Page 17 of Mercenary's Redemption

To my surprise, it's just Knowledge and Trickster, back from their pursuit of the two bastards who shattered my windows.

I storm out to meet them, barking, "Well? How did it go?"

Knowledge shakes his head grimly while Trickster rolls his eyes.

"Same reckless bullshit as always," Knowledge grumbles. "This idiot decided to take one of the guys out mid-chase by flinging himself at his bike. The other drove away."

"It got the job done, didn't it?" Trickster retorts with a nonchalant shrug, but I can see he's favoring one arm, cradling it against his chest.

Moving closer, I give the back of his head a light smack.

"Let me see, dumbass. Why you gotta be so damn foolhardy all the time?"

Trickster obediently rolls up his sleeve, revealing a nasty stretch of raw, oozing flesh along his forearm—road rash from his little stunt.

"I had to get creative to keep up. Life's no fun without a little excitement, bro."

I huff out an exasperated breath, shooting him a quelling glare even as I inspect the angry-looking wound. That's going to get infected if we don't-

The soft creak of the door behind me cuts off my thoughts. I spin to see Holly emerging from the hallway, my rumpled bedsheets clutched around her body in a makeshift covering. Trickster's brows shoot up as he takes in her barely clothed state, a slow grin stretching across his face.

"Well, well..." he drawls with a wolfish chuckle. "Seems our boy here was having himself a real good time while we did all the heavy lifting."

I level him with a hard stare.

"Shut it, jackass. Someone came around earlier looking for payback - I had to handle things." Jerking my chin at the broken desk and chairs, I add gruffly, "Place got trashed again in the chaos."

Knowledge frowns, the ever-protective one eyeing Holly with suspicion.

"Who is she to you now? Just another conquest?” he demands, looking to me for answers. "You know the rules about outsiders, Chance."

Squaring my shoulders, I meet his gaze head-on.

"Chill. She's my girl now. And if anyone's got a problem with that, you can take it up with me." I let that sink in for a beat before adding flatly, "I don't want to hear any more shit about it, understood?"

For a tense moment, it seems like Knowledge might actually oppose my claim. But then, grudgingly, he gives a curt nod, knowing full well I'll brook no argument on this.

Thank fuck... The last thing I need is to deal with more conflict from my own crew.

"I can help take care of his arm," Holly pipes up from behind me. "I'm a nurse, so wounds like that are kind of my thing. I just need to get dressed first."

Trickster flashes her a cocky grin, clearly approving.

"Well, hot damn, Chance - seems you found yourself the complete package after all! A girl who can patch me up and keep you out of trouble, too? She might never be out of work at this rate."

Resisting the urge to flip him off, I settle for a derisive snort.

"Just shut your damn mouth and let the lady work, Trick."

Holly goes and returns within a minute. As she moves to tend to Trickster's road-rashed arm, I catch Knowledge's eye and jerk my head, signaling for him to follow me into the corner. Once we're a few paces away, he leans in close, keeping his voice low.

"You sure about this, man?" he murmurs, brows furrowed with concern. "Letting an outsider get that deep into club business...that ain't like you, Chance. You know how risky that shit can be."

I shoot him a level look, undeterred.

"I know, bro. And I ain't about to put us at risk, you know that." My gaze flicks briefly over to where Holly is gently cleaning Trickster's wound, her focus intent. "She understands I can't change who I am. I'll keep her in the loop where I need to, but no more than that. Not yet, at least."

Knowledge shakes his head slowly. "I’ve heard that love makes men do some crazy shit. Never been struck by that particular brand of stupid, though. Probably never will."

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