Page 44 of Blood Revealed

“But—”

I shake my head. “You remember the shit she put the club through. He’ll fucking get over it.”

“Okay.” She whispers that word even softer. That won’t do. She shrieks when I pull her onto my lap to kiss the ever-loving shit out of her before we exit the van. It’s enough to calm her nerves.

The first ones to us are Brin and Hero. He clasps my hand, bringing me in for a half-hug, patting my back while Brinley, carrying Hannah’s purse, throws her entire body into hugging Han. The women are giggling and crying the way women—or at least these women—do.

When Brinley finally lets her go, Hero moves in for a hug. “Glad you’re safe,” he says.

“Me too,” Hannah says back. “What’s the mood here?” She gestures tipping her head up in the direction of the group. I grit my teeth, angry as hell that she asks him when I just fucking told her she’d be fine. But I bite back any comment that’ll end in us fighting.

Hero gives her a look of resignation. “Well,” he says. “The men are pissed; the women are ecstatic to see you alive and breathing. You know every woman here with a man hold his balls in her handbag. They’ll get over it.”

I grab her hand and she tugs her purse from Brinley, draping it around her body as I lead her through the thrum of women and men. She gets hugs and cheek kisses as we pass, though from my brothers, their looks are far from warm. “Knock it off,” I warn.

As we pass Boss and Elise, Elise reaches out her hand to halt us and the change is immediate. Hannah’s face drops from nervous to ashamed as she turns her pained brown eyes on the woman she blames herself for getting kidnapped.

Elise shakes her head once. “No,” she says, knowing full well what that look from Hannah means.

There’s no response from Hannah except for her to pull her arm back from Elise’s touch and press forward through the rest of the group with me right on her heels in protection mode.

Not a man here hasn’t had to fight because of a woman. Hammer sits at the bar with Duke when we walk inside the clubhouse. Hammer’s old lady is leaned in, letting him hold her body weight. She’s stroking his hair. The man’s having a hard time since Drac. I hate that for him. Fuck, I hate it for us.

Caity follows us inside walking up to Duke’s side. She kisses him and gives him a look that I’m pretty sure means ‘be nice,’ then she heads back to where they have us staying.

I stop in front of Hammer and Duke. “What the fuck were you thinkin’, woman?” Duke barks at Hannah.

No. I posture in front of her, ready to throw down with my president if he gets in my woman’s face again.

“Back the fuck up, Blood,” Duke orders. “This ain’t got shit to do with you.”

“Talk to my woman like that again, you and I got problems.”

“If she’d have told us who was after her and what they wanted years ago, none ’a this shit woulda come to pass. Fuckin’ Riot in bed with Escalante. Thought they were just after Hord patches—never imagined… This is on you, woman. Carver dead. Elise kidnapped. My woman had a gun pointed to her head.” Hannah gasps. “Yeah,” he says to her. “After they nabbed you. Thank Christ he knew who my wife belonged to or she mighta ended up sold to some fuck in another country.”

“Take it back,” I warn. “She went on her own. You know it. Wanna get mad at someone, get mad at Caity. But leave Han the fuck alone.”

“She’s out,” Duke orders. “Needs to find new—”

I slam my fist against his jaw, just about busting my knuckles. The man’s got a jaw of steel. “Han’s my old lady. She doesn’t go anywhere. I got my cut, my patch, you and the brothers mean the world to me, but keep this up and I’m out. It ends now.”

Then, pissed as hell, I grab Hannah’s hand, dragging her behind me as I make my way to the room Hammer put me up in. Once we’re inside, I turn on her. “This. This is the shit I’ve been dealing with. Why the fuck did you leave?”

She folds her arms over her chest and cocks her hip, narrowing her eyes at me. “Yell at me like that again and I’m gone, Raif,” she says low and menacingly. “I explained myself already. I had to get to Elise. I was willing to exchange myself to get her back.”

“The fuck? Don’t you ever say that shit. You hear me?”

“It’s true. It was safer for me if the club didn’t know about Escalante. It was safer for the club, too. I guess when Blaze turned…” She lets that thought trail off. “It doesn’t matter now. That part’s done. But I did what I did to protect the people I love. I never asked you to go up against Duke or the club. In fact, I don’t want you to. They’re your family and I’m just…” Fucking great. Tears pour from her eyes.

I tug her over to wrap my arms around her. “Sorry, baby. I had no business taking shit out on you. I’m mad at him. I’m mad at Escalante and even Blaze, a brother we trusted.”

She continues to dampen my cut. I hold her tighter, kissing the top of her head. Finally, she wraps her arms around my back and squeezes. This shit has to end.

“Don’t ever say you’re not my family, Han. I’ve never hidden my feelings from you, baby. You and me, we’ve been family for seven years. You’ve been part of the club family for seven years. Duke’s upset. He’s projecting. We lost Carver. Chaos and Crass were critically wounded, though they’re recovering. All the losses from the Missouri chapter. Not to mention Hero’s, Sneak’s, and Boetcher’s injuries. Shit got real and none of us are handling it the best. There’s so much more at stake now. Wives and kids. It’s fucking scary.”

She sucks in a sharp breath.

“Yeah, baby. I’m your man,” I say. “I’m strong. I can carry anything you need me to, but that don’t mean I’m not scared as fucking shit of the outcome while carrying it.”

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