by R. E. Bond
“It’s okay, I know it’s different for you, but I just wanted you to know how I feel.”
“Why does it sound like you’re saying goodbye?” I whispered as he pulled away from me.
“Because, this life rarely lets you. I want you to know I have your back one hundred percent. You’re my number one girl.”
“You know you mean the world to me, right?” I replied, receiving an understanding smile in return, but he turned serious as a gunshot rang out.
“Stay fucking put, you hear me?”
He left the room before I could tell him to fuck off, and I grabbed my gun as I followed him out into the chaos.
As if I would let him risk his life while I cowered in the office.
Strangers filled the main doorway, and I ground my teeth when one of them pulled a blade out on Slash who was already arguing with them.
The moment the blade was swung back, I fired a shot in the air and moved into view, letting them see my rage.
I was going to kill them if they hurt my family.
“Don’t fucking touch him.”
The Soldiers chuckled, but I narrowed my eyes and aimed my gun at the one holding the blade.
“Don’t fucking test me, asshole. My finger might slip.”
I felt bad for worrying Slash as he glared at me, but the Soldiers were there because of me.
I wasn’t going to let them go through everyone I cared about until they got to me.
Slash’s voice was sharp as he continued to glare at me.
“I fucking told you…”
“I don’t give a fuck, Slash! No one gets to come in here and hurt any of you!” I shouted, everyone going quiet at my demanding tone.
It scared me how real my false bravery had become.
His face softened, but slow clapping drew our attention over to a man a little older than Slash, as he walked into the shed with a grin.
He was handsome enough, but he reeked of pain and suffering.
“Well, what a show. You must be our problem.”
I rolled my eyes, grinning with more false bravery.
“That’s funny, because you’re my problem.”
“You’re nothing fucking special, stop thinking you are. They’ll mourn you when you’re gone, but they’ll move on before they know it,” he spat, his superior attitude pissing me off.
Hunter moved closer to me, appearing bored with the conversation as he watched the Soldier’s apparent leader.
“How about you guys just fuck off home and leave us to it, yeah? We have shit to do and you’re wasting our time.”
“Tell me something. When did the Devil’s Armada and the fucking Bloody Psychos team up? Over a piece of ass, none the less?” The guy growled, but Hunter smirked, a cocky tone in his voice.
“Team up? Don’t be stupid, we all want to kill each other still. If anything happens to her though, you’d have two pissed off crews. You know that, right?”
“Pussy can’t be that fucking good,” the asshole spat, but Hunter waggled his eyebrows in response.
“I’ll let you know if you fuck off and let me have her. Badass woman’s hot though, am I right, Razor?”
The guy who was apparently called Razor, watched us for a moment, before shrugging with a grunt.
“Hot doesn’t always mean worth it. Women make you weak, and now you’re willing to start a war over one.”
I glared, firing a shot close to his foot.
“Excuse me?”
Slash cursed at me loudly, but Hunter moved in front of me with a stern look on his face.
“Relax and let us talk, okay?”
“No! They have a problem with me, and I want to know what the fuck…”
A bullet grazed my arm suddenly, and I glared at Razor who was obviously in charge.
I went to speak, but Skeeter suddenly fired at them, starting a fucking war.
All hell broke loose as I ducked for cover, firing shots at anyone with a Soldier’s jacket on and praying it hit them.
Diesel found me, ducking down beside me as we defended ourselves and spoke over the deafening racket.
“Did the bullet do much damage to your arm?”
“No, just a graze. I’m fine Diesel, just…”
It was suddenly quiet apart from the sound of retreating footsteps, causing my heart to hammer in my chest.
Silence in war could be really good, or really fucking bad.
Diesel seemed worried as he poked his head out from our cover, and I scrambled after him as he bolted across the room.
Was he stupid?
He couldn’t just run around when bullets had been flying moments before-hand.
“Damnit Diesel. What…,” my gaze fell to the body on the floor, my heart shattering instantly.
The Soldiers were nowhere to be seen, knowing that they’d started a war they couldn’t finish.
They created their own fate when they killed the leader of the Psychos.
I sank to my knees, ignoring the mess from the blood as I tried to stop the flow that was pouring from Slash’s chest, my shaking hands becoming covered in it quickly.
“Diesel, help me,” I choked out, keeping my hands on Slash’s chest as the blood kept seeping from between my fingers.
No one moved to help me, and emotion took over as fat angry tears fell.
“Fucking help me!”
I jerked back as a hand touched my shoulder, and I glared at Skeeter as best as I could through the tears as I realized it was him.
“Why’d you fucking shoot?! You…”
“They fucking shot you, Aurora. They didn’t shoot him on purpose,” he said roughly, my eyes blinking rapidly as I tried to clear the tears from them.
“Then how come he’s fucking dead?!”
His face was full of emotion as he spoke, his voice forced.
“The bullet was meant for you. Razor was heading towards you. He had a clear shot at your head, and Slash blocked it.”
I shook my head.
This wasn’t fucking happening.
“No. No, he can’t… Slash…”
My body went numb and my hands shook badly as the warm blood continued to slip through my fingers.
