Page 15

Jake

W e made it back to The Clubhouse in good time, and Doc was waiting for us thanks to Piston finding him while we were out retrieving Micah. I know it relieved Flash that Micah would be checked out by someone he trusted. None of us have any idea what happened to cause Micah’s injuries yet, but not one person who got a look at Micah when we arrived back at The Clubhouse with him looked remotely happy about the state of the young boy.

That’s the thing with everyone who’s a member here or even those of us trying to become members. We may all be rough around the edges or do things that may be questionable in the eyes of the law, but each and every person here are fucking good guys. Protectors to the core, and seeing a young boy who’s clearly been hurt has set off all of our protective instincts. Micah doesn’t know it yet, but he’s currently inside a building full of men who will protect him till their last breath.

I’m just waiting for Doc to finish up examining Micah before I head inside to support Flash while he asks Micah some hard fucking questions and also drops the news that Micah is his younger brother. I have zero proof, but I’m pretty certain that Micah’s Mom has something to do with his injuries. The last thing we knew, he was heading home to her, and he was more than a little bit worried about how she’d react if she found out where he’d been. I have a very bad feeling someone saw him and told her. Leading to her reacting badly and Micah ending up in his current state. Truthfully, it’s the only scenario that makes any sort of sense to me, and it also gives validation to everything Flash was picking up on too.

The door to the infirmary pops open, and Doc steps out. He looks pissed as fuck but doesn’t say anything until the door is firmly closed behind him. I’m not the only one waiting out here for news about Micah. Piston, Shadow, and Wreck are all here too. The three of them are extremely worried about not only Micah but Flash too. We’re the only people in Devil’s Inferno who currently know about the connection between the two of them. We know Flash has a hard conversation ahead of him, and we all want to offer not only him but also Micah our support as they wade their way through these unfamiliar and unexpected waters. Everyone else who caught sight of Micah upon his arrival are gathered in The Common Room waiting for news too; they just knew that too many people out here would more than likely overwhelm Micah.

“Luckily his nose isn’t broken, but it’s going to be painful for a while. He has two black eyes and a sprained wrist. I’ve patched him up and given him some over-the-counter meds to help with his pain. I’ll keep an eye on him, but in a few weeks it’ll be like this never happened.” Doc explains to us.

“That’s good news then. I guess we better head in there and talk to him,” Piston says calmly, but I didn’t miss the way his eyes flashed with fury when Doc listed off Micah’s injuries.

“Yeah, even without saying anything, I could tell Flash wanted some answers from the boy.”

We all take turns shaking Doc’s hand before I push open the door to the infirmary and enter, Piston, Shadow, and Wreck right behind me. Flash is sitting next to Micah’s bed, watching the young boy as he silently cries. I can tell by his body language that Flash is holding himself back from grabbing him and comforting him. I have a feeling he’s worrying about how Micah will react when he finds out Flash is his older brother. Personally, I don’t think he has anything to worry about. I think Micah will be relieved to know he has someone as good and caring as Flash in his life. On some level he already trusts Flash; he wouldn’t have called him tonight if he didn’t.

“Hey Micah, I hear you’re going to be okay.” I say as I approach the bed, going to stand behind Flash. I place a hand on his shoulder and squeeze gently, letting him know I’m here and I’m going to support him.

“Yeah, I will be. I guess you all want to know what happened.” He says, taking turns to look at us all. I see the relief take over his body when he recognizes each of us who are in here right now.

“If you don’t mind telling us, we would like to know. Then we have some things to tell you.” Flash says.

“I got home, but Mom wasn’t there. She got home about an hour after me. When she got back, she was mad. Really mad.” He stops speaking for a moment, shaking his head slightly, but stops when he starts to wince. “I don’t know how she found out, but she knew I’d been here earlier, and she wasn’t happy about it.” He stops talking when the tears come streaming down his face once again.

Flash can’t hold himself back anymore, and I don’t blame him one bit. We all know without Micah saying anything else that his injuries were caused by his own mother, all because she’d found out he’d been at The Clubhouse. The reason he was here, obviously, didn’t matter to the woman. She just chose to take her anger out on her son. Something I know she’s going to regret dearly, Flash will make sure of it, and he’ll have the support of every member of Devil’s Inferno as he does it too.

