Page 83 of Tico

Instantly Weber, myself, andmis hermanos(my brothers) all shake our heads.

“No, they’d never harm any of you,” I tell them. “The Steel Archangels are a fully legit club and a few of their Ol’ Ladies, some who have survived similar or somewhat similar histories as your own, run the shelter. Besides the club, they also hire a security company to make sure no one gets in that isn’t supposed to and also to protect everyone inside.”

The woman rises, walks over to the others, and starts talking quietly with them.

I step back, giving them space to talk amongst themselves. Ember follows, her hand in mine, and Weber steps up to us.

“Per our agreement, Scooter, Drone, and Kane have been placed with some of your men.”

“Where will the others go?” Ember asks and I can feel her body vibrating with rage.

Weber gives her a sympathetic look. “I know you’d rather them have a different fate, but they’ll go into maximum security prison. None of them will ever taste freedom again.”

Ember’s jaw clenches but then she lifts her chin slightly. “I have one request.”

Weber cocks an eyebrow at her in question and I frown, wondering what it is she wants.

“I want to talk to The Collector one more time before you take him.”

My muscles tense. “Absolutely not.”

Ember turns to me with fire in his eyes. “Absolutely fucking yes. This is non-negotiable, Tico. There is something I need to say to the fucker before he’s hauled out of here.”

My breathing comes heavy, hating this but before I can reply, Weber answers.

“That can be arranged and he’ll be heavily restrained,” Weber says which reassures me. I still don’t like it, but I get it.

“Fine,” I grumble, pulling her close and kissing her temple. “You’re gonna be the death of me, Vicious.”

She huffs out a laugh and pats my chest. “Gotta keep you on your toes, Handsome.” She leans up, kissing me. Then she sobers. “What about Uncle Marcus? Is he safe? He’s not going to jail, is he?”

I turn to Weber who shakes his head.

“No, he turned informant before going down to Sheboygan Falls. He was Lucian’s inside man. He’ll come with us to testify, but then he’ll be free to go once the trials are over.”

Ember releases a shaky breath, her eyes misting slightly. “Good. He always hated everything that Scooter got the club into.”

The conversation trails off as the woman who spoke before steps forward and surprisingly, Ember takes her hand.

“What does everyone want to do, Jezebel?”

It takes me a moment but then the name clicks.

She’s the one that stitched up Ember when Scooter, Drone, and Bug attacked her after her mom died.

Jezebel looks hesitantly between us and swallows thickly. “We’d like to go to the club’s shelter if they have room for us. We want to stay together as much as possible. There’s thirty of us in total and ten kids. Do they have room for that many?”

Weber nods. “Yes, they do. I talked to them before the raid. They also have a little daycare onsite as well as doctors and therapists, and there’s a park for the kids to play at. You’ll all be safe there.”

Tears well in Jezebel’s eyes as she nods hesitantly, as if she still can’t believe that she’s free.

I glance over at the women, noting the cautious hope on each of their faces but also seeing the varying brokenness in each of their eyes. While we can’t do anything about the past, I hope like fuck that the shelter’s support and community will help them heal in time.

Chapter 39

Tico

IfollowEmberoutsideand find that Weber’s men have The Collector on his knees in the dirt and his hands cuffed behind his back. His ankles are also cuffed and there’s a chain connecting his ankle cuff to his hand cuffs.