Page 59 of Scorched King

“No! We can’t.” Sasha looked panicked at the suggestion and Jeanne shot me a questioning look.

“The less you know the better. Besides, if she needs to go to the hospital, I can get her there quicker than waiting on someone to show up out here.”

I could tell Jeanne wanted to say something, but instead, she just shook her head and moved to Sasha. “Let me check her out then.”

I nodded and tried to stand, but Sasha wouldn’t let go of me. “It’s okay, baby girl. You know I’m not letting anything happen to you. In fact, none of us will. The whole club has your back now.”I wasn’t going to explain what that meant in front of Jeanne, but I knew Sasha would get my meaning.

“How long?” I had another issue I needed to take care of, and the longer it waited the worse it would get. I wanted to make sure that fucker didn’t have anything else in the works or some kind of partner I had to worry about before my guys beat him to death.

The clock was ticking.

“Exam probably won’t take long, but even if we don’t need to make a trip to the emergency room, I’m going to be here for the night. Maybe tomorrow too. We can’t afford to take chances with this.”

I should have bristled at her ordering tone, but her protectiveness of Sasha meant a fuck lot more than my goddamned pride. That she would tell me she was staying without asking or being asked told me volumes and assured me that I’d chosen well when adding her to the team.

“All right. I’m going to step out to talk to Bear?—"

“Don’t.” I turned back to Sasha, seeing all the emotion evoked from that one word. She could have been asking me not to leave or asking me not to do what we both knew was coming. Probably both.

“You know I wouldn’t leave you for a second if I didn’t think you were safe.” I pulled her hand back up to my cheek and rubbed my face against it again. There was something about having her touch and her scent on me that seemed to calm us both. Although my calm wasn’t going to last long. Not until this was finally done.

“You don’t have to be the one.”

“I do and you know it. That’s who I am. That’s my life. If you can’t handle that, it’s best we face it now.”

Jeanne spared me another glance, which I ignored. I had chosen my words careful enough. She might surmise something from what we said, but there would be no details to confirm or deny and her plausible deniability would remain intact.

“I can handle it. I just wish you didn’t have to be the one.”

“You just focus on what the doc here has to say?—“

“Not technically a doctor,” Jeanne interjected sharply.

“Fine. Focus on what the crankyparamedichas to say and do whatever she wants you to. I’m going to step outside to talk to Bear and I swear to you either him or I will be here at all times. Either way, we’ll both be close. You are safe, I swear it.” I leaned down to kiss her forehead and wiped the lone tear sliding down her cheek. Like it or not, this had to be done and I did need to know she could handle it.

Me and the club were a package deal. She knew this. And I had a feeling she wouldn’t have it any other way. She’d been through too much lately though, and it was impossible to blame her for feeling emotional about this mess.

My body stilled. She wasn’t the only one feeling emotional.

Fuck. I loved her.

Of course now was not the time for that epiphany. And I sure as hell wasn’t going to tell her for the first time in front of another woman. Or as I walked out the door to go kill a man.

“Be safe,” she whispered as I stood from the bed and turned away from her. My gut burned with the fact I had to walk out that door right now. She needed me and that fucker had not only done this to her but now was responsible for my having to leave her—again.

I couldn’t wait to make him pay.

I slipped quietly out the door and found Bear just on the other side looking as sick and worried as I felt.

“How is she?”

“Shook up. I don’t think Jeanne is going to find anything serious. But mentally, it was more than she needed right now. And I’m going to make that mother fucker pay for this.”

“Good. It sounds like everyone wants a piece of him now. He caused a lot of damage. Put a lot of lives at stake. I about lost my mind when I got your call. How did you find out it was him?”

“We almost didn’t. We had some circumstantial bullshit on some of the other guys that was weak at best, but it was all we had and that’s the information we were following. A last second lead came in on Tel’s phone from the serpent’s clubhouse as we left the compound. Some video footage from Seattle. Five fucking minutes later and we might not have been close enough to stop him.”

The gnawing pit in my stomach grew, spewing acid straight into my gut and causing my entire body to burn with the need for retribution.

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