Relent Page 18

  “I’ve got the boys finding out where Gambarro is. We think he’s still out of the country but have to verify that. You stay with your woman, and we’ll let you know once we have the info.”

  “Thanks, brother.”

  We ended the call and I stalked back inside.

  Gambarro would fucking pay for this.

  ***

  “Evie,” I said softly, trying to wake her up. She’d been exhausted and had been drifting in and out of sleep for the last couple of hours while we’d been waiting for the all clear.

  Her eyes fluttered open, then shut, and open again. She gave me a small smile before wincing and placing her hand to her side. Before she could speak, I placed my finger to her lips. “Shhh, baby, don’t try to speak because it will probably hurt.”

  She had fractured some ribs in the accident. Besides that, she had whiplash but nothing else. She’d been lucky considering a car had rammed her, causing her to slide into the path of a truck. The good fortune of the day had been the quick thinking of the truck driver who had swerved to miss her, and, in doing so, had only clipped her car.

  The doctors had done x-rays and verified it was only her ribs and that in time they would heal by themselves. They’d dosed her up on strong painkillers and had told me I could take her home soon.

  Thank fuck.

  She ignored my advice not to speak. “When can I go home?” she asked, her face contorting in pain with every word.

  Loretta was standing on the other side of her bed and grabbed her hand. “They’ve said you can go home in the next hour or so. They’ve just got to get your discharge ready and your pain medication.”

  “Thanks, Mum.” She hissed through the pain.

  I frowned at her insistence to talk, and she just pulled a face back at me. My woman was too damn stubborn sometimes.

  The doctor came back to us with a smile. Looking at Evie, he announced, “You’re good to go. The nurse will have your medication in a minute. If you experience any of those symptoms I mentioned to your family, you need to come straight back to the hospital.” He waited for her response, and when she agreed, he nodded and left us alone.

  I eyed her mum. “Can you give us a minute, Loretta?”

  As she left, I raked my gaze over Evie again. Gambarro would hurt for this.

  At her questioning look, I said, “Sweetheart, this wasn’t an accident. This was retaliation for me getting your dad’s debt wiped. The guy who organised this will pay, I promise you that.” Her eyes widened, but before she could say something, I silenced her again with a finger to her lips. “I’m gonna take you home, and when I get the call from King, I’ll organise for one of the boys to come over and watch out for you while I go and take care of this.”

  I watched as my words sunk in, not knowing how she would cope with that information, but needing to be upfront with her about it.

  No more secrets.

  She eventually nodded, and I let out a thankful breath.

  Once I took care of this, we could all move forward.

  ***

  I’d just settled Evie into her bed when I got the call from King. “Gambarro’s flying into Sydney tonight. His driver is picking him up and taking him out to his country house. I’ll round the boys up, and we’ll meet him on the way to his house. Can you meet us at the clubhouse in about an hour?”

  “Yeah, but can you send Nitro or Devil to watch over Evie? I don’t want to leave her alone and chance one of his guys coming to finish off the job they started this morning.”

  “Good call, brother. I’ll send Nitro,” King promised and hung up.

  Evie’s gaze focused on me, and she gave me a questioning look. “Are you leaving now?”

  Fuck, the pain I could hear in her voice made my stomach roll. To think I could have fucking lost her today. “Yeah, baby, I’ll head out once Nitro arrives. He’ll make sure you’re okay.”

  Her hand reached for mine. “Thank you,” she whispered.

  “It’s the least I can fuckin’ do . . . for getting you into this mess.”

  “No, I got you into this mess, remember?” She gave me a small smile.

  I nodded, and tried to lighten the mood. “Yeah, that’s right, and it also means I won’t get to play with you and my toys for awhile now.”

  She tried not to laugh, but couldn’t quite help herself. However, the pain in her ribs stopped her, and her eyes welled up from the pain. “You and your fucking toys,” she muttered, and a grin spread across my face.

