Page 92 of Sparrow

I see the corner of Bear’s mouth curl in a smile, and we rush up the stairs to the patio, where we come to a stop right behind the Saints. One of them whirls with a gun his hand and clicks the safety off, but Bear steps right up to him and puts the nose of his gun against the guy’s temple.

“I don’t want to shoot you, kid, but I also already don’t like you. You might remember me as sheriff around here. You might also remember that we’ve already kicked your asses once. Funny of you to think you’d do better this time.”

“They stole something from us,” the guy snarls, like he’s somehow in a position to negotiate.

And evidently that’s enough for Orion. He steps forward and swings, hitting the guy right in the nose, and the man goes down, his nose spurting blood and his eyes rolled back. Orion flips his gun so the handle is in his hand and clicks off the safety.

“Anyone else want to get mouthy?” he asks, pointing the gun around. “Because I’m not having a good time, and I’m starting to feel trigger happy.”

My jaw drops. I’ve always suspected Orion comes from a criminal background, or at least didn’t always walk on the right side of the law, but I’ve never seen this side of him.

I never thought he’d actually shoot someone.

Now I realize I was wrong, and that he’ll do anything it takes if someone as important as Arden is on the line.

The Saints look like they realize all of this at the same time, because they’re suddenly melting back. I hear several trucks roar into the driveway behind us, and recognize the voices of the rest of our club, as well as some of Shane’s firefighters.

Bear must have triggered the community on his way over here. Thank God.

In front of us, one of the Saints bends down and hauls their friend to his feet, and then they’re rushing off the porch like they just remembered they have somewhere better to be.

But we have them marked, now, and it’s going to take more than that for them to get off the hook. My eyes meet Bear’s and he nods.

“Leave it to me. We’ll get rid of them,” he says.

Then I hear someone calling my name.

And she doesn’t sound like she’s got enough breath to put much volume into it.

Orion and I glance at each other, both of us knowing exactly what that means, and turn to run for the door at the side of the house.

Because Arden has locked the one at the front of the house, and that means we have to find one she didn’t get to yet.

Which means it’s going to take us that much longer to get to her.

We find her slumped at the top of the stairs, but still conscious, and I take her into my arms while Orion takes her hand.

“Are you okay?” I ask. “Did they get in here?”

She huffs out a laugh. “No, it’s not them. It’s my heart.”

“What?” Orion asks. “What does that mean?”

“It means I’ve been keeping secrets from you.”

“Right,” I say. “Well that ends right now. What haven’t you told us?”

She swallows heavily, like she’s fighting telling us even now, and I have to fight the urge to fucking shake her. Now isn’t the time for her to get shy.

“Arden,” I say, my voice gruff with warning.

And finally, finally, she relents.

“It’s my heart. It doesn’t work right. Never has. And I haven’t had enough of the medicine that controls it.”

My own heart sinks right into the floor below me.

“What do you mean you haven’t had enough?”