by Eve R. Hart
“Nailed some wood into the building around back. Use to climb up that way. Must still be there, but it can’t be no good any more.” I didn’t take my eyes off of Vass as I spoke.
“You left!” Vass screamed at me.
“Yeah,” I said with a shrug. “And you gave the fuck up!”
“I was so hungry, Sketch. He told me he’d take care of me, but he didn’t. Not like you did.”
I sighed. Yeah, that guilt slammed into me and it hurt like a bitch.
“This ain’t you. Come down and let the kid go,” I said loud enough so she would hear but I held the anger back this time.
I saw something move behind her but I couldn’t tell what was going on. The roof was too high and the angle I was standing at didn’t let me see much more than Vass’ figure.
Vass must have sensed someone was behind her because she turned her body to see.
It all happened so quickly that I wasn’t even sure what went on.
All I know, Beau was in her arms one second, and the next he was safely in his mother’s. Well, maybe not so safe seeing as Claire was on the unstable roof.
And then the ear-splitting scream filled the air.
It didn’t go unnoticed that no one tried to catch her. That they all took a step away as her body came plummeting to the ground.
The bone-crunching thud was something I probably wouldn’t stop hearing for a long time, and my eyes briefly fell closed right after the screaming abruptly quit.
When I opened my eyes again, I looked up.
I wish I could have said that Claire was too far away for me to read the expression on her face. I really did. Because it was clear as her eyes stared down into mine that Vass hadn’t just slipped off.
Could I blame her?
Nah. No way in fucking hell. If I’d been up there, can’t really say that I wouldn’t have done the same thing. But the fact that it had been Claire, it killed a part of me. Knowing that I couldn’t have been the one to protect her from that. Knowing that my ass was standing here on the ground while she risked her life to save Beau’s.
Claire began to work her way back to the other side of the roof. I turned my attention to the body on the ground as she faded from my sight.
Iron’s hand went to my shoulder, but I aggressively shook him off.
Charming was there checking her pulse, not like there was shit he could do even if she was still alive.
But I knew she wasn’t.
The life was gone from her eyes. I could see it because they were still open and all.
Catching sight of the fire in my eyes, Charming quickly backed off.
I knelt down, taking in her face one last time.
It was a shame this would be the final image I’d have of her.
She wasn’t the same Vass I knew, but that didn’t make this any easier. Nothing would.
She’d taken a wrong turn somewhere and ended up paying the price. I tried to tell myself that death wasn’t far off for her anyway with the shape she was in, but that didn’t help either.
With a silent goodbye, I slid her lids closed and hoped that she was able to find some kind of peace.
“Mason said he saw someone taking off in a car from the back. He and Blade chased them down. It’s Monty,” Iron said calmly from behind me.
I nodded once and got to my feet.
“Anyone with him? Fuckin’ Keften’s brother is behind this.”
“Yeah, there was someone with them. Car ran into a ditch. We got them.”
“Good.” I let out a small, relieved breath.
Cami and Claire came walking around the side of the building. Both looked shaken, but they were alive. Lucky they had their men there to hold them up. But that did not mean that I was okay.
“What do you want to do?” Iron asked.
I turned to face him, my expression deadly, I was sure.
“Put Monty in the box. He’s mine. Don’t give a fuck what you do with the other one just as long as he ain’t breathing no longer.”
With that, I walked my nearly naked ass off.
Where was I going?
Not one fuckin’ clue.
All I knew, if I stayed there I was going to explode.
I collapsed not even twenty feet from where I’d started.
Guess the adrenaline was wearing off and I was feeling everything now.
Holy fuck, it hurt.
“Let me help you,” Charming said as he slid my arm around his neck. His arm went around me and he dragged me up.
“Fuck!” I roared. “Well, this ain’t winning me any cool points.”
Charming chuckled.
“You look like a piece of pounded meat and I think that’s a gunshot wound on your thigh, I’d say you get all the cool points,” he told me.
“Yeah, alright, fine. I’ll take ‘em.” I smiled despite the pain I felt. “Hey, when you patch me up, don’t touch my dick.”
“I know better, brother. I wouldn’t dream of it.”
“Cool.” I gave him the best chin jerk I could manage. “Girls okay? Beau?”
He turned his head to look over his shoulder.
“They’re good.”
“Tripp’s in the box. He was still breathing before they brought us here.”
“We got him. He’s good. Probably going to have a headache for a few days and the bullet grazed his side. Colby was shot too, but he’ll survive. I can’t say the same for the Prospect.”
About that time, a couple of SUVs pulled up with Prospects at the wheel.
Iron opened the door and Charming helped me get into the seat.
“Hey,” I said before they shut the door. “How come you didn’t know we were at the container yard?”
Iron’s gaze went to Cable. Cable was too far off to hear us talking but it was like he just knew. I could see the disappointment on his face.
