Page 19

Seventeen

Hey, Big Brother, I Miss You

Emryn

I eventually fell asleep after Blade left me in the middle of the night. As soon as my eyes pop open in the morning, I check my phone and find a text from Blade.

All good. You’ll find me downstairs. Take your time.

I breathe a sigh of relief and quickly rush to get dressed.

The small bathroom is just big enough for the basic amenities.

The shower is tight, and I giggle, wondering how Blade even fits in here.

A quiet rap on the door hurries me along.

I pull my wet hair into a high ponytail and race to open the door.

Abby is on the other side with a bright smile on her lips.

“Hi. Are you hungry? Food’s going fast, and I thought you might want some pancakes before they’re all gone,” she says.

Abby is quiet and loveable. Seeing her with Ghost, I can tell she has the magic touch with her man.

As scary as Ghost seems, when he’s with Abby, he’s just the great protector, and he does it in a way that you can’t help but know that she is the center of his world.

“Sounds delicious. Have you seen Blade?” Blade hasn’t made it back upstairs since I last saw him, and although his text says he’s doing all right, I wonder why he hasn’t come back up.

“He spent the night with Owen and Aaron. The guys were going to take turns, but Blade volunteered to do the whole night. Owen was in a bad way emotionally. He and Aaron are really close, and seeing Aaron that way is really hard on him,” she tells me, then says, “Blade was a prospect with them. He gets what Owen’s going through. ”

“Is Aaron doing better?”

“Yes, thank goodness. Saint worked his magic and said that Aaron shouldn’t suffer any long-lasting effects from the attack.

He’s going to be laid up for a few days, but we all take care of one another.

Hanna is already making some of his favorite foods, Vi and Ava are on the hunt for motorcycle magazines and whatever else they can find that would make the time pass more easily, and the rest of us will make sure he’s never lonely,” Abby replies with a grin.

“What can I do?” I ask. Blade’s brothers are his family, and I want to help too.

“Blade and Owen know him best. I’m sure they can give you some ideas.

” She turns to the door. “Come on, I’m starved.

” I let Abby lead me downstairs and look around at the lone line of tables where a horde of bikers sits with their families.

The room is alive with chatter, but Blade isn’t sitting with them.

Saint must see me searching the room for Blade and comes over. “Follow me,” he says with a smile. I do as he says and let him guide me away from the rest of the crowd and down a hall. “Aaron is bandaged up but it still might freak you out,” he says before he opens the door.

Aaron is in a hospital bed, looking very pale. I look up at Saint. “How is he doing?”

“Way better than I had hoped. It’s good that he’s sleeping.

His body needs it.” He points to the guy sleeping on the floor in a sleeping bag.

“I worry more about Owen’s state of mind.

” Saint closes the door and reveals a chair in the corner with Blade slumped in it, his head slung back against the wall, arms crossed over his chest, sleeping.

“Blade’s been with these two since they got back last night. ”

“I told him he didn’t have to stay,” says a sleepy voice. Owen sits up on the floor.

“That’s gratitude,” Blade answers, his eyes opening. The bags under them tell me that he definitely didn’t get a lot of rest and should be heading upstairs to his own bed.

“Shut up, you know I appreciate the love, man,” Owen teases. Owen looks at Aaron, then Saint. “How’s he doing?”

“Better than the two of you. Do I have to call Guard to get you to leave?” Saint threatens.

“He shouldn’t be alone. I don’t want him to wake up and not find someone here by his side. It’s not right. Aaron’s been here for everyone,” Owen states.

“Go eat. I have to check him over anyway,” Saint says.

Owen is clearly torn, but a booming voice from outside the doorway speaks up.

“Owen, food and shower. Then my office,” Guard orders.

“Blade, food and sleep. The shop is open in the morning, and that means you need to be sharp.” The president has spoken, and as hesitant as Owen is when moving, he does as he’s directed.

Blade slowly gets up from his chair, stretching out his body as he comes to his feet and rubbing the back of his neck. He places a hand on my back and gestures for me to precede him out of the room. He slides his arm around my waist and stops me after a few steps and brushes his lips over mine.

“Morning, baby,” he murmurs. “Thanks for coming to find me.”

I want to ask a million questions about what happened last night, but I can see that this isn’t the time. “You heard your boss. Food and sleep.”

“Right,” he murmurs and gives me a weak smile. We join the others; his brothers make room for Blade and me at the table. We eat the goodness laid out in front of us, and when we’re done, Blade and I go back to his room.

