Page 93 of Broken Discipline
“What?” I asked.
“You’re hurt.”
My face twitched, attempting to smile, but I winced at the pain. Between the broken ribs and Upchurch’s beating, I was torn up.
“Upchurch lied, you know,” I said.
“About what?” she asked, angling her chin.
“I fought back,” I said.Until he threatened you.
She put a hand on my thigh, her touch gentle. Reassuring me too.
“Do you have a towel or a blanket?” I asked.
She blinked, processing what I had asked, then she dug around the backseat until she found two flannel blankets. She tossed them over my lap.
“What do we do now?” she whispered.
There was only one thing we could do. “Get the twins,” I said.
“Then what?”
Ramona’s forehead was furrowed in worry, her eyes full of tension and pain. I focused back on the road. My entire purpose was to make sure Ramona and the twins were safe and under my control again, but now I had them in my life, I didn’t care what we did. I squeezed her thigh but stayed silent.
Back in Oakmont, The Raw was in full swing. A group of smokers stood outside, glancing up at us as we parked. Ramona leaned to open the car door.
“Hey,” I said, grabbing her arm. “You’re covered in blood.”
“Crap,” she said, jumping back in. She dialed a number on her phone, then waited. “Hey. Do you have any clothes we can wear? Both Finn and I.” The other line chirped in reply. “Thanks. We’re parked in the back.”
Bunny came jogging out with a black shirt and pants for me, leftover from one of her bouncers, and pajama bottoms and a tank top for Ramona. Ramona rolled down the window as Bunny carefully scanned us.
“Rough night?” Bunny said, handing us the clothes through the window. “I would ask for details, but I figure it’s hard to explain.”
Ramona laughed, and I bowed my head. “Thanks for watching the twins,” I said.
“It is really you under there, huh?” she asked. “Hyde mother fucking Griffin.” A surge of adrenaline ran through me at the name. I had gone by Griffin when I lived in Oakmont. Only one person knew my first name.
I turned to Ramona. “How many people know my real name?”
She shrugged. “I couldn’t stop talking about you when you left.”
I held the back of Ramona’s neck, massaging her, sighing like it irritated me, but inside, the opposite was true. She had missed me. Talked about me. She couldn’t help herself. And that filled me with satisfaction.
“Chop, chop,” Bunny said, motioning for us to get dressed. “Let’s get you inside.”
With our clothes changed and Bunny leading the way, the three of us walked back into the bar. A set of patrons cheered for Bunny as she walked around the counter to resume fixing drinks. Ramona and I disappeared into the background, holding hands as we walked up the stairs.
The twins were fast asleep, their breathing soft and slow. The door creaked, but neither of them stirred. I stopped for a moment, listening to that sound. Each breath in, each breath out. My shoulders sank. I had never known how calming it could be, to know that the people you loved were comfortable enough to drift off into their dreams. But I understood it now.
Ramona rested her head on my arm. Heat simmered inside of me.
“Should we stay here tonight?” Ramona whispered. “Let them sleep a while?”
As much as I wanted to do that,ifthe Marked Blooms Syndicate followed us, Oakmont would be the first place they searched. We were riding on the hope that Zira knew what she was doing, but I couldn’t risk it. I was done making risky decisions based on impulsive desires. The three of them were all that mattered.
“It’s best if we go now,” I said. “I’ll get Leon.”
