“Letti,” he sighs, but the way he said my name is laced with a warning. It screams danger, but right now, I don’t give a damn about that show of manliness he’s exuding. I’m not scared of him no matter how grouchy or growly he is. If that’s his intent, he’s screwed because that ship sailed the moment he lifted me into his arms and carried me up those metal steps to freedom. I saw that tender side of him and there’s no taking that back.
“Icer,” I say, mimicking his tone. “Spit it out.”
“It’s club business so I can’t tell you everything,” he remarks.
“Club business, shizmess,” I say, adopting his attitude by waving my hands through the air with a dramatic flair. “Sounds like a load of malarky you bikers use when you’re being secretive. I’m not asking about the inner workings or secrets of your little man’s club, Icer. I just want to know about my friends.”
“Little man’s club?” he asks, his brows raised, touching his hairline. “That’s offensive, Letti.”
“So are your secrets and bullshit answers,Icer.”
“Take it back. Don’t like it when you call me Icer. It sounds like you’re putting a curse on me instead of saying my name.”
“Don’t tempt me,” I hiss out. Not wanting to get into a pissing match with him, I repeat myself. “Tell me about Indiana and Zoey.”
He grunts before clearing his throat, telling me, “Indiana was being loaded up when I got there. He was unconscious. All I know is he was blown back from the blast. Zoey was fine as she climbed aboard to go with him.”
“Did the paramedics give you any indication on if he’s going to be alright or not?” I ask, deciding to take advantage of the fact that he’s speaking in more than one word syllables.
“Not that I’m aware of. We’re going to swing by the hospital and let Zoey put eyes on Elodie then we’re going to follow through with our previous plans,” he states.
“Icer. We can’t do that. Zoey and Indiana are going to need us,” I argue, appalled that he’d think about leaving his brother behindwhen his life is on the line and going to the damn zoo of all places.
“It’s Zoey’s wish, Letti,” he confides. “She doesn’t want Elodie sitting in the waiting room where her attention would be divided and have her distracted from the person who needs her the most. She needs to be with Indiana and not feel guilty about it. I promised her that we’d swing by for a quick check in then head out so Elodie doesn’t understand the severity of the situation.”
“I don’t like it but I understand where she’s coming from. How are we going to explain it to Elodie though? She knows something bad has happened and I doubt she’ll be her usual boisterous, happy-go-lucky-self until she’s settled at home with both of her parents.”
“Then we have to keep her mind occupied and busy so she doesn’t have the time to think about it,” he determines.
For his and Elodie’s sake, I hope it’s that simple.
CHAPTER
THIRTEEN
Icer
The zoo was exactlywhat Elodie needed as an escape to not think about the fact that Indiana was in the hospital being treated. I had argued with Zoey when she told us to go, wanting to be there but when she pointed out that keeping my princess out from under foot would be the biggest help, I acquiesced and took her. As we left the zoo, a phone call from Riptide came in telling me Indiana’s prognosis was good and he would make a full recovery. Who knows, maybe a bump on his head will do him some good.
Now that we know Indiana is in good shape, we’ve gotten busy with the reconstruction of the main room and other areas that were damaged by the bomb. Shade, Ozzie, Rebel, Renegade, and I have been scouting out the known hangouts of the Onyx gang members, therefore, we haven’t been around much during the daytime so the construction details have been left up to the others to decide. I don’t give a damn what shade the walls are painted or what furniture goes in, as long as my club is still standing and my brothers are in one piece.
The days bleed into each other, and before I know it, the clubhouse has been put back to rights, Indiana is home and up to his normal, annoying bullshit—that bump didn’t give his personality a boost much to my prior wish that it would, and I’ve been spending my nights with Letti, who’s now living at my place which she thinks is one of the club’s safe houses. What she doesn’t know won’t hurt her. I need her there even though I’m not sure why that is. It’s strange to be sleeping in my guest bedroom, but the fact that she’s spread out between my sheets each and every night causes my body to hum in satisfaction. Again, I’m not going to examine the reasons behind that, I’m just going to go with it.
She’s become my best friend even though she makes it her sole mission to yank my chain. I never know what’s going to come out of her mouth and I find myself excited to discover what it’ll be. I do things I know will get her going just to hear her sassy remarks.
When she gets riled up, she switches from English to Spanish and even knowing that nine-tenths of the time she’s calling me every kind of asshole under the sun, it still humors me.
We’ve been having a friend’s date every week, and tonight, I’m taking her to a new Mexican restaurant in town that the citizens have been raving about. It’s a little out of the way, but I’m looking forward to it—if she’ll ever get home. She’s late, and she’s never late so that has me pacing around the living room like a chicken with its head cut off, my imagination getting the better of me. Flashes of her when we found her in that boiler room plague me.
“No. Nope. LoneStar is on Letti duty, he’d let me know if something happened to her,” I say, trying to convince myself. Thankfully, her boss was updated by Slayer about whathappened to her so he kept her position open for her instead of filling it. I don’t like her working, I want to take care of her, but she told me a little about her background one night and I know she needs that independence so I’ve done something I’m not known for—keeping my cool and my caveman tendencies at bay.
I’m supposed to support her, not control her—I’m not now, nor will I ever be, my father. I’m better than that, or at least, I wanna be. His lessons were harsh, but I won’t let them define me. Ever. As I continue to sweep the floors with my feet, headlights illuminate the driveway and pierce the living room with their beams.
“Finally,” I bark out as I head to the front door and fling it open. When I see the look on her face and notice LoneStar still on his bike with his phone glued to his ear, I know something’s up. “What happened?”
“That piece of shit deputy and one of his minions decided to pull me over and harass me,” she hisses like a scalded cat.
“What?” I ask, my tone going deadly. Crossing my arms across my chest, I continue asking my questions. “What was his reasoning for pulling you over in the first place?”
