Page 114 of Blue

Brad gave me a hug. “I’ll let you know when I hear from her.” The crack in his voice revealed just how worried he was about Georgia.

“DM me if you want to ride some time,” Ryatt said to McKelle.

After they shared contact information, we all rode out of the parking lot. Ryatt and Brad took a left, and we headed back toward the MC.

Chapter Sixteen

Blue

Why hadn’t I jumped? I thought about the question a lot. I had no fucking reason not to leave. No one would miss me. When I’d stand on that concrete wall and stare at the ground below, I’d acknowledged that killing myself wasn’t going to punish Carl.

Would my mom finally shed a fucking tear for the son she failed? Probably not. I was pretty sure she’d been fucking Carl behind my dad’s back. What would it say about her if the man she wanted preferred her underage son? What the fuck did I know?

I no longer gave a fuck if she ever thought about me. I hadn’t jumped. Brantley Warner was already dead.

Rogue smoked another cigarette, and Bullet turned his chair toward me. McKelle and Kiss had left, but the tension had only built.

“We all got secrets, Blue,” Rogue said.

Maybe, but I wasn’t sharing mine. I glared at Cruz. He’d already said too much. At least he hadn’t given them Carl’s name or hinted at why I wanted him hurt. Cruz would be guessing. Kiss was the only one who knew everything.

“We know you got something eating you from the inside out,” Bullet said. He and Rogue exchanged a glance, a silent communication happening betweenthem. “Cruz is smart enough not to lie to me. Blue, you’ve always had my back.” Bullet leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms over his massive chest. “I’m not letting you fight alone.”

He could kick my ass, but I wasn’t saying shit. They’d want details. Then every time they looked at me, for the rest of my fucking life, they’d see the guy who didn’t fight back. Fuck that.

Silence stretched between us.

“Blue—”

I snapped my gaze to Cruz. He took the hint and shut his fucking mouth.

Rogue released a ragged exhale. “I got a story to tell you. It’s not just my story to tell, but maybe you can trust me once you hear it.”

He traced a scuff in the table with his thumb nail.

“My sister has a soft spot for broken boys. I’m not just talking about Romeo. She spent her life protecting me, until the night I realized I had to protect her.” He tilted his head to the side, his lips pulled into a snarl, and he lit another cigarette. “Like you, I don’t talk about the fucked up parts of my past. My mom died of cancer when I was just a kid.” He blew a stream of smoke toward the ceiling. “When my old man needed a female in his bed, he decided to take my sister.”

No one spoke, the gravity of the words too heavy.

“One night, I caught him violating her. I beat the fucking life out of him.” His gaze locked hard to mine. “Then I buried the body.” He rolled the cherry of his cigarette in the ashtray.

“I got more bodies out on my property than the city cemetery,” Bullet said. “Every one of them deserves to be there.”

I bowed my head, refusing to make eye contact. What if there was pity in their eyes, or worse, they didn’t believe me? My pulse spiked, and I wanted on the edge of that fucking wall. I wanted to be anywhere but here.

Still, I didn’t speak.

“Does this have anything to do with Kiss, the dead drug dealer, or any of the other trouble you two have been finding?” Rogue asked.

Cruz leaned toward me. “You gotta tell them.”

I lifted my gaze to Cruz. “We didn’t go looking for trouble.”

“Fuck the Heller motto,” Bullet said.

Another fifteen seconds of silence passed. Then I stood, went to the bar, and grabbed a bottle of spiced rum from the counter. I didn’t care what the drink was.I’m sorry, Kiss, but no way am I getting through this conversation sober.

I swallowed two mouthfuls as I made my way back to the table.

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