Page 55 of Screamer
“Screamer,” she whispers.
“Yeah?”
“Shut up.”
The second she’s free, I cradle her in my arms and lower her to the ground. I take my cut off and peel my shirt over my head to cover her. She’s shivering, her teeth audibly chattering in the quiet night.
“I’m gonna get your friends down, okay?”
She nods. “He knocked them out after…” Roxie spits blood from her mouth before continuing. “After he made them watch him whip me. Said he needed to make them pay for helping me leave.”
Relief courses through me that they’re alive. Roxie still blames herself for Saint. There’s no telling what she’d do if she thought these three were dead because of her.
As I untie the ropes holding them each up, the sound of leaves crunching filters into the silence. Seconds later, Crow, Shuffle, Journey, Bear, and Jackyl burst through the trees, guns drawn.
“You’re a little late,” I drawl. “Jackyl, go check on Roxie. The rest of you, help me get them down.”
Shuffle follows Jackyl to his sister’s side. As soon as Greg, Melody, and Sammie are free and lying on the ground, I return to Roxie.
“She’s gonna be okay,” Jackyl says, assessing her wounds. “There’ll be scars, both inside and out, I’m afraid, but I’ll get an IV with fluids, antibiotics, and pain meds started as soon as we get her back to the clubhouse. That’ll help a lot.”
“She’s coming home with me,” Shuffle states flatly.
“No, I’m not,” Roxie says, hissing through her teeth as she tries to sit up. “I’m going with Screamer.”
Shuffle looks like he wants to argue, but he wisely keeps any protests to himself.
“I’ll take care of her, man,” I assure him.
He nods and straightens to his full height. “You can’t keep her away from me.”
“Wouldn’t dream of it. You’re her brother.”
Is that what Shuffle’s been worried about, that because we’re in different clubs I won’t let Roxie spend time with him? No wonder he’s been a pain in the ass.
“Jace said the same thing.”
“I’m no?—”
“He’s not Jace,” Roxie barks with more force than she should be capable of at the moment.
I cup her cheeks. “That’s right, sweetheart. I’m not him.”
It takes a while to get everyone back to the vehicles, and as I carry Roxie through the trees, a thought occurs to me.
“Do you remember what you said to me earlier today?” I ask.
She nods against my chest.
“Can you say it again?”
“I love you, Ben.”
I grin, feeling complete for the first time since I lost my family.
“I love you, too, Roxie.”
EPILOGUE
