7
Storm
I ran into the clubhouse with Hero on my heels. My heart hammered against my ribs, fearing the worst. Had Madeline been hurt? Did the fuckin’ Hunters get the drop on AJ? Christ, were they both dead? Goose flesh spread over my arms at the thought. If my Angel left this earth, I was sure I would’ve felt her soul die. Ours were intertwined. We were soulmates. I would’ve felt her life floating away to the heavens. Wouldn’t I?
“What happened?” I scanned the entrance but nothing appeared amiss. I wasn’t sure whether to be relieved or terrified.
Track and Lynx looked sidelong at each other. My chest tightened, pulse whooshing in my ears.
Track sneered. “You fucked Carla! How could you? I thought you cared about Madeline. Hell, I thought you loved her.” The disgust on his face had me rolling my hands into fists. I swear he wanted to rip my head clean off my neck.
Fuck Carla? I couldn’t have heard him correctly. “The fuck you say, brother?” I went face to face with him, clenching my jaw, nostrils flared. “How dare you accuse me of such bullshit!”
Sugar and Tina appeared, stopping when they saw Track and me.
Track eased back half a step. “You weren’t with Carla last night?”
“Oh Jesus, what’s going on?” Sugar got between us, putting a hand on my chest. I ignored her, keeping my deadly gaze on my so-called best friend… my brother.
“No, I wasn’t with that bitch! Where the fuck is this coming from?” Had I just entered the fuckin’ Twilight Zone?
When Track called saying I needed to come back to the clubhouse, he never told me why. Nor did I ask. All I heard wasIt’s Madeline. I sprinted out of the gunshop with Hero, and left Toby with Grizzly and Wolf, to bust my ass back to the clubhouse.
“Somebody talk to me.” Sugar tapped my chest to get my attention. Her calm voice did nothing to dampen the rage bellowing in my chest.
“Not now, Sugar.” I moved her out of the way.
Track glanced at Lynx as he ran his hand through his hair. On a nervous exhale, he said, “Carla was in your bedroom in her bra and panties.”
“What?” I roared, seeing red. How in the hell did she get into my room? I always locked the door. Had I been so fucked up, I forgot? No, locking the door to my room was second nature.
Lynx moved forward. “And… Madeline found her inside. Carla taunted her about y’all fucking and how you wanted her to wait for you in your room.”
Sugar and Tina both gasped, covering their mouths.
The whooshing in my ears went deadly silent. My stomach twisted so tight I couldn’t breathe. Every part of me went numb. This was so fuckin’ bad.
“What. Else?” I gritted my teeth.
“Madeline lost it on her, Prez.” Lynx shook his head. “She slapped the shit out of Carla, scratching up her face and pulling her hair out. She threatened to kill her. I’d never seen any woman so angry before.” He grabbed his arm.
I caught a glimpse of dried blood. “Where is she?”
Lynx growled. “Carla’s in the quiet room. We didn’t know what to do with her.” The quiet room was a padded cell used for brothers who were out of control.
“I don’t give a shit about Carla. Madeline! Where’s Madeline? In my room?” I took three long strides toward the stairs. No one answered. I turned around with an expectant expression. “Well?”
Track sighed, bracing his hands on his hips. “In a room downstairs. She doesn’t want to see you.”
“Well, she doesn’t have a goddamn choice!”
“Storm.” Sugar grabbed my hand.
Track stepped in front of me, blocking the way to the dorms. “Take a minute to calm down. She’s in a bad way. What she saw, what Lynx and I saw looked real. It destroyed her, man.”
“She told us to all fuck off and ran out of the building.” Lynx squared his shoulders. “I stopped her just before she got into her car. She struggled and fought me with all she had.” Lynx gripped the back of his neck, eyes suddenly glossy. More marks were on his forearms. “Then she broke, Prez.”
I breath hung my lungs, going face to face with Lynx, our noses almost touching. “Why didn’t you tell her it was a mistake. A lie? Why didn’t you tell her I didn’t fuck that bitch?”