Page 202 of Steel

When silence reigns again, I catch her whispers.

“Lyric. Jericho. Reed. Jedreck. Macey. Bailee.”

Over and over, she whispers the names, and my heart breaks because I fucking know she’s naming off the people she loves.

“How are the burns, Hummingbird?”

“I don’t feel some of them anymore.”

Ah, fuck. That’s not good at all. I know enough to know that probably means my lady is going to be spending some time in the hospital.

We need to get her wounds checked as soon as possible, but we’re in enemy territory right now.

The fighting dies down, and as focused as I am on getting Bailee out of here, my mind can’t help wondering where the fuck Killer got off to. I’m hoping to fuck that he didn’t make it out of here because I have some shit to say to him. Painful, painful fucking words.

As we step out the doors of the Night Skulls clubhouse, the scent of recently fired bullets, death, and blood mix on the slight breeze as it wafts over us, causing Bailee to turn her face farther into my chest.

Until a familiar screeching voice reaches us.

Before I can process what’s happening, Bailee slides out of my arms and around the brothers in front of us. The gun is lifted steadily in her hand as she aims at Heather.

I war with myself on what to do.

“How dare you?” Bailee screams, pulling the trigger.

The first bullet hits Heather in the shoulder.

“She’s your daughter,” Bailee cries, squeezing the trigger again.

That one hits Heather in the leg.

“You’re too dangerous. I can’t let you hurt her.”

Bailee squeezes two more times, hitting her in the chest and then the head. I catch her finger flicking the safety back on as she falls to her knees with giant sobs tearing from her chest.

Blade squats in front of her before I get there and lifts her chin, taking the gun from her with his other hand. “You did what needed to be done to protect the people you love.”

Bailee cries, her shoulders shaking, but she holds steady eye contact with him. “It had to be done.”

He nods. “It did. Now, what do you say you let your man and me get you checked out?”

“Steel?” Bailee gasps, jerking her head around.

I hurry to her and drop down. “Hey, beautiful. Right here.”

“I’m sorry,” she cries.

“Don’t you fuckin’ dare apologize for doin’ what was needed to protectyourdaughter.” I gently curl my palm around the side of her face with the least damage, careful of the cut on her cheek. “Been a threat to Lyric for a while, always manipulatin’ her. Did what I should’ve done. I’m sorry you now have to live with that.”

“She’s going to hate me,” she says, her voice monotone.

Bailee’s eyes glaze over as she tries to distance herself from the realization that she just killed someone.

“I believe this belongs to you,” the modulated voice says from behind us.

I keep my hand on Bailee, needing that connection as I glance behind me. The five masked figures stand shoulder to shoulder. Killer kneels at their feet, his arms behind his back as the man in the middle holds his head up by the hair.

Bailee whimpers, her body shaking under my palm. When I peer down, she’s staring at Killer.

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