Page 44 of Unfulfilled Promises
I wanted to rush to her, but the wall of assholes standing between us was pissing me off. Skid placed his hand on my shoulder, and when I turned to look at him, he whispered, “Give her a minute.”
I nodded as Rhys said, “Regan, we need to discuss—”
His words were interrupted by a defiant Regan. “Either you bring him to me or I’m going to find him.”
Rhys lifted his gaze and searched me out. Making eye contact with him, I waited to see how he was going to handle this before I forced my way to her. Shifting, I saw a pale and frail Regan trying to push off the bed with the help of a small blonde woman who was covered in blood.
Regan whispered something to the woman as she helped to hoist her off the bed without looking for assistance or approval from any of us.
“Please stop,” I said, not able to take watching her drain the last of her energy to tell me how fucked-up I am. I stepped closer as I admitted, “I’m here.”
“I don’t know which one of you assholes planned my kidnapping tonight, but you fucked up some of the details,” Regan said through gritted teeth as she stared down Devlin, Lucian, James, Rhys, and me.
Gunner and Skid, the leaders of this chapter of the Death Hounds, pushed into the room and stood between Regan and us. Gunner’s eyes flared with barely contained rage.
“Did she say you motherfuckers planned this? That you put her in danger? That her condition is because of you? Because if you did, we’re all gonna have a big fucking problem. One we won’t be able to come back from.” Gunner asked with barely contained rage.
We all tried to reason with him, explaining it wasn’t like that when it was exactly that, but no one could get a word in edgewise. I felt the club brothers pressing closer to the door. They were not kind to people who hurt women, so if we didn’t get this cooled down real quick, this powder keg was going to explode.
Suddenly, a loud, piercing whistle sounded into the room, making everyone jump to see where it was coming from. The small woman standing next to the bed and holding onto Regan yelled with her finger pointed at us, “Would you shut the fuck upand listen to what she has to say?” She gave us a stern look but tacked on “Please” to be polite.
“Before anyone starts fighting, I have a lot to say, but this room has too many big tempers and too little grace right now, so if it’s okay with Gunner, can we go to the clubhouse and talk? There’s . . . a lot to unpack tonight,” Regan began, and Gunner stepped closer.
“If Doc says you’re okay to be moved, the clubhouse is yours, Regan. We won’t let anything else happen to you. Not tonight or any night.” He looked over at us and said, “Even if it means burning friendships to achieve that goal.”
“Thank you, but I think we can settle this tonight,” she remarked as Doc, the club’s medical expert, walked into the room.
He looked around and shook his head as he said, “Leave us alone so I can check her out.”
The girl looked at Regan, who extended her hand to her, offering her reassurance and safety. If Regan saved her from the same people who took her, then this girl was connected to the Syndicate, and we needed to figure out how.
We all shuffled outside the room as the door closed behind us, and I leaned against the doorway as Gunner and Skid stood to the side with their arms crossed over their chests. Behind them were too many bikers to think about, and when I saw Jackal and Needles whispering off to the side, I feared the two crazies were plotting our demise.
“You assholes better have a good fucking explanation for why that sweet girl is in that condition and saying it’s your fault,” Skid said, and I could tell he hadn’t been made privy to our plan.
I was sure Grace would have warned Regan, but I assumed Devlin and James would have filled him in. Gunner seethed as Rhys and James watched the closed door, waiting for word from Doc. When the door finally opened, Lucian, Devlin, and Jamesall tried to push their way in, only for Doc to hold his hand up to stop them.
Regan walked out with the girl’s assistance, and when Rhys tried to help her, she snatched her hand back and lifted her chin as she continued to shuffle past us all. Her eyes were locked forward, and she seemed weak and tired as the moved through the little cabin’s living room and onto the front porch.
The women looked at the two stairs leading to the path, and when it seemed they were going to attempt to step down without help, I shook my head and muttered, “Hardheaded woman,” before walking up to Regan and saying, “I’m gonna carry you, so please don’t fight me.”
Regan looked at me and said, “Thank you.”
Carefully, I lifted her so her bandaged arm was away from my body and I stepped down the two stairs and started walking to the clubhouse. The lights were on and there were a few brothers standing around, most without a drink in their hand as we walked inside.
Gunner pointed to some couches off to the side of a large open doorway that led to the front of the compound, and I walked over and gently placed Regan onto the couch. She looked up at me, and I saw hurt looking back as the girl stepped up and took a seat next to Regan.
Closing my eyes, I moved away as Devlin, Rhys, Lucian, Skid, Gunner, and a just arrived Grace, Stella, and Sadie joined them on the other couches. I found a seat at the end of the couch where Regan was sitting, and she looked at me, offering a sad smile as she turned back to the group.
Bottles of water were handed to Regan and the girl, and when I noticed Regan struggling to open the cap, I reached out and took it from her before opening it and handing it back. “Thanks,” she whispered as she took a swallow and placed the bottle on the table in front of her.
She cleared her throat and began to speak to the group. “First, Doc said I’m going to be fine in a few days, and I want to say thank you to the club for giving us shelter. You . . . you saved our lives.”
“You’re family, Regan. We’ll always be here for you,” Grace said as she reached her hand out to her.
They touched palms for a moment, and Regan gave her a sad expression as she said, “We’ll get back to that.” Looking at the girl next to her, she explained, “This is Wren, and she was taken six days ago. They held her in a house in the Flats, and I promised her that she was safe with us. That no one would harm her, and if she was by my side, she was protected. I want that promise extended to her from everyone here. If you can’t guarantee her safety, then we’ll find someone who can.”
Rhys and James looked confused but nodded as Devlin, Lucian, and I joined in. Gunner patted a fist over his chest, followed by the rest of the Death Hounds, and I saw Regan visibly exhale. Her worried eyes met mine briefly before she looked out at the group.
