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When we get to Nitro’s cell, he springs off the cot, which creaks in protest. Standing at the bars, he holds onto them while the guard unlocks the door.

“Jesus, took you long enough,” Nitro says.

“Shut the fuck up unless you want me to leave your ass in here,” I snap. “You’re lucky I’m getting you out. I’m sure this wasn’t Julia’s fault. Not entirely, at least.”

“It wasn’t my fault,” she says.

“It was mine,” Nitro admits.

“Not another word.” I shut him up, partially so I won’t put my fist through his face, but also because I don’t want him incriminating himself in front of the law.

I was lucky I could get our lawyer to meet me first thing this morning at the courthouse. She did a good job, as always, pleading a solid case for bail and pointing out that Nitro wasn’t a flight risk. Since no one in the club has any assets on paper, we look poor to anyone not smart enough to dig deeper. The judge bought it, which was surprising because I figured he’d look for any reason to keep one of my guys in jail. Apparently, not everyone in this county can be bought.

The situation with Julia was shockingly easy to navigate. The FBI revoked the charges against her and dropped her from their suspect list, which is suspicious as fuck. I don’t know what angle they’re trying to play, but they’ve got eyes on us. When I left Nina’s earlier, I passed a couple of unmarked cars. I’m sure more will trail us when we leave.

When we get to the parking lot, I hand Julia a helmet. She takes it while eyeing me warily. I can almost see the accusation in her eyes. If I hadn’t sent her off with Nitro, she wouldn’t have ended up in jail overnight. In a way, it’s sort of my fault, but I didn’t know Nitro would be so fucking reckless with her on the back of his bike. I should never have let her ride with him.

“Hey, pres, hold up. Before we get back to the clubhouse—” Nitro starts.

“Didn’t you hear me earlier?” I drop my helmet onto my bike and turn to face him. I’ve been looking for any excuse to kick his ass for putting Julia in danger. This is enough.

“Yeah, but we overheard—”

I swing my fist right into his nose. It lands with a crack. Blood spurts everywhere. Nitro roars and rushes me, slamming into me and knocking me to the ground. Gravel digs into my back as I roll to get away from his lightning-fast fists. He manages to get in one good punch to my shoulder before I kick him off me.

Nitro falls backward, then tucks into a roll and slides across the parking lot. He’s nimble on his feet, but I’m irate. I jump to my feet and run across the pavement. He scrambles to get up, but he’s not fast enough. I kick him hard in the ribs. He grunts and doubles over before falling to the ground. Even though he’s lying there writhing in pain, I don’t give a shit. He’s got this coming.

All the frustration from the last few days comes to a head. I haven’t done a damn thing to let off steam other than fuck Julia senseless, and I’m primed for a fight. Nitro doesn’t stand a chance. Brother or not, he’s about to get his ass kicked. But I’m going to give him a chance to get up before I finish him. It’s no fun when your opponent isn’t strong enough to get off the ground.

“Get up!” I yell.

“Scar, what the fuck?” Nitro grunts.

“Don’t you think I have enough shit to deal with right now? I gave you one fucking job, and you couldn’t even manage that!”

“I’m not a job,” Julia grumbles.

I spin and stalk toward her. I should be horrified by the rush of fear into her eyes, but I’m so consumed by rage I can hardly see straight.

“And you! You have been nothing but trouble since the minute you walked into my bar. I could be floating the river with a couple of beers right now. But no! I can’t because you decided to bring trouble to my doorstep. I swear to God—”

“What?” She jumps off my bike and swings her helmet for emphasis. “You could have turned me away, and you didn’t. I know you’re mad, but you have no right to take it out on me. I didn’t do anything but ask for your help. If you don’t want to give it to Max or me anymore, then just say the word. I’ll pack our stuff and be gone within the hour. There are women’s shelters that can help us.”

“You’re not going to a shelter.” There’s no way I’m going to trust someone else with her safety. I couldn’t even trust one of my own guys. Why would I trust complete strangers?

“Maybe she’s right,” Nitro says.

“Stay out of it,” I snap. “You’ve done enough. Get the fuck out of my sight.”

“Gladly.” Nitro gets onto the spare bike I had Reaper and Talon drop off for him. I sent them to the impound yard to get Nitro’s bike back. As furious as I am, I hope they’re successful. A man never deserves to lose his ride, even if he is a dumbass.

Nitro starts the bike and throttles it several times before fishtailing out of the lot. If he wants to ride like a maniac, fine. I’ve never been able to stop his self-destructive streak. I don’t understand it at all. It’s almost like he’s got a death wish. After everything we survived, why does he still seem hellbent on dying? I know we’ve all got demons eating away at us, but at a certain point, we need to get past that shit.

Julia stands beside my bike, glaring at me. I want to wipe that look off her face in the worst way, but I don’t trust myself enough to touch her right now. I’m still all riled up, and although I’d never hit a woman, there are times I have to walk away to avoid it.

I get on the bike and wait for her to slide in behind me. She sits close but doesn’t wrap herself around me the way she usually does. I hate the tension between us, but maybe it’s for the best. I’m trapped between wanting to send her away and wanting to keep her forever. It’s completely fucking up my head, and I haven’t had a minute to think clearly since she told me how she felt about me. Too much is happening. Doesn’t she get that?

The choice between going to the clubhouse and Nina’s is far easier than choosing whether to keep Julia for longer than a few more days. I can’t make that decision until the rest of this business between the Demon Riders, Blackstone, the FBI investigation, Max’s mom’s murder, and everything else is cleared up. This bullshit situation with Nitro is exactly the kind of crap I don’t need right now. If he hadn’t put Julia’s life in danger, too, then I wouldn’t have cared as much. But he did, so I’m going to stay mad until I have a reason not to.