I wrap my hair in a towel and put on my pajamas before looking at myself in the mirror. The bruising on my cheek is enough that I can almost make out the fingers of Arson’s hand, but it will heal. I press it lightly, and it’s tender, but not overly painful. I pop a couple pills to help with the swelling and discomfort, and then I head out of the bathroom. I stop quickly when I see that Sawyer and Isla are both sitting on the end of my bed, looking up at Hulk, who is leaning against the wall, talking to them quietly.
What is he doing up here already? I take him in, looking for any signs of injury or blood, but see nothing. So, what, did they just kill the guys and be done with it? No, we’d have heard agunshot or something for sure. Or at least more commotion. So what is he doing up here?
Before I can say anything, Isla demands, “Why didn’t you hit them longer and harder?”
“Because I got pulled off,” Hulk replies matter-of-factly. “If no one had, I’d have done a lot more damage.”
“Hulk,” I bark, glaring at him when he looks over at me. He takes me in, his eyes lingering on my chest, and I fight the urge to cross my arms in front of my chest. Damn it, I should have put on a bra. Then his eyes move back up to mine, and I narrow them before adding, “What the hell is wrong with you? You can’t say that to them.”
“You act like we didn’t know that he was beating up on the men that hit you,” Sawyer drawls. “And do you really think that I wouldn’t do the same if I were there before him? Sure, he probably did more damage with how big he is, but him saying that isn’t a big deal, sis.”
“And we’re not babies,” Isla sniffs.
“You’re freaking fifteen,” I groan. “You don’t need to know about this.” I shoot Hulk another glare. He at least has enough decency to look a little bit guilty and repentant. “I do want to talk to you,” I state. “I need to do something with my hair and then we’re going to your room.”
“Why aren’t you talking here?” Sawyer demands.
“Because she probably wants to make out with him without us watching. Duh!” Isla sasses, rolling her eyes. “Dude, you really are clueless.”
Hulk compresses his lips together in what I assume is an attempt to hold back laughter. I glare at him and then glare at my sister. “You’re a pain in my ass,” I complain. Isla sticks her tongue out at me, eyes sparkling. “And no, that is not why. I want to talk to Hulk, and I don’t need your gossipy ears listening in. And I’m probably going to yell at him a little bit, and then saythings that damage a kid’s psyche. And yours is already damaged enough, I’m not about to add to it.”
Sawyer snickers, and Isla glares at him before she gives me a bland stare. “If I’m damaged, then you’re way worse than me,” she sniffs. “Who the hell says that to an emotionally vulnerable teenager with a druggie mother, no father, and a socially stunted brother? I still don’t know why I didn’t agree to go with CPS instead of with you and the abuse you constantly dole out.” She gives me the most dramatic expression she can when she finishes it that I can only blink.
“Are you trying to prove you’re not damaged?” I finally ask. “I mean, seriously, who says shit like that? I feel bad for anyone who ends up with you, because you are going to fuck that poor boy’s mind up before you finish with him.”
Isla snickers. “I’m selective about who I allow myself to spend time with. Now, would you get out of here and do whatever it is you’re planning with Hulk? And just remember, the walls are thin and I know that Hulk’s room is just across the hall, so we’re going to hear things and I do not relish the idea of having to bleach my ears and brain by hearing you two.”
CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
HULK
I have to convince her to stay. To trust us. To trust me.
I openthe door to my room for Avery about ten minutes later and step back to let her inside. She passes me, and the floral scent of her shampoo hits my nostrils, making my mouth water. I barely resist reaching for her so I can bury my nose in her hair and draw in more of it. More of her. Instead, I follow her inside and shut the door. I keep myself from locking it in case one of the kids needs her, though I’m hoping the two of them will stay in their room for a bit. They’re great kids, but I want Avery to myself.
Especially considering what happened. Thankfully, Theo is still guarding them, and Frost and Bowie are stationed outside their room on the ground to ensure no one tries to sneak in. We’re not taking any more chances.
