move to get to him, but a red-hot slice of pain cut through me. I gasped and held my side. I felt bandages there too.
“Don’t move, darlin’,” Beauty said, and gently guided me to lie back down. But I couldn’t keep my eyes off Tanner. He’s here, I told myself. He’s alive.
Beauty must have seen that I needed an explanation by my lost expression. “He looks worse than he is. He’s healing. I swear. You’ve both been out of it for a couple of days. It took Edge some time to get y’all transport home.” I frowned. I didn’t understand. Transport? “Styx wasn’t gonna leave y’all in Mexico, or even with the Diablos. He wasn’t gonna risk it in case anyone had escaped from either the Klan or cartel and were tracking y’all down. Prez paid a shit-ton of money—under the table, of course—to get you both medically transported.”
He did? Why? Why did he care so much?
“What . . . happened?”
Beauty sat on the edge of the bed. “Tanner came to that chapel to marry you, darlin’.” I glanced to my left hand and saw the ring there. Images of candles flickering on an altar filtered into my head. Of vows and Luis . . . “Luis?” I asked, panicked.
“He’s here.”
“He’s here?” I asked in shock. Beauty handed me a glass of water for my hoarse voice. I sipped it down, the rawness ebbing some.
“He was shot too. But only in the shoulder. He hit his head when he fell and was knocked out cold. The bullet went straight through.” Beauty smiled. “Styx brought him back too. Luis was kinda refusing to leave y’all.” I smiled at that. Luis was such a good friend. So caring. A true man of God. “The young priest who was there as witness survived too. He was escorted home by Valdez’s men after he was patched up in Mexico.” I breathed a sigh of relief.
My smile dropped when I asked, “It was Diego?”
Beauty’s nodded. “Yeah.” She looked around as if checking for anyone listening. “I don’t know if I should be telling you this. Club business and all. That, and I was eavesdropping.” She smirked. “But fuck it. You deserve to know.” She squeezed my hand. “Valdez’s men were on Diego’s tail. Asshole must’ve known he was on borrowed time. Apparently he saw Luis leave the hacienda with you, but in the takeover, he couldn’t get to y’all. So he followed y’all to a remote chapel. Luis contacted Tann through Valdez. Valdez had men watching the chapel. Diego was hiding. When Tanner arrived at the chapel, he flipped his shit.”
“Is . . . is he dead?”
“Yeah, darlin’,” Beauty confirmed. “Tanner shot him through the neck. But not before he shot y’all.” I glanced across at Tanner. I loved him so much. All he ever did was protect me. I needed him to wake up. I needed to see his blue eyes and hear his voice.
“Tank, Beau, Styx ,and Ky found y’all.”
I turned back to Beauty. “Beau? Beau Ayers?”
Beauty smiled. “Tanner has a lot to explain to you . . .” She trailed off, her expression changing to something I couldn’t read. But before I had time to question her on anything, she continued. “Tanner left early. We now know it was so Luis could marry y’all before the rest of the Hangmen arrived. Tank had suspected he was gonna try to get to you without telling anyone. When he checked on his room in the camp, and Tann wasn’t there, he woke Beau, Styx and Ky and came straight to the chapel. They arrived not long after y’all had been shot.” Her face suddenly looked angry. “Diego paid off the men watching the chapel. Valdez caught his men only a few miles away.” Beauty smiled a cold smile I never expected her to wear. “Killed them for their betrayal.”
“So . . . it’s over?” I asked, trying not get my hopes up.
Beauty kissed my head. “It’s over, sweetie. You’re both finally free.” A big smile took over her face. “And y’all are fucking married! Once you’re both better, that calls for a fucking party.”
I laughed; Beauty’s happiness was infectious. But when I did, pain sliced through my side. I sucked in a sharp breath. “Sleep, darlin’,” Beauty said. “Tanner should wake soon.”
Her words were like a command to my heavy eyelids, and they began to close. I next woke to the sound of low voices. When my eyes fluttered open, I saw Beauty talking