by Addison Jane
I peeked over my shoulder before stepping through the door, the brothers all moving toward the vehicle now and assessing the damage. Some looked concerned, others in complete awe. But when I took notice myself, my heart stopped and I froze. The front bumper was smashed and deformed, front and back windows shattered, bullet holes in the body, scratches, and dents down the side. It looked like we’d been in some kind of a wreck. I didn’t remember them firing that many bullets, with just the holes I could see from where I was standing. I must have somehow managed to block them out, my main focus—getting us all home alive.
“You made it,” Leo muttered as he tugged on my hand, pulling me through the doorway. “That’s all that matters.”
Barely.
But I’d take it.
“Anything?” I asked, stepping into Optimus’ office, my voice tired and my body drained. But at the same time, I was looking to pick a fight. I wanted answers, and I wanted them fucking now.
It was 10.00 p.m. and I’d finally been able to remove myself from Macy’s arms as she was too exhausted to keep her eyes open any longer. Harmony was sitting in my room with her in case she woke up.
I couldn’t wait until morning to talk to my brothers.
Ham sat on the sofa against the wall, his head hanging down, looking at the floor, while Kit and Blizzard stood back against the walls.
Op shook his head, leaning back in his office chair. “I’ve got Wrench on it, and Kit’s got Tie running through shit, too. So far, these guys were nobodies.”
I nodded, squeezing my hands into fists in frustration. Unfortunately, dead men can’t talk. As soon as Op had received the call from Ham, warning us about what was going down, there was no time to plan. It was simply, protect our own.
Someone was trying to hurt my baby. I wasn’t about to chase after them and ask fucking questions.
I wanted them dead.
Nobody fucked with my family and walked away breathing.
We’d filled that car with a hail of bullets, killing both the guys inside within seconds. Pictures and fingerprints were taken, and now they were taking a ride with Camo and Eagle into a watery grave.
Ham’s bike was a complete write off and so was my truck. But right now, I didn’t give a shit.
Three lives were accounted for, and that was all that mattered.
That and figuring out what the fuck had happened.
Ham swore quietly.
Op swiveled to face him. “You did good, kid.”
He shook his head, finally raising his eyes to us. “It was all Hadley, man. As soon as she spotted the gun, she had the truck in reverse before I was even fully inside. She told me to get in the back, and I pretty much spent the whole time covering Macy while she got our asses out of there.”
I listened intently, reaching over and patting him on the shoulder. “Thanks for looking out for my girl.”
Ham nodded as he met my eyes. “Fuck man, of course.”
“Go get some rest. We’ll deal with this all tomorrow,” Op ordered the kid, pointing toward the door.
He bobbed his head, not saying anything as he pushed off the sofa and headed out the door, pulling it closed behind him.
I groaned loudly, dropping into the space he’d just vacated. “What are we feeling about this? Were they after Hadley, or was this an attack on the club? Because if it’s the latter, we need to be prepared.”
“We get prepared either way,” Blizzard said, stepping in and bracing himself against Op’s desk. “Hadley’s one of ours, and both Macy and Ham were in that vehicle. Whether it was directed at her or not, whoever it is, just started a war.”
“No fucking kidding,” I murmured in anger, my throat tight.
“Church first thing in the morning,” Op ordered, standing from his seat. “We’ll discuss it then.”
“How’s Hadley doing?” I asked as we moved to the door. I hadn’t seen her since Doc took her to check her over. Macy had been my priority. I hated myself for letting her get caught up in this bullshit. She should never have to see that shit or be involved in anything like that.
My heart ached, wondering what Kim was thinking, letting our daughter be hurt.
I’d let them both down.
“She’s fine,” he answered as we headed down the hall to the main room. “Few stitches, bit of whiplash. I’ve given her a few days with no interruptions to recover.”
I breathed a little easier. I wasn’t sure if it were because she’d come out unscathed, or because I knew she’d be untouchable. But both put my mind at ease.
Op patted me on the back and headed for the staircase.
I knew I should follow. Get back to my baby, hold her close, just to remind myself of what I’d nearly lost. But my body was wound so tightly, I just needed a drink.
Macy could have so easily been killed today—the thought made me shudder.
She was all I had left.
Nothing else mattered if she wasn’t with me.
Not life, not anything.
I promised myself a long time ago that even with Kim gone, I would make sure that Macy grew up strong, with everything in her life that she’d ever need.
Unlike her sister, Kim loved the club, and they adored her. She was strong, focused and passionate about helping others. Reasons why she made the perfect nurse. She didn’t judge people by the way they looked, it didn’t matter to her.
I remembered the day she found out she was pregnant, how her face had lit up and her eyes shone with excitement about bringing a child into the world. She knew Macy would be loved and cherished. Having the brothers behind us didn’t scare her, she wasn’t afraid of Macy getting hurt by our world. Instead, she saw the amount of love and protection that the club offered.
Even today, seeing my baby girl so shaken and upset by what had happened, I knew in my heart Kim would never see it as an excuse to run. She would see it as a reason to fight, let them know that no matter what they threw at us, we were stronger because of the fierce love that flowed through our brotherhood.
