Page 59 of Rebel

I peeled off my shirt and toed off my boots.Right now, I needed a shower.The hot water might help clear my head.

My jeans were next.I left them in a heap on the floor with my boots and socks.Standing there in just my boxers, I took a deep breath, held it, then let it out again.

I padded barefoot to the bathroom, flipping on the light.I hadn’t spotted Rio, which meant she was likely with Jordan or one of the other old ladies.She hadn’t had a chance to get to know everyone well yet, but I knew she’d settle in.

I turned the shower knob all the way to hot and waited.The pipes shuddered and groaned in protest before spitting out a stream of lukewarm water.I stepped under it without waiting for it to heat up.The shock of it against my skin made me hiss through clenched teeth.

Gradually, the water warmed.Steam began to fill the small space, fogging the mirror over the sink.I closed my eyes and let it pound against my shoulders, my back, the top of my head.Water swirled at my feet.Usually after a fight, it would have been pink from blood.This time, I’d come home unscathed.

I reached for the bar of soap and scrubbed until my skin was raw.The others would be getting cleaned up too.As much as I’d wanted to immediately come up with a new plan, I knew we all needed to rest.Tomorrow, we’d hopefully figure out a way to get Java back.

I’d known him since he was just a kid, roughly fifteen years younger than me.Been there the day he graduated high school.Congratulated him when he joined the Army.

And now he was gone.

I slammed my palm against the shower wall.The sharp sting snapped me back to the present.Water continued to beat down on me, hot now, turning my skin red.I reached for the shampoo and worked it into my hair roughly, scrubbing at my scalp like I could wash away the memories too.

I rinsed my hair and shut off the water.For a moment, I just stood there, dripping, listening to the pipes settle.The house was quiet.Too quiet.Like a tomb.

Java could still be alive.I had to hold onto the hope he’d come home.Wehadto find him.

I grabbed a towel from the hook and dried off.The mirror had cleared enough to show my reflection.I barely recognized the man staring back at me.Hollow eyes.Tight jaw.The Devil’s Boneyard colors tattooed over my heart.

It had seemed so simple once.The club was family.The only real family I’d ever known after my own had fallen apart.But family didn’t leave each other behind.Family didn’t retreat when one of their own was still in enemy territory.And yet, there hadn’t been anything else we could do.Java hadn’t been there.

I wiped the rest of the steam from the mirror with my palm and leaned closer, studying my face.I usually looked at least a decade younger than my fifty years.Not tonight.No, now I looked older.Harder.

If Java was still alive, tomorrow might be his last day.I couldn’t imagine they’d keep him alive much longer.Assuming he wasn’t already in a shallow grave somewhere.We hadn’t had any word on him since they’d sent proof they had him.

I wrapped the towel around my waist and padded back to the living room.My phone lay on the table next to my gun.No messages.No calls.The club would be regrouping, licking their wounds, planning their next move.But would that move include rescuing Java?Or would they write him off as a casualty of war?Going against the Morettis had been a strategic move for multiple reasons.But a rescue mission was another matter.Although, things were different with Charming as the president.When Cinder had been in charge, there had been a time we’d nearly lost Ashes because he refused to go get him or negotiate with the men who’d taken him.

I pulled on clean boxers and a pair of sweatpants, then rummaged through my drawer for a T-shirt that wasn’t ripped or stained.As I tugged it over my head, I heard the front door open and the soft tread of boots.Rio.

I steeled myself for what came next.If Java was gone, Rio was the only family I had left.He’d been like a kid brother to me.

“You look like shit,” she said, her Georgia drawl making the insult sound almost sweet.

Rio stood in the center of the room, arms crossed over her chest.The stance made her look tough, but I knew better.Knew the way her fingers dug into her own arms meant she was holding herself together.

“The others?”she asked.

“Either at home or the clubhouse.No casualties on our side.”

She nodded once, sharp.Her eyes never left mine.“And Java?”

There it was.The question I’d been dreading.I walked past her to the kitchen, pulled out two beers from the fridge.Handed her one without asking if she wanted it.The cold glass against my palm was grounding.Real.Unlike the nightmare playing on repeat in my head.

“Rebel.”Her voice had hardened.“Did you find Java?”

I popped the cap off my beer, took a long pull.“We couldn’t find him,” I said finally.“He’s either gone or dead.”

The words hung in the air between us.Just saying them nearly gutted me.

“What happened?”

“We went in, wiped the fuckers out, but Java wasn’t at any of the locations.If they didn’t move him elsewhere, then they’ve already killed him.”I pressed the cold bottle to my forehead.

Rio set her untouched beer on the table.She moved toward me slowly, like approaching a wounded animal.In the harsh overhead light, I could see the freckles scattered across her nose and cheeks.Made her look younger.She stepped closer, the space between us charged with something I couldn’t name.

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