Page 128 of Broken
“You want to get Nero to hand him over, or stop protecting him?”
“He isn’t protecting him. Look, I need to go inside.”
“Okay,” he nods. “I got you.”
Not that I need him. But I appreciate him standing with me. Nero might flip his shit with me.
We’re about to go inside when the door bursts open and a few brothers spill out. I grab Nashville as he heads past. There is no sign of Nero.
“What’s going on?” I have to shout over the roar of bikes starting up.
“Prez needs us.”
Phoenix perks up at that and prevents him leaving. “What the fuck?”
“Where?” I ask.
Nashville looks between the two of us. Technically, I’m a member, and Nashville has always been good toward me. Phoenix isn’t, but he’s Nero’s brother. When I squeeze his arm he glares at me, but all the other brothers riding off speeds up his decision.
He says the address and my heart stops.
It’s Calli’s building. Jesus Christ.
I should have gone to her, not come here. If anything happens to her…
It’s at that moment that I know Phoenix is right. Everything I’ve been trying to push out of my head where Calli is concerned solidifies right there. I can’t articulate it, I can’t admit the real extent of it. But I care. A lot.
Nothing can happen to her. I’ll lose my mind if it does.
Why am I so damn far away from her?
Nashville grabs my arm and stops me running for my bike.
“He won’t like it.”
Phoenix sees the look of sheer panic take over. He barges into Nashville, forcing him to release my arm. His face hard as stone. “Don’t stop him.”
Nashville is in two minds, I don’t stick around to see how he figures his shit out. Taking out my phone I hurry away and pull up the cameras at Caleb's place. Flicking through each room, my frustration grows. Then I see a side table knocked over and a broken lamp. Something is definitely wrong.
Movement catches my eye and I flip to the hallway camera. Caleb is there. And so is Dutton.
"Fuck," I close out the cameras and call Calli. What am I going to tell her? It doesn’t matter, so long as I hear her voice and make sure she’s safe.
Phoenix is behind me, getting on his bike. Nashville is rubbing his chin and I glance at my friend as he shakes out his hand. That will come back on him down the road.
In all the excitement and panic, I forgot they are going after Nero. Nashville doesn’t care about whatever went down. He’s going after his Prez. He did his part in trying to stop us.
“Come on,” I mutter into the phone. “Pick up.”
After a couple more rings, I’m about to hang up when she answers.
“Garrett?”
“Calli, where are you?”
“I’m at home,” she answers, sounding confused. “Why?”
“Are you alone?”
