“How’s Jump?” Butler shouted out at me through the dense smoke.
I leveled my gaze at him, and Butler’s mouth dropped open, eyes wide. He could see what I was doing. He froze.
I would crush him if he dared fuck with me.
“Butler!” Boner came up behind him. “How is she?”
Butler returned his focus to Nina. “She’s out, but she’s alive.”
I rose from Jump’s lifeless corpse and retreated. One-Eyed Jacks darted past me, wielding fire extinguishers. Shouts and foam flew over the smoldering vehicle. Kicker, their VP, pounded on Jump’s chest, giving him CPR. Sirens wailed louder and louder in the distance, getting closer and closer.
“Jump’s gone,” Kicker hollered over the chaos. “He’s gone!”
The burn of rubber, the singe of metal filled my lungs.
Fucking enthralling.
Iwanted to get out ofthere, but I had to play along. We all followed the ambulance to the hospital in Rapid, and Tania arrived soon after with a bunch of the old ladies who’d been with her at the birthday party. She was relieved to see me, and we stood together waiting with everyone else to hear from the surgeon who was working on Nina. I’d called Catch and told him to stay put, not to dare show his face at the hospital, that I’d let him know how the girl was doing.
Butler was motionless, in a daze. He’d had a wife years back who’d gotten killed in a bike accident, and she’d died in his arms on the road. I don’t think he’d ever forgiven himself for it, and it showed now.
The surgeon showed up and reported on Nina’s condition and how she’d be okay. He adjusted the tablet in his grip. “And the baby is doing fine.”
Tania froze at my side.
“Baby?” screeched one of the old ladies.
Tania slumped against me, and I wrapped a hand around her arm, steadying her. Her eyes were glued to Butler.
Oh, babe, I know that slice of hurt.
I let out a heavy breath, my lips twisting. There was no guarantee this baby was Butler’s. It could be Catch’s. This shit only got better and better.
Tania made a noise in the back of her throat and pushed back from me and went to him, talking to him in low tones. He took out a cell phone from a handbag. Nina’s? He tapped on the screen and handed it to Tania who then tapped on it herself. She was looking for something, someone. Her face tightened, her lips parting. Her thumb swished once, twice, three, four times. She’d found something interesting. She took in a tiny breath and glanced around, catching my eye.
I slanted my head at her.
Tania only chewed on her lips and went back to the phone, finally holding it to the side of her face. She spoke briefly and handed the phone to Butler. She returned to my side, her mouth pinched, her large dark eyes cold. She was pissed.
“What’s wrong?” I asked her.
“I just saw Catch and Nina’s hot little love texts and selfies all over her phone—in full high resolution color. The phone Butler is using right now to talk to her sister.”
I pressed my back against the wall. “Your brother’s got it bad for her.”
“Yeah, he told me, but newsflash, she’s also been sexting with that Flame who brought her to Meager. Led, was it?”
I grit my teeth. Nina was cozy with Led, Reich’s right hand man? This soap opera just got more interesting. Maybe Nina was really working for Reich undercover, setting up Butler and in turn, me?
“Good for Goldilocks,” I said.
I had to blow this shit open. Now with Nina in the hospital, I was positive that Reich would get his ass down here any day, making accusations, and I had to be ready.
Tania shook her dark hair from her face. “Where does she find the time?”
“Keep your voice down.”
“Oh please,” Tania seethed.