Thea nods. She glances at Isla and Sawyer, and then back at me. “I’ll leave you be and we’ll talk later.” It’s a statement, like she knows that I’m not about to let this go. She’s exactly fucking right.
“Rose is in the medical room,” I tell her. “She hit her head.” Thea stiffens, eyes narrowing. “She’ll be fine, but Bullet has ordered her to stay there until he comes and gets her. I don’t think she dares to defy him. Again.” I smirk at that. Look, I still think Rose is a bit nuts, but what she did, she has my admiration and respect. She’s a badass through and through.
Thea’s brow arches in surprise, but she nods. “Alright. I’ll go and check on her. If you need anything, send Theo down.” She smiles at Isla and Sawyer before saying, “I think we’ll have to finish our game later, but just remember, I was winning.” She winks, which makes Isla and Sawyer both snort.
“You were cheating,” Isla cries in exasperation.
“And you weren’t even hiding it,” Sawyer grumbles, but his eyes sparkle as he looks at her.
“Maybe that’s what I wanted you to think,” she smirks, bumping her good shoulder against him. He flushes at the contact, and I almost groan. Isla rolls her eyes, and Thea, thankfully, doesn’t push it and pulls away. “Alright, I’ll see you guys in a bit.” Then she’s heading out the door. I can hear the muffled sound of her voice through the door as she speaks with Theo, and then she walks away.
“What the hell happened?” Sawyer demands, arms crossed over his chest. “All we know is we heard Hulk yell, and then wewere grabbed and whisked away by Crypt and Theo, with Thea right behind us. None of them would tell us what was going on, and I don’t buy that they didn’t know. Though, I guess seeing your face, I can see why Hulk was mad. Who hit you?”
“The President of the other club, and one of his men, held me still so I couldn’t get away.” I’m not about to lie to them. Isla gasps, hugging me tighter. “Honestly, it hurt, and it stunned me, but then it made me mad. Before I could do anything, Hulk was in, grabbing them both and tossing them away from me. He beat them both decently bad before he was hauled off.”
“I guess we know now why they call him Hulk,” Isla jokes lightly, finally releasing me and stepping back. “Did he turn green too?”
“I’d figure with how big and mad he was, he’d be the red one,” Sawyer counters thoughtfully. “And I hope they got that move on camera, because I want to know how he did it.”
“Dude, he’s huge, you’re never going to be able to do what he did unless you grow another foot and get huge muscles that make your head look puny.” Isla snickers. “Though that would be hilarious as shit.” Sawyer rolls his eyes at her.
“I need both of you to understand that we might need to run,” I tell them, lowering my voice so Theo can’t overhear. “Pack what you have in an easy-to-reach spot. Whatever is going down here, both clubs are about to be at war with each other, because the Misfits are up to something, and this club knows it now. And I refuse to have us in the middle of it and hiding from Vlad.”
Both of them turn serious, mouths set in a grim line. “So, what? We’re going to sneak out of here?” Isla whispers.
“Not yet, but we might have to,” I whisper back. “First, I need to make a plan. We can’t just run and hope we’re not sitting ducks. I don’t have my car, so we’d have to walk back to town, and that means we’re exposed and in danger if Vlad, his men, or even the MC guys come looking for us.”
“Are you sure that we need to run?” Sawyer asks softly. “I like it here. I like the Devil’s Soldiers, and they seem like nice guys. I mean, they rescued us, let us stay here, and clearly have no problem putting people in their place when they need to. I think they’re the safer option, if you ask me. Oh, and I heard some of the guys talking and most of the men in this club are former military, and not just regular soldiers. Special Forces, SEALs, snipers. All the guys you want on your side.”
“They aren’t Gods,” Isla reminds him sharply. “Just because they are all those things doesn’t mean that they’ll stop us from dying. The Misfits don’t play by the rules, clearly. I wouldn’t be surprised if they’re only here and playing nice to try and take over the club so that they can use it for themselves.”
“And that is exactly why we don’t want to be here and in the middle of a turf war,” I state. “The Soldiers will never give this up willingly, and between the two, there is the possibility of them all fighting each other, which gives Vlad an edge to take over. We don’t want that.” I look at Sawyer. “I know you like them and like it here, and I’m not saying they aren’t great people, but when it comes to you and Isla, I will do whatever I have to, to keep you safe. Even if it means taking you away from all of this and hiding out in a cave in the middle of nowhere until all of this shit calms down.”
“What about Hulk?” Sawyer asks. “You think he’s going to be okay with us just going?”
“It’s not up to him. And why does that matter?”
He gives me a bland stare. “You really think, after him kissing you earlier, or the way that he constantly watches you and wants to be around you, that we can’t see that you two are into each other? All of these guys, they’re not the kind to just let you walk away without a fight. And even if he was, us leaving without telling him is going to put him in a panic that Vlad and those assholes did something to us or took us.”
“We can leave a note,” Isla protests. “We don’t have to just simply leave with no word.”
“And you really think they’re going to take a note like that at face value? Dude, they’re fighting with the Russians. Their first instinct is going to be that we were forced to write that note before they took us. It’s going to be the same outcome.”
“Alright, enough.” I sigh. “There’s no point in fighting about this. We’re not going anywhere just yet, but I’m serious that both of you need to get a to-go bag put together and in easy grabbing distance in case we do. Leave Hulk and everyone else to me. Until then, we stay in here and get some rest because if we have to go, I want you both rested.”
I hate to scare them, but I won’t sugar-coat the possibility. Now I need to figure out what I’m going to say to Hulk when he eventually comes up here, because I know he will. I leave the two of them packing, grab some fresh clothes, and head into the bathroom. I need a shower. I’m not dirty, but I still can feel their grimy hands on me, and I need to get rid of them.
I undress and step under the hot water, closing my eyes as it washes over me. I feel like I’m losing my mind. Everything going on is like something out of a stupid movie. First, it was my mother getting herself in with the Russians. Now, it’s being at the mercy of an MC for their help and protection, and getting caught up in yet another struggle and some kind of turf war. Do the Devil’s Soldiers just enjoy attracting trouble, or is this simply an aberration?
Anger burns in my gut. I’m pissed at myself for allowing this entire situation to happen in the first place. I should have gotten my siblings out. I should have told the MC where to find Hulk and let them handle it alone instead of getting involved. I should have run as far and as fast out of town as I could and gotten all three of us out of the country. Or at least somewhere wherethey’d never find us, like Alaska or something. I’m not much of a survivalist, but I’m a quick learner.
Maybe I should look into that. There must be a way to get there without the Russians tracking us, or at least not catching up to us until we’re there and have disappeared. Maybe I should look into getting fake papers or something with new names. Start over, start a new life.
Or you just trust that you haven’t made a mistake and the MC will protect you.
I ignore that little voice as I wash my hair vigorously. I can’t trust my gut right now. My gut is what has gotten us in this clubhouse, and while it wasn’t a bad idea in the beginning, clearly, it’s faulty, considering everything else that’s happened.
By the time I get out of the shower, I’m no less annoyed. Hell, I’m probably worse than before. I want to scream that this isn’t fair, that all of this is bullshit and shouldn’t be happening to me, to Isla, and Sawyer. However, the rational part of me reminds me that I’m being overdramatic and I need to think about this logically and clearly. Anything else isn’t acceptable. Reacting on emotion is how you end up doing something stupid or getting yourself killed.
