CHAPTER TWELVE

– ROURKE –

I see Eastlynne's ranch coming into view and hit the throttle a little more. Behind me are some of my brothers. I have no clue who or how many. Panic hit me the second I realized one of Erwin's men slipped away.

There are a handful of skilled people watching over Eastlynne and Cosima, but the notes and details I saw taped to the kitchen wall in Erwin's house were enough to make me hurl my guts out.

The fucker made a hitlist with Winfield at the top of the list, my name second, Parker third, and the list goes on. Even the name of the damn horse is on there, but right beside my name? That's where the fucker listed Eastlynne. The note next to it showed the details of her ranch and Cosima was listed as well.

They had several plans hashed out and a failsafe if something happened. Which is now and the details are branded in my brain of how they would alert others if their ranch was hit so they could retaliate and strike at my woman first, then go to the clubhouse and burn that one down.

Which is why I jumped on my bike the second I saw one of the fuckers run off with a damn phone glued to his hand. Marvin took him down, but I knew…knew it was useless; the train of retaliation was already in motion. I called Parker to alert him, but I clearly heard gunshots in the background.

I didn't even bother with taking the road to get to Eastlynne's place, and picked the shorter version by going straight through pastures. The scent of fire hits my nose and at the same time, I see flames and smoke coming from the stables.

A wave of relief hits me when I notice horses coming out of the stables. It's short-lived when I notice the woman urging them to run. I curse loudly and hit the kickstand as soon as I'm almost to a stop to rush toward her, gun drawn. I want nothing more than to fire my gun at the man who is coming up behind Eastlynne, but my woman is blocking my target.

"Watch out," I bellow and it causes Eastlynne to spin around.

I get the room I need to pull the trigger, but it's not fast enough to save her from the fucker coming up behind her with a shovel raised to hit her. A gunshot blasts through the air and it seems to come from within the stable. The fucker's body jerks before I shoot him as well, and he crumbles to the floor. My aim is directed at the stables when I finally reach Eastlynne.

"You okay?" I question.

"Thank fuck you're here," Eastlynne grunts and slightly limps as she tries to go into the stables. "You need to help Kathleen. Go. Go."

Cursing, I jog into the stables and have to put my arm in front of my face to use my sleeve as a barrier against the smoke. Kathleen is sprawled out on the ground when I finally reach her. A man's dead body lies near her and I can tell she's the one who took him out.

There's a piece of a wooden shovel in the fucker's chest and it holds a bloody handprint. Kathleen's hands are bleeding so it's not too hard to guess what went down. The gun that's still lodged in her hand must have been lost during the fight. Thank fuck she found it in time to save Eastlynne from getting hit by a shovel.

"Where's Parker?" I question as I scoop Kathleen up and carry her out of the stables to where Eastlynne is waiting.

"Bedroom. Cosima. Others were coming into the house when Eastlynne and I went out the back to save the horses," Kathleen croaks.

I scan my surroundings and notice Marvin jogging our way with his gun drawn. "How many perps, do you know?"

"Two in the house." Kathleen coughs. "Parker was going to take them out."

She coughs again and I watch as Marvin takes a small bottle from his bulletproof vest and hands it to Kathleen.

Taking a sip she coughs once more and grumbles, "What the fuck? Who in their sane mind would carry whiskey instead of water during a mission?"

"A man who'd rather have a good last sip if all hell goes loose." Marvin pins her with a penetrating stare. "You okay?"

"Better than the two dead bodies in the stables," she fires back.

He gives her a tight nod and glances at me. "Stay here, I'm gonna check out the house."

There's no way I'm going to leave my old lady, and I'll gladly listen to the man and trust him to clear the house.

"Wait," Kathleen croaks. "Look."

We all watch Parker carrying Cosima out of the backdoor. Marvin rushes toward them and fires off some words. Parker nods and says something in return. Marvin enters the house while Parker carries Cosima over to us.

He carefully places Cosima next to her sister and says, "I think we're all clear. Marvin is gonna double check. I have no idea what the status is on the brothers who were covering the front, but we'll know soon enough."

"What a fucking clusterfuck," I growl. "That Erwin fucker had orders written on his kitchen wall. A fucking hitlist, a plan to take all of us out, and the women along with all the animals too."

Roper shakes his head. "Why the hell go on a rampage, suicide mission?"

"According to Marvin they were going to leave tonight and settle down in another state," I grimly tell him.

Kathleen lets herself drop into the dirt and as she stares up into the sky she mutters, "Thank fuck we managed to kill them all to prevent them from ruining other peoples, and animals' lives."

"All clear," Marvin bellows as he jogs in our direction. "EMTs are at the scene."

"How are the brothers doing who were covering the front?" Parker questions.

Marvin comes to a stop next to me. "Three are severely injured, the others have minor injuries."

He steps forward and tries to scoop up Kathleen who is fighting him tooth and nail.

"Get the fuck away from me," she snarls.

