Free Carry You Home (Carry Your Heart #2) by K. Ryan

face her, just couldn't let her see me like this right now, and my shoulders hunched dangerously until I could get a handle on my shit so I didn't erupt again in front of her.
    There was a truth in what that agent said to her today that I just couldn't reconcile.
    When a soft hand rested gently on my shoulder, I jumped at the contact and just that little bit of connection sent the fury slipping away as I turned to face her. Just as I felt her arms wrapping around my neck, my head fell to the crook of her neck as I drew her in deeper into my chest.
    "I'm so sorry, Iz," I whispered into her skin. "That shouldn't have happened to you today. I should've been there with you."
    "It's okay, Caleb—"
    "No," I cut in sharply, bringing my head up to look at her. "It's not okay that he blindsided you like that. These goddamned assholes think they know everything and they don't care who they run over to get what they want."
    "It's not just that, Caleb," she started unevenly. "He scared me."
    I frowned at her words. "What do you mean?"
    "I know I shouldn't have let him get to me. I know I shouldn't have let anything he said mean anything," she blew out a deep breath as she tried to conjure the right words to accurately describe this. "But I've never felt this scared before, Caleb. They're not going to stop, are they?"
    "You don't have anything to worry about," I promised her quietly and ran a thumb over her cheek. "We're gonna take it easy, lay low, and ride it out. This will all be over before you know it."
    She nodded into my hands and I pulled her into my arms, holding her as tightly as I could, hoping this was enough.
    "Is there anything else I need to know, Caleb?" Isabelle whispered into my chest and I knew what she was really asking.
    "You know I'd never say anything, right?" she pressed anxiously, needing me to understand that all of my secrets were safe with her. "Everything you've ever told me—I'd never say a word to anyone, not even if the person was holding a gun to my head."
    I winced and scrubbed a hand over my face to wipe that image from my mind. "Don't say that, Iz."
    "It's true though," she shrugged a little too easily. "It doesn't matter what you've done for the club or what you might do. If you tell me about it and honestly, I hope you do because we need to trust each other, but if you tell me, I don't care what it is. Drugs or—"
    "We don't run drugs, Iz," I told her. "The club gets into enough bad shit as it is and we don't need that extra pressure. Besides, something like that could carry a life sentence, depending on how much you've got on you, and none of us are stupid enough to go down that road just for a paycheck."
    She nodded slowly, but there was no relief on her face. I think I knew why as she opened her mouth again to speak.
    "Have you ever—"
    "Yes," I cut in quietly. I didn't want her to have to say it out loud anymore than I did, but if someone had to say it, I was going to be the one to do it. "I've killed for the club before."
    At this point, all the blood drained out of her beautiful face and tears welled up in her eyes, but I had to keep going.
    "If you wanna know who and when and why, I'll tell you."
    I waited for something from her, but she just shook her head. All those faces flashed across my mind now—all six of them. Six lives I'd taken to save my brothers, to help my club. Six lives who would've shot Dom, who would've slit Tiny's throat, who would've beaten Casey into a coma, who would've stolen thousands of dollars from the club, who would've ratted on the club and sent us to prison if I hadn't stepped in and put them down first. It wasn't an excuse and it didn't justify my actions. All I'd done was my job.
    "I can't apologize for protecting my club, Iz," I murmured and dared a step closer to see if she'd move away. She didn't. "I wouldn't hesitate to do it again if I had to. I'll always protect my family. The club, my mom, Lex and Chloe...you and our baby. Especially you and our baby. I