No one would hurt our baby and walk away breathing.
I slipped onto a bar stool, and Skylar moved toward me with a soft smile. “You need a beer.” It was a statement, not a question. She’d already started pouring it before I could even answer and slipped it across to me before heading back to where she was stacking the fridge.
“How you feeling?” Kit asked, pulling up a seat next to me.
“Like I could have lost everything today.” I took a few large mouthfuls of the bitter liquid. “Just lucky Hadley was so quick on her feet.”
“Yeah, she’s smart. Gorgeous too. But don’t tell Harm I said that.” He chuckled softly.
I looked over at him. “You’re grew up in the club. How did your parents do it?”
“Club life is dangerous,” he admitted seriously. “When it comes to your family, I think it’s about finding balance.”
“How?”
He shrugged. “I never grew up inside the clubhouse like you boys do with the kids here. We had a house, Mom stayed at home with us. The clubhouse wasn’t off limits, but we’d always check with him before we came in to visit. If there was something going down, or any kind of threat or danger, he’d keep us away.”
“And that worked best?”
“It meant he could worry about business without us under his feet or getting caught up in the drama,” Kit explained, tapping his fingers on the bar.
I took another drink of my beer. “You think I should move Macy out of here?”
He held up his hands. “Ain’t telling you anything, bro. Different things work for different people. You don’t have a woman at home to watch her while you work. That makes it harder.”
Kit’s words really did make sense. Maybe it was time I thought about moving Macy out of the clubhouse and into our own place. It would be harder to juggle. The clubhouse more often than not had someone around to watch her if I got called to do something, but if it was safer for her to be out of the danger zone, I
would make it work.
Looking up, I saw Skylar shuffle out of the kitchen holding a tray of food.
I patted Kit on the shoulder. “Hey, man. Sorry for keeping Harm from you. You think she’ll be okay for a few more minutes while I check on Hadley?”
Kit laughed. “I’ve got the rest of my life with her man, I’m not worried if she’s busy watching your girl for a bit. Take your time.”
“Thanks, brother.”
I jumped off the stool and headed Skylar off before she walked down the club girls’ hall. “That for Hadley?”
She smiled and held it out for me. “All yours.”
“Thanks.”
All I wanted was a hot shower to relax my muscles that were still tense and tight. But no such luck. I had two small slices in my skin that had needed stitches, one at the back of my jaw under my ear and one across the back of my hand.
Doc had ordered me not to get them wet for at least twenty-four hours, forty-eight if I could hold out that long. I wasn’t sure if I could, though.
My palms were covered in tiny cuts and pin pricks, as were my knees, and I was still shaking tiny shards of glass from my hair. My shoulder and across the front of my body were sore from the impact of the seatbelt, but would most likely just result in bruising. The whiplash just topped it off, my neck tight and my head beginning to pound.
What a clusterfuck.
I came here to escape, to find some kind of protection. And what happened? I nearly got an innocent child and a brother killed.
While Optimus was adamant that there was no proof those guys were actually after me solely, I was skeptical. Simon knew I was here. The guys that chased us weren’t pros, that much was obvious. But he wouldn’t send professionals because that would draw too much attention to him.
He wanted it to look like he had nothing to do with it.
He couldn’t risk being linked to these guys because that might cost him his place, his job.
I dropped down onto the edge of the bed.
I thought by coming here that he might back off, that maybe he wouldn’t be stupid enough to fuck with these men. The Brothers were outlaws, they didn’t live by the rules of society, and as they’d proven that afternoon, they would kill anyone who threatened one of theirs. Satan’s Sanctuary might be posing as a ruthless club, dealing in drugs and illegal weapons, they were technically still bound by the law. They couldn’t get away with something like this without the government coming down hard on them.
The risk was too high.
It seemed like the perfect deterrent.
But after today, I wasn’t sure the plan was as smart as we’d first thought. Either that or I’d underestimated Simon’s threats.
This wasn’t just about him wanting me back. There was something bigger going on, something that was forcing him to risk everything he’d worked for, in order to get me to come back to him.
Macy’s cries still echoed in my head as I sat inside my silent bedroom. My heart hurt, thinking of how she could have so easily been hurt or possibly killed today.
Would Leo have blamed me for coming here and for putting her in danger?
I felt tears burn in my eyes. The last thing I wanted was for her, an innocent little girl who had already lost so much, to get hurt. I could just see the look in Leo’s eyes if things had gone differently, and he’d showed up to find his daughter gunned down on the side of the road.
Warm tears trickled down my cheeks. Thinking of him in that much pain made me want to vomit. He’d stolen my breath away. He was everything I wanted and so much more, but just out of reach. He had lost so much already. Knowing I could be the reason for bringing the rest of his world crumbling down into a pile of rumble made me want to run.
Chelsea was pregnant with twins, Rose and Blizzard were fighting to keep Jayla in their lives, Slider was barely hanging on by a thread. Me being here was a threat to them all and the lives they were fighting so hard to keep.
I never expected this.
