8. Gage

Chapter 8

Gage

I ’ve never been so angry, scared and turned on by a woman all at once. Coming out to find Roxy blocking knife attacks with a fucking tray which she uses to bloody the fucker’s nose causes me to pause in surprise before the rage catches up to me. She already has it taken care of. The man is bent over, groaning in pain, screaming about his nose, but that doesn’t stop me.

He tried to hurt Roxy. My Roxy. He tried to put his hands on her, fucking tried to cut her with a knife that he’s still holding in his hand. Roxy is still standing on guard, not realizing I’m behind her.

I charge the guy, grabbing on to his hand, forcing him to drop the knife and breaking his fingers in the process. I can feel the bones crush under my fingers and I get a little bit of satisfaction from that before I use my other hand and punch him in his already bleeding face.

One glance at Roxy’s face puts me into a rage. She’s tough. I know she is, but right now she’s scared, her face is almost pure white and I’m pretty sure she’s going to pass out at any minute. I pummel the guy then. I beat him and keep beating him until he’s unconscious. Only when I hear Roxy saying my name over and over do I step away from him, leaving him on the ground. Giving him a good kick before I walk away, I stride over to Roxy, trying to control my anger.

When Bulldog comes out the door, I motion him over. “Take care of that,” I tell him, pointing to the man on the ground.

I don’t give him any more direction. I trust Bulldog and I know that whether he finishes him off or just takes him off property and leaves him in a ditch somewhere, there will be no connection back to the Heartlands.

“You got it, boss.” He looks determined as he walks over to the man on the ground.

I grab Roxy by the arm and pull her toward the bar. She comes willingly, until she sees that we’ve passed the entrance. She tries to stop, but I get beside her, wrapping my arm around her and guiding her to the other side of the building away from the almost lifeless man we left with Bulldog. I walk her to the other side of the building, trying my best not to hold her too hard. The rage is flowing through my veins and I am barely able to contain myself. If something had happened to her or the baby, I don’t know what I would do. The fact that I care just as much for her unborn child doesn’t go unnoticed. She may not want to tell me who the father is, which is fine. I’ll give her time. But I’m going to take care of her. I’m going to make sure they’re both okay. I roll my head side to side, bones cracking as I try to take deep breaths to calm myself. I don’t want her afraid of me. When we stop and I turn to face her, she has her arms crossed on her chest and I don’t know whether to shake her or kiss the stubborn look off her face.

* * *

Roxy

“Thanks for the backup,” I tell Gage, trying to figure out why he still looks mad. It’s almost like he’s mad at me, and I sure as hell didn’t do anything to deserve his attitude.

His chest raises and falls as he takes a deep breath. His gaze is penetrating. “What the hell were you thinking coming outside with that guy when you’re pregnant?”

With one hand on my hip, I point to the other side of the building where we left the man. “That asshole dragged Whitney outside and I’ll be damned if anyone is going to fuck with the Heartlands family on my watch.”

His face softens a little, but he still looks pissed off. “Who the fuck is Whitney?”

I just roll my eyes. “Really, Gage? There’s no way you missed her. She was the skinny blonde that was waiting tables.” I hold my hands out in front of my breast. “Big boobs, been flirting with you since you got here.”

He looks at me like I’m crazy and starts shaking his head. Is he joking with me? Because he acts like he doesn’t have an inkling of what or who I’m talking about. He’s usually more observant and the fact that he can’t even seem to place this woman tells me he’s not thinking right. “I have no idea who you’re talking about,” he says. “Where’s Whitney now?”

I just shrug my shoulders. “She left.”

He nods his head, knowingly, almost like he knew she would ditch me when it came to the fight. “She’s not family. You should have got one of the brothers to handle it. You’re pregnant. Don’t you understand what that means?”

He’s reprimanding me like a child. More than that, he’s acting like I would intentionally hurt my child. I would never do that. He may think of me as some stupid young girl, but I’ve had to take care of myself for years now. I can handle myself. I always have and I always will. And that’s exactly what I tell him. “I can take care of myself, Gage. You act like now that I’m pregnant, I’ve lost all sense or something. I’m still the same woman that takes care of herself. I’ve got this.” I put my hand over my stomach protectively, still holding on to the tray that is now covered in blood. When he seems me still holding it, he pulls it from my hand and throws it across the back lot. It lands with a big crash, and then he turns to me. He crowds me against the wall, one hand pressed against my stomach and other one curling around my cheek. There is still anger in his eyes, but there’s something else too. I almost question him about it, but I don’t want to get my hopes up. Gage sees me as a child, someone for him to protect. Nothing more. I could stay exactly like this the rest of the night, but all I’m doing is hurting myself. I need to distance myself. Putting my hand on his forearm, I push him away gently and gesture to his hand. “I’m not hurt. Not even a scratch. You’re the one with the bloody knuckles.”