Page 98 of Daughters of Chaos

I shake the thought away and slide my gaze around the room. Everyone seems lost in thought. Even Reaper who still has his eyes glued to Raven like she's about to disappear into thin air. He must still feel guilty about her abduction. I've never seen him like this, so . . . Worried? Scared? The emotions on his face are hard to decipher, but they’re intense as he keeps his steady gaze trained on my sister.

He was watching out for her that night, and she was taken right out from under him. I know it's not his fault. He and the others were doing their best to protect us in that mess. None of us saw it coming, but it's written all over his face that he holds himself responsible for what happened to her. After this, she'll be lucky if he lets her out of his sight at all.

A laugh bubbles in my chest at the thought.She'll love that.

Before the giggle can escape my throat, a soft knock sounds at the door. Jesse answers it, speaking to whoever is outside before opening the door wide. Hammer comes in, casting a wary look at Rae's slumbering form as he moves to Dad's side.

"Got some club business, Viper. Miguel and I have been handling it so far, but they wanna talk to you." I hear him say.

With a nod and another quick glance at Raven, Dad follows Hammer outside. A few minutes pass before Mason peels himself off the floor, taking up the empty seat Dad left behind. As he settles in, his eyes fall on Reaper across from us. He takes in the blood spatter and fatigue on the club enforcer's façade before addressing him.

"Reaper," he calls, tearing the hulking man's attention from Rae. "Why don't you go get cleaned up and get some rest? You look like hell."

The enforcer's eyes narrow, and his jaw clenches as he stares back at Mason. I look between his angry gaze and the other two men. Jesse and Mason must have cleaned up at some pointbecause their clothes and skin are stain-free, unlike Reaper, who's wearing his blood spatter like a trophy.

I hear Mason sigh beside me as he tries to reason with his friend. "You're still covered in blood. I thought you might want to wash up and get that filth off you."

Reaper's only reply is a grunt.

From my periphery, I see Jesse move closer. "Reaper, she's safe, man. Raptor and I are here. We've got guys guarding the door outside. You'll only be ten feet away." He leans close to Reaper's ear as he tells him, "We won't let anything happen to her."

The hulk of a man eyes him, still unmoving. "Besides," Jesse adds, "when she wakes up, you don’t want her to see your mug any uglier than it usually is. She’ll rip you a new one for getting blood all over her bed.”

Reaper scowls at him, then looks back at Raven. He takes a minute to mull over Jesse's words before standing and grabbing some clean clothes. He brushes past us and into the bathroom, stopping to turn and growl, "Nothing fucking happens to her."

We all nod in agreement as Jesse replies, "Nothing’s gonna happen to her, man. We’ll all be right here when you're done.”

Reaper's lips purse, eyes flitting to Raven again before disappearing into the bathroom. Water splashing against the tub is the only sound we hear until my voice cuts through the air.

"Do you think they . . . you know . . . while they had her?" I say the words before I can stop myself. The question that's been weighing on my mind since I found out what the Bastards did to Kat. I still can't bring myself to say it—raped—that makes it feel too real, but the guys know what I mean anyway.

Mason and Jesse exchange a quick look before Mason answers, "I don't know, babe. We won't know until she wakes up and we can ask."

I inhale a jagged breath. "I hope you guys ripped them to shreds.”

"We did," Jesse says firmly. "We made those fuckers pay."

My eyes snap to his face, but he isn't looking at me. His gaze is fixed on my sister as his lips twist into a scowl, whatever horrors they inflicted on the Bastards replaying in his mind. A sick part of me wishes I'd been there to witness what they did to Scar's men, but as soon as the thought appears, I chase it away. She's safe now. They'll never hurt anyone ever again.

My fingers twine with hers as I make a silent promise.You're safe now, Rae. We've got you.

My head falls forward again as I fight sleep. The sun has come and gone, settled far beneath the horizon and Raven still hasn't woken up. It must have been hours now since Dad left. He still hasn't returned. And Reaper, now showered and changed, has taken up his spot again on the other side of the bed, arms crossed and eyes glued back on my sister.

Some of the guys have come by with food and drinks for us, not that anyone's had much of an appetite. They've relayed any news and updates to us a few times today. Cops are swarming the area where the Bastards held their last stand. Local news reports have said the fire is still under investigation. Nothing more, nothing less.

If the authorities have linked the Sons to the warehouse mess, they haven't shown their hand yet. It could be days or weeks before that happens. Still, no one seems worried about that. I know I'm not.

My eyes drift back to Rae's sleeping form, and I settle back in my seat and wait. A gentle hand presses on my shoulder with a light shake, making my eyes snap open. Dammit, I fell asleep.

Groggily, I peer around the room, finding Mason standing next to me. I try to rub the sleep from my eyes, but everything feels muddled. It's like I'm moving in slow motion. I shake my head, stifling a yawn, trying to appear more awake than I am.

"Hey," Mason says softly, "how about we lay down and get some rest?"

I shake my head. "I don't want to leave her."

"I know, babe, but you're exhausted. You need to rest."

"I'll sleep on the floor," I say as my jaw hinges with another yawn.

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