"By the way, Summers is p.i.s.sed that you didn't follow his orders. And Savage is p.i.s.sed that Ryder ran off and took the law into his own hands."

"f.u.c.k Summers. I could've been dead."

Summers walked into the room at that very moment. "Yeah? If you, Mia and Ryder didn't all disobey my orders, none of this s.h.i.t would've gone down. I should arrest all your a.s.ses for obstructing justice."

Savage came looking for Summers. He strode into the room, agitated and highly strung. "This place is a f.u.c.king nest stashed with pounds of drugs. It's also a place of prost.i.tution and other unsavory pastimes, involving drugs and s.e.x. We could've unraveled the whole f.u.c.king drug ring if these a.s.sholes didn't interfere." He nodded in our direction, a grimace on his face.

Ryder's back stiffened. "A child's life is in danger and you worry more about catching f.u.c.king drug lords?" he huffed. "That's not why we came here tonight. We came to get Jamie. Anything you wanna know about the drugs, I can get info on. Daemon was only a small player in the game. It's his boss you want."

Savage glared at Ryder, his face red and angry. "You've hampered any chance of questioning Daemon. You've f.u.c.ked up a golden opportunity by shooting the suspect."

"What?" Ryder spat out. "The b.a.s.t.a.r.d was about to shoot his own brother, for f.u.c.k's sake. You wanted me to stand by and watch that happen so you could question him later about f.u.c.king drugs?" Ryder rocked back on his heels, his fingers hooked into the loops around his belt. He was mad as h.e.l.l and not about to agree with the cops.

"Excuse us," the paramedic said as they moved toward the door. I was glad to get out of that f.u.c.king room. It tasted like death.

Chapter 47 - Mia.

I remembered the last time Ryder brought Cobra back from the hospital. This time it was different. I wouldn't be going to the compound the next day to greet my husband on his arrival. Ryder would fetch him and take him to the club to see everyone before dropping him back at home.

Guilt ate at me because I'd only been to see him once in the week he was there. Unable to face the outside world, I'd locked my children and myself away in our home. I'd focused my attention on getting Jamie fed and taken care of.

Both Jamie and I had been through medical examinations and were referred to a psychologist to help us process everything that happened. The only time we left the house was to go for our appointments. Other than that, I had no need to leave my home. It was the only place I felt at ease.

Just going outside made me anxious and nauseous. As if people were staring at me. As if they knew that I'd killed a man.

Killed. In cold blood.

Technically it wasn't my bullet that caused his death. I understood that. But if Ryder hadn't arrived when he did, it would have been my shot that had ended Daemon's life.

The worst part of all of this was that I couldn't mourn for Daemon. Nowhere in my heart could I find pity or compa.s.sion for him. Did that make me a bad person? As horrified as I was about taking a life, I knew I'd do it again in a flash given the same or similar circ.u.mstances.

"Mama, I'm tired," Jamie said as he tugged on my pants. Since we'd been back home, the boy slept nearly twenty hours out of twenty-four. The doctor a.s.sured me it was good for him, and that it was his body's way of recovering and forgetting what happened. If only I was that lucky.

Sleep evaded me. If I wasn't thinking about Cobra and wondering where we were at in our relationship, I was thinking about how grateful I was that Ryder had in fact been the one who shot Daemon. It was crazy, but it brought me relief that it wasn't my bullet that had blown his skull open.

Whenever I closed my eyes, red was all I saw. Red. Everything red. Not any shade of red though-the exact color of blood. Blood red. Yeah, it had a name, and it was a very specific shade.

I bathed and fed both children, then settled down in the huge king-size bed, one child on each side of me to read them a story. It had become our nightly ritual and one I looked forward to.

It was only when I was halfway through the tale that I realized how gruesome some of the fairy tales were. This was what we read to our kids? What the h.e.l.l were we teaching them?

I closed the book. I didn't want to tell them about wolves blowing down houses, or piggies getting eaten. Nor about evil stepmothers and poison apples. How was death so d.a.m.n prevalent in every fairy tale, and why hadn't I noticed it before?

"Tell us a story," Jamie said, his eyelids heavy but not enough that he'd fallen asleep.

"Okay," I said, ruffling his hair. Closing my eyes, I leaned back against the pillow and started a story. "Once upon a time there was a very handsome man with a goatee who had a big black motorcycle."

"That's Daddy," Jamie squealed with delight.

"Yeah," I said. "Our hero, Sir Cobra, was the strongest man in the whole wide world."

Isabella giggled at Jamie who made a silly face. I laughed for the first time in days. A deep ache had settled in my heart, and sometimes I found it difficult to breathe. It felt good to be able to laugh again, even if it was for a fleeting moment.

