I wake to the beeping sounds of a machine.

For a moment, distress fills my body and I think that I’m still with them.

The monsters.

But after a few terrifying seconds, I realize I’m in a bed, and I’m warm, and there are machines around me.

I’m in a hospital.

Mason came for me.

He came for me after everything.

And he saved me.

He saved me.

Panic quickly returns when I remember the gunshots, and the blood, and I immediately fear for the lives of the other bikers there.

Did any of them get hurt?

Or worse?

My heart starts racing, and I can hear the machine start to beep more rapidly. My eyes start to clear, and my vision becomes less blurry, and I see a woman walking into the room, her eyes on me. She’s wearing a light blue uniform, and stops at the side of my bed, staring down at me. “Hi there,” she says, reaching over and clipping something onto my finger, “how are you feeling?”

I blink a few times, then in a croaky voice I say, “I’m mostly numb. What...what happened to me?”

Well. I know what happened to me. But I mean, how bad is it.

She doesn’t know that, and starts rambling, “We’re not sure. You were brought in by some local,” she looks left, then right, “bikers...they said you had been attacked by an ex-boyfriend. They didn’t know where he was, refused to talk to police. Scary men, they were. We suspect they had something to do with it...”

“They didn’t,” I croak, as quickly as I can. “They had nothing to do with anything. They’d not hurt me. Are...are they here?”

“Well, yes, they haven’t left. We took you right into surgery, you had some substantial injuries, broken bones, internal bleeding, and a lot of cuts and bruises.”

Yeah.

I remember the pain my body endured at the hands of those assholes.

“Can I see them, please?”

“The bikers?” She asks, scrunching her nose up a little. “Well, yes, but I need to have you looked at before I can allow visitors in here.”

I don’t know why she’s so shocked that I’d want to see them.

No wonder they spend so much time at the club house, people are judgy assholes.

The doctor comes in, and checks me over, telling me that the pain medication from surgery will wear off soon, and I’ll be sore, but that they think I’ll make a full recovery. When he’s done, they finally go and let whoever is out there waiting, in.

Mason is the first one to walk through the door, and the moment I see him, my heart pounds. It just pounds.

Everything about him sparks me to life.

And I ache.

Everywhere.

Behind him is Malakai and Amalie, followed by Maverick and Scarlett.

I don’t move my eyes off Mason, though, until he reaches the bed and leans in, getting close and murmuring, “Tell me you’re fuckin’ okay. Two words. I’m okay.”

My heart swells, and I whisper, “I’m okay.”

He presses his forehead to mine, and I exhale, closing my eyes, feeling him, breathing him in. He came for me. He risked it all to come for me. He didn’t have to. Hell, two days ago, I wouldn’t have wanted him to. But sitting in that room, wondering if I was going to live or die, made me realize the petty things don’t matter. He was wrong, for doing what he did, but I also understand how it could have happened.

And, I’ll make sure he makes it up to me.

Without a doubt.

He stands up straight, eyes still on mine. I hold them, and ask, voice hoarse, “Yolanda?”

Malakai is the one to speak, and when he does, it’s gently. “She got shot.”

I flinch, and my blood runs cold.

I might not like, or even love, my sister, but the fact of that matter is, she’s still my sister. She’s still my blood. And unlike her, I’d never wish anything to happen to her.

“Is she...” I whisper, rubbing my arms, “dead?”

Malakai shakes his head. “No, but she’s in a bad way.”

I swallow. “You know, I had to do it. I couldn’t let you hand her over. That would have made me as big of a monster as her, and I don’t think I could handle that. I couldn’t live with myself if something happened to her. I did what I had to do.”

Malakai smiles, and Mason turns to me, and says, “Nobody is pissed at you for doin’ that. Fuck knows, she deserved to be tossed at them. What you did, showed me...us...exactly the kind of person you are. And that’s a fuckin’ good one. You made us all proud, Saskia.”

My heart feels like it’s going to explode.

“I could have pushed her for you,” Scarlett points out with a smile. “But, I still think you did the right thing, even though I still want to poke her eyes out.”

I laugh and it hurts, so I stop, clutching my ribs.

“Are you in a lot of pain?” Amalie asks, her face concerned.

I shake my head. “Not yet, but I will be soon apparently. Never mind, I’m alive, and for a while there, I didn’t think I was getting out.”

Mason steps closer, big hand cupping my cheek. “Never goin’ to let anything happen to you, I would have made sure you got out of there.”

I swallow, and nod. “How did you find me?”

Mason grins. “Your insane, smart, best friend.”

“Chantelle?” I smile.

“Yeah, she went to Enzo, roped him, got him thinkin’ she was goin’ to pay the money, and got the names of the people after him. Stupid fucker fell for it.”

I frown. “But, if she didn’t deliver and said she would, Enzo might come after her.”

Mason’s eyes flash. “Enzo ain’t comin’ after anyone, I promise you that. He wouldn’t want to dare.”

Maybe.

But I’m still worried.

Enzo doesn’t just lie down.

If Chantelle screwed him over, he will come after her.

One way or another.