Page 57 of T-Bone
I nodded. “For now, it’s safer.” We still had no fucking clue where Blade or any of the Ghost Riders were, so we were heading into lockdown until we did.
Faith still hadn’t returned, and I was just as worried as Chloe.
“She’s not back yet.”
“No,” I sighed. “She’s not, but we’ve got guys out there looking for her.” I hadn’t checked in with Slate yet for a status update because I felt personally responsible for Chloe and Gemma. “I’ll get an update once we get you two settled.”
Chloe nodded but she wasn’t convinced. “You think she’s okay?”
I nodded even though I had no fucking clue. “Your sister is a very capable woman. If anyone can hold her own with these assholes, it’s her.”
“You cuss a lot,” Gemma said before a yawn cracked her little face wide open.
I laughed. “Yeah, I do. But I’m a grownup so I can cuss a lot.” I winked to make her feel better, knowing what I did about her upbringing, and she blushed furiously.
“It’s been too long, right?” Chloe bit down on her bottom lip, tears welling in her eyes as she waited for me to reassure her. “It’s been at least two hours, probably four.” She did the mental calculations of distance and shuddered. “This is my fault.”
“It’s not. You did exactly what you needed to do to keep Gemma safe. Don’t ever apologize for that.” My tone was harsh and serious, but I didn’t want to scare her.
“Okay.” Her voice came out as a stammer, and she nodded. “Okay.”
“Good. I promise I’ll let you know as soon as I hear something.” I opened the door beside the room where Faith and I had been staying, showed them around and closed the door behind me, assuming they needed a few minutes to decompress.
Hell, I needed a few minutes, but I knew I wouldn’t have any peace until I laid eyes on Faith. I don’t know what the fuck she was thinking, going off on her own, taking on the Ghost Riders by herself. That’s not true, I knew exactly what she was thinking and that’s what made it so fucking impossible to be mad at her. Faith thought she was protecting me and Gemma, but she never stopped to think about protecting herself.
“Fuck.” I dug my knuckles into my eyes in an effort to wipe away all of the worse than worst scenarios running through my mind. Blade was half-crazed on a good day, and the past few weeks were anything but good. He’d kill Faith just to satisfy his bloodlust, especially because the stubborn woman would never give him what he wanted.
I made my way to the front where the women were dividing up things for Gemma and Chloe and the brothers were talking among themselves, beers in hand. “Anybody heard from Hawk?”
“Worried about your girl?” Pike smirked from where he leaned against a pool table, bottle of whiskey in hand. He was still grieving, I knew that, but I wouldn’t hesitate to lay him out if he said another fucking word.
“Yeah,” I said seriously. “I am worried.” The clubhouse fell silent and it felt like all eyes were on me and Pike. We were more than best friends, we were brothers.
His smirk faded. “Oh shit.” He sat up taller, his gaze grew wider and wider. “You like her.”
“More than like her,” Gio muttered loudly, earning him a smack from his woman.
“Her? A cop?” Pike wasn’t a bad guy, and I knew that. He was hurting. “For real?”
I nodded, reluctant to say it out loud because I wasn’t sure I even fucking knew what I was feeling other than raw, desperate need. Was that love? I didn’t know but I knew I wasn’t ready to walk away from her, from whatever the fuck this was between us.Now I just need her to be okay.“Yeah man, for real.”
His gaze stayed locked on mine for a long damn time and then he nodded without a word. It was as close to approval as I’d get from him while he grieved his sister and I accepted it.
Suddenly, the front door smacked open, the loud sound so abrupt several of us turned and pulled our weapons out in anticipation of trouble. A grunt sounded and then Hawk appeared in the doorway with a bloody and unconscious Faith in his arms. “A little help here.”
“What the fuck happened,” I roared, rushing forward to take Faith from his arms.
“Someone get Katey! Where’s Laura?” Diesel’s deep voice came out loud and harsh, sounding above the commotion.
“She’s bleeding,” I called out, my voice hoarse and thick with emotions. My gaze moved from Faith, limp in my arms to Hawk, the brother who’d saved her.
Hawk’s eyes were filled with a mix of sympathy and regret. “She was like this when I found her on the side of the road, just inside the entrance of the Shiloh Valley Forest.” He shook his head, raking a hand through his hair and letting out a heavy breath. “She was unconscious beside Blade’s body.” His voice was lined with a deep respect that she had not only taken one for the MC but came out on top. “Your girl is a bad ass.”
My eyes went wide, and a slow smile crept across my face.That’s my girl.
“There were three bikes out there so I’m guessing she took care of the other assholes too.” His gaze landed on her again. “She got banged up for her efforts.”
“Over here,” Katey called out. She waved us over to the makeshift exam table. “Lay her down. Gently.”
