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Phoenix

I t was the last thing I thought I'd see when I showed up at my dad's house earlier—the guys carrying in a horribly wounded Tweak as blood trailed behind them. I've seen blood before, and I've cleaned up wounds, but as they carried him to the table, everything seemed to freeze.

For a moment, I thought they were carrying a dead body. He was so pale and still. I couldn't move, not until I heard Lace gasp and crumple into my side.

I was visiting with Dad when she showed up in a panic and rapidly relayed what happened at the store to him and Bear. Dad looked conflicted as he stared at me. It was like he wanted to explain what was happening but couldn't bring himself to do it. He started barking orders to the guys, and several of them disappeared in a flash.

There was no time to let everything sink in, to wrap my mind around what was happening, as Lace clung to my side. She was sobbing and terrified, mumbling about what happened.

A while later, Raven showed up, the guys right behind her, toting Tweak's ravaged body inside. So much blood. So much chaos. From what Lace and Raven said, it was all because of some guy named Dom. He started mouthing off to them in the store parking lot, insinuating terrible things to provoke Stitch and his brother. One thing led to another, and an all-out brawl ensued.

Tweak wasn't the only one hurt. Almost every guy that was there had some degree of injury. Most were still oozing blood as they watched Doc work. Everything started to make sense. The tension everyone radiated lately, the whispers, the closed-door meetings that no one wanted to talk about . . .

Dad was cagey about the club; everyone was. Even Rae and Lace had been hiding things from me when it came to the MC. I'm not stupid—I've seen Sons of Anarchy—I know that there are dangerous motorcycle clubs out there. But when everyone kept insisting that nothing strange was going on with the club, that it was just a club, I gave them the benefit of the doubt. I let them keep me in the dark so they'd have one less thing to worry about.

After this—after today—that ends. I won't let them shut me out any longer. I'm too invested in everyone involved to let that happen.

Someone mentions Raptor, and I snap to attention. He and a few others are out dealing with the fallout from the brawl. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to read between the lines—they're seeking retribution for what happened to Tweak. They're doing something dangerous, something violent.

Tears well in my eyes. He promised he'd be careful. What if what happened to Tweak happens to him? What if he's hurt even worse?

As if sensing my distress, Raven nudges my shoulder. "How about we get her upstairs and cleaned up?" She nods to Lace, who's still coated in blood from checking on Stitch earlier.

That's when I see the red splotches streaked over Raven's skin and clothes. I hadn't noticed them until now. It must have happened when she helped get Tweak out of her car . I give her a nod and pull Lace toward the stairs.

We help get Lace cleaned up and settled in our old room before Raven does the same for herself, nabbing a clean shirt from the laundry basket. Lace tucks her knees to her chest as I sit next to her on the bed. I have so many questions, but now is not the time to ask. I let Lace rest her head on my shoulder, rubbing her arms soothingly as we all sit in silence and wait.

It seems like hours have passed. Maybe they have since Lace is now asleep next to me. Her tears had been flowing since she got here earlier, and she relayed what went down at the store. The stress of everything seems to have finally taken its hold on her.

I look over to where Raven is watching out the window as she gnaws on her bottom lip. I'm angry with her for trying to hide everything from me, but I know why she did it. It's the same reason she does anything—to protect me.

Even so, she doesn't get a pass for treating me with kid gloves about what's been going on. She owes me an explanation. When she looks my way, I see my opening and take it. "Why didn't you tell me?" I ask.

She sighs, shaking her head. "You didn't need this on your mind, Nix. Not with all you have going on. You needed to focus on school and building a normal life, not this shit."

"So, you were just never going to tell me?"

Rae clenches her jaw as she looks up at the ceiling. "I wanted to keep you safe."

"For me to be safe, I need to know what's going on around me. I'm a big girl, Raven. I can handle it."

She lets her head fall in defeat as she quietly replies, "I know. I'm sorry."

"You can't keep me in the dark anymore, Rae. I need to know what's going on."

"I know," she says, sounding defeated.

"Tell me everything," I demand.

So she does. Rae tells me about her suspicions from the beginning, how everyone was acting cagey for a while, and how this guy, Dom, showed up at the bar and threatened the club. She told me how he showed up outside the grocery store today and started the fight. By the time she finishes, I feel numb.

