Page 6

Piston

T he celebration is still in full swing as I walk through the doors of The Common Room. Everyone is having a good time, drinking, dancing, laughing, and generally just celebrating Wrath and Flame’s fantastic news. I wish I could just join them all; I’m overjoyed for my friends; it’s some of the most fantastic news I’ve ever heard, but there’s not going to be any partying happening for me now. Not after what I just learned outside. Now I have the unfortunate task of cutting the guys’ celebration short. I hate that this is happening, but I know they’d want me to interrupt them when it’s about Cam.

That boy means more to those men than anyone else on this planet; he might only be Wrath’s son by blood, but Flame loves him just as much as Wrath. He actually said Cam is the son of his soul, and honestly I believe it. He doesn’t treat Cam any different than Wrath does, and he clearly loves that boy more than life itself. Neither of them is going to take what Micah has to share about what’s been happening to Cam at school well. Especially when they learn it’s not just other students targeting Cam but teachers too. They are going to fucking blow when they learn what’s been going on without their knowledge.

Scanning the room, I immediately spot Wrath and Flame standing with Shadow and Wreck. I don’t know what I did to get so lucky that all four of them would be standing there, gathered together without anyone else around to overhear what I have to say, but I’m not going to complain about my luck. I’d much rather have this conversation without everyone else hearing and wanting to get involved. I could tell just how nervous Micah was outside; being bombarded with most of the members of Devil’s Inferno wanting answers to what exactly has been happening to Cam wouldn’t be good. The kid would probably clam up and shut down, leaving us with no more information than what he shared outside, and that’s the last thing we need right now. We need Micah to share exactly what has been happening so we know what we need to do to deal with this situation. That doesn’t even account for the way Flash might react; he’s a loose cannon right now and with good reason. Even without knowing anything, I think deep down he knows he shares a connection with Micah. His protective instincts are more than likely in overdrive, and he won’t think twice about doing whatever he deems necessary to protect Micah. Even if that would mean going against his club brothers. We don’t need that sort of situation on our hands; it wouldn’t be good for anyone.

Heading straight towards the guys, I hope that nobody else spots me and tries to grab my attention. I see the moment Wreck catches sight of me heading towards them; he’s the one facing the direction I’m coming from. I see the moment it registers for him that I’m not heading their way for some fun and a chat. His facial expression goes from being light and carefree to serious in a heartbeat. The change that comes over him isn’t missed by the other three men standing with him, as they all spin at almost the same time to see what grabbed Wreck’s attention and caused his reaction.

I signal my head towards the doorway, which is close by, and all four men nod their heads before heading that way. I’m only a few steps behind them, and when I step into the corridor, all four of them are standing, waiting for me, looking serious and worried. I hate that this is happening right now when it really is a time for celebration, but I know this is just far too important to wait.

“What’s going on, Piston?” Wrath asks, and I’m not surprised he’s the one who speaks first. He is our President after all and is very much used to being the one who takes the lead.

“I need you all to keep your shit under control when I tell you,” I say in a no-nonsense tone.

I really can’t have them all losing their shit out here. Not only will it gain the attention of everyone gathered in The Common Room, but I know Flash would have taken Micah to my office like I asked, and we don’t need him overhearing the guy’s volatile reactions.

All four nod their heads, but I don’t miss the hard set of all four of their eyes. Each of them is preparing themselves for whatever I’m about to say.

“Megan’s younger brother showed up at the gates asking to talk to you guys; Jake didn’t want to interrupt your celebration, so he rang Flash. Flash told me what was going on, and we headed out there to talk to him. It turns out Micah goes to school with Cam, and there have been some issues with not only other students but teachers too. Cam didn’t want to say anything to anyone, but Micah has overheard some things that have him worried, and he knew he needed to speak up. He didn’t go into details, and we didn’t push for them. I figured it was best to wait until you were all there before we asked him to explain further,” I explain as quickly as possible.

None of the guys explode at what I’ve told them, but I can tell they really want to. I can physically see both Wrath and Flame shaking in anger, and to be fair, Shadow and Wreck don’t look much better. Everyone has protective streaks under normal circumstances, but Cam brings out a whole new level for everyone. That boy has been through enough; all any of us want now is for him to live his life like a normal kid his age, to watch him laugh and grow.

“There’s more, but it doesn’t involve Cam.” I say, knowing I might as well get it all out there now. There’s no point in not telling them everything else.

“What else, Piston?” Wrath asks curiously.

I blow out a breath before I once again speak, “Micah is a spitting image of Wyatt.” I say, dropping that bomb on them.

Everyone knows all about what went on all those years ago between Wyatt and Flash. We all picked up the pieces of Flash after he discovered Wyatt was gone, and he tried to shut himself away and drown himself in alcohol. None of us would let that happen; we all spent every free moment we had pulling Flash out of his despair. It took time, but we managed it, even if Flash wasn’t quite the same after. He was a lot more closed off and reserved, especially when it was with people who he didn’t already have a preexisting connection with. It’s actually been really good watching him open himself up with Jake over these past few months. I’ve seen more glimpses of the Flash he was before Wyatt left than I have in years. I’m more than a little hopeful that Jake is helping him heal in a way none of us managed to. I’m more than ready to have my friend back to his old self.

“Holy shit!” Shadow exclaims. “I always thought he looked familiar, but I could never figure out why. It’s obvious now you’ve said it.”

“Yeah, so Flash isn’t going to let this go. He’s going to want answers once we’ve dealt with the situation Cam is in.”

“We’ll all help him figure it out; it’s what we do,” Flame says.

Nodding, I spin and start walking towards my office with all four men right behind me. It’s time for us to go and talk to Micah. To get all the details about what’s been happening to Cam at school. Then it’ll be time to focus our attention on dealing with Cam’s situation at school and finding out why Micah is Wyatt’s miniature. There really never is a dull moment around here, is there?