“Someone hacked the feed and looped it,” Iron told me but he wasn’t mad. “They used the previous twenty-four hours so it wouldn’t look any different. Matched the times up and everything.”
“Huh,” I said. It was real damn smart but I figured it was best to not say that out loud.
“Melissa is waiting at the compound for you,” he told me with a look that said he knew too much.
That was like angels singing in my ear. All I needed was her right now.
I’d made it through.
That was a shock to me.
I guess Melissa was my reward.
Ha!
I mean, if she wasn’t ready to walk away after all this shit.
Couldn’t blame her if she did.
“If it wasn’t for her, this could have turned out differently,” Iron told me.
I sighed. I didn’t have a damn clue what he meant by that, but I was also too spent to ask.
The day was saved.
It was time to move on.
Well, I still had to deal with Monty, but fuck him, he could sit in the box for a bit.
“Take me to my woman,” I said as I slouched back into the seat.
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
Melissa
“They’ve got them,” Laurel whispered as she looked up from her phone with tears in her eyes.
I knew what she was feeling because I was feeling it too.
I couldn’t help myself, I wrapped my arms around her and held on tight.
“They’re okay,” she breathed out and hugged me back just as tightly.
We were practically strangers. Yet we were going through the same thing at the same time. We held onto each other like we’d been friends a lifetime.
“Alright,” she said as she pulled back and took a deep breath. “We have to be strong when they bring them in.”
I knew what she was saying and I understood it completely.
We’d had our moment to finally fall apart and now it was time to pull it in and stand tall.
With her support, I was able to do that.
Sketch was okay.
And I’d found out Tripp
was fine not that long ago. I was told that he’d woken up just after they brought him back, which had me sick with worry. But they assured me that they were patching him up. I wasn’t sure what that meant, but he’d said he didn’t want to see me. Yes, it hurt. But he was grown and I had to respect his wishes. All that mattered was that he was alive and he’d be fine. Which I had been assured of… quite a few times because I kept asking.
I knew I wouldn’t believe it until I laid eyes on him.
But I had to have faith in everything.
I had to have faith in this club.
That was one of the things I’d take away from today. With Laurel and Abigail and everyone else that had been around, I had come to realize that they took care of their own and they’d stop at nothing. It wasn’t the only thing, but it was the big one. And I could see that my faith hadn’t been misplaced now that I knew everyone was safe.
Would Sketch let me see him? Would he keep me away like Tripp was doing?
I wasn’t sure I could handle much more.
I had to lay eyes on one of them soon or I was going to lose my mind.
“Mom,” Tripp said from behind me.
I gasped as I turned around.
He was holding his arm close to his body in a protective manner and there was a bandage on the left side of his forehead. But other than that and the fact he looked like he’d rolled around in the dirt, he looked fine.
I flew across the room and hugged his good side.
“I’m fine,” he assured me. “I could hear you worrying across the compound. I’m sorry.” He kissed the top of my head. “I’m not used to having you here. I never wanted you to see any of this shit.”
He let out a long sigh that seemed to roll up through his body as it came out.
“I have a feeling it’s something I’m going to have to get used to, yeah?” he asked. He didn’t exactly sound unhappy, but there was a sense of something in his tone.
“Yes,” I told him. I wasn’t going anywhere, I now knew it. “But I promise not to cramp your style.”
I felt him roll his eyes. It was a mother thing. And I smiled just a little knowing that was what he’d done.
“I’ll find out what’s going on. Try to keep you updated as much as I can.”
“Thank you,” I whispered and released him. “I’m glad you’re okay.”
“Me too. And I’m glad Sketch is alive too.”
There was something in his eyes that caused me to laugh.
He knew. I couldn’t explain how, but he did. At least he didn’t seem upset about it, so there was that.
He left the kitchen and I had no choice but to wait here for some news.
I didn’t know the rules and I wasn’t sure what I should have been doing right now. I wanted to run out to the front so I’d be waiting the moment they drove up, but I held back. The last thing I wanted to do was get in the way.
I knew the second everyone had returned because the chaos hit the main area at a volume I wasn’t ready for.
Laurel grabbed my hand and pulled me out into the commotion. I was grateful for her and thought it was best to follow her lead.
The moment she saw her sister get out of the SUV, she let me go. It was easy enough to tell the two were related. A man got out right behind her and didn’t look as if he was going to leave her side any time soon, even though Laurel was hanging onto her for dear life.
“Charming is going to take him into the med room,” Tripp informed me out of nowhere. “I’m getting the impression that he’s pretty fucked up. I’m just warning you.”
“If he’s that bad off, shouldn’t he go to a hospital?”
Tripp shot me a look that spoke volumes.
I didn’t like it, but I had no place here.
And since I knew Sketch, I could only imagine that he’d throw a fit if they did try to take him there.
So, I moved on.
“Does he want to see me?” I asked, taking a few steps back.
“Do you want me to find out?”
Did I?
Did I care if Sketch thought it was best not to have me by his side?
