Page 44 of Crow
“Jade,” I whispered, whipping around to stare at where the flames were quickly climbing the stairs. I raised my voice, shouting so the others could hear me. “The women!” I cried. I ran toward the stairs, but Tank’s large hand dropping onto my shoulder stopped me in my tracks.
“Get out of here,” he ordered, pushing me backward.
“But—” I protested, struggling to get free. Pain flared along the gashes on my ribs.
“We have to trust they can take care of themselves,” Tank said, with such grave intensity I couldn’t help but look at him. “They’re tough, resourceful old girls, survivors, and my Ev won’t let anything happen to them. But we can’t do anything for them if we’re fucking dead, now get out!”
“I—but—fuck,” I muttered, desperation stealing my words. I couldn’t argue with him. I took a step back, fighting every instinct that told me I should be making sure Jade was safe.
“Rose!”
The anguished scream came from behind me, and I turned to see Archer struggling to get away from Claymore, staring at the stairs. He took one step and his injured leg buckled; Claymore caught him and tossed him over his shoulder.
“I’ll get her,” Ripper promised him, and then the crazy bastard was running past me, through the flames, up the stairs, and out of sight.
“You let Ripper go!” I fumed.
“I couldn’t catch Ripper,” Tank said, jaw set. “If he burns, that’s out of my hands. But I caught you, and I don’t want to lose any more of my men than I have to. We are running out of fucking time, and I won’t repeat myself again. Get the fuck out!” He shoved me toward the door and I stumbled backward, coughing as I breathed in the acrid black smoke that was filling the room. The flames were growing higher and higher, the heat licking against my skin. I had to squint against the smoke, stumbling almost blindly out of the Tavern with Tank close behind.
The first breath of fresh air was so cold it was painful, like a knife tip dragging down my throat. I gulped it down greedily, not realizing how lightheaded and smoke clogged I had become while arguing with Tank. The Rebels were scattered about the parking lot, bruised and bloody, patching up what wounds they could. I did a quick headcount: three missing. I looked at the Tavern burning behind me and muttered a quiet prayer. Three wasn’t much, but losing any of my brothers was a devastating blow.
There was no sign of any of the Freeways. The cowardly bastards had set the Tavern on fire when they realized they were losing and fled. My fists clenched at my sides. The next time I see one of them, I was going to beat their fucking faces in for this.
I scoured the parking lot for signs of the women, pulse rushing in my ears. Then I heard it; high voices coming from the side of the building. I ran toward them, knees almost buckling with relief when I saw Samantha standing guard with a shotgun, the other girls clustered behind her. I quickly scanned their faces, the knot in my chest loosening when I saw Jade standing closer to Evelyn. But something was wrong. Worry was carving lines around her eyes and mouth, her teeth were sunk into her bottom lip, and she, like all the other women, was staring upward. I followed their gazes to see Rose, halfway out of a window on the upper floor. She was tugging desperately at the skirt of her wedding dress, and it hit me that she was stuck.
Frozen, I tried to think of what to do… and then she was free, Ripper bursting through the window behind her. Flames quickly overtook the spot where they had just been. Both of them fell, landing awkwardly on the asphalt, and Ripper cursed loudly through gritted teeth. Rose staggered to her feet, her skirts ripped and her hair tangled wildly around her face as she called for Archer.
Claymore came bounding around the side of the Tavern, Archer still over his shoulder. Rose dashed toward them, pulling Archer’s arm over her shoulders and taking his weight when Claymore set him down. Ripper hadn’t moved from where he had fallen, dangerously close to the fire. His legs were badly burnt, the skin charred and peeling to reveal muscle and sinew beneath. Claymore shook his head but said nothing as he lifted Ripper from the ground, mouth set in a hard line and worry in his eyes.
The Tavern creaked, shifting as some of the walls gave way. The flames spat and flickered, eating their way through the beams. As one, we all backed away, out of range of the fire, and began heading back to the rest of the Rebels in the parking lot. Tank and Evelyn were walking close together, hands entwined, and Wrench had his arm wrapped around Samantha’s waist.
“Where the fuck did you get the gun?” he asked, lowering his head to be close to hers.
“Evelyn had it, just in case.” She shrugged. “We didn’t know if the Freeways were gone so I was standing guard while the others jumped from the window.”
“You look really fuckin’ hot holding a piece, babe,” Wrench told her with a grin, and she giggled. I looked away, rolling my eyes, and saw that Jade was walking a couple of feet away from me. The space between us felt too far after everything that had happened over the last few weeks. I reached out for her, hissing as pain flared across my injured ribs, but it was worth it as I pulled her close and tucked her under my arm.
“Hey,” I said, smirking slightly as she looked up at me with shocked eyes.
“Hey,” she mumbled back, blushing slightly and reaching up to tuck her hair behind her ear. It was a lot shorter than it was before the fight, and I wondered why she had decided to change it.
“I like the new hair,” I told her.
“Really?” She bit her lip, nervous, and I smiled reassuringly.
“It looks nice,” I promised. Her blush darkened, but she settled more easily as we walked.
“This really gives new meaning to us being the Blazing Rebels, huh?” Maverick was saying as we approached.
“The place needed refurbishing anyway,” Vegas added, tone deliberately light.
“Would you two shut the fuck up, for once?” Ink rolled his eyes, but there was a slight smile on his face. Faint laughter rippled through the Rebels, petering out as the Tavern creaked and shuddered again. The fire was quickly devouring the building, its orange light flickering across all of us and smoke blotting out the sky. Wordlessly, we all stood close together, Tank and Evelyn at the center, listening to the sirens wailing in the distance as we watched the Ironhead Tavern burn.
Epilogue
Jade
I hovered at the top of the stairs, listening to the sound of voices echoing up the steps.
