“Yeah, yeah,” I laughed softly, dropping my hand and turning back to face forward again. “We all know you love my woman, Deeks.”
“Oh,” he said, laughing, too. “Damn right, I do. That girl is a firecracker. One this club needed. She’s like a daughter to me now. You know what that means, don’t you?”
“What?” I glanced over my shoulder to look at him.
His eyes glistened with unshed tears, his smile rising slowly. “Means I get to kick your ass if you ever hurt her.”
A swift punch landed just under my ribs as Deeks lurched forward, causing me to laugh and tuck my body into one side. Within seconds, he was rubbing the top of my head in a way he hadn’t done for years, and for just a second, I felt free again. But when the laughter faded and he fell back into his seat, taking the picture from my hand to hold in his again, that light gray cloud hovered overhead.
The door to The Hut opened right on cue, and Ayda stepped out onto the porch. She didn’t say anything when she saw us. She just looked our way with a warm glint in her eyes and waited.
“Speak of the she-devil,” I said quietly, turning back to Deeks. “The wifey calls.”
“Go get her.” Deeks jerked his chin in her direction, and I didn’t miss the way his eyes lit up at the sight of Ayda close by.
He was a damn good man. One I’d not acknowledged nearly enough in my life. One I didn’t want to imagine ever losing. I stood up to leave but only made it a few steps away before I found myself turning back to him.
“Brother?”
“Yeah, kid?”
“You’re just like Harry to me. I’m sorry if I’ve never told you that before. Keep smiling. He needs that of you now. We all do.”
Deeks’ chin jutted back, his head dipping as he cleared his throat again and ran the back of his hand under his eye.
We didn’t need to say anything else.
Sometimes silence said it all. There were only so many ways for each and every one of us to bleed out. We’d done enough of that, both emotionally and physically. Now it was time to make others bleed instead. It was time to do whatever we had to do to protect our club.
We pulled up outside the safe house, neither one of us needing to say anything. Ayda had clung to me more than usual on our ride over. Her cheek had pressed against my back like she couldn’t get close enough.
When she got off the bike, her hand immediately sought mine until she’d managed to twist them together. I led the way, guiding us up the stairs before I pushed the door open to see Helen laid on the bed as usual. She looked different this time, though. Her hair was clean. Her face, too. When her sleepy eyes opened and she saw us there, a weird smile fell into place. She looked…
Happy?
Was that even the right word to describe someone being held hostage? She definitely looked calm.
I glanced around, raising my chin and scowling as I folded my arms over my chest and sniffed the air. “Is that…lavenderI can smell?”
Ayda stifled her laughter and leaned in against me. “Helen had a bath.”
I looked down at her, raising a brow. “Did you braid her hair, too?”
“Not this time,” she responded playfully, squeezing my fingers.
My eye roll was one of amusement, and I turned my attention back to Helen who was sitting up in place on the bed.
She was pretty for an older woman. There was an air of defiance about her, but not one that made her features seem too harsh or cold. She was warm, like a mother should be, with just enough of an edge to make any man think twice about crossing her. Any man except Jon Taylor, obviously.
What Ayda told me earlier flashed through my mind, and I found my shoulders softening just a bit as I stared at Helen.
“I didn’t expect you to work so fast,” she said to Ayda, glancing her way with a cocky yet soft smile on her face.
“I told you I would talk to him, and I did. It was Drew’s decision to come and see you.”
“Okay,” Helen said quietly, and even I could tell she knew it had been Ayda who’d convinced me to get here as quickly as I had done. Her compassion and her ability to want to save the world were my weaknesses. You didn’t have to be a damn psychic to know that. Helen looked at me as she dropped her legs over the edge of the bed and let them dangle there. Herankles crossed over one another, and she tucked her hands under her thighs. “I guess we all know why you’re here. Shall I just get to it?”
“Please,” I said coolly.