Page 16 of The Fire We Crave

“It’s not a competition, Quinn. We both went through a pretty awful ordeal. Two visits from multiple men demanding the kind of money that would leave us broke or cause the end of our business if we didn’t pay. They hurt us both in different ways. And even if you try to make the false equivalence that mine was worse than yours, I still don’t think it’s true. Because I had Atom with me every step of the way. I wasn’t in it alone, and I was never tied up. That must have been terrifying. And I knew my father would do everything in his power to keep me safe. You were alone, and for that, I’m sorry.”

Tears sting my eyes. It makes sense, what she says.

Before I can respond, Ember looks over to the door and smiles. “But perhaps you’re not alone anymore.”

5

SMOKE

“Well, aren’t you a sight for sore eyes,” Catfish, the club’s secretary and treasurer, says as I walk into the clubhouse ahead of Atom.

“Brother,” I say, wincing when the expert sniper shakes my hand and then pulls me in for a hug. “Careful.”

“Shit,” Catfish says, releasing me. “Sorry. Did you meet Jackal and Shade already?”

I look at the two men sitting at the bar, who tip their heads in absolute synchronicity. Their patches say they’re Outlaws nomads. With Shade’s short brown hair, light skin, and wide shoulders and Jackal’s tan skin, black hair, and swimmer’s build, they look like a mis-matched pair.

“Brothers,” I say.

“Heard a lot about you,” Jackal says.

“All of it good, I hope.”

Shade offers me his hand. “Sorry for your loss.”

I let out a breath. “Thanks.”

“Grab your drinks, leave your phones and weapons, and get in here,” Butcher says, heading into Church.

“Just in time,” Atom says, stepping behind the bar. He pours us both a mug of steaming black coffee but adds a generous measure of whiskey. “Welcome back to the clubhouse.”

I take a sip and immediately think about what I overheard Ember saying to Atom.

The coffee at the clubhouse has the acidity of paint stripper.

She’s not lying. Never really thought about coffee all that much beyond it being the transport vehicle for caffeine. But the coffee Quinn makes is so much nicer than this shit.

Even the tang of whiskey doesn’t save it any.

“Your old lady was right,” I say. “This stuff is gross.”

“Don’t tell her that. I feel like I’m fighting a losing battle with her half the time already.”

We step into Church, and the doors are closed behind us. The room looks a little fuller. I see one of the prospects is now a brother. Taco. He’s still got that look of pride and surprise that he’s even in this room at all. He tips his hat in my direction, and I nod.

“Calling this meeting to order,” Grudge, my vice president says. While I’ve been gone, he’s shaved his undercut a little higher and expanded his ink up his skull. Must have fucking hurt and it makes him look even more intimidating than usual. Hard to believe this is the same guy who likes taking the pillows off his own bed when we ride out for overnight trips. “Starting off by recognizing Smoke is back. Shitty end to fire season. Sorry for the lost brothers.”

I swallow deeply and nod. “Thanks, Grudge.”

It’s all I’ve got. I should probably have more to say. About how it’s good to be back. How I’m glad I’m alive. But the truth is, I’m not. So, in the absence of any way to sum those feelings up, I stay quiet.

“Right,” Butcher says, “first order of business: How do we keep the pressure on the Zakharovs? Especially Rurik and Lev.”

Atom had called back last night and caught me up on what I missed. A Bratva unit wanting to take over our territory was bad news.

“Why would we apply pressure?” Catfish asks. “We delivered some pretty massive casualties.”

Wraith, our sergeant at arms, leans forward and places his elbows on the table. He got his name for his almost-white hair, paler than pale blue eyes, and the word’s connection to death. “Here’s the thing: Their goals haven’t changed. They still want a discrete and clear transport route through our territory so they can ship in and out of Denver Airport. I can’t believe they’ll just walk away from it and cede ground to us.”

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