Thunder (Hell's Handlers MC #10) - Lilly Atlas Page 0,134
happen to know a woman named Delilah?”
Oh, my God. Oh, my God.
Mak sucked in a breath before her brain could warn her to keep quiet. Then she bit her lower lip so hard, the metallic taste of blood oozed onto her tongue.
The sheriff’s head whipped her way and his gaze locked with hers. She held her breath until the room started to spin.
It’d been excess of two years since she’d been called by that name. The suffocating sensation of existing in the community came rushing back in a flood of nausea and terror.
The only thing keeping her from flying apart was Thunder’s touch, but even that couldn’t erase the brutal memories.
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
THEY’D NEVER DISCUSSED it, but after hearing Mak’s story, Thunder assumed Makenna wasn’t the name given her at birth. He hadn’t bothered to ask because, to him, it didn’t matter. She was Makenna. His Mak.
But clearly, the name she’d gone by throughout childhood had been Delilah.
She sat so still and stiff he feared her leg would shatter beneath his palm if he squeezed too hard. Unfortunately, this sheriff didn’t appear to be the same kind of fucking moron they last one had been. His shrewd gaze assessed Makenna with open curiosity and suspicion.
Thunder cleared his throat and spewed out the first bullshit that came to his mind. “Sorry,” he said. “This is my ol’ lady, Makenna. Her mother passed last week in Ohio. Her name was Delilah. Kinda hard to hear you say it since it’s still so fresh.”
“Hmm,” the sheriff said, still studying Mak.
Had he bought it?
His woman played her part to a tee. “I’m sorry,” she squeaked. “I didn’t mean to interrupt. Just shocked me is all. It was a heart attack. U-unexpected.”
After clearing his throat, the sheriff nodded. “Sorry for your loss, ma’am.”
“Thank you.”
Copper shot the sheriff a raised eyebrow then grunted. “None of us know any Delilah around here. Why?”
Even if Copper suspected, it helped that he didn’t have to lie. None of them did know a Delilah. At least not that they were aware of.
“The disciple we spoke to said this group of psychos came roaring up in two Jeeps. They busted into the clubhouse, mowing down anyone they crossed. Hollering and opening fire at the clubhouse. One of them was screaming for the CDMC to send Delilah out. According to the disciple, they had no clue who the group was looking for. Then the battle began.”
Thunder’s lips wanted to curl into a smug fucking grin. The fuckers took care of the two sharp thorns in the Handlers’ side with one idiotic move.
Perfection.
But he kept his mouth set in a thin line. Once the sheriff left, they could celebrate with a huge fucking party. First, they needed to get rid of the man in uniform.
“Well, like I said. We got no clue.” Copper stood. “Forgive me if I don’t walk you out.”
The room stayed quiet until the door slammed shut behind the sheriff. Then every head in the place swiveled in Mak’s direction.
Copper lifted a meaty paw. “Not yet.” He waited a few minutes for the sounds of the police cars to leave before nodding. “Okay. Who the fuck is Delilah? And how do we thank her for getting rid of the CDMD?”
“Fuck yeah!” Screw yelled.
Maverick pounded his fist on the table, and the rest of the men started stomping their boots. Relief and the desire to celebrate were palpable.
Beside him, Mak sagged in either reprieve or utter exhaustion. The day had been absolute insanity, and she needed sleep more than a wild party.
Copper raised his hands. “All right, all right. Simmer the fuck down.” He directed his attention toward Thunder and Mak. “Anything you two wanna tell us?”
When Thunder opened his mouth, Mak put a hand on his shoulder. “It’s okay. I got it.”
As he nodded, he lifted her hand and pressed a kiss to her palm. Though he hated to have to put her through the difficulty of revealing her identity, he was damn proud of her for her bravery.
She stood. “I was born with the name Delilah into a militant community that used children for labor and women for breeding. I don’t want to get more into it than that right now, but I escaped with my younger siblings about two years ago. We’ve used different names a few times, but the ones we have now are what we are hoping to stick with. I have all the necessary documents even if they aren’t exactly…legal.” She winced.