Page 69 of Secret Betrayals
“Hey, Ma.”
She lets out a broken sob and throws herself at me. The pain that shoots through my torso makes me clench my jaw, but I wrap my arms around her, anyway. Breathe through it. Her sobs rattle in my ear, something garbled I can’t even understand.
“I’m okay, Ma,” I murmur. “I’m awake. Hopefully outta here soon, yeah?”
I look up at Pop, and his eyes… they’ve got that look. The one he gets when he’s holding something back. I tilt my head at him, silently asking the question. He shakes his head and looks down at Ma, still clutching me.
“How’s the club? Lockdown?”
Ma lifts her head and cups my cheek, eyes still glassy. “Don’t worry about that right now. Worry about getting better. Coming home.”
“I almost lost you,” she whispers. Pop gently pulls her back, arms wrapping around her shoulders.
I lock eyes with him again. My old man. We’ve always had unspoken understandings between us. He trusts us boys to handle business. But I know my brothers—Axel’s got a rage streak, and Nitro’s not much better. They want revenge. Pop plays chess, always has. And right now? He’s playing a game he’s not sharing with the rest of us.
“We’ll talk when we get back to the clubhouse,” he says. His eyes bore into mine. “After the doc clears you.”
That alone puts me on edge.
We don’t keep club business from Ma. Not completely. Not like this.
And Pop working alone… especially with Gabriella in the picture?
That doesn’t sit right.
What the fuck aren’t they telling me?
It’s been a few days since I woke up from the coma. Tests came back clear. They pulled the catheter—thank fuck—and the doc gave me a checklist––take a dump, walk the halls, keep fluids down. Check, check, check. I was out of there within hours. I hate hospitals. I hate waiting. And patience? That shit ain’t my thing.
We pull up to the clubhouse, and I hear the bass bumping, music already thumping through the walls. My brothers are ready to celebrate. Me? I’m running on fumes. But I’m not going to sleep. Not yet. There are too many questions still eating at me.
I need to know where Gabriella is—and what’s going on with my kids.
I need to know who the fuck sold us out.
I need to know what the hell we’re doing about the Satan’s Keepers—and those Salvatore pricks.
Because no matter how shit may look, something deep down in my gut tells me. This shit’s far from over.
Nineteen
The calm of a storm can only be masked for so long.
Walking into the clubhouse hits me in the chest like a damn freight train—this place is in my blood. Born and raised in these walls, built by the men I grew up idolizing and the brothers I’d bleed for. Whatever this storm is, I’ll be damned if I don’t walk through fire to protect what’s mine. Club. Family. Legacy. The brothers knew I’d call church the second I got discharged. We’ve got unfinished business, and they know it. Ma and Heather damn near burn holes through me with their glares as I stomp past them. I get it—they’re scared, frustrated, tired. But right now, this is bigger than feelings. These motherfuckers nearly put me in the ground, and it’s been a month and a half with no payback, no straightforward answers. That ends today.
I slam the gavel, and silence falls like a guillotine. My brothers lock in, their attention sharp, waiting. Rage and purpose burn in their eyes, and I feed off it.
“Let’s get this shit going,” I growl. “We’ve got work to do.”
I lean back, pain flaring through my side like someone’s driving a spike into my ribs. I grit my teeth and ignore it. No one sees me wince. I don’t get to show weakness—not here, not ever.
Axel’s watching me. He sees through the act. He always does. But he’s smart enough to keep his mouth shut.
“Axel,” I say, locking eyes. “You said it was Demon and his club. Tell me how you know. Let everyone hear it.”
He gives me a beat—just long enough to let me know he’s not thrilled with repeating himself—then nods.
“Bitch from Satan’s Keepers hit up Armand, Gabriella’s man.” He pauses, waiting for a reaction. When none comes, he continues. “Pop’s confirmed it. According to the word, the club girl said Demon bragged about taking you out. Whole damn club threw a party to celebrate.”
