CHAPTER 41
MAYA
Before I can even peel open my eyes, there are voices around me.
“Axle might kill you if he finds you lying on the bed beside her,” Eve is saying from somewhere in the room.
“Like I won’t hear him the second they all get back. I’ll have plenty of time to move,” Drake tells her, sounding really close to my side. “I want her to think we got married in Vegas and that now I’m the Blackbird king. Should be interesting.”
I’d laugh, if it didn’t hurt so much to even consider. Guess Drake knows who I am now.
“I worry about you sometimes,” Eve says on a sigh.
“Only sometimes? I must be losing my edge.”
Ever so slowly, my eyes blink open to the bright light filtering through the room.
“She’s awake,” Eve says, even as I blink again, trying to adjust my vision to the brightness.
“Is that what it means when someone’s eyes are open? Always wondered about that,” Drake says, grinning at Eve when I look over at him.
Then he turns that dazzling smile on me.
“Afternoon, sunshine. You look like shit.” He says all this with a grin.
“I was kidnapped by a sociopath,” I say with a hoarse, scratchy voice, forcing the words out. “What’s your excuse?”
Drake just grins broader as Eve hands me a bottle of water. I thank her with a tight smile as I start drinking the water, trying not to drink too fast.
“Well, she seems fine,” Drake goes on, then looks at me again and holds up four fingers.
“How many fingers am I holding up?” he asks seriously.
Idly, I take in the fact there’s an IV running into my hand, presumably fluids.
I extend my middle finger to Drake. “More than me,” I say, still flipping him off.
He laughs lightly. “I’d say all her brain cells are probably destroyed, but that likely happened before the blow to the head.”
“Blows to the head,” I grumble, wincing when I feel the pain in my side that reminds me of my ribs. Just cracked—not broken. “Plural.”
I look around, taking in the room I’m in, and a pain catches in my chest.
“Where’s Axle?” I ask Eve.
“They had something to do. They had already gotten the ball rolling on striking back at Herrin and making a statement when we found out about you, and—”
Her words cut off when a familiar face steps into the room, and tears blur my vision as Smitty looks over at me with sad, haunted eyes. He’s almost too big for the doorway, and he ducks his head as he comes in completely and straightens again.
“We’ll give you two a minute,” Eve says softly.
“I’m not going anywhere,” Drake tells her in a bored drawl. “Axle said he doesn’t trust the Family right now, and that I’m to stay put or he’ll make me look as un-pretty as he is.” He shudders dramatically. “I’m too pretty not to be pretty.”
I groan inwardly, rolling my eyes as I swing my gaze to Drake. “Go. We need a minute alone.”
He looks between us, and all jokes aside, looks genuinely worried about leaving me alone with Smitty.
“I’ll leave the door open,” Smitty says tightly, taking a seat in the far corner. “And I’ll stay right here.”
Drake warily stands, and a tear slips from my eye. Smitty looks broken. The man who has been like a second father to me acts like he’s worried I’ll be scared of him. Everyone is treating him like he’s the one who betrayed me.
“Don’t be ridiculous, Smitty,” I say with a stronger voice, the water already helping to soothe the dry throat. “You can come closer.”
Drake glares at me, but I ignore him. Compared to Smitty, I barely know Drake at all. Not that I don’t appreciate the protective vibe that makes me feel safe right now.
Smitty looks down, a tear falling from his eye, and Drake stands to leave. “I’ll be right outside. Armed. I’m a decent shot.”
I vaguely remember shooting Troy in the ass, but I definitely don’t bring that up right now.
I also realize I’m very naked under this sheet. Why am I naked?
Clutching the sheet to my chest, I sit up a little, even though it sends a shot of pain up my spine from the pitiful ribs.
“Don’t try to move,” Smitty says, standing and hesitating to come toward me.
“I’m sorry,” I finally say to him, tears choking me.
His eyes fill with more tears, and he shakes his head.
“I’m the one who’s sorry, little one. My own son hated the Family so much he betrayed you and almost got you killed. And I was too blind to see it coming.”
“You shouldn’t be expected to choose between your family and our Family. I understand if you can’t be a part of Blackbird, and you have my word nothing will happen if you decide to retire.” The words are barely a broken whisper.
