I stumble out of the truck. My legs shake. Everything shakes.
Ash catches me before I fall. “You’re okay. You’re safe now.” He holds me steady. “Come on. Let’s get you cleaned up.”
“I want to see Jackal.”
“He’s waiting in my office.”
We walk through the compound. I see the damage up close now. Bullet holes. Bloodstains. Ash leads me into the clubhouse, up the stairs, to his office.
The door is open. Inside, I see Titan first. Covered in soot and what might be blood. Then a figure by the window.
He turns.
Jackal.
He’s different. Older. Harder. His hair is longer, tied back. A beard covers his jaw. Scars I don’t remember mark his hands.
But his eyes are the same.
“Bonnie,” he says.
I cross the room and throw my arms around him. He catches me, holds me tight.
“You’re okay,” he murmurs into my hair. “Thank God you’re okay.”
“You came back.”
“Of course I came back. You’re my sister.”
I pull away and look at him. “You look different.”
“So do you.” He touches my face. “You look tired.”
“It’s been a long few months.”
“I know. Ash filled me in. Most of it, anyway.” He glances at Ash. “Ghost going to make it?”
“Jamie’s stitching him up now,” Ash says. “He lost a lot of blood, but he’ll be alright.”
“Good.” Jackal releases me and moves to lean against the desk. “We need to talk.”
“About what?”
“About Dad. About the truth.”
I sit on the couch. Ash sits beside me. Titan stays by the door, arms crossed.
Jackal looks at each of us in turn. Then he says, “I’m the one who turned Dad in to the feds.”
Silence.
Then Titan says, “What?”
“I gathered the evidence. Made the anonymous tip. Got him arrested.” Jackal’s voice is steady. No regret. “I did it to save Bonnie.”
I can’t breathe.
“You betrayed our father?” My voice comes out small. Broken.
