CHAPTER ELEVEN

– HEATH –

Now this is what it feels like to wake up with a damn smile on your face so big, it warms your body soul deep. Bran is still sleeping, using my chest as a pillow. Her warm breath fans out over my pecs, and her hair is a wild sea of ice blonde.

I tighten my arm and place a kiss on the crown of her head just for the hell of it. My old lady. Damn, does the thought of her being mine feels right. I'm not making the same mistake by keeping her safe while I fix shit. After we both got our fill, and added another round in the shower, we spent time discussing the details of what's going on.

Then we needed to join the others in the main room of the clubhouse, because she promised the others she would join them for some more tequila. We've only been asleep for about five hours, but I'm wide awake and feeling pumped up with energy.

It's as if the connection between Bran and me clicked in place like a matching plug and socket; power in full force to light up the damn place. I smile at my own thoughts and decide to get some work done before Bran wakes up.

I slowly slide out of bed so I don't wake her. Though, the amount of tequila she consumed along with my mother, Lynn, Bee, Dee, and a few other old ladies, still has her knocked out. Making a quick stop in the bathroom, I handle my business and get dressed. The last things I reach for are my guns and my leather vest.

I gently close the door behind me and stroll down the hall and into the kitchen. To my surprise I find my mother, Lynn, Dee, and Bee sitting at the kitchen table each with a cup of coffee in front of them.

"Don't you guys need to sleep off a killer hangover?" I let my smile seep into my words as I head for the coffee pot to get myself some caffeine.

"If you walked in here to spew words laced with sunshine to rub in the fact that you finally got your two heads to work in unison, you can march right out and spray cumshine all over the woman still sleeping in your bed. Even if I'm a pinch proud of you for making things solid between you and Bran. She's got all the potential to be a damn fine old lady. Now shut the fuck up and drink your coffee 'cause I'm too old, and not a fucking morning person, to handle that kind of cheerfulness," Lynn states and shoots me a glare that cuts off any reply I might have thought about giving.

So, instead I hold up my cup of coffee to salute my aunt and take one of the empty seats around the table.

My mother covers her hand with mine. "I'm more than a pinch proud of you for fixing what you almost fucked up."

I wince and know it's because of their actions that Bran fully accepted my claim.

"Thanks," I state and glance around the table. "Not for the pinch of pride, but for the way you old ladies had Bran's back yesterday. Like Aunt Lynn said, it gave me the time to get my shit together and allowed us a chance to start this off right."

"We old ladies stick together." Bee grins and bumps my mother's shoulder while she shoots a wink at Dee. "Even if we're not in the same MC."

"Don't look at me." Dee grabs her mug and holds it with both hands in front of her mouth when she adds, "I'm not an old lady."

I narrow my eyes. "You sure as fuck are. Hayden claimed you."

Dee swallows the sip of coffee and places the mug back on the table.

Shrugging she states, "He threw some words in an afterthought when you claimed my twin. You worked things out with Bran, congrats by the way and treat her right or I'll throw your balls in a blender, but I'm my own woman. I don't fall in line for anyone who simply says he claims me without so much as one before or after conversation."

"Let me talk to him," I tell her and shove my chair away from the table.

Dee snorts. "Yeah, no thanks. Any relationship built on foundations that are made through others are subject to crumble. Like I said, you and Bran worked things out. Hayden and I? We simply don't work."

Anger surges through me. I can't believe Hayden fucked shit up. I warned him what claiming an old lady entailed and how he simply following my lead was a bullshit move.

Aunt Lynn's phone rings and she takes the call while I place a hand on the table in front of Dee and whisper, "Don't write him off yet."

She wants to shut me down again, but the sound of gunshots is a turn of events no one expected.

"All of you get down. Now," I hiss and reach for my gun.

I'm about to step in the direction of the hallway when Aunt Lynn grabs me by the cut. "Wait. My son just called. Tar Lines MC is riding into town. Approximately twenty bikers. ETA is ten minutes."

