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A ragged breath escapes me as I let Slasher’s emotions tangle with mine.
“I can’t think clearly. Not with her gone, man. Every fucking thought I have is about her. How can I run this club when I’m only thinking of myself?”
I tug free of his hold and go to move past him, but he clasps my shoulders, halting my steps.
“Don’t you get it? The club is you. The club is me. Hell, the club is Zoe. She’s part of this family, brother. You don’t think if Slayer was still alive and taken prisoner I wouldn’t fucking turn this earth into a living hell until I got him back?” He gives me a shake before getting in my face again. “Stop trying to do this on your own and let us help. The money is coming back in steadily now. The repairs on the clubhouse are well under way and it’s secure again. The fucking cartel is happy with our work. But you…” He releases me and steps back, gesturing to our club brothers all standing behind him, “Me, and the guys are fucking empty right now. We gotta do something meaningful, and right now, all any of us want is to get your princess back, and massacre the Reapers. You just have to stop trying to do the hunting all on your own.”
A thick ball of emotion lodges in my throat, and I nearly choke on the fucking thing as I try to clear it.
Can I really ask them to take on my battle? My need to find Zoe?
“Slasher is right, Gray.” Munroe steps forward and claps Slasher on his shoulder. “Let us help. We need this too.”
I study Munroe’s hard, yet sincere expression.
Can I really ask them to put their life on the line for Zoe?
“Are you sure?” I ask, leaning to the side before addressing the others. “Are you all sure?”
“Yes.” The say in unison, and fuck my heart squeezes.
“It’s taking a toll on you doing it alone.” Tex speaks up. “Let us carry the burden with you.”
Well, fuck.
They must see the moment I wane because their faces all light up with smirks.
“You fuckers really sure you’re ready to have me officially as your President?”
A round of hell yeahs fill the space, and I shake my head, feeling the glimmer of something like hope for the first time in weeks.
“Well, don’t say I didn’t fucking warn you.” I grin and they chuckle as I head for the door.
Fuck.
We are really doing this.
Rocco had been putting off the changing of the guard, so to speak, at my request. But a couple of days ago during my visit, he declared that it’s time.
I’d been stalling, and he knows it. He knows I feel honored to take on the role, but he also knows I don’t want to take it from him.
When we go outside, the Cruz Cunts are waiting, standing on either side of the path, offering warm smiles as we pass by.
I feel like shit that I haven’t made more time for the women. I’m still trying to figure out how Rocco balanced all of this stuff, making sure everyone was happy or doing okay. I tried to talk to Alana and Rose about the shit Gunner put them through after I calmed the fuck down after finding his shrine of Zoe, but they insisted it could wait, their need to find Zoe on the forefront of their minds too. I hope they don’tthink I’m gonna forget. I need them to know that the things that happen to them matter too.
As I give Alana a nod at the end of the path, me and my men pile into the two borrowed vans we’ve been using to fly under the radar of the Reapers in case they are around watching and waiting to strike again.
The trip to the rehabilitation center, which is Rocco’s temporary home, takes around twenty minutes to get to. It’s out of the main bustle of Santa Cruz on a property with a long tree-lined driveway which divides off to three structures that offer different private specialty services.
Security was good here, which is why we had Rocco moved to this location for his therapy. Not only were the medical staff the best in the region, but we knew he’d be safe here.
Having prearranged our large visit, Cara booked the dining room on Rocco’s floor for us to use, and had Rocco already there waiting for us when we arrived. My eyes travel over him sitting in the wheelchair, and like every time I see him, my gut twists with regret that I couldn’t do more to save him from this fate.
He’s lost weight. His face is thinner than a few months ago, but his hair is longer. The cut he wears almost looks too big for him now.
Maybe I should get him a new cut. Would he like that or would it be weird?
Fucked if I know.