Flash gently leans over Micah and pulls him into his arms. Micah’s sobs become slightly muffled from where his head is buried in Flash’s chest. One look at Flash and I can see how much this is killing him. He wants to take away all the pain Micah is currently feeling, and he knows he can’t.

Micah pulls back from Flash after a few minutes and wipes the tears from his face. He looks so fucking scared and broken right now.

“What am I going to do? She’s my Mom; she’s my only family, really. I have to go back.” He says, choking back a sob that clearly wants to break free again.

“No. Look at me, Micah.” Flash says, voice so serious there’s no way Micah can’t listen and pay attention to him. Micah looks at Flash and waits for him to carry on speaking. “I told you there were some things we needed to tell you; well, it’s more that I need to tell you, but first let me ask one thing. Where’s your Dad?”

I think we all take a deep breath and hold it as we wait for Micah to answer Flash. Micah looks confused by Flash’s question but doesn’t hesitate to answer.

“He doesn’t really have much to do with me, not like he does, Megan and Mom. He’d come around, say hi to me when he arrived, and then pretty much ignore me. He’s not an option for me to go and live with.”

“That’s not why I asked. I just wanted to know if you’d met him or had a relationship with him. The thing is, Micah, when I first saw you today, I felt like I was seeing a ghost. You look exactly like my younger brother, and I couldn’t let a coincidence like that go. So after I dropped you off, with the help of a really good friend, we did some investigating; it turns out we share the same Dad. You’re my youngest brother.”

Micah’s eyes go so wide, and his mouth starts opening and shutting; clearly, he’s shocked by the news Flash has just shared with him. Not that I blame him; it was a shock for everyone else too.

“You’re my brother? Really?”

“Yeah, and I promise you, you aren’t going back to your Mom, not after she put her hands on you.” There is no missing the conviction in Flash’s voice; he one hundred percent means what he’s saying right now.

“She’s not going to like that. She likes having someone to yell at.”

“She doesn’t have a choice, Micah. You’re not going back to that situation; even if you weren’t my brother, we wouldn’t let you go back to a place that’s not safe, but you are my brother, and I refuse to let you grow up in an environment where you aren’t safe and treated with love and respect.”

“It’s never been like that for me, Flash. I’m used to it.”

“Well, that’s over now. I promise you. You’re going to be living with me from now on.”

“As much as I’m all for that idea, Flash, where exactly are you planning on living with him? You can’t exactly show up at your parents place with him, and I think we can all agree staying at The Clubhouse isn’t the best idea; there are things he doesn’t need to hear that go on upstairs.” Piston says.

“They’re coming home with me.” I say before anyone can come up with a different plan.

“Are you sure, J?” Flash asks as he turns his head to face me.

“Yes, you’re already staying with me, and I have more than enough space for Micah too.”

The look of sheer relief on Flash’s face hits me straight in the heart, and I know without either of us broaching the subject that he’s feeling things just as strongly as I am. Hopefully, once we have Micah settled, we can finally have a chance to talk about where we’re going, because there’s one thing I’m certain of: I want to be more than friends.

I know we still have a lot we need to deal with, Micah’s mother and Flash’s father being up there at the top of the list, but the most important thing is and always will be making sure Micah is safe and cared for, and I know for a fact that is definitely the case now that he’s in Flash’s care. Everything we need to still deal with can wait until after Flash and I have talked. He needs to know where I stand; he also needs to know the added addition of Micah being in his care doesn’t scare me. If anything, it actually makes my feelings for him grow stronger. Not many people would turn their lives upside down without much thought the way Flash is doing, all because he’s found out about Micah being his younger brother and the horrible conditions he’s being raised in. Flash’s capacity for love is something else; he has a massive heart, even if it has been heavily guarded over the recent years. Micah couldn’t ask for a better person to take him in and show him the love and care he deserves, and hopefully I’ll have a front-row seat to it all.