"Fuck," I snarl. "You guys need to evacuate. Are the bikes still where you left them?"

"Yes," my mother says.

Aunt Lynn shoves her phone away and is now palming a gun. Where she pulled it from I have no idea, but I stopped wondering how and why she does shit a long time ago.

She glances at my mother and then at her daughter-in-law, Bee. "Archer said backup is coming from both sides and they should be there before Tar Lines's backup reaches the clubhouse. Heath is right, we should head for our bikes."

"Wake up Bran and take her with you," I tell them and take out my own phone to quickly shoot off a group message to alert everyone who isn't already jumping into action the second those shots rang out.

The women move past me when I'm pounding on doors. Some of the brothers are already heading my way fully dressed and their gun in hand while others are stumbling out of their bed, guns drawn as they pull up their pants.

"What the fuck is going on?" Hayden growls as he runs toward me barefoot, a weapon in each hand and only wearing jeans.

"Tar Lines. A few of them are creating panic I imagine 'cause Archer just let us know that their backup is about five minutes out."

"Fuck." Hayden shoves the palm of his hand that's holding his gun against his forehead. "How many?"

"About twenty," I state.

"How many of us are still here?" Hayden glances in the direction of the main room of the clubhouse.

Thank fuck it's empty and most of us are standing in the hallway now, guns drawn.

"Your text said Archer is on his way?" Kyan asks.

"Lynn said so. The old ladies headed out through the back." I want to say we should too when the whole fucking building shakes on its foundation.

"A bomb?" Hayden bellows. "A fucking bomb?"

"Is everyone accounted for?" I snap.

Kyan gives a tiny shake with his head. "Pierce is out front, haven't heard from him. Most of the older generation didn't stay the night. It was just us, Lee, Briggs, Class, Soren, Yates, your parents, Lynn, Bee, and your old ladies. Lyla left early to stay in the apartment above the gym, Briggs escorted her there."

"So, all except for Pierce," I murmur and glance at all the faces staring back at me in the hallway.

Kyan gives me a tight nod and then Hayden states, "Out, everyone through the back and keep those pieces ready to take down who the fuck ever gets in our way."

"Wait." All the options of what to do, except to run, go through my head. "I'm going around the compound to check out the front."

"Me too, other way around," my twin automatically replies.

"Fuck it," Kyan snaps. "I'll climb up the roof and give you two cover from above."

"The rest of you, head on out to the gazebo. The old ladies might be still there. If they are, make sure they get out safe, even if Ma, Lynn, and Bee can handle themselves." I'm pretty sure Bran and Dee can too, but in reality? We haven't been together very long to be sure, even if Bran did take out a guy to save me and her sister.

"I'm joining Kyan," my father states.

"No," Hayden replies. "Go to Mom and the other old ladies, they're priority. We got this and there ain't no time for any chitchat. Go, go, go."

We all jump into a run. There aren't any gunshots by the time I'm moving around the building. Gun in hand, I keep my eyes on my surroundings. After the bomb went off everything went quiet. I'm only now seeing the damage it did to the building. There are two bikers standing at a distance, looking at the building. I recognize those fucks, it's Derek and Dash.

Rumbling of bikes coming near closes the window of opportunity for us. I take aim and have to make a decision who to shoot because I only have one damn chance for a clear shot. When the shot rings out the other will take cover, making it harder to kill him.

I release a slow breath and squeeze the trigger right before the sound of another gunshot. Dash's head whips back a fragment before the bullet hits Derek in the heart. Both men crumble to the ground. I step forward and glance to my left where Hayden is standing. He lowers his gun and lifts his chin, as I lift mine.

We don't even have to see one another to make decisions, knowing in our gut what the right choice is. We're both the president, share the same title, yet instinctively whenever there's a first and second choice I'm always the one taking the first step where Hayden falls in step next to me; the way we came into this world.

