Page 16 of Raptor

"Come on, Jess," I urge softly. "Let's go home. You're freezing."

"I'll take you," Stephen says thickly. "No fucking arguing. You both need to go home and it's not safe out here."

"I'll call Maverick," Jess says. They’re the first words she's spoken since this shit went down. "Besides, you need to sort that out," she tells him, waving her hand in the direction of O'Leary's lifeless body.

"I'll do it," he says, pulling his cell from his pocket and calling his friend Maverick, who is also Jess’ cousin.

While he's doing that, I pull Jess into my arms, holding her close. "I'm sorry," I whisper. "I hate that you had to see that. I know it hurts, but you're going to be fine. I promise you, he's not going to hurt you."

She doesn't answer me but she doesn't move from my embrace either. I just want to go home. God, I want to get the fuck out of here and go home where it's safe. I want to talk to Raptor. I need to hear his voice.

I'm terrified there will be retaliation.

I'm so fucking scared that the other O'Learys will come for me, for my baby.

God, what happens next?

Chapter 7

Raptor

It's been a long-ass day. I've been working on a custom ride for the past nineteen hours and I'm about ready to collapse. I know my brothers are going to want to celebrate that we managed to get the huge fucking order of custom rides done on time, but I'm not wanting that. I'm beyond exhausted. Over the past week, I've barely slept due to trying to get this order ready, but fuck, it's done now and that's the main thing. The money we've made from it is sweet as fuck. Being one of the best custom ride shops on the east coast means we get a fucking lot of business. Every brother has learned the ropes of what to do. Some are better at restoring cars, while others are more experienced at building bikes. When I move to Ireland, I'll be working in the shop there. It's going to take time to build the reputation we have here over there, but we're determined. There's nothing that's going to stop us from becoming the best custom ride shop in Europe too.

My brothers have also opened a strip club that's bringing in a lot of money. We were a little skeptical at first, but the money it's bringing in is worth it. When I get to Ireland, I'll also be working at the club, mainly doing security as that's what's needed. Butfrom what I've heard, it's not that bad. Some of the men used to get a little handsy, but they were kicked out and weren’t allowed back. It set a tone, and thankfully, from what Pyro's said, they know better than to do that shit now.

I take the stairs, glad I'm one of the first brothers back at the clubhouse. I need a shower and then I'm sleeping until morning. Before I reach my room, I spot Rush coming out of the kitchen. He's six-foot-three, his hair is shaved, and he's got tattoos on his neck, one of which is his sister's name. Ruby is his world. He'd do anything for her.

"Brother, you good?" Rush asks, his gaze assessing. He's watching me like a hawk. All the brothers are. They're worried about me, but they shouldn't be. I'm fine—pissed, but fine.

I give him a chin lift. It's fucked to think about how he came to be a brother. The shit he's been through, it would tear a man apart, but Rush, he's doing good. He's got a good head on him. He knows what he did wrong and he's grown to be a man we all respect and are proud to call a brother. Shooting an old lady is something that would usually get you killed, but when Rush shot Octavia he was a punk-ass kid who had no choice. His father was a cunt who had plans to sell his six-year-old sister. Rush did what he had to do in order to save Ruby. It was fucked up that Octavia was caught in the crossfire, but the boy has grown into a man and is loved by the old ladies and respected by the brothers. The past is exactly where it should stay.

"I'm good. Gonna sleep 'til it's next week," I say through a laugh.

"You're gettin' old," he quips. "You're no longer able to keep up with us."

I narrow my eyes, fucking hating that the kid is right. "You wish you could keep up with me, kid, but I wouldn't want to shame you in front of everyone."

His laughter is deep and comes from his belly. The past six months or so, he's gotten better. He's no longer withdrawn or hesitant to be a part of the brotherhood. He's growing into himself, and everyone's fucking happy he is. We were going to drag it out of him, but from what I've seen, Serenity and Esme are the ones who have helped him. Shadow and Reaper's women are sweet as fuck, and they love the kid like he's their own, and we all know that's helped him. He's never had that and those women have given it to him.

"Rap, you want me to send Ruby up to read you a bedtime story?" he asks with a raised brow.

I flip him off. "Fuck off," I hiss as he laughs even harder.

He slaps my back as he passes me. "I'm only joking, Rap. You've worked harder than anyone to get those rides done. Everyone knows that. You worked so our brothers could be with their old ladies and their kids. Go, get some sleep. Maybe tonight's the night you'll talk with Mallory."

I shake my head. That's not going to happen. It's been three months and no fucking word from her. I doubt I'll hear from her until I track her down in Ireland. I don't know what the fuck happened, but I'm going to find out. If something's happened to her, I need to know. But with her speaking with Chloe almost daily, I know that she's alive, which means she just doesn't want to speak with me.

I close my door and start to strip out of my clothes, throwing my wallet, keys, and cell onto the bed. My entire body is fucking tired. There's not a part of me that doesn't feel the exhaustion. Rush was kind of right. I'm thirty-six; I'm getting older. Working over a hundred and thirty hours in a week is taking its toll.

I step into the shower, letting the water cascade onto my shoulders, right where the knots are. Fifteen minutes later, I have a towel wrapped around my waist and I'm exiting the bathroom, when my cell rings. I walk over to the bed and reachfor my phone. I'm about to hit ignore when I see the caller ID. Mallory.

It's been three months since I've spoken to her. To have her call me when it's after midnight her time sends chills up my spine.

"Darlin', you okay?" I say as I answer.

I hear a sob break through the line. "Rap," she breathes heavily. "I'm so sorry, I didn't know who else to call. I'm sorry."

I clench my teeth. The sound of her crying is tearing me apart. "Darlin', don't fuckin' apologize for callin' me. What happened? Are you hurt?"

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