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I pointed at him and smiled. “I’ll remember that.”
He just winked and turned back to his duties, filling the fridges with alcohol. Since Ham had pulled me off the edge of crazy that morning in the apartment, we’ve gotten closer. Ham is relaxed and fun, but I just have this feeling that he knows what it’s like to feel like you’re broken and have lost everything.
Maybe one day I’ll figure out why.
I strolled past the bikes that were lined up outside. I wasn’t sure where Optimus had gone, probably to sit with his brothers while they figured all this shit out. Optimus wasn’t the type of leader to delegate and expect not to be involved. He didn’t make his men do all the dirty work, he was always right there with them doing what he could to help. I guess it was just another reason why they respected him so much.
I smiled as I walked up to the gate and found Neil and Kev. I wondered who was on Harlyn duty. Neil was used following Harlyn around like he was her shadow. But then, I hadn’t been back for like a week so things could have changed.
Kev gave me a kind smile. “What’s up, Chel?”
“I just need to step outside and talk to my friend Rose.” His face quickly changed, so I tried to explain before he shut me down. “Look, she needs to come in so we can watch out for her, but she’s a bit standoffish because of Blizzard. I just need a few minutes to convince her to come in.”
“Where is she?” Kev asked, still a little suspect. He twisted the handle of the automatic rifle he had hanging from his side.
We both stepped out the small gap in the gates and I pointed just down the road where I could see Rose’s small figure sitting under a tree hugging her knees. She was close enough that if the boys ran, they could get to us in less than five seconds. Kev looked concerned. He lifted his rifle and eyed the area.
“You’re gonna freak her out, pointing that thing at her.”
He scoffed. “She ain’t even looking this way.” He scanned for a moment. “Okay, I should have a clear shot if something happens, but I’m gonna stand right here and watch.”
“Thanks, Kev!” I yelled, jogging down the pavement to where my friend was located. I started to talk as I got closer, “Hey Rose, come inside. The boys are a little jumpy about us being—oh my God!”
I threw myself to my knees on the grass as she turned her head to face me. One of her eyes was swollen completely shut and was turning an unappealing shade of purple. Her cheekbone was also puffed up and the center of her lip was cut so bad, I thought it may need stitches. There was blood in her hair and down the side of her neck and face.
I felt tears pool in my eyes. “Oh, Rose. Babe, come on. Let’s get you inside.”
I held out my hand to her as I kneeled on the ground, praying she would take it. Fuck Blizzard and what she felt about the club. She needed help.
She shook her head and kept her knees pulled in tightly. One arm was cradled to her chest—the one she had burnt—but this time I knew it wasn’t a burnt. You could tell clearly that it was broken as a lump protruded from just below her wrist.
“Who did this to you?” I whispered, tears clogging my throat.
A small noise came from her mouth like it was meant to be a laugh. “I deserved it. I didn’t do well enough,” she croaked, sounding like a two-pack-a-day smoker.
“Rose, you do not deserve this. I don’t care if he’s your dad. He should care about you, he should love you no matter what.” I tried to move closer, feeling the need to wrap my arms around her and carry all her pain away.
That was the point in which my world stopped.
All I could hear in my head was the word, no.No, no, no, no, no.
The handgun sparkled in the small amount of sunlight that had broken through the shade of the tree as she raised it from beside her. It had been hidden by her body. Her finger was pressed to the trigger and the barrel was pointing directly at me. I stared down that dark black hole, mesmerized.
Was this it?
I pondered what it would feel like when the bullet hit me.
Would it hurt?
A thousand thoughts raced around my head until her sniffles finally pulled me from its trance. Tears streamed from her good eye and she attempted to blink them away as one hand was busy aiming the gun at my head and the other I assumed was too painful to move.
“Rose,” I cooed, not wanting to scare her. “Rose, what are you doing?” My heart was racing, but I fought to stay calm.
“I’m so sorry,” she sobbed quietly. “He’s making me, I don’t have a choice.”
I wanted to look over my shoulder and somehow signal Kev. I doubted that he could see what was going on as my body was sitting right in their eyeline, blocking Rose from their view.
“Who? You’re dad?” She nodded slowly. “Why?”
