"Okay," she agreed, giving me a tight smile as she went to walk past.
My arm reached out, grabbing her arm just as a voice called from outside.
Calling for Reign.
In a high, worried tone.
I didn't even notice she was running with me as I followed everyone else back out to the yard, grabbing a gun in my free hand as I went past.
But we weren't being invaded.
A truck was simply idling in front of the compound.
The front had blacked-out windows.
Even as Lo's guys tried to move around to get a look through the front dashboard, the lift gate door dropped open, something was rolling out, and the truck was peeling off.
"What the..." Fallon started, already running.
He was the first one there, Lo's men patrolling, looking for any other possible threats in case this was some sort of distraction.
I could see some of my brothers breaking off to do the same.
Just as I realized Eva was behind me.
"Fuck. You need to go back—" I started, cutting off when Fallon pushed what had fallen out of the truck over with the tip of his shoe.
Not something.
Someone.
"Shit, that's—" Reign started, head whipping over toward me as recognition hit.
I didn't recognize him.
But Eva?
Eva sure as fuck did.
"Oh, God," she gasped before wrenching away from me, dropping down to the ground, and retching.
Fuck.
That was her brother.
Miguel.
And someone had turned his body into a bloody pulp before they put him out of his misery.
Then dropped him in front of our gates.
"Okay. Alright," I said, dropping down, pulling Eva's hair back with one hand, the other rubbing across her hips. "It's going to be alright," I added, even though I didn't know that, I couldn't know that.
I had no idea what the hell was happening.
"What the fuck is going on?" Reign hissed, echoing my thoughts. "Rounds," he called out to the men gathered around. "Fallon, call everyone who isn't back yet. They either need to go home or they need to go to Hailstorm. We have to call the cops," he added to the silence that followed his words. "Colson," he added, moving closer to me. "You have to get her and the kid out of here," he said. "Now," he added when I looked up at him.
"Okay," I agreed, not knowing the plan, but knowing I needed to follow whatever part of it he was giving to me. "Huck, the kid," Reign demanded, and Huck ran back into the clubhouse.
"He can't see," Eva was whimpering, her body trembling. "He can't," she added more forcefully, looking up at Reign.
"He won't," he assured her, nodding toward the men still gathered around, watching as they moved out to make a shield with their bodies as Huck brought him out of the building.
"What's going on?" Jacob asked.
"No time to talk about that now, kid," Huck told him, practically dragging him across the front grounds as I reached down, scooping up Eva, following Huck's lead.
"There's a blue car parked one street over," one of Lo's men said, tossing me a set of keys, taking off in a different direction, likely catching a ride with the other guard, both of them knowing they had to get out of there with their illegal guns before the cops descended.
As I made it to the corner of the street, I could see the men rushing back inside, likely to get rid of their own weapons, to make sure the clubhouse was clean, even as poor fucking Brooks wordlessly moved out front with a bucket, washing Eva's vomit away.
If there was one kid I wanted in the club, he was the one I would give my vote to get a cut.
"You good from here?" Huck asked, shoving Jacob into the backseat as I shuffled Eva into the front.
"I wasn't told where to go."
"Take them home," he suggested. "I will fill you in as soon as I have something to say."
"Okay. Thank you."
"Take care of her," he said, wincing down at Eva who was still trembling, staring off out the windshield with a blank expression. In the backseat, Jacob was confused, but as he watched his mom, his eyes got wider, worried.
"I will," I agreed, nodding to him, then hopping into the car.
I didn't know what was going on.
I didn't know what to say.
But I did know what I could do.
I could take them home.
I could shoo Jacob up to his room.
I could comfort Eva.
So that was what I did.
While I waited to learn what the fuck was happening.THIRTEENEvaI couldn't stop the image from flashing across my eyes. Even when I closed them.
I saw every single awful detail.
In bright, vivid color.
Even though it had been dark out.
My mind chose to illuminate everything, make it something I could never forget.
Even as we drove away from the clubhouse, it played over and over on a reel.
The truck bed opening, something falling out, then the truck peeling away, leaving the lump of nothing in the street.