Chapter Twenty-Two
Eliana
I’d always thought I understood fear. The kind that steals your breath, curls tight in your stomach, digs in and refuses to let go. The kind that renders you speechless. I’ve experienced fear that made my blood turn cold, fear that made it feel as if nothing in the world would ever be right again, but what I learned today was that there were different kinds of fear.
There was the bone-deep fear I’d experienced the day Carlito was killed that left me feeling helpless and terrified, and there was whatever the hell this all-consuming, can hardly breathe fear was. The not knowing was so much worse than knowing and seeing with my own eyes.
Sledge still hadn’t texted.
Not knowing allowed my mind to wander to places it shouldn’t. Dark places filled with the worst outcomes I could imagine, each and every one of them started and ended with Sledge getting injured, possibly dying, while me and Zoya had no idea.
There was no one I could ask. The clubhouse was strangely silent. Other than Slate and a few prospects, everyone had gone to the courthouse to support Sledge and act as backup in case anything happened.
The minutes crawled slowly into hours, each one dragging like a dull blade across my skin, intensifying my painand anxiety. My phone remained annoyingly silent with no updates on the court hearing or what came after. Each time the clubhouse door opened, my stomach clenched, expecting to see cops, bloody bikers, or something worse. And every damn time it wasn’t Sledge coming through that door, the panic grew thicker and heavier.
Zoya was oblivious to everything which was a blessing. I watched as she sat on the floor with her stuffed rabbit and sketchpad. The sight helped to ground me but also unlocked another fear I hadn’t realized I had.
What if she was taken away? What if that’s why it was taking so long?
Surely if everything had gone well then Sledge would have called?
Zoya looked up at me inquisitively. I guessed that she was picking up on my anxiety. “You wondering about your daddy?” I asked.
She nodded.
“He’ll be back soon, sweetheart.”
I didn’t know if it was true, but I felt like if I said it enough, it might turn into a prayer. Repeating the words only helped because it kept me focused on something other than my worry-filled mind.
Thirty minutes later, the door flew open so hard it sounded like a gunshot shattering the peace.
I jolted upright. Hawk stumbled in first, limping slightly and covered in blood, but I was sure that some of it wasn’t his. Rebel was behind him, his shirt torn, his face bruised. Falconstrolled in last with bloody knuckles, looking like he was ready to do more damage.
“Oh my god!” I got up and headed over to them. Zoya was still peacefully drawing on the floor. My heart was pounding so hard I barely heard the words that left my mouth. “What happened?”
“Ambush,” Rebel groaned, removing his t-shirt and swiping it across his forehead. His voice was tired and flat. “Chaos Raiders were looking for a fight.”
“They found it,” Falcon growled, the barest hint of a smile on his lips.
“What about the guy?” I leaned in just in case Zoya heard us, “who wantedcustody?”
“Crow,” Falcon scoffed. “Fucking coward didn’t show up, just the dogs on his leash.”
More Steel Demons filtered into the room, jovial conversation died when they took in the sight of their brothers. “What the fuck happened?” The big guy called T-Bone asked the question.
Before she heard anything she didn’t need to, I called over to Zoya, “Sweetheart, I think Chopper needs to go to the bathroom. You want to take him into the yard?”
She looked up and nodded. She loved that stinky old bulldog.
The men had kept quiet out of respect for her. But now it was just us, everyone started talking at once.
Hawk let out a soft hiss when one of the women crouched down in front of him, testing the bruises and cuts on his faceand arms. He brushed her away gently and said, “We split up, following the Chaos Raiders as they went in different directions. Our way was a trap.”
My blood ran cold. “What about Sledge?” My voice was thin and brittle, forcing the question past my lips with a frown.
It was Falcon who met my gaze, worry evident in his eyes. “They followed the other bikers, and we were gone before they were. Somebody should call Hollywood. He was supposed to keep an eye on shit.”
My heart dropped down to my stomach and flipped over until nausea boiled up, threatening to spill over. “So you don’t know where he is?”