My gaze catches a body lying under debris, the rocker on his leather cut catches my attention. Fuck. Pierce, the prospect who was out front. Keeping an eye on my surroundings, I rush forward and shove some of the debris aside to check on him.

The amount of blood staining the ground makes the hope of life evaporate. I check for a pulse anyway, sadly not surprised when I don't find one. The rumbling of bikes becomes louder and I hear Hayden calling my name. I'm a sitting duck here and there are about twenty bikers coming up fast.

I sprint Hayden's way when bullets yet again ring out. Pain slashes through me and my body jerks due to the impact of a bullet. Hayden grabs my leather cut and I grunt in agony as he pulls me behind the wall of the compound to take cover.

"Thank fuck Broken Deeds is here," Hayden states and winces when he looks at my arm. "You need Ma like right fucking now." He glances up and bellows, "Kyan, out."

Hayden slings my good arm over his shoulder to support me as we move to the backyard. Kyan is climbing down from the roof and jumps to the ground when we reach him. The firing of bullets in front of the clubhouse comes to an end.

"Broken Deeds had them blocked in when I turned to leave, I guess they have it under control," Kyan states.

"Yeah, we're not waiting to check. The blood is pumping from this fucker's arm and he needs to get medical attention right fucking now," Hayden snarls and drags me in the direction of the gazebo.

"They're not there anymore, man," Kyan says. "I saw bikes leaving when I was on the roof. We should check if Archer brought Arrow, he's an EMT and can do some first aid or something."

"Dammit," Hayden grunts and drops my arm so fast I can't hold my own weight and drop down onto my ass.

The fucker is suddenly there shoving his shirt hard against my arm. When the hell did he remove his damn shirt?

"Archer," Hayden grunts, his phone stuck between his head and shoulder. "Heath is shot in the arm and losing blood fast. Good. Yes. Backyard."

Hayden glances at me and his phone falls down to the ground. "You holding up?"

I fight the wooziness, and the longing to close my eyes and take a long-ass nap.

"Yes," I grit through my teeth.

"Ambulance is three minutes out," I hear Archer state while Arrow's face comes into view.

I keep my eyes on Archer while Arrow works on my arm and ask, "Did you get all those fuckers?"

Anger overtakes Archer's face. "We were only able to take out four of those fuckers, the rest got away."

"Our old ladies?" I question.

"Safe," he states. "My ma just called me, they're at our clubhouse. Shit happened but not as bad as you're doing."

"What shit?" Hayden grits, and I'm thankful for it because I can't manage the energy to form another word.

I don't get to hear or do anything when everything slowly fades to black. Voices pull at my brain, wanting me to wake up and still I'd rather stay in oblivion. The next time I open my eyes I'm in a bright room. Groaning, I try to shift into a sitting position.

I'm at the hospital? Fuck, my head feels like a ball of cotton.

The pain is a low throb and when I check on my arm I can tell by the bandages that it's all taken care of. I need to get out of here. Swinging my legs off the hospital bed, I take a few heartbeats to let the dizzy feeling in my head pass and slowly get to my feet.

"I'm not sure you're supposed to get up," my brother states as he steps into the room.

I glare at him. "Archer here? If not, get him on the phone and arrange the shit he always does for his brothers when they're injured on the job. I need to get out of here and check on Bran."

"Pussy?" Hayden snaps. "That's the first thing on your mind when you open your damn eyes?"

I have the fucker by the throat within my next step. Gritting my teeth, and gasping for my breath to fight my body, I still manage to shove him against the wall.

"Watch your mouth when I'm talking about my old lady. She's not pussy. No stray cunt, and no damn distraction. She's mine and I put my faith in the other old ladies to get her out of there. I need to see her with my own damn eyes."

I feel him swallow against my palm. "She's here, man."

"She is?" I step back and drop my hand from his throat.

Hayden clears his throat. "Don't get fucking pissy at me again with what I'm about to tell you. Clearly, I'm not used to you having an old lady yet and all the shit that comes with a relationship."

