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It takes a moment for her to respond as she comes to a stop beside me. “That’s the nicest thing you’ve done for someone other than Gray, Ryker, or Emmett in years, after one of the shittiest things you’ve done,” Maggie states, referring to last night, and I sigh.
“I gave her something that was important to her, just like mine is important to me. It’s not an apology, and it’s certainly not anything else either.”
The rumble of a bike catches my attention, pulling my gaze toward the compound gates.
There’s only one making its way toward us, but my defenses are still high after the past few weeks. It takes a couple of seconds, but I quickly come to recognize the cut he’s wearing; a matching one to mine.
Despite everything that’s just happened, a smile spreads across my face as I approach the Harley Davidson that’s come to a stop in front of Maggie and me.
“Brother,” I holler, our hands clasping as we slap each other on the back. “It feels like it’s been an eternity.”
“I’m glad to be home, Brother, where I’m needed. Set me to work and I’ll do everything I can.”
“Shift? Is that my boy? It’s been forever,” Maggie sings, filling the space I took moments ago as she wraps her arms tightly around his neck.
“I’m not saying I haven’t missed you, but it’s been like, what, four weeks? You guys exaggerate too much.” The smirk on his face matches the humor in his voice, and it feels good to have him home.
“I’m cooking up a feast tonight for the return of our Shift,” Maggie declares, clapping her hands excitedly as she rushes back inside without a backward glance.
My cell phone vibrates in my pocket, but I ignore it for now, focusing on my friend that has been away for too long. “Is it as bad as it feels?” he asks, and I grimace.
“There’s a feeling in my gut telling me we’re missing something major. A key piece, but I can’t pinpoint what it is. All I know is we need to figure it out so we can bury the Devil’s Brutes with our bare hands.”
“Count me in, Ax. I’ve been desperate to get my hands dirty since the moment I left.”
TWENTY-NINE
Scarlett
I still havemy hood up over my head, covering my forehead as I glance at the length of my chest to where my arm is resting on my stomach.
There’s ink on my skin.
Permanent fucking ink, and I’m obsessed with it. The way the orange and reds swirl at the back of the bike fills my soul with a new level of love I’ve never experienced with anything other than my Harley. Seeing the words ‘Forever Free’ fills me with joy.
This truly feels like a new me, the next stepping stone in my life, one I never thought I would get. But the panic from last night still simmers in my veins, reminding me that my life isn’t completely free, not when my past continues to haunt me in the most ridiculous fucking ways.
My eyes are hooded, my brain and body exhausted from the lack of sleep I had last night, but I can’t fall asleep yet. It’s too early. If I fall asleep now, I won’t be able to sleep tonight, and I can’t bear the thought of being awake and alone at twilight hour.
I can’t stand the darkness, the moment when everyone around you is sleeping, while the depths of hell claw at you. My chest grows tight just thinking about it, the itchy feeling that runs under the skin traveling down my arms.
Fuck.
Sitting on the bed, I rest my head in my hands and yawn.
I ducked out on Emmett once he finished my tattoo. One of the Ruthless Bitches knocked on his door and declared someone called Shift was home, and that Maggie was setting up a barbecue for him. Emmett was ecstatic, but I don’t have that level of enthusiasm to put on a fake smile and pretend like I give a shit. Although, how I’m feeling right now, locked in my head, could be worse than the fake shit, so maybe I need to re-evaluate.
A knock on my bedroom door startles me as it creeks open without warning, making my back stiffen at the intrusion, until I see Emily’s face in the opening. Relief washes over me. My racing heart begins to slow, and I quirk a brow at her.
“Aren’t I supposed to respond to the knockbeforeyou come in?”
Emily scoffs as she edges the door open wider, rolling her eyes at me and stepping into the room. “Not when I’m pretty sure you would have pretended to not be here. Plus, if it was locked, I would have known for sure you were.”
She’s got me there. My initial thought when I heard the knock was to be as quiet as a mouse and hide away from the world.
Pointing over her shoulder, she redirects the conversation. “I’m guessing you don’t want to join in tonight.”
“Not really, but if it’s a requirement, then—”
