Page 98 of The Devil's Redemption

“It’s not fractured. I don’t see any swelling or other signs of a break. I’ll wrap it for you, and I’d say stay off of it for the rest of the night. Elevate and ice it, okay?”

Sasha nods, and I squeeze her hand reassuringly.

Before Maggie has a chance to hand Hawk his phone back, I stop her.

“Can you try again? Please? I’d like to resolve this situation as soon as possible.”

I find it odd that Royce didn’t answer the call. Hawk is the only way he can get in contact with her at the moment. If it were my daughter in her situation, I’d make sure I had my phone on me at all times, ready to receive updates.

Calling him again, she places the phone to her ear. This time, he answers after the second ring. His words are inaudible, but his tone is enough to tell me he’s annoyed.

“It’s me,” Maggie tells him.

Another grumble can be heard through the phone. I guess he’s still pissed that she hasn’t agreed to come home yet.

“Jasper is here.”

This time I don’t hear anything on the line.

“They just got back to their clubhouse, and they mentioned you wanted to pay them a visit.”

His response is quieter now. You can tell Maggie has been around a club for a long time. She’s not saying anything over the phone that would cause alarm should anyone happen to be listening. She’s been coached well.

Royce continues talking for a while. The longer he talks, the more Maggie’s face falls. Sasha has noticed this, too. I see Maggie’s eyes gloss over with tears before she sniffs and forcefully composes herself. From a look of despair, her face quickly turns to anger. Her lip snarls as she closes her eyes, and I want to know what he’s saying to her.

I really don’t like him.

“Yeah,” Maggie grits her teeth. “I got it.”

Hanging up the phone, she tosses it onto the table.

“He’s not coming. He said Jasper is all yours.”

Before anyone has a chance to say anything, she turns on her heel and walks back into her room. Hawk and I exchange glances. Something doesn’t feel right here, but I won’t be able to get to the bottom of it until Jasper is dealt with.

“Blade, take her to get some ice. I’ll be back,” Hawk explains before walking into Maggie’s room and shutting the door behind him.

“Come on, you.” I smile gently at Sasha as I whisk her off of the table, bringing the sheet with me. I place her on the sofa then go in search of a baggie that I can put some ice in.

“Whatcha need, baby?” Bon-Bon asks as she gets to the top of the basement steps.

“A baggie for ice. Sasha needs some for her ankle.”

“I’ll get it for ya, go have a seat.”

Thanking her, I go back and join Sasha on the sofa.

“Hey,” I lift her chin after I’m seated and stare into her eyes. I was terrified I’d never get the opportunity to do this ever again.

We say so many things to one another without actually saying a thing. When Bon brings the ice over, I delicately place it over her injured foot. I stare at the ice for a few minutes, thinking that I should have been the one with her tonight. Kid didn’t do anything wrong. In fact, he was incredible. His quick thinking is what saved Sasha tonight.

Finally, I break the silence.

“I feel like such a piece of shit, Sasha.” I wipe away a tear as it slides down my cheek.

“Why? This isn’t your fault.”

“I just… I knew I should have gone with you today. Knowing me, I would have been up your ass the whole time. And, I don’t know, maybe they never would have tried anything it if they saw me with you.”

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