I narrow my eyes. "I remember all too vividly how you claimed Dee, which means you have to get fucking used to it too, asshole."

He rubs the back of his neck. "Deanna is ignoring me while giving death stares. I'm not sure where we stand, but I guess it's good to 'cause it'll put my cock on a dry spell."

I keep my surprise to myself when I hear my twin refer to Dee as Deanna, going for her full name while the women clearly use the short version of their name. Here's to hoping he's making an effort to get to fucking know her instead of going head-to-head at every damn turn. Talking about going head-to-head, I need to know what he's not telling me.

"That's for you to fix and deal with. Tell me what you think I'll be pissed about right fucking now or my temper will skyrocket even more with you acting crazy," I growl.

"Archer is here, along with the old ladies, because Aunt Lynn crashed the sidecar motorcycle." Hayden sighs. "They were at the clubhouse after everything that happened, but Uncle Deeds wanted to have her checked out to make sure the injury to her head wasn't severe."

I want to ask about Bran, but instead I tell him, "Let me get dressed so we can go check on them."

"There's a bag with a change of clean clothes." Hayden points at it. "I brought it in earlier."

When I turn to get dresses, he slips out. My mind is running overtime to process the details Hayden just gave me. Why the hell did they crash the sidecar motorcycle? Did they run into some of the Tar Lines members?

"You're okay?" I hear Bran's voice when I've just changed into clean underwear, jeans, socks, and put my boots back on.

My torso is on show along with the bandages covering my arm. She rushes to me and I have no fucking words. There are cuts and scrapes on the side of her face and on her arms.

"What happened?" I demand and carefully take her hand in mine to lift her arm and check her injuries.

A chuckle slips over her lips, making our gaze collide. I move my hand to cup her nape and lean in to kiss her. Her soft lips rub against mine, opening to allow me entrance and I greedily swoop my tongue inside to seek hers.

A surge of delight courses through my veins. It's comforting to feel our connection is solid in the here and now. Even if we're in a damn hospital room, we're hitting pause and can breathe each other in to seek comfort.

Pulling back, I place my forehead against hers. "Why do you have all these scrapes and bruises? Did any of Tar Lines get to you guys?"

Her arms slide around my waist and she places her head on my bare chest. I pull her close and love the feeling of embracing my old lady.

"Dee was on the back of the bike I was riding, Bee was on her own motorcycle, and Lynn was riding the bike with the sidecar where Blue was sitting. We made a quick getaway until…well, after it happened we found out that Lynn thought there was a bunny on the road. She wanted to avoid hitting it and then…the sidecar went on a wild ride, without the motorcycle."

"Oh, fuck. How's Ma?" I ask, worry gnawing at my gut.

Bran pulls back and cups the side of my face as she stares up at me. "She's fine. I managed to get my bike alongside of the sidecar and Dee pulled her free right before it hit a tree. With the three of us off-balance, we landed in the bushes. That's how we ended up with cuts and bruises."

"Fuck, that could have ended way worse," I grit.

"Archer and Deeds are pissed. When they all talked about the why and how it was clear it was a leaf rolling over the road and not a bunny. If Lynn would have worn her glasses…well, let's say she will from now on. Oh, and she's not allowed to steal anyone's bike again. Especially not the ones they are still fixing."

I hug her tight. "I'm glad you're okay."

She tightens her arms around me. "Right back at ya. Damn, I was so scared when I heard about the explosion and you ending up at the hospital."

"We lost Pierce, the prospect," I croak into the crook of her neck.

"I know, I heard," she murmurs, her hand stroking my bare back.

I close my eyes and let all the emotions course through me. The pain, the anger, the frustration, grief, sadness, and the urge to retaliate. Recently shot or not, still in the damn hospital or not, I'm going to get out there and finish this shit once and for all.

Derek and Nash might be dead, the threat where it all began…though they brought Tar Lines into this, and we need to hold ground and end every single one that came to town. Not to mention, that club is responsible for the death of my old lady's father and the threat against her and her sister.