We're all in danger. Me, Rae, Dad, Lace . . . Raptor. My heart skips a beat as I remember he isn't here. He's gone, taking care of club business.

My breath starts to stagger as panic sets in. Raven hurries to my side, pulling me close. "It's going to be okay, Nix. We can leave and get away from all this mess. We can transfer you to another school. I can get you somewhere safe."

Her words only make the panic worse. Leave? We can't leave, not now. I shake my head. "No. We can't leave, Rae. I'm too invested to go anywhere else. School, Dad, Lace, Raptor."

Tears start to well in my eyes. "I can't go. Besides, if that Dom guy is half as crazy as he sounds, who's to say he won't follow us to get revenge on the club?"

Raven's face turns stony. I can see the gears turning in her head. I'm right, and she knows it. There's no leaving, not anymore.

After a minute, her features shift. A fiery determination sets in her eyes as she says, "Then we stay. We stay, and we talk to Viper. He and the guys will help keep you safe."

Just then, Archie comes into the room. "Viper wants to talk to you downstairs," he tells us.

I look down at Lace, who's out cold. "Should we wake her?"

Archie shakes his head. "Nah, leave her. Bear said he'll fill her in later."

Raven and I follow Archie to the kitchen, where Dad and some of the others are talking. As soon as they notice us, they fall silent. Dad cocks his head toward the door, signaling them to leave. Most of the men shuffle out, leaving only the club officers behind.

"Phoenix, Raven, please take a seat," Dad says gravely.

I grip Raven's hand as we sit down. Her jaw is tight as she stares at the men across from us.

"I'm sure after today, you have questions," Dad says, looking at me.

Before I can respond, he continues, "The MC isn't just a club for guys who love Harleys. Sometimes we get ourselves into trouble—with the law, with other clubs. After today, we can't hide that from you, not if we want to keep you safe." His words are tight, and his emotions heavy.

He clears his throat as Rae and I wait for him to finish. "What we do here . . . it's not always legal. We run our legitimate businesses alongside our not-so-legitimate ones. And those tend to snag the attention of competitors from time to time. Other clubs want what we have and don't have any issues using force to get it."

My hand squeezes Raven's harder as he tells us what he can—just enough to bring us up to speed on the potential danger we're facing without giving too many specifics. When he's through, he promises to keep us safe and protect us from any fallout from the altercation with Dom and his crew.

He confirms what I told Rae earlier about us leaving and Dom going after us. Dad tells us we would be in more danger if we leave than if we stay. Leaving now, we'd be vulnerable, unprotected. By staying here, we would have someone with us at all times, making sure we were safe.

His words are as much for his benefit as for ours. I can tell this situation is eating at him. He doesn't want any harm to come to us because of our affiliation with him and the Sons. The fear in his eyes is real, and it chills me to the bone.

My head is still spinning from the information dump I've received over the last few hours. It almost doesn't register when the front door flies open and two hulking forms enter the house. Raven grabs my hand, staring toward the commotion. I follow her gaze and almost break down in tears.

Raptor is standing there, looking feral with a busted lip, bruises on his jaw, and bloody knuckles. I can tell from the splatter on his clothes that much of the blood isn't his own. Reaper stands close by, wearing similar wounds. His typical scowl looks even more savage surrounded by his injuries.

Without thinking, I run to Raptor, grabbing his butchered hands in my own. "Are you okay? You're hurt."

He shakes his head. "I'm fine. I promise. Just a few scratches."

I breathe out a shaky sigh as I grab the first aid kit and start tending to his wounds. As I clean him up, he asks if I'm all right. I shrug, telling him it was a rough day. I confess that Dad told Raven and me the truth about the club.

He tenses at my words, and worry seeps into his gaze. Before either of us can say more, Dad starts speaking. "Raptor. Reaper. You two are staying with the girls tonight. Jesse's going to meet you at their place after he closes the bar."

Raptor nods, but I can still feel the anxiety roiling inside him. The truth about his club was finally revealed, and he's worried about how that news is affecting me. I know that won't go away until we talk, but that can't happen here. Not in front of my dad.

We'll talk later. When we're alone.