The Butcher of the Bay Part II - J. Bree Page 0,22
He strips his shirt off and I blush, glancing over at Lips but she doesn't seem worried by the move, then I see the vest he's wearing. A bulletproof vest that already shows signs of doing its job, I blink at it. I hope those bullets weren’t from tonight. I hope he hasn’t been forced to take them for me.
He takes it off and then helps me into it.
"I need you in the Kevlar, baby girl. We've taken care of everyone but I'd never fucking forgive myself if something else fucking happened. Again.”
I nod and move at his direction until I'm covered completely and the straps are secure, then he tucks me under his arm gently. He still has one arm free and access to his weapons but Lips takes the lead.
"There's a lot of blood, baby girl. A lot of death and gore. You can shut your eyes if you need to, I've got you." Illi murmurs to me as we leave the room.
I don't really care about the blood, I'm thankful every last one of these men are dead, but my head is still beyond painful and the lights and ornate lamps of the mansion are piercing and harsh. So I shut my eyes and I lean into the warmth and security of my Illi's arms.
There was never a doubt in my mind that he would find me.
We walk through the house, Illi murmuring as we get to the grand staircase but his grip on me is so sure that I can walk down it without having to look. I know by the cool floor beneath my feet that we're still in the foyer when we come to a halt.
"Fuck. Does she need a doc? I know one that's close by."
My eyes open and I tuck myself into Illi's side a little closer. I don't recognize the man who's talking at all but Illi and Lips don't seem worried. I take a slow and shaky breath.
"It's not her blood. Is that everyone? We need to deal with the building too."
Another man walks up, but I remember this one. He’s guarded me back at the apartment in the Bay for Illi while he worked. I try to smile at him but it comes out as more of a grimace. It doesn’t matter, he grins at me anyway and tips his head in a little bow. Lips snorts at him and shakes her head.
He quirks an eyebrow at her. "We took care of the other rooms. I definitely fucking wasted you in the bet kid. I only drink the finest fucking whiskey, top shelf shit."
That doesn't make any sense but Illi chuckles under his breath. "She had nine under her belt before we got through the front fucking door, man. She drinks Jack and so do I. Odie will have a whole fucking bottle of pinot, you owe her too."
He frowns and stares down at Lips. "What was your total? There's no fucking way you beat me."
She shrugs. “I don't give a fuck if you believe me, bikers are usually cheats and liars so I wasn't expecting you to pay up. Odie is safe, that's all I care about."
Illi squeezes my shoulders gently to push me more securely into his side, then he starts to move us again. It’s only now that I notice the piles and piles of dead bodies. The four of them… they’ve taken out dozens of armed men in their own territory.
They are incredible.
The floors are slick with blood beneath my feet and I refuse to think about what I’m stepping in. They were bad men. They worked with a rapist, nothing else could make up for that.
The front of the house still looks as beautiful as when I arrived, none of the carnage visible from here. The two men wait behind in the house but Lips stays close to us, her eyes assessing as they take me in. It doesn’t make me uncomfortable, it makes something in my chest squeeze at the care she’s showing me.
Illi loads me into the car, his hands cradling my head to keep it steady and to attempt to subdue the pain a little. It doesn’t work but I smile at him anyway, hoping he sees all of my love and gratitude there. I don’t have the strength to tell him it all yet, to tell him everything I had been planning to do while I laid there on the bed praying for him to find me.