“Was it weird that they asked you to do this?”
“No. It's more of the same bullshit they always pull. We have a nurse at our disposal, so let’s use her. In this case, it makes sense. I’m already in the hospital. My presence will not draw the same attention the clubs will.” She leans into me for comfort, and I pull her close, trying not to read into the situation.
We built our entire relationship on top of a shit storm. I don’t know what’s sturdy and what will crumble. But every moment I get to spend with her is one I never thought I’d have, so I’ll take it and try to forge a foundation solid enough to hold her. Tucking her under my arm, I lead her in. We walk to the table where Tank is holding court.
“Tell me everything you know.”
“I honestly don’t know how he’s alive. He’s covered in fifth- and sixth-degree burns. It was touch and go to stabilize him, and even now, the fight to prevent infection is continuous and dicey. The intracerebral hematoma on the back of his head indicates the ruble they found him buried underneath made contact with his skull and cracked it. They want to go in and work on it, but they need him stable enough to survive the surgery. It’s a crap shoot which would be worse, waiting or moving forward with the brain surgery.”
“He’s not conscious then.” Tank rubs his chin.
“The odds of that ever happening are slim. And even then, Scar’s memory would be shot. He’d have to relearn to do everything all over again. Providing he survives the burns.”
“You read this in his files?” Speedy asks.
She nods. “I’m putting what I know of these particular types of injuries with what I read from his diagnosis to make an educated guess. I think they’re hoping for a miracle, honestly. But impossible recoveries occur.”
“Give me a percentage,” Tank asks.
Nadia cringes. “Less than a twenty percent chance of survival, and I’m being generous.”
Tank relaxes slightly. “We have a lot of things to discuss, Nadia. You have the keys to give us access to everything we need. Information, eyes on potential enemies, and a first-hand account of the Scar situation.”
“Is that a good thing?” Nadia asks cautiously.
Tank smiles. “For both of us. It gives us a mutually vested interest.”
“Tank, are you asking me to be your friend?” She asks sassily.
He chuckles. “I think we can do away with the trial period if you agree to keep us in the loop. And we’ll do the same. I want to know if Feral is corrupt as a whole or if the Nashville branch alone was diseased.”
She looks over at me. “I’m free to go back to living like I normally do?”
“I mean.” Tank looks from me to her. “The details of what that will look like are between y’all. But you have my blessing.”
My mouth dries out, and I wait for her to bolt. “I didn’t see or hear anything unusual tonight. But to be honest, once I found out about Scar, my attention was shot.”
“If it came down to it, could you watch Scar die?” Speedy asks.
Her eyes grow cold. “If you gave me the knife, I might slit his throat.”
Speedy’s eyebrows fly up. “Not the answer I expected. But I’ll accept it.”
“Sit.” Tank gestures at the chair and pushes it out with his foot. “We have plans to make.”
I should be happy she’s won them over, but I feel sick and irritable. He took my leverage out from under me, and I’m not a man who enjoys not knowing where he stands. What feels like centuries later, we leave the clubhouse and walk to her car.
“You going back to your place tonight?” I ask casually as we stop in front of her compact sedan.
“Is that what you want?” she asks softly, peering up at me through her long lashes as she leans against the driver’s door of her car.
I cage her in, pressing our bodies together. “Fuck no. I like you exactly where you are, in my space, arms, and bed, Nightingale.”
Her lips tip into a smile. “When I’m with you, I feel safe for the first time in my life. I don’t want to lose that.”
“You don’t have to, baby.”
“I won’t pretend it's easy being around the men who murdered my family or that I’ll ever really forgive you all for it. Regardless of the why, they were my kin. Even if they didn’t treat me the best.”