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I shook my head. "That's what worries me. When reality hits him again..." I trailed off, unable to finish the thought.
"You care about him," Jono observed, not a question.
I didn't answer immediately. Two weeks ago, Matty had been nothing more than a means to an end—my ticket to bringing down Harold Coombes. Now...
"Yeah," I finally admitted. "I do."
Jono nodded, unsurprised. "I could tell. The whole club can."
I shifted uncomfortably. "It complicates things."
"Life's complicated," Jono replied with a shrug. "Doesn't mean it's not worth it."
We both heard the crash, and rushed out. The sound of shattering glass and raised voices propelled me through the door with Jono on my heels. In the kitchen, Matty stood frozen, surrounded by broken cookies and shards of a ceramic plate, his eyes wide with distress. Across from him, Spade—a newer patch member—was laughing.
"...such a jumpy little thing," Spade was saying, clearly amused. "Didn't mean to scare the baby."
Maria was already kneeling to clean up the mess, her face tight with disapproval. Daisy stood with her hands on her hips, glaring at Spade.
"You know better than to come up behind someone like that," she snapped
Matty's lower lip trembled as he stared at the ruined cookies. "I'm s-sorry," he whispered. "They're ruined."
Anger surged through me at the sight of his distress. Before I could think, I was across the room, stepping between Matty and Spade.
"What the hell happened?" I demanded, my voice dangerously low.
Spade's smirk faltered. "Just having a little fun, Bear. Came in for a beer and the kid jumped a mile when I said 'boo.' Not my fault he's skittish as a—"
My hand shot out, grabbing him by the front of his cut. "That 'kid' is my husband," I growled, pulling him close enough to see the fury in my eyes. "And he's not here for your entertainment."
"Whoa, easy," Spade protested, raising his hands. "It was just a joke."
"Did you see anyone laughing?" I snarled, tightening my grip.
"Novo," Jono's voice came from behind me, a quiet warning.
I ignored him, focusing on Spade's increasingly nervous expression. "You will apologize to my husband. Now. And then you'll clean up every bit of this mess."
Spade swallowed hard, finally seeming to understand the gravity of his error. "Sorry, Bear. Didn't mean any disrespect."
"Not to me," I snapped. "To Matty."
I released him with a small shove, stepping back so he could face Matty, who was now half-hidden behind Daisy, eyes wide and frightened.
Spade cleared his throat awkwardly. "I'm sorry, Matty. Shouldn't have scared you like that. It was... it was wrong of me."
Matty nodded slightly but didn't speak, his eyes darting between Spade and me.
"Now clean it up," I ordered, my tone leaving no room for argument. "Every crumb."
As Spade knelt to begin gathering the broken pieces, I moved to Matty's side, my voice immediately softening. "Are you okay, little one?" I reached out, gently wiping a smudge of flour from his cheek.
Matty nodded hesitantly, but his eyes still glistened with unshed tears. "I made special dinosaur cookies for you," he whispered. "Now they're all broken."
"We can make more," I assured him, stroking his hair. "Accidents happen."
"But I wanted them to be perfect," he insisted, his voice quavering. "For you."