Page 21 of Cole

“Got the product. We’re headed back,” Maddox said in a strained voice.

“That’s good news, but what’s wrong, Maddox?” I asked.

“I got hit. It was minor.”

“How bad?” I asked, clenching my teeth.

“Just a graze. Nothing to worry about. It went clean through.”

“Clean through what?” I asked, slamming my palm against the desk. “Did anyone else get hit?”

“Left arm. Nope.”

I let out a slow breath, trying to control my temper. “Don’t stop anywhere. We’ll patch you up when you get back.”

It felt like time had stopped, until the rumble of incoming bikes echoed around the shop. When they returned, Maddox was still wearing his black jacket, but even that couldn’t disguise the blood dripping down his arms and off his fingers. Gage was on him as soon as he was off his bike, dragging him to the couch in my office. Maddox had a bad track record of not taking the slightest amount of interest in injuries, until passing out at the bar from blood loss. I followed steps behind.

Gage pulled the wet leather from his arm and inspected the gunshot. “I think he’s going to need stitches.”

“I am not going to the damn ER,” Maddox growled through clenched teeth.

“No shit. I’ll call the doc,” I said, pulling out my phone to call Miles, a member of the Hounds and the closest thing we had to a doctor.

Finn hovered around Gage and Maddox, looking at the gunshot graze with fascination. Miles answered fast and would be here in five minutes. Gage got Finn to put pressure on Maddox’s arm, then stepped up beside me.

“Why does it feel like this shit is all getting harder?” Gage asked, his expression dark.

Because it was. More and more deals were going sideways. More injuries were happening, and I didn’t know why. But I needed to find out. I’d already sacrificed my life to make sure that my crew got to live theirs. I would make sure they got that chance I never did.

This, I swore.

“It was weird. A total turnaround since the last meeting. It was like… Hutch was convinced we were screwing him over,” Maddox muttered.

“Teddy poisoning our potential future relationship?” Gage ventured.

Maddox shrugged. “Maybe, but I don’t think the Vultures’ word is good for shit with Hutch. He’s over them. It felt like something else.”

I nodded and squeezed his good shoulder. “Don’t worry about it, you’ve done your part. I’ll see to it.”

It was my job to make sure my men didn’t get hurt, if I could help it, and I wasn’t letting them down now.

seven

ISABELLE

“Marcus, I told you, I can’t write that in the column. It’s not allowed and it would never get past my editor.” I drove with one hand as I leafed through the notebook I had on the passenger seat beside me. I was driving a back road into Hade Harbor, having just visited a library a few towns over to do research for a paper. Yes, I was a library nerd who loved visiting different libraries. A coffee stop and a few hours in a library was pretty much my dream day out. Exciting, I know.

I turned the wheel this way and that, following the bendy road that hugged the coast. Out here it was just sea crashing into rocks, a hell of a fall, and towering pines. It would be creepy if it weren’t so beautiful.

“I’m telling you, it’s the scoop of the century, but whatever, blow your big break,” Marcus sighed.

I opened my mouth to argue with him, just as my car gave a little shudder. What was that? I lost speed, despite pressing on the accelerator. Panic shot through me.

“Fuck,” I murmured, still connected to Marcus over Bluetooth.

“What’s wrong?”

“My car is being weird. I think I have to pull over. Is it overheating? I don’t smell smoke or see, like, flames or anything.”