Page 3

Jake

I t’s been nice and quiet out here since I switched out with Pete, and I can say I’m more than okay with that. It gives me some alone time to think about everything, and by everything I actually mean Flash. The change in the man over the past few months has been nothing short of amazing to watch. He’s stopped shutting himself away so much and only interacting with those he’s known for a long time. I could see at first it was hard for him to even try to open himself up to someone new even in small ways, but now he’ll happily spend time with me talking about anything and everything; there’s no longer a wall up between us when we interact, or he’ll even spend time sparring with one of my brothers or just hanging out with them. The time he spends with my brothers is a much newer development, but it’s been good for him to stop being so guarded. He seems lighter and happier in himself in general.

It did take him time to get to this point; I could see he was trying, but I could also see it was hard for him to be any form of vulnerable. At first I didn’t understand why he was the way he was; it didn’t make any sense to me why he was okay with the brothers who had been members of Devil’s Inferno for a long time but was like a totally different person with all those who were newer to the club. That confusion was soon cleared up for me the day he came back from The Clubhouse and broke down in front of me. He was an absolute mess of emotions.

At first I didn’t have the faintest idea as to what could have caused such an out-of-character reaction from him. I’d gotten used to the fact he was more closed off than most, so seeing the outburst of emotion from him was more than a little bit alarming. I did what anyone would do in that situation, or at least what I think anyone in that situation should do, and I gave him time to just be, to let everything he was feeling out, before I asked him if he wanted to talk about it. I didn’t push, and I honestly didn’t think he’d take me up on the offer to talk about whatever had upset him so much. So it was a surprise when he actually opened up to me about what was behind his outburst.

Learning the truth behind his explosion of emotion was heartbreaking. I couldn’t even begin to imagine how I’d have coped in his shoes. It’s hard to even imagine what it must have been like for him; just the mere thought of ever going through what he had hurt me to my core. It turned out that he was in such an emotional state because it was the three-year anniversary of when things turned sour between Flash and his younger brother Wyatt. I don’t just mean sour like a little argument either; no, I mean sour like that was the last time Flash ever spoke or saw his brother. Wyatt cut him out of his life like he was nothing, like he wasn’t the older brother that would have done anything for him, even laying down his own life if he needed to. My heart ached for Flash when he explained to me what had happened between them back then. All he was trying to do was protect his younger brother, the way any decent older sibling would. He wanted to make him see the red flags about his boyfriend that were glaringly obvious for everyone but Wyatt. Unfortunately for Flash, Wyatt wouldn’t listen to him, blowing up at his brother, saying some very hurtful shit that he more than likely didn’t actually mean, and cutting him out of his life in favor of the boyfriend. Within twelve hours of their argument, Wyatt was gone from Devil’s Point with his boyfriend, and Flash had no idea where they could have disappeared to. It wasn’t just Flash that Wyatt ended up cutting out of his life either; apparently, as time passed, his parents heard less and less from him too.

There was nothing any of them could do either; Wyatt’s an adult; he had the right to go and live his life however he wanted. I know they’ve all been abiding by his wishes to not have any contact, that they’re all waiting for him to make the first move and reach out to one of them. I can’t imagine how hard that is for all the family, knowing there is nothing they can do but wait. I couldn’t imagine ever not being in contact with one of my brothers, of not knowing how they were, if they were happy and safe. God, just the mere thought of going through what Flash does on a daily basis is hard to wrap my head around. It’s no real wonder he ended up as closed off as he did. When we get hurt, the first thing we do is find a way of protecting ourselves, and that’s exactly what he did.

“Hello.” A small voice says, grabbing my attention and bringing me out of my thoughts of Flash.

I look down from where I’m positioned in the guard area by The Compound Gates and see a young boy, who, if I were to take a guess, I’d say is about Cam’s age. I have no idea what he could be doing here, but I seriously hope this isn’t about to be news of another problem. Can’t we just celebrate the news of Wrath and Flame’s twins without trouble finding us? I’ve got a very strong feeling in my gut that no, we can’t.

“Hey there. What can I help you with?” I say, keeping my voice soft and gentle as I approach the gate so I don’t have to shout across the space between us. He’s just a kid after all, and he must have a good reason for coming here. It’s not his fault that his arrival happens to coincide with the celebration currently taking place inside.

“Erm. I was wondering if I could maybe speak to either Wrath, Flame, or Shadow. It’s important, but I know they might not want to speak to me after what my sister did.” He babbles nervously while wringing his hands together in front of his stomach.

