“No.” I shook my head. “They’ve been protecting the town against you.” That’s why my brother said the Bones were moving into Mustang Mountain. The Mustang Mountain Riders had been trying to expand and it was up to the Bones to keep their kind of cruelty contained. I knew the Bones were into some morally questionable and even downright illegal practices, but my brother assured me they didn’t go around hurting innocent people.
Six let out a deep chuckle. “That’s the kind of bullshit they’re feeding people?”
“It’s not bullshit.”
Six leaned forward again. Anger flashed in his eyes. “The guys in this club are the only thing standing between Savage Bones and Mustang Mountain. Those lowlifes have been moving in for the past couple of months. Whatever bullshit they’ve been feeding you is nothing but lies.”
My head pounded as I wondered if he could be telling the truth. I believed my brother. He was the only family I had left since both our parents had passed within two years of each other. I’d always been able to count on him. At least until he started getting involved with the Savage Bones MC.
Before I had a chance to argue, a woman’s voice came from down the hall. “Happy New Year!”
Six held my gaze, his eyes burning a hole straight through me, until a flurry of activity by the doorway pulled his attention away.
“There she is.” A woman with blond hair and a huge smile on her face headed straight toward me. “Six, you didn’t tell me she was injured. We need to get her to the hospital.”
“No hospital,” Six and I said in unison.
The woman tsked as she slid a bag from her shoulder and set it down on the table. “I figured you might say that, so I brought some supplies.”
Six pushed back from the table. “Ginger, this is Everly. She’s the local vet and will take good care of you.”
“Don’t worry, we’ll get you fixed up as best as we can,” Everly said. “Where do I need to start?”
“She had a slash on her shoulder, so I sewed it up last night.”
Everly rolled her eyes. “You couldn’t have waited for me? Hopefully you did a better job on her than when you stitched the gash in Mack’s side back together.”
I looked from Everly to Six. He’d stitched up my shoulder last night? I hadn’t peeled the bandage back yet, so I had no idea the extent of my injuries. Six ran his tongue across his lip as his gaze darted to my shoulder.
“I’m sure you’ll work your magic if it needs to be fixed.” He stood and held out his hand to a man who’d entered the room behind Everly. “Hey, brother. Thanks for coming.”
“All hands on deck, right?” The guy pulled Six into a half hug.
“This is Ace, Everly’s better half. You’ll be in good hands with her. I’m going to go fill in the guys on what I know so far. Are you sure you don’t want to tell me anything else?” His brows arched and a tiny muscle along his jawline ticked.
“Nope.” I hadn’t figured out his angle yet. Was he trying to make me feel safe so I’d rat out the Savage Bones? If that was his plan, it was almost working. I searched Everly’s face, looking for signs she’d been mistreated by her man. In my experience, the most dangerous men didn’t leave marks where they’d be seen by a casual observer.
“If you change your mind, let me know.” Six narrowed his eyes before turning his back and heading into the other room. Ace followed.
“His bark’s a lot worse than his bite.” Everly offered a kind smile as she dug through her bag. “Same with all the Mustang Mountain Riders. They’re so tough on the outside, but deep down they’re all a bunch of little boys who get their feelings hurt easily and just want a hug.”
I huffed out a breath. “I imagine hugging Six would feel like wrapping my arms around a cactus.”
Everly’s laugh shook the table. “You’ll have to let me know about that. Now take a deep breath while I peel off this bandage. Let’s see what kind of damage Six did by stitching up your shoulder.”
CHAPTER5
SIX
Surrounded by my MC brothers,I wished I had more information to share. So far, Ginger had been a stone-cold wall of silence. Even without her providing any help, I filled the guys in on what we did know… Savage Bones was a lot closer than we initially thought. With the arrest of Holly’s stepfather last month and Ginger’s recent appearance, it was obvious the Bones were moving in on us.
As Secretary of the club, I felt responsible for the welfare of my MC brothers as well as their families. We were a tight-knit bunch and would survive the threat of Savage Bones. I just wondered what kind of toll it would take on the guys gathered around the table.
“You need to get her to talk,” Bear said. He clasped his hands together and cracked his knuckles. “Want me to take a shot at it?”
“Are you going to ply her with lattes and fluffy omelets?” I teased. He could be the meanest SOB when called for, but he’d never lay hands on a woman no matter what kind of grief she might cause him. None of us would. That’s what pissed me off the most about Ginger’s situation. Rage flared in my gut when I thought about someone slamming his fist into her face. Whoever had done that would pay for his mistake. I’d make sure of that.
Bear growled at me, but I ignored him.
