Page 99 of Blade

I nodded, not able to say anything else.

“Jack,” she called, looking around the room.

“Yea, babe?”

“Can you take me home, please?”

Jack looked over at me before answering, “Um, I only have my bike.”

“So? It has a seat on the back, doesn’t it?”

“NO!” I growled at the same time as Samantha.

Becca whipped around on me.

“You don’t get a say!” she yelled.

“Take my car, Jack,” Samantha offered, reaching into her apron and producing her keys.

She tossed them to Jack.

“Becca, please, just give me a few minutes.”

I looked into her eyes, seeing the one thing I never wanted to see on her face.

Hatred.

She walked away from me toward the door. Stopping just before she opened it, she turned back to me. Her hatred gone, and for a moment I had hope, until I realized there was no emotion at all. Just before she walked out of my life, she said something I never expected to hear from her.

“Fuck you, Micah.”

Jack gave me a look, and I knew what he was asking.

I nodded, and he followed her out the door. I knew he’d make sure she got home safe. She didn’t know Grant was missing, but Jack did. He’d stay with her.

I stood there staring at the door, willing her to come back as Rachel came up next to me, and I wrapped my arm around her, kissing her head.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered.

I couldn’t be mad at her.

She had my girl’s back.

This was all on me.

“You have nothing to be sorry about. This was my doing. Except maybe for slugging me, three times,” I said, eyeing her.

“I’m not apologizing for that; you deserved it.” She laughed, then quickly sobered. “What are we going to do? She can’t leave again.”

“I’m not letting her go, Rach. Never again. Though we should probably warn Ryder that the cat’s out of the bag. Once she’s done tearing into Grams, she’ll head to him.”

She chuckled. “Maybe we shouldn’t. Why should he escape her wrath?”

Smiling down at her.

“Yea, you’re right.”

Turning us around, I looked back at my brothers.

---