  I leant close to her face, and promised, “As soon as your pain eases, I’ll be fucking you for days to make up for this.”

  “That’s going to be a lot of days,” she murmured.

  “Yeah, I’m betting on it, sweetheart.”

  ***

  The dark road stretched out ahead of us, not a car in sight. The silence of the night blanketed us; the only sound to be heard was the rumble of our bikes. King had rounded ten of us up for this job, but I’d made it clear back at the clubhouse that this was my gig. I would be the one to cause Gambarro’s last breath.

  His car was visible up ahead, and I gave the signal to hurry this shit along. We all picked up speed and a couple of minutes later we circled his car and forced it to pull over. I had no doubt Gambarro would be well protected, and I hoped like hell all of us left here in one piece tonight, but the other possibility was one all of us entertained when we participated in club business like this.

  As the car came to a halt, we all trained our guns on it, waiting. It took a few minutes before one of the back doors opened and a gun was fired at us, narrowly missing King. He got pissed, and being the crazy asshole he was, he ran towards the car after dodging the bullets.

  Fuck.

  I couldn’t let him go down for this, so I followed him. King reached the car first and he yanked the door open. As he did this, I covered him, and shot at the guy who lunged for King from the back seat. His body slumped out of the car and King shoved him out of the way. He pulled Gambarro out and pushed him hard up against the car.

  “Well, hello there, motherfucker,” he greeted him before turning to gesture at me, “I’ve got someone here who wants a word with you.” He stepped out of the way and allowed me full access to Gambarro.

  Adrenaline ran through my body, every nerve ending alive with the anticipation of bloodshed. I’d been surprised as fuck Gambarro didn’t have more than one guy besides his driver with him. Devil had restrained the driver, and I was almost disappointed this had been so easy.

  Gambarro’s empty eyes flashed at me. “I see you got my message,” he snarled.

  “I got both your fuckin’ messages, asshole,” I snapped, my fingers itching to pull the trigger of the gun I had trained on him.

  “I only sent one. I trust it got through to you.”

  I clubbed him with my gun. Not hard enough to knock him the fuck out, but just hard enough to cause him some pain. Pain he fucking deserved.

  His head snapped back into place and blood ran down his face. “Have at it, asshole. You kill me, and you and your club won’t know what the fuck hit you,” he threatened.

  “Fuck you!” I roared as I clubbed him again, this time a little harder, causing him to lose his balance and stumble. He didn’t fall, though. When he straightened, I took in the blood now covering his face.

  Fuck yeah.

  “Kick, let’s move this along,” Hyde suggested. He was right; we needed to get this done and then get the hell out of here.

  I lifted my gun and aimed it at his forehead. “The world will be a better place without you in it. I fuckin’ hope you rot in hell.”

  My gun sounded, and Gambarro dropped. He hadn’t even flinched at my words. So cold and dead on the inside, I bet he’d probably spent his life wondering each day if it would be his last. A lot of people would rejoice at the news of his death.

  I stepped away from his body and turned to King. “Are we cleaning this up?”

  He shook his head. “No.”

  His
meaning was clear - this was a message, and we would let it speak for itself.

  “Alright, boys, let’s get the fuck out of here!” King yelled out, rounding everyone up. He jerked his chin at Devil. “Let the driver go. It’s not his fault his boss was a prick.” King never failed to surprise me; this kind of decision was rare.

  With a deep sense of satisfaction, I headed home.

  Killing someone like Gambarro rated highly on my ‘I’ve-had-a-good-day-at-work’ scale. I would never be convinced that ridding the earth of scum like him was a bad thing.

  Especially not when my family was threatened.

  Chapter Nineteen

  Evie

  Holy mother of God!

  The pain shot through me as I tried to suck in a breath and shift in the bed. My eyes flew open and I stifled the cry trying to push through my lips.

  “Baby, are you okay?” Kick’s voice cut through my haze of pain.

