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He followed Ares while telling himself to get a grip. His gaze dropped to Ares’ ass and a strangled noise escaped his mouth. Ares looked over his shoulder at him and Jace gave him an awkward smile. Ares frowned but didn’t question him. Thank fuck.
He held the bat tighter against his chest.
He couldn’t believe he’d actually done it. Now he just had to survive the party the Henchmen were likely to throw for him.
CHAPTER FOUR
Ares
HE KNEW the joy on Jace’s face was fake. He might be laughing and celebrating with his new brothers, but Ares saw right through him. He knew Jace didn’t want to be there. He may have been patched in tonight, but it wasn’t because he wanted it. Jace had never wanted to be a Henchman. Ronin just hadn’t given him a choice.
Ronin was proud, though he suspected more so of himself than of Jace. As long as Jace reflected well back onto Ronin, he was happy.
Every time Ronin slapped Jace on the back to congratulate him, Jace flinched but, fortunately, Ronin soon drew everyone’s attention to himself. He was good at that.
Jace slipped away unnoticed. Well, Ares noticed, but he knew he was the only one. The others were too busy with booze and club bunnies and hanging on Ronin’s every word.
He followed Jace into the basement and out the back door. He’d never spent much time in the woods behind the clubhouse. At least not in this part. They had direct access from the courtyard to the piece of forest they used as a makeshift shooting range.
They were just far enough out of the city that no one bothered them about the noise.
Jace kept walking until he made it to a big oak tree. He sat down with his back against it and dropped his head back. Ares leaned a shoulder against a tree and watched.
Jace looked defeated. He looked lost.
He hated that.
If there was anyone at the club who deserved to be happy, it was Jace. The kid was innocent. He’d been dragged into their shit, and he had no way out.
He wished he could do more but getting the kid through Gears’ initiation had been… well, the kid hadn’t been wrong to be afraid of what would happen if they’d gotten caught. They would’ve been utterly fucked. He would’ve happily taken his punishment, but Jace? He couldn’t fucking stand the thought of the kid getting hurt. Just the thought of what Ronin would’ve done to Jace if he’d failed to get his colors tonight made him ball his hands into fists, rage coursing through him.
Jace sighed, pulling Ares out of his thoughts, and the second his gaze landed back on Jace, something warm spread through his chest.
He pushed away from the tree and walked closer.
Jace flinched when he heard him, his head snapping up. His eyes were wide, fear clear in the hazel. It disappeared almost instantly when he saw Ares.
“Oh, hi,” Jace said.
“You got your cut,” Ares said with a nod at the leather vest Jace was wearing.
Jace dropped his gaze to it, running his fingers over the patch with his name on it.
“Thanks to you,” Jace mumbled.
“You did alright,” Ares said and sat down next to Jace, something inside him feeling lighter when Jace didn’t move away from him.
“I would’ve ended up six feet under if you hadn’t saved my ass,” Jace said with a laugh that wasn’t the least bit real.
“I wouldn’t have let that happen.”
He couldn’t fault Jace for the dubious look he gave him. After all, he hadn’t exactly done much for him except for tonight. He knew getting between Jace and Ronin could end in Jace’s death, and he wasn’t about to do anything that could get Jace hurt or killed. No matter how much he wanted to plant a fist in Ronin’s face.
“Thank you,” Jace said, his words barely audible.
“I’ve got your back.”
The astonished look Jace gave him had his heart skipping a painful beat. He got the distinct feeling that there hadn’t been a lot of people who’d said that to Jace in his life and certainly, there were even less that had actually meant it, but he did. He really fucking did. He’d never felt something as intense as the need he had to protect Jace. To keep him safe.
