Page 47 of Myla: The Hawthornes

“Shit,” I said in surprise, getting to my feet. “They sent the calvary.”

“Of course,” Myla replied.

“I know, it took us long enough to get here,” Myla’s mom Heather announced. “But I got a fucking flat, and we had to pull over to change it.”

“Ironic, no?” Mack asked, his eyes meeting mine over her head.

The first time I’d met anyone in the club had been the day I’d turned fourteen, and they’d pulled over to help us when a tire on Aoife’s piece of shit car went flat. I’d gone down to the gas station to fill up her spare tire and come back over the hill to finda group of bikes and huge-ass bikers parked behind my sister’s car. I nearly pissed myself back then.

Now? I’d never been more relieved to see them.

“You look tired,” Heather said, leaning up on her toes to kiss my cheek as she hugged me. “Makes you more handsome.”

“Stop flirtin’ with the boy,” Tommy said, physically moving his wife to the side so she could pull me in for his own backslapping hug. “I didn’t drive all the way out here to kill him.”

“Thanks for comin’,” I ground out. My throat seemed tight for some reason.

“You okay?” Lily asked as Tommy and Heather headed for Myla. “How’s Richie?”

“Still the same,” I replied, leaning down to give Gray’s mom a hug.

“That’s not a bad thing,” she said quietly, pulling back to look in my eyes. “His body’s healing. Sometimes that takes a minute.”

“I hear you.”

“Dragon and Brenna send their love.”

“Brenna does,” Rose corrected as she hugged me too. “Dragon probably just grunted.”

“She’s got jokes,” Leo said, reaching out to shake my hand and slap my shoulder. “How ya doin’ kid?”

“I’m all right.”

“You look like shit,” Leo replied, looking me up and down with a nod. “But you’ll do.”

“We’ll be here as long as you need us,” Will said as Leo walked toward the couches.

“I can’t believe you guys came all the way out here,” I said, glancing at Mack, who’d joined us.

“Would’ve been more, but we made some of the boys stay back,” Mack said. “Coverin’ the garage and keepin’ an eye on shit back home.”

“They weren’t happy about it,” Will added.

“The old timers—”

“You’re a fuckin’ old-timer,” Will cut in.

Mack glared at him, then looked back at me. “People got families to take care of, but don’t be surprised if people keep tricklin’ in. Have a feelin’ once they get some shit settled back home they’ll be headed this way.”

“Might want to let them know not to,” I said, looking over my shoulder at the women who’d congregated in the sitting area I’d just left. “Gray thinks things might get a little hot here.”

“Fill us in,” Tommy ordered, squeezing my shoulder as he came up behind me.

I’d barely finished telling them what Gray and Brody had found when Myla’s arms wrapped around my waist from behind and my mouth snapped shut.

“Sorry, am I interrupting?” she asked, tucking her shoulder under my armpit and not sounding the least bit concerned.

“Yeah,” Tommy replied.

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