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“It ain’t looking good. He’s in ICU, Screwy’s with him now.”
“And what about you, you doing okay?” I lift my head from where I’ve rested it on her chest and shake it. It's pointless lying to her, Maddy knows me inside and out.
“Brought back everything that happened with Hay,” I admit. “I thought he was gonna fuckin’ die.”
“Rogue doesn’t know how serious it is. Prez says it’s best not to tell her till he’s got the all-clear,” Maddy whispers, stroking her fingers through my hair and making me feel calm again.
“We made a choice today, Mads, one that I didn’t realize was gonna put you in so much danger.” I scrub my hand over my face again, I need to fucking make someone bleed for this. And while I was playing fuckin’ medic, all the others were causing pain, I’ve had no release.
“You did what you had to, to save Rogue, it wasn’t a choice, Jessie. She’s one of us. Skid loves her and it’s obvious that Grimm's fond of her.” She smiles at me after making the understatement of the fuckin’ century.
That fucker’s crazy for her.
“Let’s go home,” she says, and when I flick my eyes up at the clock and realize it’s gone two in the morning, I agree.
“Troj is gonna hang back here and wait with Screwy. He won’t be on his own,” Maddy says, standing up and pulling me to join her.
“You think he’ll make it?” she asks me, looking petrified. My girl cares about everyone, my brothers are her family now, just as much as they’re mine.
“I hope so, Mads,” I tell her, tucking her under my arm and leading us out so we can go home.
Troj is outside the front entrance having a smoke, and I smack him on his shoulder as we pass him,
“You good, brother?” he checks.
“We will be, once that fucker in there stops creamin’ all the attention,” I tell him, before getting into the cage and driving my girl back to the club.
Squealer’s in bad shape, I owe him my girl’s life and all I can do is hope he pulls through so I can show him my gratitude. Screwy and Jessie rush him outta here in one of the cages, while the rest of us all pile into the other one and head back to the club. There’s silence among us, everyone’s bloody. Some of us are bruised. But everyone’s thoughts are in one place, and that’s with Squealer. Rogue sits between my legs and I hold her tight in my arms until we’ve pulled up at the compound. Everyone’s heads are low as they make their way inside to the bar.
We may have been victorious in ruining Ivan’s enterprise but one of us has fallen in the process. And now that we’ve kicked the hornets' nest, it’s only a matter of time before we find out how big the sting will be.
“Let’s get you home.” I guide Rogue toward my bike but she stands firm.
“I need to know that Squealer’s okay.”
“I’ll get one of the boys to call me as soon as they hear. I’m gonna get the doc to come check your head out.” Her blonde hair is matted at the back with blood, the gash is only small but it’s fucking there and I don’t like it.
Dark bruises are rising up on her skin, from where they hurt her and I want to kill every one of them again for it. My only consolation is knowing that now, those mother fuckers can’t hurt her again.
“My head’s fine,” she protests.
“Rogue you got knocked out, and you look like you’ve gone twelve rounds with Troj. I should take you to hospital.” I need to hear that she’s okay before the nerves in my stomach go away. Thinking I’d lost her the way I did earlier is a feeling I never want to experience again, and I’ll have Maddy put a fucking tracker in her arm if that’s what it takes to make sure it doesn’t.
“I want us to talk first.” She looks at me nervously. There’s a misery in her eyes that tells me whatever it is we’re gonna talk about is gonna cause her pain and once this is over and she’s got all this out, I’m gonna make sure nothing can hurt her again.
I give in, riding us back up to my cabin. The place is still trashed from where I flipped out earlier, and Rogue looks shocked as I guide her straight through to the bathroom. She watches in silence as I draw her a bath, and then winces as she sinks herself into the water. Her body must be aching from what they put her through, and all I can think about is how I can make her better again.
I start with her feet, soaping up my hands and cleaning her toes, and as she watches me, her teeth dig into her lip like she’s holding back her words and her tears at the same time
“Talk to me, Rogue.” I prepare myself for whatever it is she has to tell me, already knowing that I’m gonna fucking hate it.
“Eddie, and those men…” She swallows thickly and closes her eyes, “I’ve known them a long time. Since I was a little girl.” I squeeze the sponge that I’m cleansing her with tight in my fist, fearing what comes next as I rotate higher up her leg.
“My mom and dad started hanging out with them just before Skid and Chop caught me stealing from their garage. They were bad people, drug dependent, and it didn’t take long for Mom and Dad to become like them. Dad stopped going to work, Mom was sick all the time, and then she left us.” I nod in understanding, seeing how close to breaking she is destroys me, but I have to stay strong for her.
“I knew what Dad was doing, and that it was wrong, but when he was with them he was always so happy. They hung around at our place, they gave Dad an endless supply of what he needed, and it came with a price.” Her voice wobbles and she looks down into the water. “I had to keep him around, Grimm, I couldn’t let him leave me too.”
The tear that drips onto her cheek makes me clench her thigh a little too tightly.
