Page 62 of Cruel Savior

"You are not wrong about that. He's pissed enough right now to breathe fire. Why the hell do you think we came here?"

I laughed, feeling some of the tightness in my chest their appearance caused loosen. It was nice to see me and the Prez could still see eye-to-eye on some things.

"Have you spoken to him yet? Is he back from the hospital?"

"Yes, he is."

We all turned to the rough voice in the doorway.

"JD." I nodded, deciding that it was getting entirely too crowded in my small cabin. "What's the word?" I was hesitant to ask because if she didn't make it, it was going to be a huge problem. But I preferred to bite the elephant instead of letting it sit in the room and cause problems.

"She's still in ICU in an induced coma. She's suffered third degree burns over a good portion of her body. But we've reached the point where the doctors are hopeful about her recovery. It's just going to be a long road for her."

"Thank God," Izzy said before rushing over to JD to envelop him in a hug. I wasn't sure he would accept it, but after a few tense seconds in which he stiffened, he wrapped his arms around her and buried his face in her shoulder.

Houston and I exchanged glances and then I looked over at Mandy. Her eyes were wet with unshed tears, and I could only guess that she was thinking about what could have been if I hadn't made it out of that building when I did. I immediately crossed to her and pulled her into my arms. I could feel Houston's gaze drilling into my back, and I knew there would be questions I would have to answer later, but that was his problem not mine.

We all had the autonomy to make our own decisions and this one was mine, whether they liked it or not.

"What about the other one?" I asked. “Do we have an identification yet?

He nodded. I had a feeling his rage was currently on a tight leash, and it wouldn't hold for long. "Apparently, the governor sent his aide ahead of his planned visit last night. It's why she was there when no one should have been."

"Holy fuck."

"The governor?" Mandy asked. "As in the governor, governor?"

"You sound surprised," I said. “I thought the Feds were well aware what went on out here. At least that's what you implied." All heads turned to Mandy and I immediately regretted my words.

"What the hell does that mean?" JD asked.

Good question. And one I wanted to hear again because maybe Mandy hadn't been as forthcoming as she should have been.

"It's not as dire as it sounds," she started. "At least not anymore. There was a task force assigned to the club for a while and they'd been gathering intel. Although, nothing concrete had come to light about any illegal activities. There were a bunch of guesses and hunches, but no one had proven a thing. Until the higher powers suddenly shut it down. That investigative task force is no more."

"And you were a part of it?" JD asked.

She hesitated and that was all the answer he needed before he turned to me. "Did you know about this bullshit?"

"Yes. But if no one is actively investigating there isn't anything to worry about."

"Boy," he seethed, his fists clenching at his side. "That's a decision for me to make, not you." I didn't flinch or move in any way, but I still expecting I was about to get clocked.

"What about the Mazzeo heir? Do you think he's responsible for all of this?" Houston asked, stepping between me and JD and distracting him from whatever he'd been about to do.

"I know he is." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a piece of paper. "This was delivered a few minutes ago. Same courier as before."

I took the note and opened it, my whole body going rock hard with rage in an instant. Motherfucker.

"What does it say? Mandy tried to look over my shoulder.

"It says,‘I'm coming for her next. There's nowhere else to hide.’"

Izzy sucked in a breath.

Houston clutched her hand and squeezed it.

Mandy had gone silent and I searched her face for some sign of what was going through her head. There was none. She'd closed down in a blink. So, I turned to JD.

---