"What happened next?"

"Well, there was this pretty girl who wanted to be a princess. Her name was . . . Mia."

"That's you, Mama," Isabella said pointing to me. "Are you a princess?"

"No." I laughed. "But in fairy tales we can be anything we want to be. So I shall be Princess Mia." Both children nodded with wide smiles on their faces. They were clearly loving the story so far.

"Anyway, the princess saw the handsome Sir Cobra one day when he came to her house. He had the most beautiful eyes and smile she had ever seen on anyone. She immediately fell head over heels in love with him."

"I know what happened next," Jamie said, his eyes bright and shiny.

"What happens?" Isabella asked, her admiration for her clever brother apparent in the way she gazed at him adoringly.

"They get married and have babies, silly. You and me!" he said with pride.

Isabella looked up at me to confirm that it was true. "Yeah, the princess was given a beautiful white dress and married Sir Cobra. He promised to love and protect her for ever and ever." I choked on the words, a p.r.i.c.kle in my throat.

"When is Daddy coming home?" Isabella asked. "I miss him."

"Me too," Jamie said, a cloud of sadness drifting over his face. My heart squeezed in my chest. How could I tell them that I had no idea if he'd ever come home again? We hadn't spoken about him moving back to the house since that night. What if he chose to stay at the club, as he had for the past few weeks?

Although my heart felt heavy, I didn't want to spoil the mood. "So after the princess married her handsome man, she found out she was going to have a baby. 'I hope it's a boy,' Sir Cobra said. Imagine his delight when a beautiful baby boy was born a few months later. His name was Prince James."

"That's me!" Jamie said, his face lighting up with joy.

"What about me?" Isabella asked.

"Well, first the princess and her sir had to let the baby boy grow up a little before they could have another baby."

"And then you let Bella grow in your tummy?"

"Yeah. Princess Mia and Sir Cobra couldn't be happier. They loved one another so very much, and now they had a beautiful little boy and a gorgeous baby girl, so their family was complete."

"Will the princess have more babies?" Jamie asked as he rubbed over my belly.

I laughed. "I have no idea. She would love to have more babies," I said, thinking of the ones I'd lost. It would also mean that my husband came home to me and made love to me. I wasn't sure if he'd ever touch me again.

"Did they live happily ever after?" Jamie asked, his eyes wide as he waited for my answer. I sucked in a breath, uncertain of my answer.

I didn't have to find one.

"Of course they did. Sir Cobra loves Princess Mia so much that he wants to make many more babies with her. He's tired of slaying dragons and he wants to come home to the most beautiful princess in the whole universe."

"Daddy," Isabella screamed as she threw her arms out and propelled herself forward into Cobra's embrace, not caring that his left arm was in a sling.

"How is my baby princess?" Cobra asked, as he kissed her hair. His gaze locked with mine over her head. Isabella planted a kiss on his cheek with a loud smack in reply.

I swallowed hard. "Sir Cobra wants to come home?" I said, my shaky voice barely above a whisper. Was he just saying that as part of the fairy tale? We were always good like that-finishing one another's stories or sentences. I needed to know if he meant it.

He nodded. "Sir Cobra very much wants to return to the castle. He misses the princess so much he can't stay away another day. He hopes the princess will forgive him for being such a foolish man and not punish him too harshly." A half-smile twisted his lips as he watched my face.

He hobbled toward the bed and set Isabella down, then leaned over to pick up Jamie. I watched with blurred vision and a lump in my throat as they hugged one another tightly. "My son. I'm so happy to have you back." Cobra's voice was thick and hoa.r.s.e and I knew he was struggling to keep his emotions in check.

Chapter 48 - Cobra.

It was true. I couldn't stay away a moment longer. I'd discharged myself from the hospital and taken a cab back home.

Home. My castle.

To the place where my happiness lay.

I'd been a fool for far too long. My jealous pride had stood between the most important person in my life and me. After nearly losing everything once again, I knew I'd been spared for one reason. To make it up to Mia, even if it took me the rest of my days. a.s.suming, of course, that she wanted me back.

After what I'd put her through, I wouldn't have been surprised if she'd said she was done with me. I'd let her down. Again. I hadn't protected her like I'd promised to. What good was I to her?

I'd heard the whole story she'd told the kids. I'd snuck up to the bedroom, hoping to surprise them, only to find myself being the one to be surprised.

Her story had brought tears to my eyes, especially the part where she told the kids how much she loved me. Her words brought a smile to my face-at least I had a fighting chance to win her back. She'd make me work for it, but I deserved that. I'd do anything for her. To be with her.

