Page 67 of Savage Sin

“Thanks, Little Dragon. I’ll keep her safe while I get better. Sound good?” My heart is bleeding over here to have the same pride in my heart as I see on Dragon’s face for his baby. My mind trips back to Persi, but I know that’s not in the cards for me. Not with her or anybody.

I tuck the pink, glittery unicorn under my arm as a wave of worried faces pour down the stairs. In seconds, the medical bay becomes crowded. It’s nothing more than a basement filled with some medical supplies that keep us out of hospitals and off the law’s radar. Since we no longer have a doctor as part of our crew, I’m a little worried about who put a needle to my skin.

Fergie is first. The club’s mother hen has a Marlboro Red hanging from her lips as she swoops in and puts a kiss on the top of my head. “Glad to see you on this side of the dead, boy.” Hair piles high on her head and it looks like she applied a fresh coating of red to her lips just for me. She’s a doll who mothers everyone and sees to it our rules are enforced among the candy and anyone else living at the compound.

“I’m happy to see you, too. It’s nice to not be worm food.”

I watch Asena take her and Dragon’s girl back upstairs. I get a little wave before she’s out of sight.

I pluck the cigarette from Fergie and inhale deeply. Fuck, that feels good.

The club’s candy is right behind Fergie, asking me if I want food or water. Piper and Kendra have kept me from getting involved with anyone. They were enough to meet my needs, and neither of them wanted attachments. It worked for us for a while. But it’s been ages since I’ve been with either. I never said I was a saint. Far from it. Now, as they worry over me, I find all I really want is to see a certain pair of hazel eyes.

I scan the small crowd gathered around me but don’t see them. I doubt she wants to see me.

Avery, a sweet thing Ares saved from a terrible situation at the time he rescued Nova, comes up to me with a warm smile. She had it bad for Riot, but that didn’t go anywhere for a lot of reasons. I’ve stood back and watched her try to find her place in the world now that she’s no longer a piece of property of Society 69. From the outside looking in, it doesn’t seem to be going well.

The cute blonde flicks her tongue against the tiny hoop piercing her lower lip, fighting back the tears I see rolling down her cheeks.

“Hey, what’s wrong, sweetness?” I swear my heart can’t take anymore emotions today.

She’s been a club favorite since the night she arrived. Not in a sexual sense, but more of a little sister to everyone here. Her heart lives on her sleeve and shines so brightly in her innocent eyes. She takes my hand and leans in. “Persi is upstairs and livid. But she’s okay.”

That doesn’t surprise me. She’s probably being held here until Ares gets some answers when all she wants to do is get away from here as fast as possible.

“If everyone is satisfied, let’s get the room cleared. We have some talking to do.” Ares braces his hands on the side of my metal bed. I turn to look at him and his face is all business.

Riot, Dragon and Wolfe take up the back wall wearing scowls. Wolfe is new to the crew, on loan from some friends. He’s got no skin in the game, but he’s here and that means a lot. All three men, along with Casanova and Blade—the youngest patched members—replace the surrounding women except for one.

Nova. The white-haired spitfire is due with her and Ares’ first child in a couple of months. She’s at Ares’ side and looking a few shades of pissed off. But the kindness in her eyes is hard to miss, too. She takes my hand and gives it a squeeze.

Silence cuts deep. My brothers look at me like they don’t know if they want to finish me off or beat me and then finish killing me.

“Look, I know I need to answer some questions, and I will. But—”

Riot walks down the stairs, plucks a bag between my legs. Using rough, jerky motions, he rips open the zipper and pulls the sides down.

“I have an idea. Let’s start with why your brother’s head is in a jar.” Dark eyes meet mine. Deep lines crease his forehead and there are dark shadows under his eyes. I take a closer look and all my brothers and none of them fare any better. Ares is unshaven, Dragon’s long hair is roughly pulled back, and he hasn’t picked up a razor, either. They all have wrinkled shirts on and look like they haven’t had a good meal in weeks.

My actions did this to them.

“The Castel cartel killed him and sent me that as a warning to keep away.”

“Why didn’t they send it to the DEA headquarters?”

I look to Ares. “I wondered the same until I found out what your other brother has been up to. While Riot here was fighting Kirill, your youngest brother teamed up with the Colombian drug lord to distribute Euphoria through their sources. All the deaths in our clubs and the college kid’s overdosing on our watch is because we can’t seem to eradicate the Antonov bloodline.”

Riot braces his hands on the table and hangs his head. Ares is silent. Fuck, everyone is dead quiet.

“Who put these fucking stitches in me? They hurt like hell.”

“Dragon. But it wasn’t easy, brother.” Dragon picks a knife up off the tray and shows me the switchblade that came out of my shoulder.

“This one almost severed some important nerves. Even with nothing hitting the major arteries, you lost a lot of blood. It took your girl and Dragon to get enough back in you that you didn’t die.”

That is when I notice the empty blood bags hanging from IV poles.

“She donated blood?”

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