I never thought that within a few weeks, these people would become friends to me. They’d treated me with respect despite the fact that the only purpose I really held here was a warm body that the men used to help them get off. They’d never made me feel like a whore, even though that’s exactly what I was. Trading my body for something I needed in return.
They cared for me, and for all the other girls here, even the ones that they knew were hoping to simply score a man and trap him for life. They were harsh, sometimes vulgar and rough around the edges. But they all had their hearts in the right place.
They all put family first.
And all I was doing, was risking everything they were fighting so hard to keep together.
I shook my head.
I couldn’t do this.
Dropping to my knees, I reached my hand around under my bed, searching for the bag I’d arrived with. Just as I found the strap and was about to pull it out, there was a sharp knock on the door. I thought about ignoring it, Optimus had given me a few days to recuperate, meaning I didn’t have to meet the brothers’ demands.
But when I heard his voice, I froze.
“Hadley? Got some food for you.” He spoke loudly through the wooden door.
I swallowed—did I ignore it, wait for him to leave, and then duck out into the night.
No.
I needed to face them all. Thank them for everything that they’d done for me. They had shown me respect so I would give them the same.
I sighed. “Coming,” I answered, releasing the bag strap and forcing myself to my feet.
I wanted to see Leo. Part of me wanted him to yell and scream at me about how much danger I’d put Macy in. But another part wanted him to wrap me in his arms and hold me close, telling me that everything would be all right.
Inhaling through my nose, I flicked the lock on the door and pulled it open.
Leo’s hulking body filled the frame, the small tray in his hands with a plate of food and a glass of juice brought a smile to my lips.
“Don’t laugh. Skylar was bringing it down, but I wanted to come and check on you so…” He held it up, and I stepped aside so he could come through.
I pushed the door closed as he settled the tray onto my empty desk before turning to face me.
“You’re in one piece,” he said simply, his eyes grazing slowly over my body as if scanning for injuries he couldn’t see.
“Scratches, bruises, couple stitches. Nothing major,” I answered, moving back toward my bed and hefting myself onto it. “How is she?”
He swallowed, averting his eyes away before he answered, “Scared as hell. Few scratches too.”
Guilt sent a chill through me. “Leo, I’m so sor—”
“Don’t,” he snapped sternly, causing me to sit a little straighter. “We don’t know what happened. Could have had nothing to do with you.”
“You don’t really believe that, do you?” I told him, rolling my eyes.
He began to pace, back and forth in front of me. “You’re old man ain’t the only one with a grudge against the club, Hadley. There are plenty people out there who want to try and hurt us. Don’t let this rest on your shoulders.”
It was too late.
It already was.
Even if those men weren’t Simon’s lackeys, eventually, he would send someone after me. That was a very real truth.
And was I prepared to let these people possibly take a fall for me?
Not now.
Not when they had become more than just a wall between Simon and me. They’d become friends. I looked up at Leo, and his eyes met mine. They’d become more than friends.
I remembered how Leo felt inside me, how his touch burned against my skin, heating my body to the point where I felt I might explode. It had never been like that, I’d never felt that intense emotion from just one touch.
I craved more.
I wanted him.
“I joined the military straight out of high school,” he started, surprising me with hi
s words. “Hardest thing I ever had to do was walk away from Kim. But I felt like it was in my blood, that it was just something that was a part of me, that I had to do.”
He scuffed his hand across the top of his head like he was searching for the right words to say.
“My dad was in the army. He died on tour when I was just a kid, maybe like four or five. I got a little brother who’s still fighting. Haven’t seen him for nearly two years.”
“And your mom?” I asked softly, eager to hear his story even though I knew it was hard for him to get the words out.
“She moved to Seattle. Can’t travel, so Macy has only met her a few times. Try to talk on the phone as often as possible, but I don’t make the time for her that I should.” He hung his head shamefully, but I knew exactly how he felt. With the tension between my step dad and me, I didn’t make enough time to speak with my mom or visit her. And growing up, we’d been so close.
“Why did you leave the military?”
He started pacing again. “My unit was struck by a roadside bomb. One that I should have anticipated. Eagle and I were the only ones who made it out, and they discharged us for medical reasons.”
This was a surprise. I hadn’t had much interaction with Eagle, but I wouldn’t have guessed that he and Leo were close like that. Leo was quiet but confident and stern, and even he gave in and let himself laugh with his brothers and his friends. But Eagle seemed more of a loner. Keeping to himself.
“I was thankful they let us go. I don’t know if I could have gone back. The memories were just too much, and I had too much here to fight for. Eagle is much the opposite, though, he had a lot of close friends in our unit and no family left here. He has a heart full of revenge and righting wrongs. He likes to keep moving, afraid that if he stops for too long, he’ll get stuck.”
“I felt like that after I lost my dad,” I told him, clearing my throat before the emotion clogged it completely. “I couldn’t decide what I wanted to do. Kept swapping and changing my mind, going to different colleges. I think it was because I thought I had to make him proud, but without him there, I had no idea what he would want for me. So I just felt like if I kept trying new things, one day, I’d just feel it.”