry over the grave I bury you in. You got me?”
Bridge turned his face away, unable to meet Shade’s gaze. “I got you.”
“Good.” Shade released him, rising to his feet.
The ambulance pulled to a stop and the EMTs got out, grabbing their equipment. When they would have gone to Bridge, Shade snarled at them.
“You fucking treat her first. I didn’t shoot any vitals. He’ll wait.”
One EMT broke off, dropping to Willa’s side.
“Her shoulder’s dislocated.”
Lucky’s hoarse voice helped Willa bear the brief examination. Then she bit back her cries of pain as they immobilized her arm.
