I could feel the tension in his body as we drove back toward the clubhouse. I didn’t know what was going to happen, but I knew that we had just survived a trap. They had been waiting for us, ready to ambush us. And the only reason we survived was because I got lucky and saw them, and because Ford was willing to do what he had to do.
This was my life, I realized with terror. This was my life now, running away in fear, unless Ford figured out a way to fix it.
I clung to him tightly, feeling the wind in my hair.
Chapter Twenty-Six: Ford
It was a fucking ambush.
I knew there was a danger of that, but I couldn’t believe we had walked right into it. If it hadn’t been for Caralee, those guys would have gotten the drop on us. I’d be dead, and who knows what they would have done to Caralee.
I was angry at myself beyond belief. I was such a stupid fucking asshole for bringing Caralee with me. She could have easily just told me where the place was. I didn’t need to drag her along. But I did, and I put her directly in the line of danger when all I was trying to do was keep her away from anything harmful.
We sped down the highway, heading back toward my cabin. I didn’t know what was safe anymore, but I figured I could at least protect her back at the cabin.
I wasn’t going to make that mistake again. I wasn’t going to drag Caralee into anymore shit situations.
She was my damn old lady, whether I wanted it or not.
We pulled up outside the cabin. Everything looked normal, but you could never be sure. I un-holstered my gun and we moved up toward the front door.
I opened it and entered fast, checking the blind spots. Nobody was in there.
I sat Caralee down at the kitchen table. She didn’t say a word, didn’t complain or argue, simply did as she was told. I liked the fighting spirit in her, but she clearly understood that we were beyond running from pledges. The Snakes were after her, and we needed to be even more careful than usual.
I checked the bedroom and bathroom, but there was nothing. I went out back and did a quick sweep of the forest around my cabin but found nothing.
Back in the cabin, I leaned up against the refrigerator. “You okay?” I asked her.
She nodded. “Yeah, I’m okay.”
“Good job back there.”
“I didn’t do anything.”
“You warned me. Otherwise, we’d be dead.”
She shrugged. “I’m just trying to help.”
“You did good.” I pulled my phone out of my pocket. “I have to call Larkin. Hold tight.”
I walked back into my bedroom and dialed. Larkin answered on the second ring.
“Yeah?”
“Larkin, it’s Ford.”
“What’s up?”
“Caralee and me went looking for those missing drugs today, checked out that dead asshole’s trailer.”
“And?” he grunted.
“And we ran into some fucking Snakes.”
There was a pause. “They dead?”
“Yeah, they’re dead. It was an ambush.”
“I’ll send some guys over. You at your place?”
“Yeah.” I sat down on the bed. “How could they have known we were going to be there?”
“Probably didn’t,” he said. “If I were them, I’d have the place watched.”
“Yeah. Guess that makes sense. But I was careful. Nothing seemed off.”
“Sometimes they get the drop. It happens.”
“This shit is blowing up fast,” I said.
He laughed. “Already fuckin’ blew up. Need you to come back here when the guys get to your place.”
“Shit. What happened?”
“Got a message. We’ll talk later.”
“See you soon.”
I hung up the phone, shaking my head.
“Is everything okay?” Caralee asked.
I nodded at her and she walked in. She straddled me, sitting down on my lap. I grabbed her hips and pulled her against me, breathing in her smell, kissing the skin along her neck. Fuck, I was so fucking hard for her, even after everything that had happened.
“Guys are coming to watch over you,” I said.
“Where are you going?”
“Have to go to the club.”
“Do you?”
“Sorry. Got no choice.”
She was silent for a second. “We always have a choice, Ford.”
I moved back and looked at her. “No, we don’t always have a fuckin’ choice. My life has been about choices that were made for me, over and over again.”
“How can that be true?”
“You don’t get it,” I grunted. “I didn’t want any of this.”
She bit her lip and got off me, standing with her arms crossed against the dresser. “What did you want then?”
“I had to do something. The guys would have thrown you out to the rats if it weren’t for me.”
“Maybe. But because of your choice, your whole club is in danger.”
I nodded. “Yeah, it is.”
“All because you had to protect me.”
“Yeah, because I had to fuckin’ do something.”
“If you want out, just say it.”
I stood up. “I don’t want out, Caralee,” I said. “So stop feelin’ so fuckin’ sorry for yourself.”