Page 36 of Daughters of Chaos

Rae clenches her jaw as she looks up at the ceiling. "I wanted to keep you safe."

"For me to be safe, I need to know what's going on around me. I'm a big girl, Raven. I can handle it."

She lets her head fall in defeat as she quietly replies, "I know. I'm sorry."

"You can't keep me in the dark anymore, Rae. I need to know what's going on."

"I know," she says, sounding defeated.

"Tell me everything," I demand.

So she does. Rae tells me about her suspicions from the beginning, how everyone was acting cagey for a while, and how this guy, Dom, showed up at the bar and threatened the club. She told me how he showed up outside the grocery store today and started the fight. By the time she finishes, I feel numb.

We're all in danger. Me, Rae, Dad, Lace . . . Raptor.My heart skips a beat as I remember he isn't here. He's gone, taking care of clubbusiness.

My breath starts to stagger as panic sets in. Raven hurries to my side, pulling me close. "It's going to be okay, Nix. We can leave and get away from all this mess. We can transfer you to another school. I can get you somewhere safe."

Her words only make the panic worse.Leave? We can't leave, not now.I shake my head. "No. We can't leave, Rae. I'm too invested to go anywhere else. School, Dad, Lace, Raptor."

Tears start to well in my eyes. "I can't go. Besides, if that Dom guy is half as crazy as he sounds, who's to say he won't follow us to get revenge on the club?"

Raven's face turns stony. I can see the gears turning in her head. I'm right, and she knows it. There's no leaving, not anymore.

After a minute, her features shift. A fiery determination sets in her eyes as she says, "Then we stay. We stay, and we talk to Viper. He and the guys will help keep you safe."

Just then, Archie comes into the room. "Viper wants to talk to you downstairs," he tells us.

I look down at Lace, who's out cold. "Should we wake her?"

Archie shakes his head. "Nah, leave her. Bear said he'll fill her in later."

Raven and I follow Archie to the kitchen, where Dad and some of the others are talking. As soon as they notice us, they fall silent. Dad cocks his head toward the door, signaling them to leave. Most of the men shuffle out, leaving only the club officers behind.

"Phoenix, Raven, please take a seat," Dad says gravely.

I grip Raven's hand as we sit down. Her jaw is tight as she stares at the men across from us.

"I'm sure after today, you have questions," Dad says, looking at me.

Before I can respond, he continues, "The MC isn't just a club for guys who love Harleys. Sometimes we get ourselves into trouble—with the law, with other clubs. After today, we can't hide that from you, not if we want to keep you safe." His words are tight, and his emotions heavy.

He clears his throat as Rae and I wait for him to finish. "What we do here . . . it's not always legal. We run our legitimate businesses alongside our not-so-legitimate ones. And those tend to snag the attention of competitors from time to time. Other clubs want what we have and don't have any issues using force to get it."

My hand squeezes Raven's harder as he tells us what he can—just enough to bring us up to speed on the potential danger we're facing without giving too many specifics. When he's through, hepromises to keep us safe and protect us from any fallout from the altercation with Dom and his crew.

He confirms what I told Rae earlier about us leaving and Dom going after us. Dad tells us we would be in more danger if we leave than if we stay. Leaving now, we'd be vulnerable, unprotected. By staying here, we would have someone with us at all times, making sure we were safe.

His words are as much for his benefit as for ours. I can tell this situation is eating at him. He doesn't want any harm to come to us because of our affiliation with him and the Sons. The fear in his eyes is real, and it chills me to the bone.

My head is still spinning from the information dump I've received over the last few hours. It almost doesn't register when the front door flies open and two hulking forms enter the house. Raven grabs my hand, staring toward the commotion. I follow her gaze and almost break down in tears.

Raptor is standing there, looking feral with a busted lip, bruises on his jaw, and bloody knuckles. I can tell from the splatter on his clothes that much of the blood isn't his own. Reaper stands close by, wearing similar wounds. His typical scowl looks even more savage surrounded by his injuries.

Without thinking, I run to Raptor, grabbing his butchered hands in my own. "Are you okay? You're hurt."

He shakes his head. "I'm fine. I promise. Just a few scratches."

I breathe out a shaky sigh as I grab the first aid kit and start tending to his wounds. As I clean him up, he asks if I'm all right. I shrug, telling him it was a rough day. I confess that Dad told Raven and me the truth about the club.

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