called us right after you two took off. I called Dave and he told me what was going down.”
Jonah shoves his hands into his pockets and shrugs. “Couldn’t let you face that shit alone, brother. Hodgeson told us to hold back, let them do their job, said they had a shit ton of undercover men with Elijah and Hatch’s crew.”
No wonder that night didn’t end up a bloodbath. We thought we were outnumbered. But some of them were cops. Makes sense because none of us should’ve walked away.
“I made it clear that wasn’t an option.” Blake shifts his gaze from me to Rex. “We have each other’s backs. Always.”
Fuck if all this shit doesn’t make me want to cry like a pussy-ass baby. “So that’s why you guys kept holding me back that night. You knew the cops had a plan and—”
“We didn’t want you to fuck it up by getting killed.” Jonah slaps me on the back of the head. “Looks like your official.”
“Officially what?” I rub my injured arm as the wounds seem to flare with the reminder of that night.
He crosses his arms over his chest, looking lethal. “One of us.”
I absorb the warm feeling of belonging that seeps into my veins. All I’ve ever wanted is to be an equal member of the UFL Team, but from day one, I felt like an outsider, like a pledge who had to prove himself to be accepted.
I mirror Jonah’s stance. “So that’s it? All I had to do is kill someone?”
The air wires with tension, as if what I said was inappropriate or disrespectful. I’ll never regret what I did. Not a single day of my life will I feel bad for making it so Trix, her family, Drake, Jessica, and my niece or nephew, can all breathe easy knowing that evil bastard has been wiped from the earth. And if I serve time for that, I’ll gladly take it.
The guys are still quiet, all of them darting eyes between each other.
I shrug. “What? Too soon?”
With that they burst into laughter and lead the way toward the parking lot.
“Nice to see incarceration hasn’t changed you, Baywatch.” Rex slaps me on the back of the head as he passes.
“Ow, fuckface! How ’bout you let up on the stupid nicknames.” I rub my head. “If I’m an equal, why the fuck do you piss-suckers keep smacking me?”
“We like your hair.” Blake pulls open the back door of Jonah’s truck, ushering me in. “Come on, Hasselhoff. Quit being a bitch.”
I pass him and into the back seat when another stinging slap comes to the back of my head.
Fuckin’ hell, even though I’m tempted to whirl around and sink my knuckles into Blake’s chest, I don’t. Because brotherhood is about having each other’s backs, fighting for what’s best, and making sure your brother knows it.
Way my head’s burning, I don’t think I could ever forget it.
After the guys dropped me off at home, I took a long hot shower. Standing in the tiled space, my eyes closed, I remember the night Trix showed up in tears. How I wish I could go back, tie her up, and never set her free until she agreed to leave all that shit with Hatch alone.
If only.
With strict instructions to keep my wounds as dry as possible, I reluctantly shut off the shower and grab a towel when my phone vibrates on the bathroom counter. I grab it and move to answer when the caller ID catches my eye.
“Fuck.” I wrap my towel around my waist, hit “accept,” and head into my bedroom. “Got nothing to say to you.”
“You answered, so there’s a start.”
“I’m serious, Drake. I get that this was all planned and you needed an out, but next time, use your fucking woman as bait.”
I’m met with silence and then throat clearing. “Fuck, brother—”
“Don’t fucking call me that.” I stare across the room with the memory of Drake dragging my woman, blindfolded, cuffed, and gagged, to the desert for what she thought would be a slow death. “You’ve lost the right to call me brother.”
“We’re family.”
“Family isn’t dictated by blood. It’s determined by loyalty, and you proved you’re a selfish prick.”
He huffs out a breath. “Alright, I deserve that.”
“Fuck yeah, you do.” The memory of Trix, fear flashing in those violet eyes, her shirt soaked in blood, assaults me. Yeah, Drake deserves a lot worse.
“For what it’s worth, I’m really sorry. If I thought there was a better way, I’d have done it. They