Tears filled my eyes, and I immediately started crying. Fuck, I couldn’t do this. I wasn’t cut out for this kind of shit. I could handle getting messages across to other clubs through damage like nobody’s business, but when it came to shit happening to me, I couldn’t fucking cope with it.
Cole pulled me into the circle of his arms and ran his hand over my hair. “Amelia, you will get through this, and I’ll help you,” he promised.
I yanked away from him. “I don’t want you to help me!” I yelled at him. “You don’t even care about me, so just fuck off!”
Be angry, Amelia. You can do angry.
I could visibly see when Cole lost his temper. The muscle in his jaw began ticking even faster, and he clenched his fists, his body going tense. “Dammit, Amelia, Idofucking care! If I didn’t, I would have fucking left you with the clubs to deal with everyone by yourself and rode off into the fucking sunset. So, don’t you try pulling that bullshit card on me!” he roared.
I slid down the wall behind me, dropping to my ass on the floor. Cole knelt in front of me and grabbed my chin in his hands, forcing my eyes to meet his. “Amelia, you will be okay. I know you better than I know anyone, possibly even my own self, so I know this is all going to turn out alright.”
I sighed, giving up. I was at rock bottom, and I was going to have to work my way back up to the strong person that everyone knew—hell, the strong person that I knew, the one that knew what she wanted and got it.
And as much as I didn’t want to admit it, right then, I needed Cole.
* * *
Cole
I staredout over the weathered parking lot, drinking the coffee I had picked up from the gas station across the street. Amelia was still sleeping. She hadn’t slept well until I finally forced her to get over her fear of sleeping in the same bed with a guy and forced her to sleep in the same bed with me. I guess holding her all night helped to keep away most of her nightmares.
I didn’t turn around when I heard the door to our room open. I knew it was Amelia. The second she came around me, my body became hyper-aware of her.
She sat beside me on the sidewalk and took the coffee cup from my hand, taking a sip. I took one look at her and groaned, running my hand down my face. She sure as hell wasn’t going to make it easy for me to not fuck her into oblivion. She was wearing jean shorts that barely covered her ass, leaving her long legs bare. She was wearing a tank top that left her breasts on view for me to see. Even though she was covered in bruises, Amelia could still make my dick hard just at the sight of her.
I jumped up, running my hand through my hair. “For fuck’s sake, Amelia, do you mind putting some damn clothes on?”
She looked up at me through her lashes. I groaned, banging my head on the metal pole holding the awning up to our room, trying to knock some goddamn sense into my head. Where Amelia was concerned, I never seemed to have any.
“I am wearing clothes, Cole,” she retorted, smirking her little devilish smirk that I loved seeing on her.
I looked down at her. “Unless you want me to fuck you against the wall and on every surface in that motel room, I’d advise you to at least put on a fucking t-shirt or a tank top that covers more of your chest.”
She smirked at me before going back into the motel room. That’s when I realized she still had my damn coffee. “Hey!” I called after her, going into the room. “You took—” My words were cut off when she turned to me, wearing nothing but her shorts and a black lacy bra. I swallowed hard and turned around, forcing myself to walk out of the room. Jesus, didn’t she know there was a fucking bathroom that she could have changed in?
I pulled my phone out and looked at the texts and missed calls on my phone that I had ignored yesterday. I looked at the latest text and heavily blew out a sigh.
Cole, your mother was just admitted into the hospital.
I called my dad, pissed off before the conversation even started. “Hello?” he answered, sounding extremely tired.
“What the fuck did she do?” I asked him, cutting straight to the chase.
“She took off last night with the Bloody Royals without letting me know. Apparently, she blew up one of the ATL’s warehouses, and she received some almost fatal burn wounds because she couldn’t get away fast enough.” He paused, sighing. “Cole, she needs you here.”
My temper was already flared up because she blew up a warehouse of the fucking ATL. So, I fucking exploded when he told me he wanted me to come home. Did he not realize the fucking shit he just buried Amelia further into? For fuck’s sake, I left so they could hopefully realize they had shit they needed to figure out! Instead, they just further try to help the ATL make a fucking death warrant for Amelia?
I heard the motel room door open, but at that moment, I didn’t give a damn. I was pissed. “Are you insane?!” I roared. “You really think it’s a good fucking idea for me to come riding back home with Amelia after you just let Mom blow up the warehouse of the man who killed my fucking sister and brutally fucked up Amelia?! Are you trying to get Amelia fucking killed?! There’s no way in hell I’m fucking coming home! All of you assholes can burn in hell!”
I hung up the phone. Amelia grabbed my wrist and turned me to face her. Her eyes were large and filled with fear, her face white. My heart twisted upon seeing her look so afraid. “Cole, what happened?”
I sighed, running a hand through my hair. “Mom fucking blew up a warehouse that belongs to the ATL. So, we’ve got to move soon and get farther away. I’m going to trash this phone and get a new one. We can get something to eat, and then, we’ll ride out.” I looked down at her, my eyes and face intent, showing I wasn’t playing games with this. This shit was serious, and I would be damned if she got hurt again. “I won’t have you hurt, Amelia. Not on my fucking watch and not anymore if I can help it. I will do what I have to do to protect you.”
She sighed. “Cole, you’re giving up your entire life, everything that you know—for me. I can’t ask that of you.”
I kissed her lightly, rubbing my thumb over her cheekbone. “Amelia, you don’t have to ask me. I’m doing it because I care about you. I won’t let anything else happen to you while I’m alive. Those fucking bastards have fucked with the two things in my life that mean the most to me: you and my family. I’ll be damned if I let either one get hurt or killed because of me again.” She started to speak, but I put a finger to her lips. “Shh. There’s nothing you could say that would change my mind. Come on. Get your bags together and get them loaded on your bike. We’re going to get something to eat, and then, we’re riding out.”
9