“The Royal Bastards have Leo.” I flash him the picture of Leo sitting on a chair at the clubhouse, weeping, his lip bloody.
“So much for not getting involved.” He slams his palm against the steering wheel. “Dammit.”
“They know we’re together. Maybe that’s why they got involved. This is my fault.”
“No. This is Leo’s fault—and the stupid woman who played him.”
“What are we going to do?”
“I’m going to take you home.”
This doesn’t feel right. If Jameson hurts Zane, I’ll never forgive him. “What if we run?” I suggest on a whim. It will be hard leaving Ruby, but I can reach out to her once we settle somewhere.
“They have Leo.” Zane shuts me down.
“So? He got you into this mess.” Rejection stings.
“Lily, he’s my brother.”
Static hums in my head. I can’t think straight. “Fuckkk!” I roar, frustration coiling my muscles.
“It’ll be okay. You’ll be okay.” He reaches over, rubbing his hand on my thigh.
“And what about you?”
“Doesn’t matter.”
Fear rears up, staining my heart in black tar. “It matters to me.”
Pulling the car over, he reaches for me, and I climb onto his lap, desperate to be close to him. Our mouths crash together, feasting like it’s the last time we’ll ever taste each other. Tears bleed down my cheeks, and my heart aches.
“It’ll be okay,” he implores.
Climbing back into the seat, I curl in on myself, just like I would after a visit from the devil. Is life really so cruel to give me a taste of good only to rip it away?
“Promise me?” I whimper.
When he doesn’t respond, I die a little inside.
CHAPTERNINETEEN
ZANE/CHAOS
“This doesn’t look good,” I groan, pulling into the clubhouse. Rows of bikes, trucks, and cars fill the yard.
Lily fidgets next to me, a solemn presence washing over her. “Let’s just turn around.”
“They’d never let me take you, Lily. Your brother would hunt me to the ends of the earth.”
“It’s not taking if I go willingly.”
“Be brave,” I tell her. Trepidation trickles into my blood about walking into the club. Not for her, though. A calm settles over me, knowing she’s safe. We defeated her demons. These last couple of days are enough. If I die tonight, I’ll go happy. “You ready?”
“No,” she snaps, pushing the door open and climbing out of the car. Without waiting for me, she races to the entrance, yanking the door wide and disappears inside.
Following her path, my heart pounds, adrenaline spiking. Entering the clubhouse, my steps pick up their pace when Lily’s high-pitched screeching fills my ears. I round the corner, and silence falls over the room.
There are leather cuts everywhere. Loki from the Reno chapter juts his chin out in greeting, followed by Koyn, Prez of the Tulsa chapter. I’ve partied with both over the years. Almost a brother myself if I’d just accepted Animal’s offer to join. I always knew the road would lead here. Me at their mercy for something Leo got me into. My gaze falls on my brother tied to a fucking chair in the centre of the room.