  I turned my head and found him standing next to the bed, his body bent at the waist, face hovering over mine. His distress at my agony warmed me, that he cared so much, but at the same time I hated to see him so worried. I tried to ease his mind. “I’m okay, but I need some painkillers, please.”

  He nodded and said, “Good. I’ll be back in a minute.”

  I watched as he strode out of the room.

  My man loved me.

  Everything he did for me showed me just how deep that love was.

  And I couldn’t wait for him to get those matching rings.

  When he came back, he had water and pills. Kneeling on the floor next to the bed, he asked, “Can you sit up?”

  I shook my head, fearful of the pain that shifting would cause. I’d had hardly any sleep and I’d finally found a position that caused the least amount of pain; I didn’t want to chance bringing more pain on.

  “Okay, don’t move,” he said, as he passed me the painkillers. “I’ll hold the water for you.”

  I took the pills and he brought the glass of water to my lips and helped me swallow them. After he’d placed the glass on the bedside table, I gave him a small smile. “Thank you,” I whispered.

  He leant over and placed a kiss on my forehead. “I’m sorry.” His words were simple, but I heard every last drop of pain and sorrow in them.

  I gulped back the tears that threatened. Rapidly shaking my head, I said, “No, this isn’t your fault, Kick. Don’t you dare take that blame.”

  Kneeling again, his gaze grew serious, and my gut tightened, sensing where this conversation was headed. “You never need to worry about Gambarro again.” His words were hard, and I knew from his tone and the way his entire body had tensed that he was worried about my reaction. He needed me to accept his actions.

  “Good,” I said, and watched as the worry eased out of his body. “And, baby, I will always feel that way about anything like this. I trust everything you do because I know it comes from a place of love and a need to protect those you love. Never doubt my love for you and belief in you.”

  He stared at me, and I saw the war waging in his soul. Kick was essentially a good person, but sometimes in life, things touched you and stained you in a way you could never recover from. They caused an irreversible shift in the way you saw the world around you, and in the way you dealt with the things that happened to you from that point on.

  Sometimes, the path your journey veered on to led you to do things you’d never have considered previously.

  And sometimes, in the hell you’d been delivered into, the end justified the means.

  So I watched as he waged war, and I reached my hand up to lay gently against his cheek. “This is it, Kick. Can you feel it?”

  He frowned. “Feel what?” he whispered, clearly confused at my obscure words.

  “The moment where you know once and for all that there is nothing you could do that I wouldn’t accept,” I explained and waited for it to sink in.

  “Fuck,” he murmured, “I don’t fuckin’ deserve you.”

  “Yeah, you do,” I said as I curled my hand around his neck and pulled his face to mine. He willingly gave me his lips and I kissed him with all the love and passion I felt for him. When we ended the kiss, I said, “Now, I do believe you have some rings to buy.”

  He grinned and raised a brow. “Oh, you think so, do you?”

  It was my turn to raise a brow. “Questioning the woman who will be your wife one day soon is not a smart move.”

  Chuckling, he agreed. “You have me there, sweetheart. I learnt a long time ago that questioning the woman I love isn’t a smart move.”

  “When was that?”

  “I was seventeen at the time. It was the day I asked you to the senior dance, and you said no because I’d questioned a decision of yours to stand up for Joe Jensen the day before. You practically held me to ransom over that fuckin’ dance, and in the end I had to backtrack on everything I’d said about that dickhead and pretend I fuckin’ liked him to get you to agree to go with me.”

  I couldn’t hide my surprise. “I thought you only asked me to that dance because you had no one else to go with.”

  His eyes turned soft. “No, baby, I asked you because I really wanted to take you. I wouldn’t have become friends with fuckin’ Joe Jensen if I didn’t have to.”

  My ribs might have been in pure agony and my body and mind might have been exhausted, but this new knowledge buzzed through me, causing extreme happiness to settle in me.

  Kick Hanson had loved me since he was seventeen, and he still loved me eighteen years later.