“No,” I said with a small shake of my head. “Just take me. I have to see him.”
Sketch needed me. It didn’t matter what condition he was in, I had to be there for him.
Tripp led me to a room that wasn’t far from the main door to the clubhouse. Strange that I hadn’t really noticed that the whole compound looked like a cheap motel before.
Inside, I saw that it was set up much like a room in a hospital. There were supplies stacked neatly on shelves along the wall, a sink in the corner, and a medical bed in the middle.
My eyes closed tightly and all I could think about were the reasons why they felt the need to have a room like this.
No, I wouldn’t go there.
I refused.
It was better to be prepared, right? In case something like this happened.
However, I’d been through today and the truth was right in my face. No matter how hard I tried to convince myself otherwise, I knew why they had this kind of set up.
If they were able to take care of Tripp and Sketch, did it really matter beyond that?
I supposed it didn’t right now.
I was not prepared for the moment they carried Sketch in and laid him out on the table.
I wasn’t even a little bit ready to see him looking like that.
I cried. I couldn’t seem to stop the tears as they rolled down my face.
He was… nearly unrecognizable.
His face was a mess. His body was bruised all over. There was blood covering his boxers.
And where were his clothes?!
“Sketch?” His name came out shaky as I rushed to his side. I was afraid to touch him. I didn’t want to hurt him.
“Melissa, is that you?” he asked, one of his swollen eyes cracked open. “Sup, hottie? How you doin’?”
He tried to smile, but it was weak.
Yes, I loved him.
And as strange as it might have seemed, that one little moment had solidified it in me.
“I’m a lot better off than you,” I shot back with a wet laugh.
“Tell me, baby, how’s my face? You still want me, right?”
“I don’t know… your nose is kind of crooked now… I might not find you attractive if it stays that way.” I tried my best to joke back. He needed me to be light right now even though I felt so worried and scared.
He let out a sharp laugh that was followed by a long groan of pain.
Someone I didn’t know was moving around, trying his best to clean Sketch up and look him over. I ignored him just like he seemed to be doing to this conversation. I was thankful for this man that seemed to know what he was doing, but all that mattered right now was seeing Sketch be himself. I needed that hope so badly.
“Ow, fucker!” Sketch called out and I lost his attention for a second.
“Sorry,” the guy mumbled but kept working.
“So, I’m gonna probably pass out now. You ain’t gonna leave me, right?” Sketch asked, he was looking at me again.
“No,” I said with a shake of my head just to hammer it in. “I promise I’m not going anywhere.”
And then he did just that, closing his eyes and seeming to slip away with a slight smile on his blood-crusted lips.
“He’ll be fine,” the guy assured me. “I’ll get him fixed up.”
“Thank you,” I whispered and held onto Sketch’s hand, never taking my eyes off of his face.
I wanted to be the first thing he saw when he opened those stunning eyes again.
I wanted him to see that I wasn’t going anywhere.
CHAPTER THIRTY
Blade
My woman was fine. She had her gals to keep her company tonight. She didn’t know the specifics of what I was currently doing, but she was smart and she had her suspicions. She’d never ask, and that was what made her a good Old Lady. A perfect match for me. And she’d never hate me for
the things I couldn’t talk about, even if she had a good idea what they were.
Harley had been there for the club today. She didn’t even ask, she just went straight to the compound when the women had called her in. She closed up shop and brought her gals there with her, because they were family too. We’d keep them safe, it wasn’t even a question.
It was weird having her tell me that Didi had said she’d seen Sketch earlier in the day. I knew the little baker well enough to know that she was feeling a small amount of guilt over it, even though there was no reason for her to. How could she have known? We didn’t even have a fucking clue.
Knowing Harley and the club were safe, I had left to do what I needed to do.
B-ry needed to be with his woman because she was Cami’s sister. She had probably been a wreck on the inside but spent the day holding it together for everyone else.
Sometimes she really amazed me.
They all had their roles, but Laurel was the mama of the club. I wasn’t even sure she realized it. I had no clue how she did it, now with two kids to look after on top of it. She was a nurturer by nature and she brought love to the club as she looked out for everyone.
So, here I was, taking care of shit for my club when they needed to not focus on this.
I was all too happy to do it.
Iron and Mason had just left out of here. They got the answers they’d been seeking and the rest was up to me. I’d asked them to leave so I could finish my work in peace. But really, I couldn’t have them watching me turn this side of myself on. Sure, they knew I had it in me, but it was better this way.
Plus, I worked better alone.
The answers we’d gotten, well, all I could say was that shit was so twisted.
This one guy had managed to throw the club into chaos in the matter of a day.
I was just glad that it didn’t drag on like some of the other shit we’d been through.
If I had to guess, I’d say it was because the club had been together long enough by now. We worked well together. We were a strong, united front. And we chipped in and didn’t stop until we had the problem solved.
I wasn’t saying it would always be that way.
But this time had proved to me that we were headed in the right direction.
