Blaine chuckled. “Try me, Gaige.”
“Brother, we’re under attack. We’ve got heat on us again. And we got a tip about a deal going down late last night. We all took to it, wanting to make a fucking statement. We were ambushed again, Blaine. This time it was semi-auto’s.”
“Shit.”
“Erik and Landon took hits.”
Blaine jumped up, sending the chair flying back. “They got shot?”
“Landon is fine. Erik got hit bad. He might not make it. We got lucky though. Shay lost his ride. They blew it up. Lucky for us that was our break. We were able to get away while the motorcycle exploded into a ball of flames.”
“Holy shit, brother.”
“Miller wants a full table right now. We have a final vote. And other business to tend to.”
“Jesus Christ. Erik is going to die?”
“He might. You ready to come back and talk now?”
“Yeah. I’ll be right there.”
The call ended.
Blaine walked to the sink and splashed cold water on his face. He then bent over and threw up, his stomach emptying of whatever the hell was leftover from the night before.
The last time he was this much of a mess he lost his fiancee and his stepdaughter.
He wiped his mouth and rushed to the door.
He rode straight to the clubhouse, entering the lot. It was strange to ride back without a cut on his back. He looked at the line of motorcycles and saw the space where he was supposed to park. Blaine parked on the opposite side of the lot, where the visitors would park.
At the door, the prospect he had punched opened it for him.
“Clearing up, huh?” Blaine asked and touched the young man’s face.
“Got a nasty infection. Almost lost my eye.”
“Almost,” Blaine said. He slapped the guy’s face. “You have to learn to fight, man. Toughen up.”
Blaine walked into the clubhouse and looked around. It was all familiar, just like home. This was home. His real home.
The prospects behind the bar froze and stared.
The guys at the pool tables held up.
Jace, Nate, Trev, and Gaige.
“Table,” Gaige said.
Jace, Nate, and Trev all moved.
They didn’t say a word to Blaine.
Gaige pointed to the bar with his pool stick. “Get a beer.”
Blaine reached into his pocket and pulled out money. He put it on the bar.
The prospect gave him a beer and then pushed the money back. “No.”
“Are you fucking insane?” Gaige asked as he threw the pool stick to the table. “You’re going to pay for a beer?”
“I’m not wearing the cut, brother,” Blaine said.
Gaige walked right to Blaine. “What the fuck is wrong with you?”
“Nothing.”
“Okay. We voted. It’s time to talk.”
Gaige led the way. When the door opened, Blaine saw a full table, including Landon and Erik.
Erik?
Erik stood and turned.
“What the…”
Erik grabbed Blaine by the throat. He pushed him back to the wall.
“Easy,” Shay said. “Easy.”
Blaine stared at Erik. His face was all messed up from a bomb that had gone off in the lot. He was a hardened soul, always ready to kill, but that didn’t mean Blaine was afraid of him.
“You’re not almost dead,” Blaine said.
“And you weren’t fucking there,” Erik said.
He pushed away from Blaine.
“Tell us the truth,” Shay said. “From your mouth, brother.”
“You heard it,” Blaine said. “I was a detective. I tried working too many cases at once. The lines got blurred and I came out on the wrong end of it.”
“Tell them everything,” Miller said.
Blaine swallowed hard. “I had a fiancee. Meghan. Wild firecracker. Beautiful. She was… she wasn’t the one, but her daughter was. I loved Janey as my own. I told myself marrying Meghan was worth it for Janey. I was running a big drug and gun case. There was a guy named Vin who was all over me. We were shoulder to shoulder. He knew who I was. I knew who he was. It was the biggest sting of my career. By then, I was already seeing the other side of the fence. You know? Seeing how bad it was on the side of justice. So many wrongs all the time. I wanted to finish the job and pull out. My partner… he was sampling the drugs. He was asleep in a pile of cocaine. Our new chief in Frelen? Ethan? Yeah, he was on the task force. He was there. He was manipulative and never gave a shit about anyone. I was the loser in the situation because I had the most to lose. The deal went south and Vin knew about it. A gun fight broke out. I took cover. I called Petey and he wasn’t answering. I needed to get Meghan and Janey to safety. Meghan wasn’t answering. I couldn’t get away. The only person I was able to call was Jessa. The woman that was here? That was Meghan’s best friend. I had her go check on Meghan and Janey. By the time she arrived…” Blaine felt his throat close. He turned his head.
“Aye, brother,” Shay said. “Spit it the fuck out.”
Blaine growled and made fists. He brought them up to his face. He then took a few heavy breaths and punched himself in the face.
It at least justified the tears. And got them out.