Griffin
“You being serious?” My hands feel clammy as I wipe them against my thighs.
I don’t know why I feel so... nervous.
Pretty sure I’ve dreamed of the opportunity to see my father again and show him the actual power behind the fists he bet on for years. Show him the monster he made by making me fight in those rings to feed his addiction along with the family.
I shouldn’t have been put in that position. Not when I started. I was so young. Younger than Rowan and he’s basically still a kid.
“Dead serious,” Ash nods.
“You gonna be all right down here?” I glance down at Rowan, who offers me a pale half smile.
“I mean, it’s the best option we’ve got, right?” He asks.
“Can—can we go to the hospital or something? Are you sure this will work?” Mirabelle asks, her eyes wide. The lingering explosive bitterness of her fear still clings to the air around her, but she’s done a good job trying to stifle it.
“You know what we can afford at a hospital right now? Maybe the bandages, if we’re lucky. Those places like to up charge and bleed you dry of all the money you have,” Ash grunts.
“We also can’t bring you to a hospital, Sweetheart,” I answer, shaking my head. “You’re an unregistered omega.”
“Oh,” she says, deflating against Rage’s chest. “I just—I just know how much you don’t want to see your dad.”
“It’s fine. I’ll be fine.” I don’t think I believe myself and I know she knows that. I wouldn’t be able to hide such a powerful emotion from our bond if I tried.
“He’ll have me, Shortcake. His pretty face won’t have to worry about a thing.” Ash’s grin is vicious. I’m grateful for his eagerness, even if it’s less because he wants to support me and more because he wants to throw some punches.
I understand the itch. There’s still a decent amount of the booster drug pumping through our systems. I’m surprised Rage hasn’t lost it more.
Well, he got to try tearing Jett’s limbs from his body, so maybe that helped him get it out of his system.
“Let’s get going,” I nod. “We don’t want to run out of time.”
I glance at Mirabelle and Rowan, the two most vulnerable members of our makeshift, ragtag pack. Because it’s becoming obvious to me that’s what we are. We’ll have to have an official discussion about it later, once all the dust settles, but I can’t see a reality where we don’t make things official.
“Keep them safe, big guy,” Ash orders, pointing at Rage.
He offers Ash a single, decisive nod. There’s no one else I’d entrust their safety to.
“We’ve got a little issue,” Ash grumbles as I reach for the doorknob of our hotel room.
I glance at him, over my shoulder, to see him spreading his arms wide. He waves down at his body.
“Don’t think most people walk around in nothin’ but a pair of boxers,” Ash huffs.
“Well, these were the only pair of clothes in the car. We’ll have to stop by a place or something.”
“Fine,” Ash nods.
Which means we’ll have to spend more of Rowan’s money.
It’s fifty bucks a night to stay at this place. Rowan had about five grand in cash, but with things like the medical supplies we’re probably going to cover along with food and clothes for everyone, we’re probably going to burn through that money pretty quick.
We’ll need a way of making quick cash.
“You driving?” Ash asks.
I shake my head, blinking at him from over the hood of the car.
