Before we even made it inside, Macy was holding herself. Her arms were wrapped tight around her middle, and her shoulders were so stiff and tense, it was clear she was worried about me.
“Mace,” I said. “It’ll be fine. You worry too much.”
She huffed out a humorless laugh. “Some days I don’t think I worry enough.” Her delivery was dry but the way she hugged herself tighter betrayed her easy words, so I wrapped my arms around her instead, pulling her close. So fucking close.
“I’ll get the answers we need,” I assured her, talking into her hair. “I’ll do my thing and I’ll be back before you know it.”
She didn’t believe me, but she dug deep and found a smile just for me. “Yep. I know it.”
It was complete fucking bullshit, but I let it slide. “Look at me,” I demanded, waiting until her eyes locked with mine.
Macy waited, her eyes swimming with fear and hope, and a little bit of guilt.
“It’s gonna be fine,” I said. “I’ll be back. I promise.”
She folded her arms angrily, eyes narrowing to slits. “You can’t promise that,” she whispered.
“Strange,” I said, smirking. “Because I just did.”
She rolled her eyes weakly, her lips tried for a smile but didn’t quite make it.
“You good?”
She nodded, then shook her head. “I’m working on it.” She pulled me close, burying her face in my chest. “Just be careful, Drew, okay? Be so fucking careful.”
“I will,” I said with a soft smile. “Gotta come back to you, don’t I?”
She gripped my shirt in her fist and nodded. When she spoke, her voice was fierce and laced with steel. “You better.”
“That’s my girl,” I told her, tilting her chin up before I kissed her. It was soft and gentle, not an intense claiming, just enough to let her know I had a better reason to come back than ever before. Her lips were so fucking soft and even sweeter than that, and I didn’t want to let her go but somehow, I summoned all the fucking willpower I had to take a step back. And then another. And one more before I changed my mind. “See you soon, Mace.”
She grinned, fingertips pressed to her lips. “I’ll hold you to it. Good luck.”
“Stay inside,” I told her, pointing at her as I put more distance between us.
“I promise.”
I looked at her one last time and then left the clubhouse. I took one look at my bike and walked right past it. I knew where the brothers had taken Halloran.
The Cellar.
We kept it close and hidden. It was a place where questions got answered and secrets stayed buried. I crossed the parking lot slowly, breathing deep.In. Out. In. Out.I slipped into the skin of the club’s enforcer, the guy who did whatever the fuck it took to get answers for his MC. The guy who wasn’t afraid to get his hands dirty. I shared the role with Sledge. He did the psychological shit, my specialty was more physical.
I reached the steel door, noticing how cold it was under my palm before I tugged it open and stepped inside. Down the narrow staircase, the air changed instantly. It was damp and metallic, with a distinct smell of concrete. The door shut behind me with a solid, almost final clang.
Inside, the low hum of voices told me the guys had already started. My hands flexed with the promise of pain to come and something else, something darker.
Vengeance.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Macy
Time slowed to a crawl. I swear, it passed at about a quarter of its usual speed. Every minute stretched out into an hour like its job was to test my patience. After about ten minutes or maybe an hour, I was ready to jump out of my fucking skin.
What was taking so long?
I rolled my eyes at myself, sitting up straight at the table in the back of the room, watching people chat, play pool, drink, and shoot the shit like it was just a regular day. Maybe it was? Maybe this kind of thing happened all the time? I shook my head to shake loose my wayward thoughts.
