Cruz (Dark and Dirty Sinners' MC #5) - Serena Akeroyd Page 0,108

me, with what he made me feel.

On top of everything else, it was just too goddamn much.

More than I could stand.

More than I could bear.

With my back to the partition, I strained to hear the conversation happening inside the waiting room. They spoke faintly, too faint. Made sense seeing as it was likely the walls had ears.

Then, I jerked in surprise when Giulia came out, her arm in a sling thanks to her dislocated shoulder. She studied me with surprise, then even though she looked exhausted, winked at me, then bent down with a grimace of discomfort as she pressed something to the opening.

I wasn't sure what it was, looked like a little squeegee stress ball, but when the door closed, it kept it ajar, just a tad.

She raised her good hand to her mouth and asked me for silence, but I didn't need to be told. Instead, I just listened to what I could hear, with a volume that wasn't much better but it was a little easier nevertheless.

"Rex? You got anything to say, brother?"

Silence.

Dead. Silence.

Rachel heaved a sigh. "Just leave him, Storm. He's... you know how he feels about his parents."

"I do. Yeah." Storm grunted. "What a fucking mess. What a goddamn waste."

Giulia and I had our eyes fixed on each other's, and while I knew Rachel was in there with Rex, I hadn't expected her to be allowed to stay in what was, most definitely, an unofficial church.

Giulia's eyes were pinched with resentment, and to be honest, I got it.

I did.

Even though we were MC brats, and were raised knowing how things worked, it didn't take the sting away.

She'd been bombed as well, but she wasn't allowed to listen in?

Sucked.

"We need to get some shit straight."

"Damn right we do," Nyx growled. "What the fuck was Maverick thinking of going into the fucking clubhouse?"

"I don't know," Storm answered. "I just know that it was important enough for him to go looking."

"He was talking to Lodestar earlier," Steel rasped, sounding like death. Most of them did thanks to smoke inhalation.

"About what? Anyone know?" Storm queried.

"Ghost might. She was there. You know Maverick talks around her," Link pointed out.

"Shit, we'll need to speak with her then," Storm muttered. "Fuck." He heaved a sigh. "Okay, we'll deal with that after. First things first, we need to get shit rolling. Lots of brothers lived in the clubhouse and they'll need places to stay.”

Rachel surprised me by murmuring, “There’s enough room for Rex and a few councilors at my place.”

"Anyone else can stay with Lily and me," Link offered.

"That's great, guys," Storm added. "But while Lily is Daddy Warbucks and Rachel, your place is plenty big, it won't serve for everyone.

"I got the idea when I drove through town. How about Budget Basement?"

"The motel?" Link hummed in thought. "Bit grimy, but so are most of the men right now."

"Yeah. I was thinking, last I knew, Jamie Peters was trying to sell the place anyway. We should buy it and then we don't have to deal with any pressure while the compound is being restructured."

"Good idea," Steel said. "We have the cash. We can buy him out whatever his price."

"Don't go too high," Nyx rumbled, "we all know that fucker is a cunt."

Giulia's lips twitched at that, like her man had just spoken pure poetry, and maybe to her he had.

God knew she had to be used to him talking that way.

"I'm pretty sure Mav had a file on him, back from when he used to run drugs out of that place," Link said softly. "Maybe we can access it? Or get Lodestar to access it?"

"Good thinking."

"You think she'll help?" Nyx queried. "I mean, we all know what a wild card she is. There's a reason we prefer to question Ghost about the conversation between her and Mav than the woman herself."

"I think she will," Link intoned. "She's good people. A lot nuts, but good people. And she's doing all this shit for a reason, which isn't money."

"That just makes her all the more dangerous and a bigger wild card," Nyx retorted, then an explosive grunt escaped him and I wasn't surprised when a loud crashing sound echoed around the room.

"Fuck's sake, Nyx, you trying to get us thrown out?"

In a flash, Giulia was storming inside, and she surprised me by grabbing Nyx's hand with her good arm, and tugging him around to face her.

"I get you're stressed, I am too, God knows, but now isn't the time to be losing your shit." She