Page 46 of Damascus & The Wildfire
I stared at her. This wasn’t the Eva I knew—the perfectionistic high achiever with a moral compass. Her relationship with Reaper and the club had changed her.
Or maybe this ruthlessness had always been there, simmering beneath her polished exterior.
The thought unsettled me, but so did the realization that part of me understood her anger. Part of me wanted Tyler to pay, too.
I slumped back, exhaustion weighing heavier than my fury. My mind kept replaying the scene—the cold press of the gun at my temple, the wild desperation in Tyler’s eyes, the sickening sound of Merrick’s fists battering flesh. I remembered the way Merrick looked at me, his eyes dark with rage, protectiveness, and maybe even fear.
“Doesn’t it bother you?” I asked, my voice barely above a whisper. “That the man you love is capable of that level of violence?”
She stilled. “Reaper’s capable of worse. So is Hatchet. Honestly, so am I.”
I opened my mouth in surprise, but my phone rang, the screen lighting up with Hatchet’s name.
“Hello?” I answered.
“Hey, doll. How are you feeling?” Hatchet asked, his tone soft and concerned.
“Sore, but fine.” I rubbed my neck.
Eva’s phone jingled, and she stepped out of the room before I continued. “What’s happening? What are you going to do about Tyler?”
“Don’t worry about it.”
“Tell me,” I insisted, my voice cracking. “I was the one with a gun to the head. I deserve to know.”
Hatchet sighed. “We don’t even know yet. We’re heading back to the clubhouse for Church. This whole situation is fucked. I just wanted to make sure you’re OK.”
“I’m OK. How’s Merrick?”
Hatchet hesitated. “He’s fine.”
“Really?”
Hatchet huffed out a laugh, but there was no real humor in it. “I haven’t seen him lose control like that before. Listen, I have to go. Take care of yourself. Merci should be there in a few to look at that wrist.”
Eva stepped back into the room, slipping her phone back in her pocket. “They’re meeting for Church to discuss what to do. My guess is Tyler being an informant makes things complicated. If he disappears, the feds will have more reason to knock at our doors.”
I bit my lip, my mind racing with possibilities—none of them good. “So what does that mean? They just let him go?”
“If they do, it won’t be because they want to.”
I swallowed hard, my throat still aching and my wrist throbbing.The thought of what might happen next—what these men were capable of—settled like a stone in my stomach. Yesterday, I’d been furious at Thane, horrified by Fuse’s past, and ready to walk away. But after the attack, after seeing Merrick’s rage and Eva’s cold resolve, I was left feeling lost. I wanted to believe in justice, in mercy, in doing the right thing. But in this world, the lines were blurred, and I wasn’t sure I knew what side to stand on.
Brisket nudged my hand again, and I buried my fingers in his fur, seeking comfort. I needed to figure out what I believed in—and whether I was strong enough to stand behind a club that believed violence and loyalty were two sides of the same coin.
Chapter Seventeen
Thane slammed the gavel. The murmurs in the room came to a quiet, and he threw me a look that said the floor was mine. Around the table, every officer watched me, knowing a bomb was about to drop.
I cleared my throat. “A few weeks ago, Linc found evidence of a rat in the club.”
The room erupted with curses. I let it ride for a beat, then raised my hand for silence.
“A few of us have known for weeks, which is why we paused a lot of business. Not that we didn’t trust all of you, but we had to keep our mouths shut while we looked into everyone.”
“Who the fuck is it?” Don demanded. His soft, grandfatherly look was gone, and in place was the fierce biker who’d helped start this club.
“It’s Tyler.” Ripples of shock ran through the room. “We have him. He’s chained up in the warehouse right now.”
