“I’m so sorry,” Eliot whispered, his voice barely audible over the crackling tension. His bruised face twisted with guilt.
“Don’t you ever apologize for who you are,” Wade said, his voice lower than a growl as he carefully stroked the young man’s hair. “You’re safe now.”
Donut, still pacing, slammed his fist against the bar, causing the glasses to rattle. “That bastard doesn’t deserve to breathe the same air as him.”
“Braveheart and Thore will take care of it,” Wade said, his tone icy and resolute. There was no question in his words—just the promise of retribution.
Minutes felt like hours as the brothers awaited news. I knew Braveheart and Thore wouldn’t stop until they returned with Eliot’s sister. The unspoken bond among the Bourbon Kings MC demanded justice, and even I had to admit, I wanted justice too.
Juju finished the last stitch and leaned back, wiping his hands on a rag. “Devlyn’s right. He needs a doctor, boss.”
“Get him upstairs,” Wade ordered, reaching for his phone to make a call. Placing his phone to his ear, I heard him say, “Môman, you’re needed. How fast can you get here?” Satisfied, he hung up the phone and added, “She’s on her way.”
As Juju carefully carried Eliot up the stairs, I turned to Wade. “What happened?”
“Went to go check on a lead and shit went sideways.”
“I need more than that, Wade.”
Rubbing the back of his neck, he said, “You know about Crawley Scrap Metal and what we do?”
I nodded.
“Well, we received a shipment a few weeks back that went missing. Been lookin’ for a lead when Worm finally found one. When the boys and I went to go check it out, I knew somethin’ was wrong. Then I saw Eliot and now we’re here.”
“Who beat him?”
“His father,” Donut sneered, unscrewing a cap off a bottle of whiskey before downing half of it in one gulp. “Fucker better be dead before I finish this,” he added, storming off.
“Shit,” Wade grumbled, shaking his head. “Worm, go babysit Donut.”
The generally calm brother nodded, reached behind the bar, and grabbed a set of handcuffs before following Donut up the stairs.
“Handcuffs?”
“Insurance,” Wade replied curtly. “Donut’s got a temper when he drinks, and I don’t need him doing anything stupid.”
I considered his words, the tension in the air thick enough to cut with a knife. The faint sound of footsteps echoed from upstairs, followed by Donut’s muffled voice, sharp and biting, though no words were clear. Wade didn’t flinch, his gaze steady as he leaned against the bar, his fingers drumming a slow, deliberate rhythm on the polished wood.
“What’s the plan now?” I asked, my voice low, careful not to disturb the fragile calm that had settled over the room.
Wade exhaled deeply, his expression darkening. “First, we deal with Eliot. Then we find my missing shipment.”
Looking at the man I loved, I walked up to him, wrapped my arms around his neck and hugged him tight. “I’m so proud of you.”
And just like that, all the tension fled his body as he sagged against me. He softened under my embrace, his arms hesitating before wrapping around my waist. It was a fleeting moment of vulnerability, quickly smothered by the weight of responsibility that hung over him. Wade tilted his head, his lips brushing my temple with a tenderness that belied the storm that raged within him.
“I don’t deserve you,” he muttered, barely audible, his voice rough with weariness and something deeper I couldn’t name.
“No, you don’t,” I whispered back, pulling away just enough to meet his eyes, steady and resolute despite the turmoil. “But I love you anyway.”
“I love you too,Chèr.”
A few hours later, I was sitting on Wade’s lap when his mother, Marabella, walked down the stairs with Juju. Both were talking in hushed tones as they approached the table we were at. Placing her medical bag on the table, Juju pulled out a chair for her to sit.
“I gave Eliot something to help him sleep. He will be out for the rest of the night. Without an X-ray, I can’t be sure, but I think he has a few broken ribs, so I went ahead and wrapped them. Juju did beautifully stitching him up, but I’m worriedabout the goose egg on his head. Someone is going to need to sit up with him and check on him every few hours. The second he starts vomiting, I want him in the hospital. Understood?”
“Yes, ma’am,” Wade quickly said.