It felt like someone had their hand around my fucking throat as my chest began to hurt.
Diesel jerked a thumb at Hunter, his voice steady and demanding.
“Get her the fuck out of here, she’s gone into shock.”
Hunter hesitated before slowly reaching for me, seeming relieved as I let him pick me up and carry me out.
I zoned out, ignoring everything around me as my ears rang and my lungs became unbearably tight.
Slash was gone.
All because of me.
Chapter ten
Rory
Hunter took me back to Slash’s, letting me head up to the bedroom by myself for some space while he sat in the kitchen silently.
I ignored the front door as it opened and closed multiple times throughout the evening, staring at the wall from my curled-up position on the bed.
The bedroom door opened softly as someone entered, and the bed dipped as a body lay down behind me.
I knew from the cologne that it was Diesel.
He didn’t speak, he just pulled me close and held me in silence, letting me know he was there for me.
“How could he do that?” I finally whispered, and he kissed my shoulder affectionately.
“Because, he loved you and he’d do anything to keep you safe,” he said honestly, my heart aching all over again as I rolled over to meet his sad hazel eyes.
“I need him too, D. He’s my best friend.”
“I know, babe. I’m staying here tonight with you, okay? I’ll sleep in the other room.”
I nodded as I buried my face in his chest, clinging to him for comfort as his hand trailed up and down my back gently.
“Are you feeling up to seeing Skeet? He said it’s okay if you’re not,” he asked quietly, my body tensing.
“Has he spoken
to Ty? Slash was basically his best friend, and…”
“He’s heading over to Jensen’s to talk to them once he leaves here. He was hoping to see you before he left,” he replied, his hand still moving on my back to keep me calm.
I took a breath before asking the question that had been on my mind all evening.
“Is he mad at me?”
He frowned, genuine confusion on his tired face.
“Why would he be mad at you?”
Tears pooled as I mustered up the courage to say it out loud.
“Because, it’s my fault.”
His arms tightened around me as he kissed the top of my head, his voice cracking the slightest amount.
“It’s not your fault, Rory. Slash made the choice all on his own, knowing what would happen. Don’t blame yourself. No one else is, I promise.”
“Okay.”
“Okay, what?”
“I’ll talk to Skeet,” I said softly, his body relaxing before he kissed my temple and left the room quietly.
I stared at the door until Skeeter walked in.
He hesitated before walking over to me to sit on the edge of the bed.
“Hey, your arm okay?”
“I don’t give a fuck about my…,” I started to snap, but he cut me off, an unexpected softness to his tone.
“I know, but I give a fuck about you. Can I look?” He asked with uncertainty, waiting for me to nod before carefully moving my shirt off my arm to inspect the graze.
I stared at him, hating that my lip trembled as I spoke.
I’d let too many emotions show through the day, and I had to get my shit together.
“I’m sorry.”
“For what?” He asked absently, his attention still focused on my arm.
“For getting Slash killed,” I whispered, hating that I sounded so weak.
His face cracked slightly as he looked up at me, his voice pained.
“Baby girl, it’s not your fault.”
Liar.
“But…”
“Slash does what he wants. Apparently, dying to save you was his decision. Nothing could have changed his mind, I promise you that,” he explained, his fingers skimming over the rest of my arm as he started to look for more damage.
I knew he wouldn’t find any.
I also knew that he was touching me to prove to himself that I was okay, so I let him without argument.
“I couldn’t love him like he loved me. I wanted to, but I couldn’t. I should have listened to you and just stayed away, then this wouldn’t have happened,” I managed to force out as my voice broke and tears fell.
He instantly shuffled closer and pulled me against his chest to hold me, letting me cry it out, before moving back to talk as I calmed.
“I’ve got to go tell Holloway and the guys what’s gone down. Will you be okay here with Diesel and Hunter?”
“Can I go with you?” I croaked out, his hand cupping my cheek to wipe a tear with his thumb.
“You want to? I think you should rest, baby. You’ve had too much shock today.”
I shook my head, wiping my eyes and sitting up as I pulled myself together.
“No, I need to be there. Ty…”
“Hey, you can come, it was just a suggestion. Ty will appreciate you being there, he’s going to need you,” he murmured, helping me off the bed and taking my hand to lead me down to the loungeroom.
A few of the guys from both crews were in the kitchen, giving me a small nod as I entered, but Hunter gave Skeeter a worried glance.
“Where are you guys going?”
Skeeter met his eye, replying in a low voice.
“We’re going to let Ty and the guys know what’s happened. He was Ty’s best friend, other than Holloway. Rory wants to come along and make sure he’s okay. It’s going to hit him hard.”
“Is that a good idea?”
I knew Skeeter felt me tense, because he replied quickly before I could protest.
“Yeah, man. He’ll need her there, trust me. Someone stick around here and keep an eye out, okay? I’ll talk soon.”
Hunter nodded, giving my shoulder a gentle squeeze as we walked out to Skeeter’s McLaren.
The drive over was silent, and the moment we pulled up out the front of Jensen’s place, panic started to overtake me.
