Page 80 of Devil's Vengeance

Looking up at him, I asked, “What about Chase?”

He pressed his lips together in a tight line. “I’ll find out about him too. Just take some deep breaths. It’ll all be okay.”

CHAPTER 48

CHASE

“Wake up, boy scout,” a familiar voice taunted me. He sounded muffled as my brain tried to come back online. Pain tugged at my neck and my shoulder, making me flinch as I shifted restlessly. What the fuck happened?

A hand slapped my cheek lightly, and he chuckled when I batted it away. “Fuck off, Viper.”

“He lives,” he crowed with a laugh. “The mighty boy scout has risen again.”

“Is that a Jesus reference? Are we calling Chase Jesus now?” Snake Eyes commented around a mouthful of food. I forced my eyes open, blinking a few times to clear my vision, only to watch him stuff another handful of popcorn into his maw like a damn idiot.

“Where am I?”

“Heaven,” Viper answered with a smirk. Then he frowned. “No, wait. Hell. My heaven sure as fuck wouldn’t have you in it. It’d have lines of hot babes waiting for me to bless them with the glory of my cock.”

“Shut the fuck up, both of you,” Doc commented, hauling Viper away by the back of his shirt. He took the asshole’s spot, shining a pen light in my eyes. I squinted and shoved the light away, which made him sigh. “Well, you look fine. A centimeter to the right and it’d be a different story.”

It took a minute for it all to come back to me. The stupid plan keeping me away from Mariah. The stakeouts every night to watch over her. Theofficers were discussing a new plan when Trick finally showed his face. They weren’t ready. I was the only one looking out for her. I sent a 911 text to Neo, who would get to them the fastest, and hauled ass inside. Because I wasn’t there during the day, I didn’t notice Trick’s crew coming in and methodically removing the alarms on the doors. Mariah didn’t notice either because she’d only show up in the afternoon to keep up with her little ruse. It made it easy to follow them, but because I was on my own, I knew I wouldn’t be able to get her out of there myself. I killed the one hanging around the back door to prevent her from escaping, but I couldn’t take them all on and protect her at the same time. I was terrified the plan to have her run would backfire like it had with Hannah, but she got out the door. That was when I took a shot to the neck. I couldn’t remember anything after that.

“Mariah…”

“Your girl is fine. Croy’s got Knox updating her on your condition,” Snake Eyes said, munching happily on his popcorn. When I frowned at him, he shrugged. “Apparently her daddy is an old hangaround. Has some pull with the older generation. Had a meeting with Croy and got him to agree to keep her updated.”

There was a lot to dig into with that sentence, but I wasn’t going to do it with him. Those two knuckleheads would only make it harder on me. Pushing up to my elbow, I touched the bandage on my neck, frowning at Doc.

“When can I leave?”

He was busy cleaning up his supplies, but he looked over his shoulder at me. “Sit up.”

I did as asked, letting my feet hang over the edge of the bed. I was shirtless, but still in my jeans. My shoulder throbbed from the pain, and the stitches pulled on my neck, but it was nothing a little medicine wouldn’t fix.

“Any dizziness? Nausea?”

I shook my head, then winced from the action. He rolled his eyes.

“Don’t do that. How bad is the pain?”

“Manageable. Got any advil?”

He grunted, grabbing a bottle from his pack and tapping a few out intohis palm. “If you would’ve said pain-free, I would’ve told you to stay put because I’d know you were lying. No riding until you can turn your head without pain. But you can move around the clubhouse just fine. Get a ride to visit your girl.Afteryou check in with Prez. I don’t want to be responsible if you sneak off.”

He handed me the medicine and a bottle of water. I tipped back both, careful not to move too much and tug at the stitches. As long as I moved slowly, it didn’t bother me that much. I grabbed a new shirt from my dresser and socks, sitting on the edge of my bed to pull on my boots. I was going to ask where my phone was when someone knocked on the door. It wasn’t one of my brothers, it was too gentle for that. That bubble of hope filled my chest again and when Mariah came into the room, I felt all the tension escape me in a rush.

“You’re awake,” she said, surprised.

Doc stepped past her, shooting me a sour look over his shoulder. “No fucking around and ripping your stitches.”

Yeah, yeah. I ignored him, putting my hand out to beckon her closer. When she got close enough, I wrapped my arms around her hips, resting my forehead against her stomach. I wanted to just breathe her in, but a steady munching reminded me that we had a fucking audience. I turned my head enough to glare at the dynamic duo.

“Fuck off.”

“Aw, but then we’ll miss the show,” Viper protested. Snake Eyes nodded, offering the bag of popcorn to Viper while he stared at us.

Mariah looked like she was trying not to laugh. “You did hear about how I maced the last group of bikers who pissed me off, right?”

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