Page 98 of Her Brother's Keeper

“I was with Blue, watching TV.”

“And I was here and saw you and Nox both,” Dragon said with a sigh. “Weren’t the first time I would hafta lie to law enforcement. Probably won’t be the last, but just what the fuck wasyouthinkin’ pulling a stunt like that?” he demanded of Cell.

“I have a rule, you’re gonna threaten something, seems to me you ought to know exactly what it’s like, yeah?”

“This have anything to do with that waitress Blue’s hung up on?” Trig asked, and I leaned back, antsy, wanting to get back to Maren.

“Ask Blue,” Cell said with a shrug, but it was the first time I’d seen him look even remotely uncomfortable.

“You all put the club in trouble, and there needs to be some consequences for that. It’ll get discussed at the next church meeting. For now, get you gone motherfuckers. I don’t even want to look at you let alone think about what you done.” Dragon crossed his arms over his chest and I felt my heart bottom out.

I got up without a word after the rest of the guys left out and Dragon said to my back, “I get what you was trying to do, but takin’ Cell was a mistake. Don’t make it again. You feel me?”

I nodded, and said, “Trust me, I wasn’t keen on it and I was there.” I shuddered, but it wasn’t for effect. What’d been done that night had seriously disturbed me.

“Get back to yer ol’ lady. Shit ain’t deep,” he said and I nodded and went to my room. Doc looked up from the book he was reading when I came through the door. He leaned forward and put his forearms on his knees, looking at me plainly over his half-moon specs.

“She’s gonna sleep like the dead. Ain’t nothin’ broken according to her x-rays, but she’s gonna be bruised, prolly be raspy for a while, and it’s gonna hurt to swallow. She’ll need to take it easy for a bit.”

I nodded, “Thanks, Doc.”

“It’s good you got to her when you did.”

“Yeah,” I murmured.

“Hold her tight,” he suggested dragging himself to his feet. He clapped me on the shoulder a couple of times and left out of my room.

I stripped down and got into bed with my woman, pulling her into the curve of my body and closing my eyes, just listening to her breathe.

Chapter 36

Maren

I wanted to skip my graduation, but the club wouldn’t let me. They’d gone with me, had filled up two entire rows and had spilled into a third in the gallery, waiting for my name to be called and for me to walk across the stage and accept my diploma. Sage was with them, had been inseparable from me ever since he’d seen the bruises. I traced a finger along the fading, but still very much so visible marks as Mr. Barber called out, “Maren Tracy.”

A loud cheer went up behind me as I made my march, stepping up onto the stage and crossing. I took my diploma from Mr. Barber, looked him right in the eye and said, “You’re despicable,” refused to shake his hand, and went on to Mr. Hunter whose hand I did shake.

The cheers behind me got loud and louder when I passed him up. He had tried to stop me from pressing charges against Lucas, had told me it wasn’t worth ruining a boy’s life over a misunderstanding; that I was being dramatic.

It had taken everything in me not to hit him. When I’d told Nox what had happened, he did hit something… a door, which Rush had then had to come and replace. I had no regrets about it. It was just a door, and knowing how much Nox loved me was hardly something to get angry about.

I reached the end of the stage and began my descent down the other staircase. Nox was waiting for me with a dozen red roses, which he handed me. He kissed me long and deep to more cheers from the club and even quite a few from the student body. He held my hand all the way back to our seats. I refused to go back to my seat with the rest of the student body. I wasn’t one of them anymore. I hadn’t been since that night, and I never would be again.

I was okay with that, glad for it, and overjoyed to belong here with Nox, Rush, Archer and Mel and their family and the extended chosen family that was The Sacred Hearts MC.

I shifted uncomfortably in my seat, fidgeting between Sage and Nox until Nox had enough. He stood up and took my hand, and the rest of the club followed suit. We left, as they were still calling out names, and I felt slightly bad for ruining some of the student’s moments, but not bad enough to actually stay in my seat.

Out in the parking lot, I unpinned my graduation cap off my hair and dropped it on the ground after saving the tassel. I unzipped and left the gown in a heap next to it. Nox shook out my jacket and his rag, and I slid into them, relief settling on my shoulders with it. I hugged Sage who hugged me back and jogged over to Sunshine’s Jeep to ride with her, Hayden and Connor.

“Go for a ride?” Nox asked, and I nodded.

“Wind therapy soundsreallygood right now.”

“Hey, D!” he called out. I wasn’t really listening, my mind whirling and twisting over all of the events that led up to nearly being strangled to death, instead.

I stuffed the tassel from my cap into my pocket while Nox stowed my diploma in one of his saddlebags. Climbing on behind him instantly made me feel better, the thrum of the bike stripping more anxiety away, and then we were moving…

Becoming one with man and machine as we took corners in sweeps and curves, riding just for the sake of riding, just the two of us, taking the long route back to the club… it was like a balm to my wounded soul. I wrapped arms and legs around Nox and cuddled against his back. I heard him laugh, and he took us on the highway for wind and speed.

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