Brick Brick (Knights Corruption MC - Next Generation, #4) - S. Nelson Page 0,75

my power to make sure I was the only one who suffered at those bastards’ hands.

34

Waiting was the worst thing I could be doing right now, too many scenarios building together inside my head that only made me want to destroy everything in my path. The moment I saw that picture, my heart shattered, shards of despair plunging so deep I didn’t think I’d ever recover.

There was so much blood, more on Zoe than Braylen. Had they beaten her? Tortured her? Worse?

“How are you holding up?” Addy’s touch startled me, her soft voice pulling me away from the dreadful images in my head. Hunched over on the couch with my head resting heavily in my hands, I bounced my shoulders because there were no words that could adequately answer her question. A swirl of emotions blended together to form another—one I couldn’t describe. “We’ll get them back.”

“Can you promise that?” I twisted my head to the side to look at her, my tone harsh, even though she didn’t deserve to be the target of my anger.

“What I can promise,” she responded, not specifically answering me, “is that these men will do everything they can to bring them home, even if that means burning it all to the ground.”

We stared at each other for a short time, her eyes roaming my face, studying me, like she was trying to read my mind. I took comfort in her gaze, realizing she was hurting, too, like the rest of us.

“How are you doing otherwise? Do you want me to look at your chest and leg?” She shifted on the couch next to me, giving me room in case my answer was yes, although I wasn’t about to strip right here, out in the open. As if sensing the same, she added, “Do you want to go into one of the bedrooms?”

Stone happened to walk up to us at that exact moment, only hearing her last question.

“What the fuck, woman? Why you askin’ him to go to the bedroom?” Her husband stood between us, kicking my boot with his before reaching down and grabbing her arm. He pulled her to her feet. Without glancing upward, I felt the tension swirling around him. Granted, I would’ve reacted much the same way had I heard Zoe ask another man that same thing, but this was an entirely different circumstance. Addy had always taken care of those that needed medical attention, unfortunately, me included. So her question could only be centered around those needs.

“Calm down. I was going to look him over, assess the state of his healing, and I doubted he wanted to strip down right here in front of everyone.”

Stone smacked my arm. “You healin’ okay?”

“Yeah” was my one-word, curt answer.

“See? No need to look him over.”

“You’re impossible,” she chastised, touching the back of my head when she stepped around Stone. “Brick, if you need me, let me know. Okay?”

“Thank you.”

They walked away but I wasn’t alone for long before Morgan plopped down next to me. My eyes glided over her outfit, pissing me off all over again. Then a reminder hit me, stealing the air from my body in the next second. Because of my stupid comment to Zoe, she’d changed from her jeans into a short, yellow dress. That’s what she was obviously wearing when they took her. All rationale disappeared as I imagined them leering at her, even though I knew they’d react the same way if she’d been wearing those damn molded jeans.

“Can you tell me exactly what’s going on? Tag keeps giving me coded answers, but I can tell it’s something serious because everyone here looks to be on edge, even like someone died.” She gasped. “Did someone die?”

“No,” I barked, reeling in my temper when her eyes widened. “Sorry. It’s just… shit.”

“Well, that’s clear as mud.”

“I can’t tell you right now. I just need for you to listen to me and stay put until I tell you otherwise.”

“Okay. I can stay here for a while. But remember I’m setting up the gallery, so I’ll have to—”

I turned toward her and grabbed her shoulders. “You’re not goin’ anywhere until I say so. Do you understand me, Morgan? Nowhere! I don’t give a fuck what you think you have to do for your boss. You call in and say you need a leave of absence.” My fingers dug into her. She tried to wriggle away but I held her in place. “I’m not playin’ around. They won’t get you too. They