I only came here to get high for a bit before I return to Jerry’s house and sneak around with Madison, not have some motherfucker do a drive-by with a hand tied to a brick.
My phone vibrates before it rings. I snatch it out of my pocket and answer.
“We’ve got a problem,” Jaxon says from the other end.
“Yeah, no shit,” I growl.
“Declan is in the hospital. Someone snatched him up from the streets and took his hand.”
I drop my gaze to the severed appendage. “Left hand with a rose tattoo?”
Jaxon is silent for a moment before he says, “Yeah. How do you know that?”
“Someone thought it would be funny to throw it through Aiden’s living-room window with a brick.”
“When did this happen?”
“Not even five minutes ago.”
“We’ll check the footage to see if we can get any info. Any way you can bring the severed hand to the hospital?”
I nod. “Yeah, I’ll be on my way right now.”
“Be careful.” He hangs up.
I turn to Aiden. “Check the camera feed and see if you can get the car tags and an image of the person.”
He nods and pulls out his cell. “On it.”
I stride past him and search through his kitchen for a container. Once I find something suitable, I pack it with ice, then place the hand in a plastic bag and put it in the ice. I don’tknow if they can save it because of how much time has passed, but I have a feeling that’s what Jaxon hopes for.
Jaxon texts me which hospital Declan is at, and I climb onto my motorcycle. There’s no time to waste. I only hope Declan will have enough information for us to go off of so that we can take care of the problem before it becomes something bigger.
“LIGHTS OUT” KXLLSWXTCH
“Idon’t fucking get it,” Hawk mutters as we exit the hospital. It’s late in the evening. Lamps light the lot, and there are fewer cars parked here than when I first arrived.
His cousin Declan got out of surgery hours ago. Unfortunately, it was wishful thinking to assume they could reattach his hand like nothing happened. Too much time passed between losing the limb and being wheeled into the operating room once I arrived with the severed hand on ice. The doctor explained to Hawk that the injuries weren’t clean. It looked as ifhe’d been ripped apart with a dull blade. When Declan woke up, he confirmed the doc’s suspicion.
“I just wanna know who the fuck is coming after us. Them hiding their identity is a pussy move.” Aiden pulls on his helmet and works the straps beneath his chin.
Jaxon strides ahead of us, his gloved hand on Dahlia’s lower back as he guides her toward our motorcycles parked in the very back.
Declan didn’t get the information we needed from the images Jaxon caught. He’d been busy with other tasks, and by the time he started working on finding out who the hell had been lurking around our neighborhood, men dressed in masks kidnapped and tortured him.
Whoever they are, they’re watching us. They knew we went to Declan, so they prevented him from finding out more about them. I don’t know how the fuck that was possible.
We approach our motorcycles. I put on my helmet and glance at Jaxon and Dahlia. I’m happy to see my best friend being open about his relationship. He doesn’t hide his affection for his sister in front of us anymore. I’ll admit, I’m in the same boat as Aiden when he said he’s jealous. I want this with Madison. Being able to hold her hand, kiss her in front of everyone. I want to whisper in her ear until she blushes from my private confessions in such a public setting.
We stand around our bikes, getting ready for a ride through the town. A nervous energy passes through all of us. We don’t know who’s after us, and with such minimal information about the people targeting us, we’re sitting ducks.
Aiden turns to Jaxon and flips his visor. “So you gonna teach her how to ride a motorcycle?”
“Yes.” Jaxon eases a helmet over Dahlia’s green hair and cocks his head as he ensures the helmet won’t fly off. He tuckshis fingers beneath the helmet, where Dahlia’s chin is. “You already know how to ride. Don’t you, flower?”
“Taught by the best,” Dahlia says loud enough to be heard. She touches Jaxon’s arms, the corners of her eyes crinkling with a hidden smile.
I don’t miss the effect it has on my best friend. He relaxes and steps closer to her, like he wants her to continue touching him. Jaxon has always hated being touched—even as a kid.
