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Her skin is caked in blood, and what’s left of her filthy bra and panties will definitely need burned because there’s no salvaging them, but she still looks beautiful.
“Hey, Jez,” Demon says as he continues to navigate the highway.
“D-Demon?” she stutters.
“Yeah, babe, it’s me.”
Babe?
“How’d you f-find me?”
A quick glance at the rearview mirror shows me his frown. “I had some help.”
She turns her head to look at me. “Phantom?”
I grin, even though the situation is anything but positive. “Hi, Jezebel.”
Her eyes narrow as she struggles to sit up, wincing as her wounds are irritated by the movement. “Why do I get the feeling I’m not gonna like how or why you’re here?”
I shrug. “Because you won’t. But I don’t give a fuck. You were missing, and we’re a team, so get over it.”
Demon snorts. “Maybe I was wrong. Youdon’tknow her very well.”
She presses her fingers to her temples as if warding off a headache. “We can sort out the how and why later. Right now, I only need to know one thing.”
“What’s that, babe?” Demon asks.
“First of all, it’s Jez,” she snaps. “Notbabe. And second of all, are you here on behalf of the club?”
“No,” Demon and I reply in unison.
She presses her cracked lips together for a long moment before jerking a nod. “Good.” She resettles and rests her head on my lap. “Then take me the fuck home. I could really use a shower.”
Demon and I exchange a look, but neither of us says a word as the miles fly by over the next few hours.
“We’re waiting.”
I wince at Soul’s tone and disconnect the call. We’re crossing the desert to the clubhouse now, and the closer we get, the more on edge I feel. I’m in trouble with a capital T, and I know it.
“I told you I wanted to go home,” Jez snaps from the backseat.
“And you will,” Phantom tells her, his tone placating. “But you need to be checked out by a doctor first.”
“Besides,” I add. “You know you can’t hide from this forever.”
When we reach the mountain, the garage door is open, and Abyss and Soul are standing just inside. Both are sporting murder in their gaze and fury in their stance.
Fuck.
As soon as I park the vehicle, Soul yanks open the back door, but he hesitates when his eyes land on Jez. “Jesus,” he whispers. “What the fuck, Jez?”
Abyss nudges him out of the way. “C’mon, Jez, let’s get you inside,” he says softly, although his tone is lethal.
Jez is escorted through the garage, Phantom and Abyss supporting her weight and helping her into the elevator. I watch as they go, but there’s no ignoring the brooding man beside me.
“Not a very good way to start out having a patch,” Soul seethes.
Rage burns through my veins. “What? Saving your sister?” I snap and stride away from him, needing to be close to Jez.