A deep holler pierces the door, the crash of things in the alley being displaced as another brawl breaks out. Davis and I freeze, watching the fire exit for any sign they’re coming in. The noisequiets down again, and I turn back to the fool. “Cut me free, damn it.”
“Not yet.” He glances at the door. “It depends on who comes through at the end.”
“You’re that afraid of your brother.”
He looks at me, silent.I guess so.
“Why didn’t you tell my dad about this?”
He shrugs. “By the time it got bad enough that I wanted out, I knew it was too late for me. Your father would put me in jail, too. If the Devil’s Breed didn’t get to me first.”
“Fuck, Davis.” I wriggle backward to lean against the corridor wall. “You have kids of your own. Why get involved at all?”
“If you haven’t crossed the line to help family yourself, then I can’t expect you to understand.”
We wait in silence, the occasional shout coming through from the alley. Thankfully, there’s been no further gunfire.
Moving back to Temperance to take care of Mom was the plan. Return to the quiet life and regroup. Find the peace amongst the gentle goings on of a small town.
Sure. That worked out well.
“I’m sorry you got dragged into this.”
I ignore Davis’s attempt to make things right and continue to stare at the intersection of the wall and ceiling opposite. The second I heard Jinx come down that alley, my heart sank. I’ve kept him at arm’s length. Unsure about what he is now and what he stands for. But I guess I never gave his role as Vice President the full consideration it deserved.
Where would Temperance be without the Kings of Anarchy? Overrun by the Devil’s Breed? Somebody worse? To keep the evil out, we need evil of our own. The community can’t realistically expect the Kings of Anarchy to operate within the bounds of the law without losing to clubs like the Devil’s Breed.
I’m no better than Mrs. Tallomore. Full of opinions about what they do, without taking the time to fully understand why.
A screech of tires draws my focus to the door again, the faint sound of a vehicle passing Davis’s shop soon after. The alley falls quiet. Seconds tick by without further disruption.
“Do you think it’s okay now?”
I glare at the guy. “How about you go look since you’re the one with full use of your limbs.”
He sets his mouth in a firm line and then rises, brushing off his pant legs before he turns for the fire exit. Davis stalls at the door, his hand resting gently on the lever as he appears to gather his wits.
“Be a man, Davis,” I taunt. “The kind of man you are when you help steal women.”
He draws a deep breath and then cracks the door.
I wait for it. For the moment to backfire. For his head to snap back, blood to spray, his body to fall to the floor. But it doesn’t come.
Instead, Davis pulls the door wider, shoulders visibly relaxing as he steps into the light. I shuffle forward, wriggling my torso side to side to try to see around him. “What’s happening?”
“Thank God you came,” Davis says to whoever stands before him. “I didn’t know what to do other than keep her safe.”
Ooo, that asshole.“Keep me safe?” I holler. “You fucking dog.”
Davis stumbles to the side, shoved out of the way.
I melt to the floor.Thank God.
Jinx crashes into the narrow corridor, gaze roaming over me and lingering a beat on the ties around my wrists and ankles. “Fucking hell, Kyra.” He drops down before me and extends an arm behind him, gesturing with curled fingers to Chaos, who steps in second.
The Kings of Anarchy president swiftly hands Jinx a pocket knife, which he then uses to release my binds. The pressure points throb with the sudden return of full circulation. His massive hands gently lift each of mine in turn, checking the red welts from the plastic.
I can’t stop looking at the puffy split on his lip. The scratch that runs down the side of his face. The blood spritzed across his shoulder, which I don’t think is his.
