“Are they dead?” he asks.
I nod.
“How many?”
“Four, I think. I-I saw four bodies.”
He lets out a heavy sigh that sounds more like a growl and rakes his hands through his hair. “Ace, you’re with me. Grab a few more.”
Ace hesitates for a moment, looking towards the clubhouse then back to me. “I think I should stay.”
Bones has started walking away but slowly turns on his heel and gives him a death glare that chills me to the bone.
“I don’t give a fuck what you think. You’re with me. NOW.”
Grudgingly, Ace steps away from me, gesturing for a few guys to follow as he mounts his bike.
“Where did this happen?” Bones asks, not looking up.
“I-I don’t remember. I got off at 162 southbound. Took a right and went straight for a mile or two. I’m sorry.”
His head whips up, his brows pinching like he’s never heard the wordsorry—like he doesn’t understand its purpose. Then he fires up his own bike and backs it up before taking off down the road. Ace and two other bikers follow him, and I’m left standing in the parking lot… alone.
I’m only alone for a moment, though.
Matthew comes striding out the clubhouse door and makes a beeline for me. I don’t attempt to hide how I shrink away from him, and he puts his hands up in surrender.
“You get hurt?” he asks.
I shake my head.
“Good.”
We stand there in silence for a moment before I gather the courage to ask a question I’m not sure I want the answer to.
“H-How is he?”
Matthew’s expression is stony. “Doc’s doing everything he can for him. Won’t know much for a bit.”
An exhale escapes me as I stare down at the ground—and then the dam breaks, and I’m sobbing and shaking uncontrollably.
Matthew presses a heavy hand against my back, slowly rubbing up and down. I know it’s supposed to be comforting, but something about him makes that impossible, though I suppose the effort is nice.
“I should have called 911. I should have gotten him an ambulance instead of driving him back here,” I whisper.
“Why do you say that?” Matthew asks.
I look at him like he’s crazy. “Because he’s dying! He needs medical help, a hospital! The stubborn bastard wouldn’t let me call them. It saved his life last time, though! God, I never thought… I never wanted to see him hurt like that again.”
Matthew is quiet for a moment or two, his hand still rubbing my back. “Again?”
I look up at him, blinking away my tears, and sniff, “When he got shot at that warehouse years ago. He insisted I didn’t call anyone then, but it saved his life. I just… if it wasn’t for me, he wouldn’t be hurt. And if I hadn’t listened to him, he’d be at the hospital right now.”
“You called the ambulance last time?” Matthew asks, a sharpness to his words that catches me off guard.
I nod.
He swallows roughly, then pulls out a cigarette and lights it. He takes a long inhale before blowing out the smoke. “He’s a tough kid. He’ll be fine.”