Page 60 of The Echo of Violence

“Gross, Rex. You don’t know where his face has been.”

Rex grins at me. “Oh, but I do, my sweet, misguided girl.”

“I’m surrounded by children,” Nico mutters before folding his arms. Rex jostles the phone, so for a second, all I see is the top of their heads before he readjusts the angle.

“And this is something you really want to do?”

I take the time to think it over, which is all I have been doing since leaving Mercy two days ago. “Yes, Nico. I want this. I hoped to talk to you both face-to-face, but then you called to say you were going to be delayed, and I didn’t want to leave Mercy hanging. I won’t stop working with you guys if that’s what you’re worried about. If necessary, I might take fewer cases, but I’m not abandoning you.”

“As if we would let that happen. But this gig was never your dream job. Are you good at it? Fuck yes, but you don’t get the same from it as we do. The job isn’t what ties us all together, and you know it. If you quit tomorrow, we’d still be camped out on your sofa each week, watching crappy television while eating even crappier food. So, stop doing what you think we need you to do and just do what makes you happy.”

“I love you.”

His face softens. “I love you too.”

“I love you most,” Rex yells just because he can.

“Why do you always have to have the last word?” Nico sighs.

“I like to leave an impression.”

I snicker as Nico rolls his eyes and looks at me again. “You know, if you get tied up in all this, it’s not going to be as simple as just setting up a center with Mercy. You’ll be linked to the Chaos Demons, even if it is only through Mercy. They’ll run a background check on you, and if their computer guy is half as good as I heard he is, he’ll know everything there is to know about you.”

“I know. I’ve thought all about the pros and cons. It’s not like I actively hide who I am. None of us do. At least not anymore.”

For a while, we all flew under the radar, wondering if the people responsible for the destruction of Savage Hearts MC would come after us to finish the job. Now, ten years later, I figure they’ve had plenty of opportunities. Besides, I’m not the easy target I once was. None of us are.

“You might not hide who you are, but you don’t exactly advertise it either. To the world, you’re Jinx. Most people don’t know the Savage Hearts princess survived. A background search will reveal you’re Ophelia McCree.”

“I’ll cross that bridge when it comes. Besides, if I ask them to keep my real identity quiet and tell them why, I think they’d be cool with it. Chaos Demons and Savage Hearts never mixed, as far as we know. There’s no underlying beef between the two clubs. Even if there were, everyone else is gone. They’re not going to make me pay for the sins of my father. I think I’ve already paid in full for mistakes that were not mine to begin with.”

“I’m not trying to sound negative here, Jinx. You know we both only want you to be happy. Fact is, though, they might decide your association with another club, regardless of the fact it no longer exists, might make them wary of you.”

“Then it’ll be their loss.”

“Damn fucking right it will be,” Rex agrees emphatically.

“Alright, I can see you have your mind made up. Just know we’ve got your back, regardless. Keep us posted, and God willing, we’ll be home sometime in the next few days.”

“I will. Stay safe. Love you guys.”

“Back at you, Jinx.”

I disconnect FaceTime before I start getting teary. I might not be the most emotional girl on the planet, but I’d be lying if I said I didn’t miss the fuck out of them. We’ve spent so much time together that I feel a little lost without them around. Not that I’d ever admit it. There would be way too much gloating on their part for my liking.

With a sigh, I’m about to put my phone down and watch TV when it starts ringing. Hoping it’s Mercy, I frown when I see Nico’s name pop up. I answer with a laugh, “What did Rex do now?”

“Shit, sorry to do this to you, especially now.”

The smile slips from my face as I sit up straighter. “What is it?”

“Scooter is out.”

It takes me a minute to understand what he’s saying.

“Scooter, as in the prospect? How the hell is he out? We just returned the motherfucker.”

“I guess with overcrowding and having friends in high places, he was given bail. Again.”

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