He smiles grimly at me. “I’ll be honest. I thought about leaving after I learned of Troy’s involvement. Simply because I don’t trust my judgment anymore. Lathaniel died on my watch. You almost died at the hands of my son.”
“My brother betrayed the Family, Smitty. Not just Troy. I want Lathan dead worse than—”
“Lathan is dead,” he interrupts, lips twitching. “Your boyfriend killed him when we came for you.”
My heart beats a little faster at just the alluded mention of Axle.
“But I understand what you’re saying,” he says on a long breath. “When someone betrays you, the blood running in their veins doesn’t make you more likely to forgive them. If their plan had worked, Blackbird would have crumbled, and Troy would have sentenced us all to death for greed. Not just you. His own sisters. His mother. Me. He gets no loyalty from me. If it’s okay with you, I want to stay at your side. You’re more my daughter than he is now my son. Even in death, I will never claim a man who doesn’t care about his family.”
“Because family is all that matters,” I say with a small smile, knowing that’s why we even call our organization a Family.
“They’re very protective and don’t trust me very much,” he says quietly, gesturing with his head toward the door. “They fear I will want retribution for Troy’s death.”
“That’s because they don’t know you,” I say softly.
He nods, looking down. “I realize I spent a lot of time worrying about you for nothing when you were here. This club, though a little rough and barbaric, has iron-clad loyalty to each other that you don’t find everywhere.”
“Only the inner circle. It’s a little shaky the lower down you get. Any tips you can leave them with to snuff out the leaks?”
His lip wavers, and I realize how stupid that was to say. “No. I’m afraid I don’t trust myself to give advice in that area right now.”
I nod in understanding and silent apology, as I clutch the sheet a little tighter to me.
“I’m naked under here. Any clothes around that I can wear so we can get out of here?” I ask him.
His brow furrows. “You want to leave?”
I spot the little ketchup beside the door, perched on the dresser, and emotion clogs my throat. “Nothing has changed, and I’d rather not see Axle and have to say goodbye a second time.”
I look back over at Smitty to see sympathy in his eyes. What the hell is that about?
I blame it on the fact he just lost a son and his emotions are a little heightened. It’s hard to be sensitive to his loss when Troy was willing to turn me over to Lathan to be tortured. And the fact he beat the hell out of me doesn’t help either.
Clearing his throat, he stands, opening a drawer and tossing me a T-shirt that definitely belongs to Axle. Damn it.
Then he tosses me a pair of boxers.
“Really?” I ask, trying to lighten the mood.
He barely cracks a grin. “Unfortunately, I didn’t have the forethought to bring clothes, and yours were rather ruined.” He clears his throat again. “I’ll let the guys know we’re about to leave. It’ll take a few minutes to—”
“Axle said no leaving,” Drake butts in, poking his head through the doorway after clearly having been eavesdropping.
Chest pain.
“Tell him thank you for coming after me,” I say to Drake, forcing a smile. “But I need to get back.”
He narrows his eyes at me. “Too pretty to be un-pretty,” he says, gesturing at his face.
“You’ll still be pretty no matter what,” I say with a wink, and he rolls his eyes while groaning.
“Damn women. Why do I always get put in charge of the vagina squad, when everyone knows the vagina squad never listens to me?”
As he stalks away, Smitty looks over at me. “Odd little assortment of friends you’ve made.”
Smitty turns and walks out, shutting the door behind him to give me privacy.
With a wince, I pull out the IV, and massage my hand for a second. Then I bite back a litany of curses when I pull on the clothes, my entire body protesting the actions.
Fortunately, in just a few weeks, the pain will be more tolerable in my ribs. Yes, I’ve dealt with this before.
I glance once again at the small ketchup, and my smile tugs up. At least he’s been thinking about me a little.
That makes it a little less awkward that I went and fell in love with him.
As the sheet falls away, I realize I’m not completely naked. There’s a lot of Ace bandaging around my torso.
My eyes drift to the small mirror on the wall, and I grimace when I see all the bruises on my face. The swelling is minor, but Drake’s words still ring true.
I really do look like shit.