Page 83 of Scar

Scar looked away, not sure how to express his regret for letting José continue to think Scar was dead. But also how he wouldn’t change a thing. If he’d told his club he was still alive, he wouldn’t have met Tally.

And he wouldn’t change anything about the month he’d spent with her. Not a single damn thing.

José kicked his booted foot into Scar’s. “You don’t get to look away from me, asshole. You fuckingliedto me. To all of us. You made us think you weredead. Do you have any idea how long I searched the riverbank for you?Abbyhad to come down to the river, through the fucking mud, to get me to stop. Mywifewas near those waters.”

Scar flinched, but it wasn’t like he’d walked away from the river of his own accord. It wasn’t like he’d faked getting shot and falling into the water.

But he had returned to Mount Grove without informing any of the club that he was still alive.Thatwas on him.

José kicked him harder. Scar turned his head to face his brother. “I am so fucking pissed at you. Do you have any idea what standing over yourgravedid to me? Did to all of us? Do you have any comprehension just how much youmeanto all of us? Or is your brain so fucking warped that you think you don’t matter? That you think yourlifedoesn’t matter.”

The raw emotion, the sheer grief, in José’s voice clogged Scar’s throat and he had to look away again. For a moment, he couldn’t breathe.

“You walked out of those caves, but you haven’t been living. You’ve beenpunishingyourself for living. And it ends here, Julian. Right here, right now. Because that woman,” José pointed out the rear window behind Bear’s head, “deserves it. If you can’t do it for you, do it for her. Because Tally needs you to start living, Julian.”

Scar had to force himself to take a breath. He knew José was right. He just wasn’t sure how tostartliving.

The next time José’s boot collided with his, it was the gentlest of the three. Scar’s eyes moved over to meet his brother’s. “It’s okay to ask for fucking help, dumbass. You’ve been there for all of us and we just proved we can be here for you too.”

Scar’s jaw tightened. He hadn’t wanted that, never wanted to be the reason for his brothers to be in danger. They’d all walked away this time, but Scar didn’t know if it was finished. What had happened at Primis? Where was Alpha? What if the next time Alpha came for him, his brothers stood in Alpha’s way, butnoneof them walked away?

He couldn’t go through that. Not again.

He couldn’t watch another brother die.

Sissy turned around in the passenger seat to face the back. “Uncle Bulldog dropped a few more f-bombs than I would, but ditto.”

Scar looked at Sissy, and for the first time saw the strong woman before him instead of the sixteen-year-old girl she’d been when he’d met her. His need to protect her, to protect all of them, was so ingrained into him that he doubted he’d ever be able to change it. But he didn’t think that was José’s point. He didn’t have to stop protecting them.

He just didn’t have to do it alone.

Scar turned back towards José.

There must have been something on his face or in his eyes, because José smiled at him. “Now you’re getting it.” He indicated to Sissy’s phone, still on the cot next to Scar’s blanketed thigh. “She’s great, by the way. I really like her.”

Pride swelled in Scar—and fucking damn if he didn’t feel his cheeks heat at José’s approval of his woman.

* * *

Keys’van was the first one back. Scar was slow stepping down out of the rear of the van, but he managed without falling flat on his face. Tessa still had him hooked up to the IV, wanting him to get the last of the fluids in the saline bag. She promised she would disconnect it as soon as the bag was empty. Since it would be hard to get a shirt on over the line, Scar had the blanket wrapped around his shoulders.

Harper was the first out of the clubhouse. Tears flowed down her olive-skinned cheeks as she rushed over, halting just before she collided with Scar. “You have no idea how good it is to see you,” she sobbed out, hiccuping slightly. She raised her hand but didn’t reach for him. “May I?”

Scar steeled himself before nodding.

Harper lightly placed her hand over the blanket on his left shoulder. She did not squeeze or grip him. Closing his eyes, he accepted the burn, knowing he’d caused her just as much pain in recent months.

After maybe fifteen seconds, Harper lifted her hand. Slowly, Scar opened his eyes again. She was wiping the tears off her cheeks. “The kids don’t know yet. We’ve been keeping them at Bulldog and Abby’s. Steel put out the word that no one is to say anything to them until you’re ready.”

Scar nodded his appreciation. Being reunited with his brothers and their women was hard enough. He wasn’t sure he was ready to face his nieces and nephews yet.

“I’m headed back there now, but Bear gave me a head’s up you were on your way and I had to see you.”

Shifting so his IV bag and the edges of the blanket were in the same hand, Scar tentatively raised his hand to Harper’s shoulder. But his hand started to shake something violently before he came close to touching the thin material of her shirt.

Giving him an encouraging smile, Harper stepped back out of arm’s reach. “It’s okay. You’ve been through a lot. We’ll catch up later.”

Scar lowered his hand, his fingers clenching into a fist at his failure.

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