The adrenaline of that day didn’t compare to tonight. “She chose us.”
“She lied to us.” Rafe was a dog with a bone, and he refused to let it go.
I willed the dizziness and pain away.
Losing Noelle hurt more than any kind of physical ache. “We all have reasons for keeping secrets. Or did you forget that I didn’t tell you about my PTSD for years?”
I stood close enough that he was forced to look up to meet my gaze.
“That’s different.”
“How?”
Rafe blinked. “Because you weren’t sent here to bring us down.”
“We’re a family.” Ash stood between us, hands fisted and ready.
Family wasn’t supposed to fight like this.
Family wasn’t supposed to give up on each other, especially when the love of a lifetime was on the line.
My hands clenched into fists. “You saw her face when she realized what we were really doing. You heard her. You heard every fucking word, the same as me. She wouldn’t betray us.”
“You can’t know that, and I can’t risk all of our operations on that assumption.” Rafe shook his head. “You’re too trusting, Bishop. Too soft. I sent her away for our own good.”
In other words, I didn’t have the balls to do what needed to be done. “And you’re fucking paranoid.”
I grabbed his shirt and dragged him in close.
To hell with my injury.
Losing Noelle hurt worse, and I refused to let it happen. “She almost died tonight. She was going to die tonight because she chose us.”
Rafe gripped my wrists but didn’t yank my hands away.
“She chose us after she got caught. If she loved us so much, why did she run?”
“She chose us a long time before that.” I knew it in my heart. “And you know damned fucking well why she ran. You’re an asshole.”
My loyalty clashed with Rafe’s protective nature.
If I weren’t injured, I’d give him the brawl we both wanted.
“I’ll take Bishop home.” Ash shoved his way between us again. “He still needs medical attention, and you need to cool off.” He pushed Rafe away from me. “We’ll talk about it tomorrow.”
I wanted to keep fighting, wanted to make Rafe see reason, make him understand what he was forcing us to throw away.
The road came rushing up to meet me.
My arm burned, and all the strength I’d found in fighting for Noelle drained away.
“This isn’t over.” I poked a finger in Rafe’s chest.
He swatted my hand away. “Yes, it is. It’s over, and for the good of the club, you need to let it go.”
Never.
Noelle was out there somewhere, broken and alone, thinking we didn’t want her.
