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My eyebrows furrowed, not expecting his cool demeanor, but I did as he asked, spilling every detail I could remember.
“I was on my way back here when I noticed his bike outside a diner. That thing is easy to spot, and he wasn’t tryin’ to hide it.”
Croy nodded. We’d always made fun of Hammer’s bike. It was massive, with these ugly custom seats and tons of bells and whistles. We always said he was compensating for something with a ride like that. He looked like a tool riding around on it.
“It felt weird that he was being so obvious about where he was, especially since he’s a big chicken who’s been hiding. So I went inside to see what the fuck was going on. He acted like he knew I’d come, and he was waiting for me.”
Knox frowned. “Why the fuck didn’t you call for backup?”
I lifted a shoulder. “Wanted to see what he would say. I thought maybe if I stuck around, he’d let something slip. And he did. He wants me to leave the crew and join him. In exchange, he’ll give me what I want.”
Croy’s eyebrow went up, but he still wasn’t showing his cards. It was unnerving, the way he was watching me. “And what did he offer?”
This was the part that was going to hurt. Reaching into my pocket, I pulled out the dime baggy and flicked it across the table. He caught it, but his eyes never left me.
“Somehow, Hammer figured out I was off the wagon and offered me a cut of the product on top of my portion of the profits.” My gaze shifted to Brewer and then to Reaper. Neither of them flinched or made any indication that they were involved in the leak, but it had to come from somewhere. And it sure as shit wasn’t me.
“And are you interested in taking his deal?”
My spine stiffened, and I whipped my gaze to Croy. He was still watching me, but this time I could see the barely masked fury on his face. He was waiting for me to betray him, to slip and say something stupid, like I accepted. I leveled him with a glare, my lip curling up.
“No. Fuck no. Minus the time it took to pick up Sam and get Tyson in the truck, I came straight here. I won’t betray my crew.”
CHAPTER 24
SAM
It felt like everything was under water. Seeing Tyson like that, bleeding like a stuck pig and dropping in and out of consciousness, it tore me apart inside. And it was all my fault. I was the one who called him to check on Clink. I sent him out there and he got hurt because of it. I should’ve just let Clink walk away. It wasn’t my job to keep him sober. I should’ve protected Tyson better.
There was a small knock on the door, but I didn’t move to open it. I couldn’t. I felt numb, my eyes locked on my hands that were covered in blood. Tyson’s blood. The man who saved my life, dragging me off the streets and helping me start over. There was blood on my jeans, too. It was so much blood. How much was too much? Were they knocking so they could tell me that someone else died because of my stupid decisions?
“Sam?”
Quinn’s voice permeated the buzzing in my ears. She sounded worried, and that only scared me more. I didn’t want them to tell me he was dead. Maybe if I didn’t answer, I could pretend for a little while longer.
When the door creaked open, I wrapped my arms around my middle, curling in on myself. Please go away.
“Hey… You doing okay?”
A tear slipped down my cheek, but I didn’t brush it away. I couldn’t. I’d get blood on my face.
Quinn came to sit next to me, putting her hand on my arm. A tremble worked its way through me and I sank further into a little ball to hide it. If I broke down, I’d lose it completely. I couldn’t live without Tyson. He felt like my lifeline and if I lost him, I’d end up back where I started. All alone with no one in the world who cared about me. I wouldn’t want to live if he wasn’t around.
Quinn didn’t push me to talk. She didn’t push me to do anything. She just sat beside me, a comforting presence in what was otherwise the most terrifying moment of my life. It felt like hours had gone by, or maybe just a few minutes, before someone else knocked on the door and Riley joined us. I was too afraid to look at her, too afraid to see the sympathy in her eyes when she told me my best friend was dead and it was all my fault.
“He’s alive, Sam.”
My head whipped up, and the dam broke, big tears spilling down my face. “Really?”
She nodded. “It wasn’t actually as bad as it looked. A bleeder, for sure, but nothing we couldn’t handle. He’s gonna need a little blood, but Doc says he’ll be back on his feet in a few days.”
My shoulders shook as I choked back sobs. The relief was dizzying and a little nauseating. I hugged my middle tighter, shaking my head like I couldn’t quite believe it. Riley came to sit on my other side, rubbing my back while I attempted to pull myself together. After a few minutes, she nudged me lightly.
“Come on. Let’s get you cleaned up and you can go see him. I left him with Allie because I figured you’d rather hear the news from an actual person in medicine, but her attempts at caring for people can be a little much.”
Quinn snickered, shaking her head. “I’ll help Sam. You go make sure she doesn’t accidentally hurt him while trying to take care of him.”
I looked up, shocked out of my turmoil enough to speak. “Is he okay with her?”
