Page 142 of Hard Rain

“Cuffs!” Knox said, his voice low.

Axel drove a knee between Cutter’s shoulder blades while Whip seized his right arm.

Cutter bucked hard beneath them, but with Knox pinning his hips, there wasn’t anywhere to go.

Then Whip wrenched both wrists together behind his back.

Axel put on the zip-ties.

Zip.

Cutter went still.

Knox climbed to his feet, breathing hard. He looked at the frightened employees, then over at Axel with a crooked grin.

“Guess morale really does matter.”

Axel snorted despite himself.

One fuck down, one to go.

Whip yanked Cutter to his feet and shoved him toward the door while Knox stepped up to take charge.

The guests filed out, still shaken but relieved it was over. Their relief would be short-lived if they had anything to do with Charleston’s operation.

“Good job noticing Cutter like that,” Whip said with a smile.

He grinned back.

“I’ve been paying attention.”

Axel watched Cutter disappear through the doorway surrounded by deputies before his eyes drifted back to Whip.

He was still there.

Bruised. Dirty. Tired as hell.

But standing on his own two feet.

That was all that mattered.

He hadn’t realized how many times he’d looked for Whip over the last two hours until he caught himself doing it repeatedly.

Like if he looked away too long, someone might take him.

Some part of him still expected to come around a corner and find an empty space.

He wasn’t built for that kind of helplessness.

The fucked up part was Charleston was still out there.

So, this wasn’t over.

Tomorrow, they’d start hunting him.

But tonight…

Tonight, Whip was safe.