Laying my phone on the ground, I ignored the operator and just held my sister. I didn’t know how long I sat there with my sister in my arms, rocking her back and forth, but when I heard the sirens, I just knew everything was going to be all right now that help had arrived.
It had to be.
I made my dad a promise.
I had to keep it.
She was mine to protect.
Throwing the now-empty bottle of bourbon across my room, I fell to my knees and screamed, holding my head in my hands. No matter what I did, I couldn’t get those images out of my head.
It was driving me crazy.
I was going insane.
Gasping for air, I rolled onto my side and just gave up. What was the use anyway? Nothing worked. No matter what I did, I was reminded of my failure, and tomorrow I would be forced to watch them lower her body into the ground.
She was dead.
There is no coming back from death.
I knew that.
Just another mark against my soul.
I just lay there, letting my own misery consume me.
It was all I could do.
I was tired of fighting it.
I didn’t want to anymore.
“It’s all right, Savage. I’ve got you,” her soft voice caressed me. Opening my eyes, I looked up into the prettiest set of blue eyes I’d ever seen. She was here. She was with me. Unable to stop myself, I cried, hugging her tightly to me as she comforted me. “I’m here. I’ve got you.”
Twenty-One
Player
It was late when I entered my bedroom to find Catarina sleeping peacefully. God, what a fucked-up day. All I wanted was to spend the day with my woman, eat some good food and laugh with my brothers. Tomorrow was going to be a cluster fuck, and I just wanted a moment of peace.
I should have known that was never going to happen.
Nothing ever did when it came to this club.
If it wasn’t one thing, it was another. It was bad enough the club dealt with the worst scum of the earth, but add in my woman and son, and now the shit coming regarding Phantom, I just needed a fucking break.
Sitting on the edge of the bed, I took my time taking off my boots.
I was so fucking tired of everything.
I didn’t know if I could do this anymore.
There was no pause.
When one problem got solved, another was knocking on the doors. None of us could rest. There wasn’t any time. I didn’t know how Reaper and Ghost did it. With their women, kids, and the club. How did they find the time for everything? And I refused to think of what could happen if I stayed because the possibility was real. The funeral tomorrow was proof of that.
I removed my clothes and climbed into bed, curling myself around her soft body. Just being close to her eased my tension and fear, but it wouldn’t truly dissipate until my son was with us.