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Erik concentrated, his eyes closed, as he listened intently to whoever was on the other side of the call. When he suddenly cut off the call, I glanced around to see if I was needed, but he motioned for me to remain there with a single raised finger. Might as well have been the middle one ‘cause he had effectively told me to fuck off. He ran his finger across the glassy surface of the screen, then paused and tapped the screen before holding the phone to his ear.
Then he turned and walked out the door, his voice rising as he continued his heated discussion in front of the waiting room window. It didn’t matter how far away he went. We both knew he would share the details with me once he had all the information. Either that or I would bug him until he told me.
There were too many secrets right now, and this wasn’t the right time or place for that anymore. People were after us. We couldn't determine who was involved and were unable to discern the details of the situation, no matter how hard we tried to uncover the who, what, when, where, and how.
I knew we had enemies, but I didn’t know if it was one or all of them that were after us.
Brandt was still in surgery. Most of my siblings and some Reapers were standing close by to ensure they heard how everything was going first hand. The nurse came over to Erik, talked to him for a few seconds, and then moved us to a new area, which they had dubbed the family room. I didn’t blame them for getting us out of the view of the public, since our crew had already grown to over ten people, and more likely had started to make people nervous.
So, one by one, we’d all piled into that room.
Then we waited.
And waited some more.
My guess was that the room doubled for a break room because there were couches and a couple tables. They also had a small cupboard off to the side with a Keurig machine and several pods of coffee, just waiting to be consumed. I couldn’t imagine drinking any of it. I was already wired for sound, jittery, just waiting for any news on Brandt. Some of the guys were making quick use of it, though.
I sat on the end of the couch with Dimitri next to me, and Hunter on his other side. After the kiss, he’d steered clear of me. It was an impulsive action for him, especially in front of my brothers. Besides, this wasn’t the time or the place to announce our unique relationship, even if there had been enough signs that I wasn’t solely dating Dimitri. The only thing I was sure of until tonight was that they hadn’t suspected me of being involved with Hunter.
Dimitri laced our fingers together and the sensation of his thumb against my palm sent shivers down my spine. I glanced up at him and he smiled, his teeth a bright flash of reassurance. Hunter sat just beside him, and I felt his eyes burning into our hands, our palms pressed together. I hoped he wouldn’t continue to avoid me, but I wouldn’t hold my breath.
When Erik came back around the corner, the phone was gone, and the only sound was his footsteps echoing off the walls. He was a mess, with sweat beading on his forehead, and he seemed to look worse than when we brought Brandt in, if that was even possible. A wave of dread washed over me. Had something had gone wrong with the surgery? I reminded myself to take slow, deep breaths, the air entering my body through my nose. I’d done enough research about panic attacks online to try out a few different techniques to see what worked best.
It wasn’t working tonight.
There was too much on the line.
I couldn’t lose my brother.
Dimitri’s reassuring squeeze of my hand felt like a silent understanding of my thoughts.
“Alright everyone, listen up,” my brother commanded.
We all obeyed immediately, as if he was our drill sergeant.
“That was Knight,” he continued.
Everyone knew he meant Liam. In his spare time, he hacked under the handle Knight (KN16H7), which was a fitting name for the way he rode in on a white horse to save whoever contacted him for help. Since he made bank with us, he mostly did pro-bono work. Sometimes he even did work for the affluent citizens of Sandstone. That was where his prices were steep, almost as if he had a rate schedule devoted to members of his sperm donor’s social circle.
“Why didn’t he call me?” I asked.
“This was something that had to come straight to me,” he replied. “First off, we’re gonna have to put a hold on everyone moving into the clubhouse.”
“Why?” Kujo asked.
“Because tonight, while most of us were out, some people broke in, attacked Archer, and set fire to the clubhouse and the auto body,” he replied.
Gasps sounded throughout the room.
“Was anyone hurt?” Kujo asked.
“Archer and a couple of the guys who work at the shop are being treated for minor burns. The auto body is going to be closed for a while for repairs. Fortunately, Archer successfully put the fire out in the front of the bar, but everything where the liquor was being served will have to be replaced.” He shook his head in disgust. “That’s not all though.”
“What more could there be?” Hunter asked.
“Liam reviewed the surveillance and spotted a couple of guys go into the office with bags. When they came back out of the office, their hands were empty. He called Archer and everyone searched the office. They pulled two large bags of meth out of the cupboards, hidden almost in plain sight.”
“What the fuck?”
