Page 65 of The Oath We Take

Wraith nods. “I think it makes sense to let Atom take Ember. If this is the Bratva, they’re ballsier than we thought. And creative. And fearless. We went to look for them and left the town unprotected. But they aren’t going to waste their time trying to search for Ember across however many fuck-ton acres the ranch is.”

“Why are you all talking like I’m not here and I don’t have a say?” I ask. The words sound like those of a petulant child, and I’m a little ashamed of them before I even finish the sentence.

Atom squeezes my shoulder for a brief moment. Not so long that my father would notice anything untoward. “No one is trying to do that. But protecting what’s ours, that’s what we do.” He glances up towards the stairs to the apartment. Water drips from them, but it looks like the fire damage was contained to downstairs.

“We should get you some clothes and shit, before officials arrive and try to tell us we can’t get in there until you have a structural inspection,” Dad says.

I guess it’s a fait accompli. Atom is right, I can do what I need to do remotely. Plus, I’d rather be outdoors, on Lemmy, with Atom, than be suffocated by my father.

I turn to face my dad. “Promise me you will keep me informed about anything to do with the bar, Dad.”

He nods. “I will.”

“I need you to hear something,” Sheriff Radcliffe says, walking through the wet puddles carefully so as not to get splashes on his pressed and creased jeans.

“Can’t wait for this,” Wraith says.

Atom chuckles.

Radcliffe puts his hands on his hips, and I have to give the man credit. He stands in the face of men who are all taller and more than capable of kicking his ass. It’s like David and Goliath, except David isn’t smart enough to load the sling with rocks. “I won’t have any of you chasing vengeance within my town limits.”

Dad steps forward. “If you had any sense about the dangers this town is currently facing, you’d be begging me to do what you can’t.”

Radcliffe has the balls to step a little closer to Dad, who doesn’t so much as flinch at the gesture. “One thing I can guarantee…I will never beg you for anything, Nolan Deeks.”

“Never say never,” Atom says. “I’ve seen bigger men than you fall to a place where begging my president was the only way to…flourish.”

He was going to saysurvive. I know it. Dad knows it. And by the look on his face, so does Sheriff Radcliffe.

“Let’s start a chain,” Dad says suddenly. “Tell us what you need, Ember, and we’ll pass it out.”

“You aren’t allowed in there,” Radcliffe says. “It’s now a crime scene.”

I shake my head. “Technically, the bar is a crime scene. The apartment above is a residential unit above a retail unit. Mixed zoning but set up as separate properties.”

“I-it’s not safe,” Sheriff Radcliffe splutters.

“Neither are you,” Wraith says as he walks by.

“Was that a threat?” Radcliffe replies.

Wraith doesn’t bother to answer. I turn to Atom. “Let me go in. It’ll be faster. I’ll stay to the left-hand side of the apartment, in case the floor is damaged. The fire was over to the right side of the building.”

“Fine.” He drops to his knees and rummages in the sports bag before pulling out my workout sneakers. Gently, he unties the laces and helps me slide each foot into them.

Catfish catches the action and raises an eyebrow, but even with the scrutiny, I have to fight the urge to thrust my hands in Atom’s hair and thank him for his kindness.

“Get some proper clothes on,” Dad says as I pass him.

I roll my eyes and glance down at my hoodie and the overworn sleep shorts. “Yes, Dad. Because when I was carried unconscious from a smoke-filled room by Atom, I was subconsciously thinking, ‘Oh, I should have slept in a robe.’”

Catfish throws an arm over Dad’s shoulder. “Bet there’s just a small part of you that wishes the flames had just taken her.”

Dad is about to nod, then catches Catfish’s grin. “Too soon to be making fucking jokes about her burning alive. And I meant for the ride on the bike. Jesus fucking Christ.”

Atom puts a hand over his mouth to bite back a laugh.

And for the first time since I woke up on the concrete, my heart rate starts to settle.

---