Precarious

It’ll do.

The roaring of bikes in the distance tells us that the Tinmen aren’t going to just sit down and wallow over their stupidity. Maddox speeds up, sliding around corners like a speed demon. I hold onto him, my fingers straining in his jacket as he flies down the long stretch of road. The clubhouse is about twenty to thirty minutes away.

I hope we make it in time.

We slide into the clubhouse forty minutes later, after taking a detour home that the Tinmen don’t know about. Maddox hustles everyone off the bikes and orders them into the clubhouse. We manage to get safely inside, and Ash gives a pained cry when she lays her eyes on her friend. She rushes over, taking her into her arms and holding onto her.

Our eyes meet and she gives me a smile I’ll hold with me forever. It says more than thank you; it says you saved her life.

Loud rumbling zips past the road. For the Tinmen to reach the clubhouse, they’d have to turn off and come up the road. They’re not going to risk that; even I know that. They could be walking right into an ambush, and it’s too dangerous for them to act on their need to make Maddox pay.

The bikes rumbling disappears down the road, and I let a long, agonized breath out, dropping down onto the couch. The men all turn to me, their looks filled with appreciation and admiration. Maddox walks over, kneeling down in front of me. His big hand takes my chin.

“Who hit you?”

“It doesn’t matter, Maddox,” I whisper. “It’s done.”

His eyes scan my face. “So fuckin’ proud of you.”

I force a weak smile. “I guess we just started a war?”

He turns to Krypt, giving him a long stare. “I think we fuckin’ did, but we’re ready for it.”

Shit, I hope they are.

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

ASH

I stroke Claire’s hair as she sleeps, staring down at her, thanking God that she made it through this. I don’t know what I would have done if anything had happened to her. Her face is messed up, and she sat in silence as I cleaned her. I know she’s scared, and I can’t blame her. I can’t even imagine what she went through.

The door creaks, filling the silent room with a loud sound. I turn and see Krypt and Santana at the door. Santana has a dark, angry black eye, and a cut that looks like it hurts. I’m forever grateful to her; she risked her life for my friend. Krypt smiles at me, but it’s strained. “How is she?” he asks.

“She’s sleeping, which is good,” I say quietly.

I stand and walk over to them, not wanting to wake Claire. Santana reaches out and takes my hand. We all step out of the room, closing the door. Krypt turns to us, his eyes on me. “Spend some time together. I got shit to do with Maddox.”

I nod, and his hand reaches up to stroke a thumb over my bottom lip. He turns and disappears down the hall. I face Santana, smiling at her. “I can’t tell you how much I want to hug you right now, Santana, but I know you hurt your ribs quite badly. What you did...you’re...amazing.”

She shrugs. “Eh, what can I say?”

I beam. “You’re a strong girl.”

She smiles, but it wobbles slightly. “I did what I had to do.”

I reach out, putting my hands on her shoulders. “No, you did an amazing thing.”

Her bottom lip trembles, and I pull her into my arms – screw her ribs. I knew she was hurting; God how could she not be? It would have been so hard to do what she did. I rub her back carefully, wanting to give her whatever I can.

Maddox walks out of his office and stops when he sees her, his eyes narrowing. I shake my head at him, and I can see the clear anguish in his gaze as he fights to stop himself from walking over.

He stares at her for a long minute before disappearing down the hall. Santana pulls back, wiping her eyes. “So sorry.”

“Don’t you be sorry,” I say, chastising her softly. “You don’t ever have to say sorry.”

She smiles weakly. “I’m just glad she’s okay, you know?”

“I know.”

“I’m going to have a sleep. I need it.”

We hug again before she disappears down the hall. I watch her go with a true, warm smile. Santana and I will be great friends. I just know it.

A week passes with nothing. It’s eerily silent, and it’s scaring everyone. I have no doubt Howard will plot his revenge, but it all comes down to when. Santana is back to her usual bubbly self, and Claire is recovering each day. Leo is out of the hospital and has gone home, but he calls Claire each day, making sure she’s okay. That warms my heart.

I’m walking down the halls one day when I hear Maddox and Krypt’s voices. I peer into the room they’re in, about to announce myself, but their conversation has my mouth closing. Krypt is leaning against Maddox’s desk, and Maddox is pacing, arms crossed.

“You need to fuckin’ tell her, Maddox. If she finds out you know, and you’ve known all these years, she’s goin’ to hate you.”

“I’ll risk it, Krypt. I need to know more before she can ever find out. It’s going to do enough damage to her to find out what I’ve kept from her as it is. The least I can do is get the information right so I can help her when it comes the time to tell her.”

“She risked her life for this club, you owe it to her,” Krypt says, his eyes hard.

“Don’t tell me what I owe her, Krypt. I know what’s good for her, and it’s why I’ve kept it from her for five years.”