  ***

  I slept for most of the day. Kick looked after me, staying close by all day. At four that afternoon, Mum and Julie came to visit. I’d been awake for about half an hour then so it turned out to be perfect timing.

  “God, Evie, don’t give us a scare like that again!” Julie said, her face a mask of worry. She’d brought flowers with her and arranged them in a vase I’d sent Kick to find. Placing the vase on the bedside table next to me, she bent and gave me an awkward kiss on my forehead. She still wasn’t big on public displays of affection, and I figured a kiss was hard for her, but I appreciated the gesture, particularly seeing as though she couldn’t hug me.

  I smiled up at her. “I’ll try not to,” I promised, my glance shifting to catch Kick leaning against the door, arms folded over his chest and a contemplative look on his face. We held each other’s gazes for a moment and then I gave mine back to Julie.

  “Good,” she said.

  “The police said there were a few witnesses to the accident but none of them can remember the number plates of the car who caused it. One witness even said the car didn’t have any. I don’t think they’re confident they can solve this,” Mum told me, seemingly upset with this information.

  “Well, I guess whoever it was will get theirs in the end; karma and all,” I said, keen to change the topic of conversation. “Have either of you heard from Dad lately?” I hadn’t heard from him or seen him since the day he told me he didn’t want Kick in my life.

  Mum smiled, and that stunned me. She and Dad hadn’t been close since he left after she cheated on him. “He and I have been in contact after he called and asked me to lunch the other week. Evie, he told me what you and Kick did for him and how awful he was to you about Kick. He regrets it, and he also regrets not following up on the counselling.”

  I wanted to believe everything she had said but after years of being let down by him, I struggled to buy it. “And?” I asked, my voice hard and guarding. I had to guard my heart from more disappointment.

  Julie stepped in. “He’s doing good with the counsellor . . . I’ve seen him a few times, and I’m proud of what he’s doing.”

  My eyes widened.

  Shit, if Julie was impressed, it meant Dad really was making progress.

  “Okay, good,” I said softly.

  Mum looked hopeful as she asked the next question. “He wants to see you. Would you be up for that? He’s worried about you.”

  Kick
pushed off from the door he was leaning against and came towards me, concern etched on his face. “Is that a good idea?” he asked me.

  I loved his concern, but I thought it might actually be good to see Dad. “It’s alright, Kick, I want to see him. Maybe this will be the fresh start we all need.”

  As the afternoon progressed and we all loosened up with one another, I thought back to that conversation and hoped it really would be a fresh start for all of us.

  An opportunity to put the pain of the last eighteen years behind us once and for all.

  Chapter Twenty

  Kick

  A few days later, King called Church. He’d put it off, giving me time to be with Evie, but he was right – we needed to take stock of where the club was at. I left Evie with her Mum and headed into the clubhouse.

  Hyde greeted me with a slap on the back. “How’s everything going, man?” he asked, his beef with me completely gone. Jekyll and Hyde.

  “All good, but not holding out hope that Gambarro was bluffing the other night,” I expressed my concern that Gambarro had indeed made plans for his crew to avenge his death if it ever were to happen.

  His face darkened. “Yeah, I wouldn’t put it past the motherfucker to have organised something.”

  We took our seats around the table and King began. “Has anyone heard anything from the Gambarro camp?” he asked, looking around the table. The resounding ‘no’ gave me only a tiny sliver of hope, and it appeared King thought the same way I did. “Well, keep your ears to ground and let me know the minute you hear something. We need to be prepared for this.”

  Everyone agreed to that, and then I raised my concern from the other night. “Gambarro said he’d only sent one message to us – the car accident. But my girlfriend’s house was broken into the other night and trashed. Nothing was stolen. Now call me a paranoid bastard, but this feels odd. Have any of you had shit happen recently?”

  I looked around the table and from the expressions on everyone’s faces, I knew deep in my gut something was definitely odd with this. Nitro was the first to speak. “My sister’s place was ransacked three nights ago.”