Page 50 of Cruel Savior

I didn't bother to answer. She wasn't dumb and didn't need me to mansplain anything to her. "Do you think you can sit up?"

"Yeah. I'm sure I'll be fine. But what about everyone else?”

I reached a hand under her back and helped her into a seating position before settling in behind her so I could give her some support.

I glanced around the room, still frantic with chaos, as those who could checked on everyone who might have injuries. Most were now either sitting or standing. While there was soot and smoke cutting some of the visibility, it looked like most were okay. Except Bear. He was still on the floor with several members huddled around him including Cash.

Thank God he was here.

"It's hard to say for sure until I get a full assessment, but I think most everyone is okay."

"Most?" Her gaze bounced wildly around the room before finally landing on the huddle where Bear had landed. "Who is it? Is he dead?"

Fear squeezed my throat when she voiced her concern. I didn't even want to think something like that, let alone repeat it.

"No," I insisted. He was one strong motherfucker. If anyone could pull through it would be him. "He had a pulse when I left him to find you. He was at the door when it exploded.”

Her sharp intake of breath hit me square in the chest. I couldn't show it, but I was feeling as freaked out as her. Seeing Bear laid out on the ground—hell, any of our guys on the ground—rocked me to my core. Any one of us could have died.

"We need to help him. Maybe I can—" She tried to push off of me and a second later her body swayed to the side and I caught her before she landed headfirst—again.

"You're not going anywhere. Cash is taking care of him until the ambulance gets here. He's a paramedic and the best in his field. He's got this."

She slumped back against me, her relief clear. My muscles were tense, but some amount of relief still seeped in as I realized that this could have been so much worse. Whoever had rigged that door to explode had no way of knowing who would open it, and it could have been any one of them laid out on the ground, including Mandy.

Bile rose in my throat at the same time a fresh wave of anger filled me. An attack on our clubhouse would not go unanswered. We were going to—

"Holy Shit. Look!" someone yelled. "The back of the compound is on fire.

Chapter Twenty-Five

Amanda

"What?"

"Where?" Axel and I both spoke at once, but he didn't look nearly as confused as I felt.

The woman who'd announced the news shrugged. "I couldn't tell exactly from the kitchen window, but there's a lot of smoke, and I can see the flames in the distance. It looks like it might be the casino."

Axel's demeanor changed instantly. I wasn't even looking at his face and I could sense it. His muscles had gone rigid and I wasn't even sure he was taking a breath. "The Casino?" I asked.

I wasn't trying to play dumb. The government had had no luck in confirming what kind of business might be running from back there. Based on the traffic and some of the visitors going in an out, we'd made an educated guess. We'd also decided to back off from the Club at that point. Whatever they did back there it involved some big hitters in every facet of business and government.

No one wanted to touch that kind of ticking time bomb.

"Are you okay for a minute if I go and check on this? There might have been people on site."

"Oh my gosh. Yes. Yes. Go. I'll be fine."

He didn't make it two steps before he collided into an angry JD. "What the fuck?"

"I just heard. Do we have confirmation?"

"Not yet," JD growled. "Everyone is either here, or at Turners’ for the night. The two handling security out there aren't fucking answering their phones."

"We'll send some guys down there now. They can report."

There was so much anger in both their words, but it was also obvious that it served as a cover for a great amount of fear.

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