Page 70 of Rebel

A Prospect ran forward with a blood bag.Doc worked quickly to set up the transfusion, his movements precise despite the pressure.

“Is he going to make it?”I asked again, softly this time.

Doc met my eyes across Java’s broken body.“He’s fighting.That’s all I can tell you right now.Doing all this in a non-sterile environment isn’t helping, but I know we can’t take him to the hospital.Too many questions.”

“Should have set up one of the rooms.You’d clearly known to expect all this,” I said.

Doc grunted but didn’t comment.

Fighting.That’s what we did.Fought for our brothers, fought for our territory, fought for justice when the law failed us.Java had fought for days in that hellhole, refusing to break.Now we’d fight for him.

“The Morettis and Vata are going to regret this,” I said, not caring who heard me.“Every single one of them.”

Samurai appeared at my side, relieving me of my position holding the gauze.His fingers brushed mine, a brief moment of connection.

“Yes,” he said simply.“They will.”

Outside, I heard the rumble of more motorcycles arriving.Reinforcements coming in from nearby clubs, no doubt.Even though I wasn’t privy to any calls Charming may have placed, it wouldn’t surprise me at all if he had.An attack on one was an attack on all.Especially when you had family ties to other clubs.But in our case, the same could be said with the Bratva since both Stripes and Charming had ties to them.

Doc continued his methodical work, stitching, cleaning, assessing.I stepped back, giving him space, but couldn’t make myself leave the room.Java was family.We stayed for family.

Hours passed.Java stabilized enough for Doc to pronounce him “not actively dying,” which passed for good news on a night like this.I found myself on a worn couch against the wall, watching the rhythmic rise and fall of Java’s chest from across the room.Proof of life.Small comfort, but I’d take it.

Samurai sat beside me, our shoulders touching.He smelled like smoke and blood and the night air.Neither of us spoke.Words seemed inadequate for what we’d seen tonight, for what still lay ahead.

The Morettis and Vata had opened a door they couldn’t close.I had a feeling this was going to be a long, drawn-out war between us and them.

I looked around the room at the hardened faces of my brothers, at the weapons being cleaned and checked, at the grim determination in every set of shoulders.They thought they knew what they were dealing with.They had no idea.

“Get some rest,” Samurai said, his voice rough with fatigue.“Tomorrow’s going to be a long day.”

I nodded, but didn’t move.Rest could wait.Right now, I needed to be here, needed to witness Java’s fight, needed to feed the cold fury building in my chest.

The Morettis and Vata had made their move.Now it was our turn -- again.

I knew Shade had been trying to track the men who had hurt Rio.After she’d found them, he’d tried to keep tabs on them, only for them to vanish overnight.Now he’d have even more work to do.Never a dull moment at the Devil’s Boneyard.

* * *

Two Days Later

The fluorescent lights hummed overhead, casting a harsh glare across the wooden table where we’d gathered.I shifted in my seat, the hard chair digging into my back as I watched Charming pace at the head of the room.The air felt thick with anticipation and something darker -- a current of rage that had been building since we’d discovered who had hurt Rio.Faces around the table were set in grim lines, jaws tight, eyes focused.This wasn’t just another strategy session.This was personal.

Charming slapped a manila folder onto the table.The sound cracked like a gunshot in the tense silence.

“Shade,” he said, nodding toward the club’s hacker who sat with his laptop open, fingers hovering over the keys.

Shade cleared his throat.“Got confirmation on the targets.The two men who hurt Rio have been found once more.Private Ellis and Sergeant Denton.As of three days ago, both were dishonorably discharged.But considering they escaped the custody of MPs, this should have gone down a lot different.They definitely have higher ups behind them.”

“So they turned themselves in?”I asked.

Shade rubbed a hand along his jaw.“That’s the thing.The reports are all a bit… off.Nothing is clear on this one.All I know is that they’re in the wind.”

I studied their faces.Ordinary.Unremarkable.The kind you’d pass on the street without a second glance.Hard to reconcile these bland features with the monsters who’d drugged and raped Rio, leaving scars that went deeper than skin.Even when I’d seen them in person I’d had the same thought.Completely unremarkable in every way.

Rio, sitting directly across from me, leaned forward.Her strawberry-blonde hair fell in waves around her face but couldn’t hide the steel in her blue eyes as she memorized every detail on the screen.

“Current location?”she asked, her Georgia drawl more pronounced than usual.A tell that she was affected, despite the calm veneer.

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