I set Jamie on the bed and patted his head. Mia dropped her gaze, pretending to busy with Bella, but I could see how fast her heart was beating by the pulse in her neck. Her breathing was shallow, just like mine.

I lifted her chin slowly so her eyes could meet my gaze. Her lashes fluttered as she bit into her bottom lip. She only ever did that when she felt vulnerable and insecure.

I had to fix that.

I leaned over to inhale her. The sweet fragrance from her hair and skin permeated my senses. She smelled like home.

"Baby," I said, my voice low and hoa.r.s.e from holding back my emotions. "I love you so much. Please say you'll have me back." f.u.c.k, I was prepared to walk over burning coals for as many miles as it required if she'd say yes. Whatever it took to show her I meant every f.u.c.king word.

Her big brown eyes brimmed with tears. I watched in awe as her lashes became wet before heavy tears spilled over and ran down her cheeks.

"I'm sorry," I said, the ache in my heart piercing my chest. "I don't mean to make you cry. I just want you to know I can't live without you. You are my reason for breathing. Without you, baby, I am nothing."

She smiled at me and my whole world started spinning. "I love you too, Cobra. So, so much it hurts."

"Baby."

I leaned in and kissed her lips. Christ, how I'd missed kissing them. Two pairs of eyes watched our every move, big smiles on their faces.

"This is Sir Cobra telling Princess Mia that he loves her with all his heart. That he will always be by her side until the day he dies. That he has finished fighting the world and only wants to be with his family. Sir Cobra wants to live happily ever after in the castle with Princess Mia and all their children."

"I'm tired," Jamie said. "I want to go to my bed." He slid off the bed and held his hand out to his sister. "Come, Bella, let's go to sleep. I think Daddy wants to make more babies with Mama."

Mia gasped and I suppressed a laugh. My boy was smart.

I watched as she lifted the sheets and got out of the bed. She was wearing an old T-shirt of mine, with nothing underneath but lacy panties. My c.o.c.k throbbed at the sight of her perfect a.s.s as she leaned over to lift Isabella off the bed. I ached for my woman. It had been far too long. What kind of fool was I? The dumbest kind.

I kissed both kids and watched them leave the room with Mia. It would take a while for her to settle them down, so I decided to take a shower. I hobbled to the bathroom and undid the bandages. The upper arm injury was really only a flesh wound that was well on its way to healing. The bullets in my shoulder and my leg had been removed, and I'd been st.i.tched up and was on the mend.

I turned on the taps and stood under the stream of water, letting it wash all the stresses from the past weeks away from my mind and body. We needed to talk it all out and start fresh. But there'd be no time for talking tonight. I needed to get inside my woman and show her how much I missed her. I would only be whole again when I was part of her and she of me. Like two pieces of a broken puzzle, we fit together perfectly, healing one another.

I finished washing and stepped out of the shower to dry myself. As I fastened the towel around my waist, I heard her voice behind me.

"Do you need help with your bandages?" she asked, her voice soft and sweet.

"No, the nurse put waterproof plasters over the wounds. The bandages are just to get sympathy," I joked. It wasn't quite true, but I felt so much better without them.

She laughed at my lame joke, then turned to leave.

"Wait," I said, stopping her in her tracks. Why was she suddenly shy around me? Before all of this, Mia would've stripped me of the towel and been on her knees with my c.o.c.k in her mouth by now.

She turned around slowly. "Yes?"

"Um . . . can we talk?" I asked, feeling a bit awkward as the right words evaded my mind. I couldn't very well demand that she suck my c.o.c.k, even though that was all I could think about. My mind played tricks on me as my gaze locked on the lips I wanted around my d.i.c.k.

"Sure, I'll put the kettle on for a cup of tea."

Tea?

I needed something stronger.

"Yeah, tea will be good. Thanks." Coward.

Didn't look like I was getting my c.o.c.k sucked tonight. f.u.c.k.

Ripping the towel from my waist, I got into a pair of boxer shorts and made my way down to the kitchen. As I pa.s.sed the kids' rooms, I peeked in for another kiss on their foreheads. They looked like angels. I shot up a prayer of grat.i.tude that our babies were alive and well. Grinning to myself in the dark, I thought of how much fun it was going to be to add to our crew.

Mia wasn't going to make it easy for me, I knew that by now, but sooner or later she'd relent and we'd make up for lost time. The thought of having to win her all over again appealed to my caveman instincts . . . there was nothing s.e.xier than a woman being out of a man's reach and making him fight for it.