“I have to go home,” I tell Blade when he lies down on his bed.

“Why?”

“I haven’t been home since yesterday, and I promised my clients some preliminary photos of the shoot,” I remind him.

“I’ll come?—”

“No. You’ll sleep,” I insist, pushing him back down onto the mattress and kissing him softly. “Please,” I whisper. “Come over later, and I’ll make dinner.”

It’s an easy win for me, mainly because Blade’s too tired to argue. He’s asleep before I leave. Abby and Ghost offer me a ride home, but it’s such a nice day that I decide to walk. I think of all the questions I want to ask and know that I have to give part of myself as well.

Blade

L ater that evening…

The day flew by. After getting a solid four hours, I was up and out to the shop after checking on Aaron. He was awake, and the pain meds were wearing off, yet he refused to take any more. Aaron likes to be in control, and, as most pain meds do, they make you loopy.

It’s business as usual for the club, like nothing happened last night.

Guard isn’t done with Jaws, and we all know it.

Jaws made the call to start a war with Satan’s Pride, and everyone knows that you don’t touch a Pride brother without payback.

I didn’t see Guard this morning, and that’s not a good sign for Jaws.

It means Guard’s planning, and I would hate to be the enemy he’s gunning for.

Guard hasn’t revealed his plan, but we know it’s coming, and we’re waiting for it.

I text Emryn to let her know I’m awake and working.

She sends me a dinner emoji with a question mark.

I return the message with a thumbs-up and a kiss emoji.

She returns a message with a dozen hearts, then I get to work.

A customer brought in a vintage 1977 Harley-Davidson XLCR.

Fuck! It’s one of the most beautiful bikes I’ve ever laid eyes on.

In a heartbeat, I’d add that motorcycle to my collection, and so would a few of the other guys.

There’s a slight glitch in the engine that has it running rougher than it should, and I get the honor of getting my hands on it, even for just a little while.

Time moves fast when you’re doing what you love, and before I know it, it’s coming on six o’clock. I tear myself away from the bike, normally a hardship, but not when I know I’m spending the night with Emryn. I lock down the shop and head over to her place.

There’s a fancy two-door sports car sitting in the driveway beside Emryn’s modest Hyundai. Emryn has a visitor. An uneasy feeling comes over me; a shiver runs down my spine. I hurry out of my car, and as I approach her front door, I hear a man’s sarcastic tone and take a peek in the window.

“What the fuck, Em? No Hey bro, good to see you ,” he mocks, then says, “No You look great . Whatcha been up to ? I’m your brother. At the very least, I should get a Hey, big brother, I miss you.” He places his hands on his hips, looking wounded.

“You know why I don’t do that,” Emryn replies, turning her back to him. “Why did you really come?”

This must be Emryn’s brother, Ryan. She hasn’t spoken much about her brother, but from what I’m seeing, there’s a lot more to the story than what she’s shared.

“I missed my baby sister,” he coos, sidling closer. “Can’t a guy want to be with his sister and just hang out for a while?”

“It’s never that easy.” Emryn turns back to face him. “I like it here. I’ve met good people?—”

“I’m happy for you. I’m glad. And I won’t be in your way. A couple of days at most, then I’m slotted for a fashion shoot in Bermuda. And just like that,” he snaps his fingers, “I’ll be gone.”

“I have company coming over,” she tells him.

“A guy?” her brother asks.

She sighs, “Yes,” then rushes to add, “I really like him, Ryan. I actually think I’m falling in love with him. I’m begging you, please, don’t ruin this for me.”

My heart swells when I hear the words, but her slumped shoulders and dejected tone are worrisome. Suddenly, I feel the need to do some recon on Ryan Ellington. But first, I need to step in, because I hate the expression on Emryn’s face.

I use my key and come in like it was any other night. “Hey, babe. Who’s your friend?” I ask, at the same time reaching for her. She instantly comes to me, holding me tighter than she ever has before. There’s another red flag. What the hell is going on with her family?

Emryn stumbles over the first couple of words. “Th-this is my brother, Ryan. He came for a short visit, in between jobs. He surprised me. I had no idea he was coming.”

“A visit from family is always good, babe. Right?” I stare into her eyes, and although her mouth murmurs, “Yes,” her entire being is saying, hell no . I take a few steps closer to Ryan, extending my hand. He takes it and grips it tightly, too tightly, like he’s got something to prove.