Avery moves further into the room and then turns around, her gaze hard as she stares at me. She’s not hostile, but there’s no trust in her gaze. Not like before. Shit. “What the ever-loving-fuck is going on, Hulk?” she demands, voice low, but as far as I’m concerned, she’s still yelling at me. “This…this is so fucked up that I can’t even wrap my head around what happened. I thought we were safe here!”
“You are safe here,” I promise firmly, moving to stand in front of her. It’s probably pretty stupid, but I put my hands on her hips and stare into her eyes, needing her to believe me. “I promise you are. This shit with the Misfits, it should never have happened. Hell, I still don’t know why it’s happening. We’re leaving them to stew in the basement, with cameras watching and listening to everything they’re saying. We brought them in as allies to help us. In the beginning they were fine, but they don’t like how we run our club. Being around us for a longer period has shown the problems with their alliance with us. Bullet was ready to cancel it anyway, but this only cemented it. They have never touched a woman while they’ve been here before, and we would never have allowed them to come if we knew this would happen. I promise you, Avery.” I look at her face, where the bruise is darkening on her cheek. “I’m going to fucking make him pay for this.” I gently cup her face, my thumb whispering over the mark. “Him and Silver.”
“That might be, but what happens now? What, you’re going to kill them all? I won’t have my brother and sister around that either. All of this shit, this is too much. First, I have to worry about Vlad, and now I have to worry about an MC that clearly doesn’t like me or trust me. Who would say such vile things about my little sister? And there is no fucking way that anyone is going to convince me that they haven’t done the shit they threatened before. And the fact that your club is associated with them is a huge strike against all of you.”
I can see it in her face that she’s ready to run. And run as fast and as far as she can. Panic fills me at the thought of losing her, but I have to keep a cool head. I have to understand where she’scoming from. It’s the only way I can convince her that she is safe here. They are all safer here.
“Avery, I know how bad this looks. I need you to understand that if we had known any of this, we’d have never brought them here. We’ve known the Misfits for years. Hell, Bullet has known Arson since before he was President. They’ve been an outlaw club, but we vetted them thoroughly to make sure they weren’t into anything that goes against our own beliefs. They have figured out how to hide it from us, and Cryos is already kicking himself for not realizing they might have been. And none of that excuses it. Our alliance is done, and we’ll be making sure the local law where their club is knows what’s going on. If there is anything else they’re hiding, now is the time to figure it out because they’re here and unable to stop it.”
“Fine, good for you, but that doesn’t negate the fact that your club has put us in danger. What if they had decided to go after Isla? Huh? What if she had walked into the kitchen or something, and none of us had realized she was away from us? Do you understand what would have happened? She is a child, Hulk. A fucking child! And then what about Sawyer? They could have tricked him into going with them under the guise of talking and teaching him something about their bikes or something, and beaten or killed him? I’m just lucky that they went after me instead. I can handle myself, and I can take what they can dish out, but not them.”
“I will never allow anything to happen to them. And as of tomorrow morning, the Misfits won’t be a worry.” I shake my head when she opens her mouth. “I can’t tell you what’s going to happen, Avery. It’s club business, and we don’t involve women directly in club business like this. It’s better if you don’t know.”
“So, what, you just expect me to believe we’re not going to know that you’ve killed them all?” she snaps. “Or, what, you’re hoping we’re just going to go deaf and not hear gunshots?”
“There are more ways to kill someone than with a gun, angel. We’re a group of mostly former servicemen, and we’ve all got experience with it. We can make sure that if that’s the decision we go with, the kids won’t suspect a damn thing. They’ll only think we kicked them out.”
I almost expect her to pull away from me at that, but she doesn’t. The strength she possesses rings back out at me. “I don’t know a lot about MCs, but I do know that if you’re aligned with them, then they have alliances too. If you take them out, that puts another target on your back. Then we’re right back to where we started. It is a never-ending cycle that I refuse to be a part of.”
I’m losing ground. Shit. My brain is scrambling to keep up and figure out how to fix this. How to convince her not to give up on us completely.