“Skeet, what if he blames me? I can’t…”
“He won’t, baby. You can stay in the car if you want, but I think he’ll want you in there. He’s not going to want to cuddle one of the guys if he loses it, but he might appreciate one from you.”
I slowly nodded, following him into the house, suddenly wishing I’d gotten changed.
My clothes were dirty with Slash’s blood from where I’d wiped my hands on them absently once Hunter had gotten me away from the shed.
Lukas ignored me as usual, but Jensen was in front of me in an instant.
“What the fuck happened? Are you hurt? What…”
Skeeter sighed, sounding and looking a lot more tired than a twenty-one-year-old should.
“Back off a minute, Gilbert. It’s been a fucking nightmare of an afternoon. She’s alright.”
“Is that her blood? What the fuck happened?” Jensen continued, seeming more worried when I wiped a tear from my cheek as it escaped and he noticed the blood that was still on my hands from where I couldn’t scrub it off.
My tongue felt twisted as I tried to hold myself together, and Skeeter came to my rescue again.
“The Soldiers found her, and there was a shoot-out at the shed. She only got grazed by a bullet, but…”
“What the fuck do you mean, only? She still got fucking shot! Again!” He shouted, but Caden frowned as he joined us, Tyler not far behind him.
More hot tears streamed down my cheeks as I lost the battle of controlling them.
I couldn’t say it.
I couldn’t break Tyler’s fucking heart like how mine was breaking.
Caden watched me for a moment, taking in my appearance before talking in a calm voice.
“Rory, what’s wrong?”
I shook my head, not able to meet their gazes as I took a small step back, my throat going tight with emotion.
I was grateful when Skeeter took my hand and spoke in a gentle tone, deciding to be the one to break the news.
“Soldiers opened fire after I took a shot at them for grazing her arm. It became a war zone instantly, and the only reason Rory’s alive is because Slash took a bullet that was meant for her.”
Caden closed his eyes, instantly understanding where the conversation was going, but Tyler was on alert as his face twisted with a scowl.
“So, where the fuck is he?”
I glanced up, my watery gaze landing on his as the silence became thick in the room.
He shook his head, anger starting to seep through.
“No, where the fuck is he?!”
Skeeter shook his head, speaking almost at a whisper, my heart going tight as if it would shatter.
“He’s gone, man. It was a shot to the chest, and he was gone by the time he hit the floor. Our doc and his guys took his body so we can sort out a funeral.”
Caden ran his hands over his face as he held his emotions in, but Tyler stepped back, still shaking his head as denial ate away at him.
“No, he can’t be dead. He fucking can’t…”
I jumped as glass shattered somewhere in the room, my heart finally shattering along with it as Tyler dropped to the ground and sobbed shamelessly as his world fell apart around him.
Because of me.
Lukas and Jensen left the room while Caden and Skeeter exchanged quiet words before Caden left too, gently touching my arm on his way past for comfort.
I started to walk into the other room too, but Skeeter stopped me, glancing at Tyler who was still a broken mess on the kitchen floor.
“He needs you. I’ll go and talk to the others while you stay here with him, okay?”
I nodded absently, not moving even after he’d left
the room to give us privacy.
Tyler’s sobs wrecked me as I slowly sank to the floor beside him, placing a shaky hand on his shoulder for support.
“I’m sorry, Ty.”
He jerked at my touch, but when he heard my voice, he sagged, shuffling so he was almost curled against me.
I put my arms around him tightly and cried with him, relief rolling through me when he buried his face in my neck and pulled me on to his lap to hold me even tighter.
His fingers dug into my back painfully, but the physical pain was welcomed to try and drown out the emotional pain.
He suddenly moved back to look me in the eye, a different kind of pain flickering below the surface.
“Are you hurt? They didn’t touch you, did they? Jesus Christ, Rory. I didn’t even think to ask if…”
I pressed my fingers to his lips, giving him a sad smile.
“Only the graze. Don’t worry about me. Slash…,” I paused, needing a minute to breathe before continuing. “Slash made sure I was okay. He always did.”
He nodded, taking my face in his hands and pressing his forehead to mine.
“I wish I could thank him for everything he did to keep you safe. I know I went a bit overboard when you two became close, but I wish I could take it all back. Every single bit. I was just so fucking worried about him taking you away from us, that I didn’t see that I was pushing you away. I knew he loved you, I just didn’t realize the extent of it.”
I closed my eyes, breathing him in.
“I don’t love him in the same way I love you guys. I wish I could, but I just don’t feel that way.”
He looked unsure when I opened my eyes, asking the question that I knew had been eating at him.
“What about Hunter? Do you love him?”
“I love him as a friend. He’s had my back, and I’m grateful for him. I don’t love him how I love you.”
“Did you really not fuck them?”
His voice sounded scratchy from crying, my chest aching at the raw emotion that he didn’t even try to hide from me.
“I told you the truth. Slash and I were going to the night you stopped by, but we never did. Sure, Hunter’s the kind of guy you mess around with, but he knows I love you guys. I love you, Ty. I’d never lie to you about anything like that,” I whispered, and just like that, he completely relaxed.
