Page 64 of The Enforcer

When the medical personnel leave the room, I rush back over to Shane’s left side so I can avoid the burns. He looks over at me, eyes roaming over my face. After swallowing a few times, he inclines his head to me. In a raspy voice, he asks, “You okay?’

A tear tracks down my face as I nod. Shane raises a shaky hand and I lean down to meet his palm. He drags his thumb over my cheek to dry my tears. “Glad … you’re … okay.”

“You’re not,” I croak. “You’re hurt. You?—”

“Shhh,” he shushes me. “S’okay. C’mere.”

I should be the one comforting him, making sure he’s okay. I shouldn’t be leaning on him to put me back together again. But fuck, I thought I lost him. Even though Dr. Sams said he would wake up, I didn’t think my luck would be that good. I thought I would have to live without him.

Doing what he says, I lean against his chest, allowing him to run his hands over my hair. “I’m glad you’re awake,” I mutter against him. “I should have protected you. I should have been there for you.”

“Not your fault. Who set … who?”

A growl creeps up my throat as I sit up. “Fucking Kirk. He set the fire.” Grabbing his face gently between my hands, I lean close to him until our noses are almost touching. “I will fucking kill him for what he did to you. Do you hear me? I swear to you, baby. I’ll have his fucking head.”

With a chuckle that makes him cough against my lips, Shane mutters, “You say the sweetest things, baby.” He coughs once more, his eyes fluttering closed. “I love you, Ezekiel. I’m glad you’re not hurt.”

My throat closing, I say, “I wish you weren’t.”

“It’s fine,” he mutters, eyes closed tight. “You’ll take care of me, baby. You’ll … take …” Shane falls asleep in the middle of his sentence, though that probably has more to do with the meds than his exhaustion. I smile at him, glad that he’s awake—in the general sense—even if he’s not completely okay.

Kirk will fucking die for this.

Anger bubbling up through me, I stalk out of the room, intent on going to the clubhouse so I can have this discussion with Prez and my brothers.

I stop short when I open the door and see everyone gathered in the hallway. Some of my brothers are perched against the wall, some are sitting on the floor, some are pacing up and down the space.

When the hell did they get here? I was just in the hallway getting Shane some help and didn’t see anyone. I look down at my watch and see an hour has passed since I called the doctor in. Was I standing there, staring at Shane for the past fifteen or twenty minutes? Yeah, probably.

Pushing off the wall, Prez walks over to me and gives me a hug, surprising the shit out of me. Prez doesn’t hug. I’ve only ever seen him hug two people in all the years I’ve known him—Rax and Finn. He doesn’t do the touchy-feely shit. So, for him to hug me must mean I’m more fucked up than I thought I was.

Unable to help myself, I hug him back hard, my knees sagging as I let him hold me up. I won’t be okay until Shane is out of here. I’ll be a fucking mess until he’s walking through our front door.

Speaking so only I can hear, Prez says, “I’m here for you, brother. Anything you need.”

I nod, patting his back before I step back. “Thanks, Prez.” Looking around at all of my brothers, I gesture for them to come closer so I don’t say something that no one who’s not supposed to know hears. “Kirk is the one that set fire to the club. He almost killed Shane. That fucker is stupid enough to have stuck around after the club was in flames so he could try to kill me, so I know he’s still here. Find him. And when you do, bring that bitch to me. Understand?” Belatedly, I realize that the name of the club might be a little on the nose now. I’ll have to consult with Shane to see if he wants to change it.

Everyone nods and Prez gives out more instructions, telling them where they should look to find Kirk. “I don’t have to tell you all to be careful and I also don’t have to tell you that Kirk has a time limit on his life. You fuck with one of ours, you eat a fucking bullet.” Prez’s voice is fierce and I have to blink back tears. Everyone has accepted Shane and counts him as one of us. That means more to me than any of them could ever know.

Everyone disburses, heading to the elevators or down the stairs. Reaper stays behind. When everyone is gone besides Prez, Reaper steps up. “Zeke, I have an idea for when we catch Kirk.”

“What?” My voice is still gruff from the smoke inhalation and my chest still stings, but I don’t let that get in the way of conducting business so we can find Kirk.

“Remember Joker’s warehouse that we drove to when we dropped the package off all those months back? Remember how the forest looked?”

I nod, smiling as I think back on my initial thought upon seeing the forested area. While I stared out over the expanse of trees, I thought it would be a great place to hide a body.

“Prez,” I say.

He pulls his phone out and presses a button. “Already on it. Find that bitch and we’ll take a road trip.”

Reaper looks relieved, glad I accepted his solution. He swallows thickly, stuffing his hands in his pocket. “I’m really sorry about Shane. If I had anything to do with it, since Kirk?—”

I hold my hand up. “You didn’t. Kirk would have come after me regardless of if he ducked you or not. I just want to take care of this motherfucker so we can move on.” I bring Reaper in for a hug, knowing I need to give up the grudge I’m holding against him. “It wasn’t your fault. Kirk would have done this anyway in retaliation for taking his club.”

When I let him go, Reaper nods, pulling his lips in. “Yeah, you’re probably right.” Eyes burning with determination, he says, “I’ll find him. I’ll make up for my mistake. You have my word.”

He speaks with so much vehemence, I almost believe him. Inclining my head towards him, I watch him and Prez walk away and I step back into the room with Shane. I kiss his forehead, feeling the warmth of his skin. I place my hand on his chest, feeling his heart thud under my hand. It’s strong and sure, not sluggish at all.

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