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I nodded once and rushed for the woods, Gabriel’s hand tightly clasped in my own. His fingers were strangling mine, but I knew our connection was the only thing keeping him from panicking.
We’d been fucking found, and he was doing his best not to spiral. I was going to fuck him so good once we were back somewhere safe, he was going to lose his fucking mind. I was so goddamn proud of him for using his coping techniques while his mind was no doubt running one-hundred-eighty miles an hour—too fast for him to truly handle.
I stopped once we were deep enough into the trees and pulled Gabriel against my back just as we’d been in the mountains. His fingers curled into the top of my jeans, his breaths huffing out behind me. I tightened my hold on his hand, straining my ears to hear what was going on. The bikes were closer now, almost to the gate.
I gritted my teeth, hating that Ricardo was out there alone. But I wasn’t ashamed to admit that if it came to a choice between making sure Gabriel survived or helping Ricardo, I’d let Ricardo die every single time.
I didn’t give a single fuck if that made me a shitty human being. I’d be the goddamn devil as long as it kept my boy safe.
The bikes rumbled to a stop outside the gates, the sound of the multiple bike engines growling through the forest and echoing off the mountain surrounding us. Gabriel trembled, his hand quaking in mine.
“Easy, boy,” I murmured.
His hold on my jeans tightened, his breathing quickening.
“Someone better come the fuck out!” Johnston shouted. “Or I swear to all that is fucking holy, I will blow this fucking bullshit little farm to goddamn smithereens!”
“Fuck,” I swore. “Ricardo!” I shouted, tugging Gabriel out of the woods, trying to get out of the forest before Ricardo opened fire on my club. “It’s all good!”
“Tango!” Johnston shouted.
Jesus fuck. He was pissed. Goddammit.
Gabriel and I emerged from the woods. His grip on me had loosened the slightest bit, but he was still clinging, which I didn’t mind. Ricardo walked over to me, arching a brow, ignoring Johnston, who was glowering at him. Leaning down, I pressed a soft kiss to Gabriel’s lips. “Go inside with Ricardo,” I gently told him.
He nodded, and after a moment, he relinquished his hold on my hand, leaving me feeling cold. Ricardo took his hand in his and passed me the assault rifle he was carrying. I nodded once, strapping it to me.
If my club found us, anyone else could, too. We needed to remain on alert. Wasn’t like my club had been discreet in coming here either.
I waited until Ricardo and Gabriel were inside the cabin before making my way to the gate. Johnston, Scorpion, Halo, Elias, Mark, Trigger, and Geek were straddling their bikes, watching me. Alejandro emerged out of the tree line wearing boots, jeans, and a camouflage jacket. I blinked in surprise, my muscles tensing.
I didn’t like being surprised. Especially not when I was trying to protect my boy.
“What the fuck?” Johnston snapped at me.
I sighed, unlocking the gate with the spare key Ricardo had given me. “Long, long fucking story,” I told him. “Leave the bikes out here. Ain’t room inside the gate for them.”
Johnston looked at the others. “Scorpion, with me. The rest of you chill here.”
They nodded. Alejandro strode forward. “The cabin is burned to nothing. The truck I loaned you is nothing but a fucking crisp shell. What happened?”
“Let’s go to the cabin first,” I told him, not budging on that. I needed to see to my boy, and I also didn’t want to talk about this out here by the gate after all the fucking ruckus they’d made. “I need to check on Gabriel.”
“Good to see you’re safe, brother,” Halo said, drawing my eyes to him. I nodded once at him before striding to the cabin. Ricardo stepped outside, closing the door behind him as he nodded toward the table. “Gabriel is a little bit of a mess. I’ll entertain them for a minute.”
I handed the assault rifle back to him before heading inside, going straight for my boy, who was sitting in front of the fire, his muscles trembling. I settled behind him, my thighs on either side of him. Then, I wrapped my arms around him, squeezing him to me. He sank into my embrace, trusting me to take care of him.
“You’re safe,” I promised him.
“Do we have to go home?” he croaked. “I don’t think I’m ready.”
Fuck, I wanted nothing more than to keep him here since it was what made him happy, but I couldn’t do that. Ricardo deserved to have his place back to himself, and we still had things to handle back home.
I pressed a kiss to the top of his head. “We probably will.” He deflated, and my chest ached. Reaching up, I gripped his chin, turning his head to face me. His eyes were glassy with unshed tears, anxiety lurking within their depths. All the happiness he’d found in the past few weeks was wiped away—as if he’d never been feeling it in the first place.
It fucking gutted me.
“What if I told you I’ve got plans to give you something similar?” I gently asked him.
