“You've been at the hospital a lot.” He accuses.
“It’s my job.” I snap.
“Preacher’s been sniffing around that area.”
The words seem casual, but I feel like they are anything but.
“I work at a hospital, Razor. People come and go.” I huff because this feels pointless, but I know Razor has a point.
“Sure.” he smirks and then steps closer. Close enough that I can smell cigarettes and stale whiskey beneath it.
“Loyalty matters here,” he says quietly.
“I know.” I reply never taking my eyes off of him.
“Do you?” His eyes don’t blink.
“Who are you loyal to, Rebecca?” he questions.
I don’t hesitate as I answer. “My husband.”
Mara. Not men like you!
A small smile curves his mouth.
“Yeah,” he says softly. “And who do you think Clutch is loyal to?”
The question hits harder than it should. Because I know the answer, I’ve always known. I just never thought I’d have to worry about it and for the first time since this started, something cold spreads through my chest. Because I know what happens in this world when loyalty is tested.
CHAPTER 8
CLUTCH - THE SEED
The clubhouse used to feel like a living breathing thing. Music bleeding through the walls. Engines coming and going. Girls laughing too loud at jokes that weren’t funny.
Now it feels like a held breath.
I notice it the second I step through the front doors, the tension that has been building. A pressure valve with no release. Two brothers posted near the bar, Ledger sitting with a notebook open but not writing anything. Cypher hunched over a laptop he’s been staring at for almost a week straight.
Even the club girls are quieter… They are whispering and watching.
Something in my gut tightens. This place used to feel like home, now it feels like a loaded gun sitting on the table.
I hear Bex’s name before I even reach the stairs. It comes from the back corner booth where a couple of the girls are sitting. They keep their voices low, but not low enough.
“…I’m just saying it’s weird.”
My boots slow.
“Four gets arrested and suddenly they’re saying he was sleeping with an informant,” another one says. “And now I hear that it is anurse.”
What the fuck?
“A nurse at the hospital.” The voice is pitchy, but the intention is heavy. “And who works at the hospital again?”
A small laugh follows. It sounds like nails on a chalkboard, a chalkboard I want to rip off the wall.
“I mean… I’m just saying. Dani hasn’t even looked at Bex since the arrest.”