He has a solid grip on her and starts walking. "Stop fighting. You need to be checked out. You were pulled from a fire and you have blood on you."

"I can fucking walk," I can hear her say, but it's useless because Marvin is still carrying her when he enters the house.

I wrap my arm around Eastlynne and pull her close. "Come on, you need to be checked out as well."

"I'm fine," she mutters and turns to Cosima. "What about you, Cosima?"

"In pain and can't see shit. Nothing new because that's how I fucking was before people came in to shoot up the damn place. And why do I smell smoke? Are the horses okay?"

"Kathleen and I managed to set them free," Eastlynne tells her.

Cosima turns her head and I know she just mentioned she can't see, but it's as if she's trying hard to glance around. "We need to get them back."

"I'll handle it," Parker rumbles and grabs his phone.

A few heartbeats later he ends the call and says, "Alfie and Joaquin took out two fuckers who tried to shoot their way onto the property. They think they're in the clear now too. A few of them are coming over with trailers to take the horses to our ranch."

"Thank fuck," Cosima grumbles. "That'll give me a few days to be completely by myself."

"I'm not going to leave you," Eastlynne snaps.

Cosima shoves her middle finger into the air to flip her sister off, but she clearly has eye issues because it's directed at Parker. Hell, maybe it's meant for him too, who knows?

"I need space, East," Cosima states with a sigh. "I don't want to be looked after and want to lick my damn wounds. You heard the doc, I need rest. Me stressing over you doesn't give my brain the breather between healing and worrying about my damn self."

I give Eastlynne's hip a gentle squeeze. "We'll give you a few days but we will need updates every day, either through a text 'cause you can use voice to text, or by giving your sister a call."

Eastlynne looks ready to argue and I slowly shake my head. Cosima sounds like she's gonna flip her shit if she doesn't get the space she needs.

Leaning in close, I whisper beside Eastlynne's ear, "Give her what she wants, sweetheart. It's her body and mind. I know you mean well and want to be there for her the way she's always been there for you, but this is what she needs right now."

I feel her sag against me when she huffs, "Fine. But like Rourke said…I want texts and phone calls, and if I think you're in pain or doing worse I'm going to kill you."

Cosima snorts while Parker and I chuckle.

"Let me carry you back to your bedroom," Parker offers. "Then we'll leave you alone."

Cosima's mouth turns into a flat line, showing how much she hates it. No words tumble out, though. She keeps her body stiff when Parker gently scoops her up and carries her to the house.

Eastlynne is staring at the stables, smoke is still billowing from the building.

"We'll rebuild," I tell her. "Come on, let's check on the horses to make sure they're okay."

I lace her fingers with mine and start to walk as I glance back to see if she's still limping. Thank fuck she isn't and from a distance, I can also see the horses grazing in the back of the pasture.

"I was so scared," Eastlynne croaks.

Coming to an abrupt stop, I pull her into my arms and murmur against her hair, "Everything is okay now. It's over. I won't let anyone harm you again."

She's clutching my leather vest and tips her head back to show me her tearstained eyes. "I knew you were coming. When I saw that man lighting the stables on fire I couldn't wait until you got here…I had to save them."

"You did good," I rumble and the thought of losing her is squeezing the life out of my heart.

I hear voices behind us and slightly turn to see my parents, along with a few others, coming toward us with neck ropes in their hands. I give them a thankful smile, appreciating the gesture of bringing neck ropes because that's what Eastlynne uses for her horses.

A little over an hour later we have them all safely settled in their own stalls at the club's ranch and Eastlynne is sitting on the couch surrounded by the old ladies of the older generation. She's talking and smiling, though I can see a slight hint of worry in her eyes.

I'm sure it'll all work out with her sister, even if her future is a bit unclear with her health right now. Cosima is strong and needs to lick her wounds to come out stronger. Parker is jabbing the screen of his phone right next to me and I notice the stream of messages back and forth.

A smile tugs my lips when I catch a glimpse of the messages he's getting. There are some weird sentences and words used and it's then I realize he's texting with Cosima. She must be using voice to text. Yeah, I'm sure it'll all work out especially since my VP has an unhealthy obsession with the woman. I turn my gaze back to the center of my obsession.

My old lady has knocked down walls and opened herself up to expand her family. She might not be completely settled when it comes to her anxiety, but at least she feels at ease. I stride toward her and hold out my hand, which she takes without thinking twice.

"Sorry, ladies. I'm going to steal my woman away from y'all," I rumble and guide her through the long hallway and out the back.

"Where are you taking me?" she questions and I come to a stop.

"On the ride of your life now that our future is wide open," I vow. "But I'll settle on heading for our cabin first so I can eat your pussy."

She blushes and tugs on our joined hands. "Well, what are you waiting for? Lead the way."

No other words are needed. I grab her to throw her over my shoulder and make a run for the cabin to speed things up, allowing her giggles to fill the air.