Page 126 of The Heart We Guard
“I tried to help Ember,” Greer says on a sob. “But I was worried he was going to kill us.”
“We gotta run, sweetheart. Fast as you can to those trees. Go.”
My heart beats erratically while I try to provide as much cover for her as I can. And I need to hope and trust that Atom can look after my daughter.
When we hit the trees, I wrap my arms around her tightly and bury my nose in her hair. “Fuck, I was so worried,” I say. “Are you okay, sweetheart?”
I cup her cheeks, check out her face, run my hands down her arms.
“I think I’m okay. Sore. Definitely bruised. Don’t think anything’s broken.” The words are accompanied by more sobs, though she tries to rein in her tears.
Then, I fall to my knees and kiss her stomach. “You think the baby’s okay too?”
She threads her hands into my hair. “I don’t know,” she whispers. “I really don’t know.”
Across the field, I see Atom lying in the dirt, exposed to the gunfire, holding my daughter’s hand. I see him sag with relief and then kiss her hand over and over. Looking up at the sky, I blow out a breath, even as the first tear spills over.
Hugging Greer, witnessing what she’s just gone through, I know the decision I’ve made is the right one. And as I watch Grudge stride across the field, unforgiving, unrelenting, fearless, I know he’s the right man to lead the club forward.
His unwavering willingness to sacrifice himself for me says he’d also do it for his men.
With Taco and Smoke by his side, and Jackal and Shade flanking Wraith coming from the rear, it takes only a moment for the two men who ran my girls off the road to be subdued.
The first one looks critically wounded. Blood seeps through his shirt until he finally falls forward.
Grudge scans the area until he sees me with Greer through the trees. “He’s all yours, Prez,” he bellows.
“Stay here,” I say to Greer. “I need to check on Ember, but there are some things you never need to see.”
She looks up at me with a steely resolve, in spite of the tears running down her cheeks. “I need to talk to him.”
“You sure?”
She nods. “Before we go, just know, Ember saved my life. They tried to take me, and I managed to get away. I knew she was parking her truck nearby, so I just ran for her. I’m sorry, Butcher, I shouldn’t have involved her, but in the moment?—”
“Stop.” I put my hands on her shoulders. “We’ll talk about this later, but I don’t blame you, and I’m fucking proud of you for getting away. And I’m fucking proud of my daughter for selflessly helping you. And I’m really proud of Smoke’s old lady for coming to get us. We’re going to keep the blame for this exactly where it belongs: on that fucker’s head.”
Greer swallows and then nods. “I’ll try to remember that.”
As we walk down the tree-lined embankment, all my men, save Atom, look in my direction. Holding Greer’s hand feels like a blessing I don’t deserve. But I know I would have abandoned this club, even this fucking earth, to save her.
When we reach Atom, I crouch by him, putting a hand on his shoulder and squeezing hard when I see Ember’s eyes flickering open in my direction.
“Dad…that was…a ride,” she says finally with a watery smile.
She’s pale, and clearly in pain, but I reach out and touch her hand gently.
“You were so brave, Em. I love you, sweetheart. We’ll have you out in a minute.”
I’m filled with a renewed sense of vengeance. I walk towards Gauge. With Greer’s hand in mine, I take my time, making him sweat. Shade is holding him upright by the neck of his shirt. Gauge’s face is red, silently choking. When we reach him, I drawmy booted foot back and nail him with the steel toe in the balls. Hard enough to split them wide fucking open.
He falls forward and vomits, which gives me a sense of satisfaction.
“You’re dying,” I say. “The only choice you have is how. Tell me what you know about Eli Hansen and why you were bothering Greer about the kid in the hospital, and I’ll put a bullet in your brain. It’ll be over in a heartbeat. Won’t hurt, and I never miss. Don’t tell me, and we take you back to our shed. Then, each brother will take a day to torture you. It’ll be two weeks before you bleed out, but I guarantee you’ll have no fingers, no toes, no dick, no balls, no eyes, and no tongue. You’ll be all out of piss, all out of shit, all out of blood, and all out of fucking hope by the time I’m fucking done. You will beg me for mercy, and I’ll show you none.”
Sweat beads on his forehead. “Prospects are all the fucking same,” he says. “Watch one too many episodes of biker shows. Think it’s all cash and club whores, until the graft comes. You know how it is.”
I shake my head. “No. Enlighten me.”
