Page 29 of Blade

“I can’t go,” the youngest member says, after Ghost sets him down. The kid turns to Ghost. “I have a kid brother. He needs me. I have to take care of him. I can’t leave him alone. He’s sick. Please.” Ghost doesn’t say a word but moves the kid away from the others.

Owen is standing behind Guard. Guard calls him forward. “Take your best shot at each one, then they’re gone.”

Owen has always been easygoing, but the fury inside him is at fever pitch, and clearly, he’s ready to unleash vengeance on the guys who almost killed his best friend.

Owen didn’t go gentle, but then again, the retaliation was well deserved. The only one who got off without a beating was Wyatt, the youngest former Deviant. Owen won’t even look at Wyatt, but Wyatt’s story is real. Ghost checked it out and found his brother, Denton, has a serious infection and also has a severe learning disability. Their father took off right after Denton was born, and the mother abandoned them as soon as Wyatt turned eighteen, just old enough to be his brother’s legal guardian. Wyatt got sucked into the Deviant club because he was looking for guidance and support and, unfortunately, fell in with the wrong club.

Wyatt’s future is unclear for now, but Ghost is taking him home to his brother.

Guard is concentrating on Jaws and the Deviant club. It’s one thing to wreak havoc on your own territory, but you don’t cross the line into ours. We ride back to the compound, and Guard goes directly into his office, with Orion and War right behind him.

Owen walks straight into Saint’s medical room on-site. I go with him, and as soon as Saint sees him, he grabs a bucket of ice and makes Owen put his bloody hand in it.

“Any more injuries I need to look at?” Saint directs his question to me.

“Nah, the only ones with bruises are the Deviants,” I answer. Saint furrows his brow, but when I go to tell him more, he raises his hand.

“Fill me in later.” Saint turns to Owen. “Aaron’s going to be fine. No permanent damage. I’ve given him something for pain, and it’s going to make him sleep through the night. Best thing for him is sleep. He’s not going to be riding or working for at least six weeks, but he’ll be walking around in a couple of days. You should get some sleep, Owen. He’ll need you later.”

“I’m not leaving him,” Owen states firmly.

Saint is about to argue with him, but I jump in. “I’ll grab a sleeping bag. He can sleep next to him. We’ll each take turns. I’ll take the first shift to make sure they both rest. We’ll call you if we need you.”

Saint lets out a heavy sigh. “Fine.” He shakes his head. “I’m too tired to fight with you.”

I leave the room to make arrangements with the other brothers. As I thought, they’re all onboard with the plan. Guard hasn’t left his office, and since I can’t help on that end, I’ll do what I can for the brothers who need me now.

Owen is in the sleeping bag; he’s been very quiet, then I hear him say, “Thanks.”

“This is who we are.”

“I should have been with him.” There it is, the guilt.

“You can’t be with him twenty-four seven. That’s unreasonable. Friends, even brothers, need their space. Aaron likes his alone time. You know that,” I remind him.

“Yeah,” Owen responds, running a hand down his face. He’s clearly emotionally and physically drained. “What do we do next?”

“It’s in Guard’s hands. We wait until he says it’s time to ride again.”

Seventeen

Hey, Big Brother, I Miss You

Emryn

I eventually fell asleep after Blade left me in the middle of the night. As soon as my eyes pop open in the morning, I check my phone and find a text from Blade.

All good. You’ll find me downstairs. Take your time.

I breathe a sigh of relief and quickly rush to get dressed. The small bathroom is just big enough for the basic amenities. The shower is tight, and I giggle, wondering how Blade even fits in here. A quiet rap on the door hurries me along. I pull my wet hair into a high ponytail and race to open the door. Abby is on the other side with a bright smile on her lips.

“Hi. Are you hungry? Food’s going fast, and I thought you might want some pancakes before they’re all gone,” she says. Abby is quiet and loveable. Seeing her with Ghost, I can tell she has the magic touch with her man. As scary as Ghost seems, when he’s with Abby, he’s just the great protector, and he does it in a way that you can’t help but know that she is the center of his world.

“Sounds delicious. Have you seen Blade?” Blade hasn’t made it back upstairs since I last saw him, and although his text says he’s doing all right, I wonder why he hasn’t come back up.

“He spent the night with Owen and Aaron. The guys were going to take turns, but Blade volunteered to do the whole night. Owen was in a bad way emotionally. He and Aaron are really close, and seeing Aaron that way is really hard on him,” she tells me, then says, “Blade was a prospect with them. He gets what Owen’s going through.”

“Is Aaron doing better?”

---