“Can I ask who your sister is?” I ask, even though I have a very strong feeling that I know the answer to the question already.

“Megan.” He says, confirming my suspicions.

“Okay, I’m going to make a call and see if someone can come and talk to you.” I say lightly, even though I feel anything but. I don’t know what this kid could want to talk to Wrath, Flame, or Shadow about, but I have a feeling deep in my gut that shit is about to explode around here again.

“Thank you. I appreciate it.” He replies politely with a small nod.

Stepping away from the gate and out of the boy’s hearing range, I pull out my phone and dial the one person I trust more than anything to handle this situation without interrupting the celebration unless it’s totally necessary to do so.

“Hey Jake, everything okay?” Flash says as he answers my call. Despite what is more than likely a shitshow that I’m about to drop in his lap, I can’t help but smile at the sound of his voice. It does things to me, but I need to shut that down for now. This isn’t the time for any of that. We have more pressing matters to deal with.

“I don’t know yet, but there’s a situation out here I could use a hand with.”

“Tell me what’s going on.” He says seriously.

“A kid showed up asking to speak to Wrath, Flame, or Shadow. The thing is, it’s not just some random kid, Flash; he’s Megan’s little brother, and I really didn’t want to interrupt their celebration with this if I didn’t have to.”

“You made the right call. Piston and I are on our way. We’ll find out what he wants.”

“Thank you. I don’t think he means harm, but with everything that happened, I wanted to be cautious.”

“I get it, Jake. We’ll be there in a minute.” He reassures me.

Flash hangs up, and I can’t help the relief I feel knowing that not only is Flash on his way, but he’s bringing Piston with him too. I should have expected that really; Piston isn’t only our Road Captain; he happens to be Flash’s closest and oldest friend. Of course he’d be the first person he notified of the situation I have on my hands out here.

Flash and Piston have a relationship that’s more like siblings than friends. Some of the interactions I’ve seen between them these past few months have been a lot like some of the interactions I experience with my own brothers. It’s nice to know that even through some of the hardest times in his life, Flash wasn’t alone. I know for a fact Piston was there with him every step of the way. Hell, he was actually there and witnessed the argument that went down between Flash and Wyatt. He ensured that no matter how hard Flash tried to totally shut himself away from everyone and everything, he couldn’t do it.

Enough about the past, though; we’ve got to deal with the here and now. Hopefully, Flash and Piston can get some answers from Megan’s little brother about just why he’s here and what he wants with three of the Jacobson men. I really, really hope this doesn’t turn into a totally chaotic situation, but I’m not hopeful. If I’ve learned anything this past year, it’s to expect chaos.

Looking over at the gate, I see the young boy standing there still waiting, wringing his hands together nervously while biting down on his lower lip. I’m not sure if he’s nervous because he’s standing outside The Devil’s Inferno Compound or because of what he wants to talk to Wrath, Flame, and Shadow about. Either way, I don’t like seeing him this way, even knowing he’s related to Megan doesn’t change that. Yes, I know I was being more than a little bit cautious with my phone call to Flash, but after everything that’s been thrown at Devil’s Inferno and the Jacobsons in particular, I wasn’t taking any chances with why he could be here. But he’s still just a kid at the end of the day, and Megan has been in the custody of my family since the day her actions were exposed at the hospital, so I know she’s not directly involved with why he’s here. I very much doubt he’s here to enact some sort of revenge plot on her behalf. So that garners the question, just why is he here? What could have made him feel like he needed to seek out some of the top members of Devil’s Inferno?

I know I’ll more than likely get the answers to those questions once Flash and Piston arrive and talk to him; until then, I think he deserves to know someone is coming to talk to him. Hopefully, that will ease up on his nerves a bit. I don’t like seeing a kid as stressed and nervous as he is right now. Kids should never have to feel the way he does. It’s just not right to me.

With that thought in mind, I start walking back towards him, making sure to keep my facial expression light. He must hear me approaching because he looks up from where he’s staring down at his own feet and locks eyes with me. The fear reflecting back at me from his baby blue eyes shocks me to my core. I’ve seen grown men being tortured with less fear in their eyes than he has in his right now. Before I get a chance to say anything or acknowledge what I’ve seen in his eyes, he blinks it away, and both our attention is grabbed by the sound of the approaching bikes. I know what that sound means; Flash and Piston are almost here.