Old Lady of the Iron Crown

y P

rough the heavy haze of medication

till felt heavy, but the throbbing pain in

toward me. The satellite radio in his hand let out another high

ritone dropping to a cold, predatory hum. "Bring ev

o's speaker, accompanied by the crashing sound of heavy wo

under the flat pillow, searching for the d

ses catching the dim glow of the hallway bulb. His eyes instantly tracked th

tead, a faint, dark smirk to

lifted out two black M1911 pistols equipped with long cylindrical suppres

dry and rough. "If you're not with Vip

ng the second M1911 by the slide, offering

until his warm, cedar-and-leather scent filled my lungs, "you

vy steel frame. My wrist wobbled from weakness, but I

d fingers, wrapped his hand around the hot slide of the weapon, and p

n intensity that made the hair on my arms stand up. "From this second forward

breath out of me. Slowly, I let the gun lower by an inch

and turned toward the door.

he hallway, leaving t

voice turn from dark intimacy

nounced down the hall. "Ev

protest, followed by the vulgar shout

e ordering around?" the blonde s

ridor, followed by the sound of boots scr

f the ground by her throat with a single arm, his expression utterly detached as he

d as Doc dragged it down, locking the

into complete,

ns. They were sleeping side by side, their tiny chests rising and falling in rh

tal nightstand where Doc had placed

message from Raven MC was d

PERTY STATUS AND CLUB PROTECTION. TERMINATED AS OF MI

e. A bitter, cold smi

etal trash can beside the bed, and watched it disappear beneath d

mpty nightstand, glanced at the trash

sat down, and began methodically wiping down

r. The silence inside the cli

frame beneath m

he bedside table, a half-full plastic cup of water began to

g the M1911 tight

glasses up the bridge of his nose, and looked toward the board

t-thumping vibration that shook t

he roa

wo bikes. I

, straight-piped Harley V-twins rolling in tight military formation, te

acks in the window boards, flooding the dingy

"Is that Viper? Did he bring

of the wooden blind, and ripped it clean of

ramed by the blinding halos of

clearly through the roaring iron storm outside. "Those aren'