Page 44 of Slayin Villain (Royal Bastards MC: Nashville, TN #11)

Villain

I woke up to the sting of antiseptic and the dull weight of a headache that could’ve cracked concrete.

Beeping. Lights too bright overhead. A scratch in my throat like I’d been gargling rocks. I blinked against the blur, brain rebooting slow as a busted bike on a frozen morning.

Then I saw her.

Rachel.

She was curled up in the hospital chair beside my bed, again, legs tucked under her, her hair pulled into a messy knot like she hadn’t had the time, or energy, to care. She looked like hell. My kind of hell. The kind I’d crawl back into over and over if it meant she’d be there waiting.

And she was there. Again. Over and over like she’d been for years.

My fingers twitched against the sheet.

Rachel stirred instantly, like she’d been sleeping with one ear open just for me.

“Hey,” I rasped, my voice like rust.

Her eyes filled with tears before she even said a word.

“You scared the shit out of me,” she whispered, leaning closer. “You’re lucky you’re not in a damn coma.”

I gave her the ghost of a smirk. “Been there. Done that. Didn’t like it.”

She huffed, but it came out choked and wet. “You think this is funny?”

“No,” I said, eyes locking with hers. “But it’s better than thinking about what I missed.”

Her bottom lip quivered. “You almost died, Villain, for the third time, lately. Much more of this and this baby won’t have a father.”

I winced as I shifted in the bed, the IV tugging at my arm. “What happened? Last thing I remember was heading to Sassy’s Slop House.”

“You got jumped,” she said. “Rome and his boys were waiting. Ember never showed.”

I let my head fall back against the pillow. “Figures. Should’ve known it was a setup.”

“She texted you like she wanted to talk.”

“She did,” I muttered. “I thought it was about the baby. Thought maybe she had something to say.”

“She did.” Rachel’s voice cracked. “She got tied up in a van.”

My blood ran cold.

“What?”

Rachel nodded, trembling. “Rome. Pagan found her. Sweet Tea messaged me while you were under. She’s at Cece’s now.”

I sat up too fast, pain lancing through my ribs. “She okay?”

“She’s beat up. Not broken,” Rachel said. “But she’s not staying with Rome. Not after that.”

I let the news settle like dust on fresh blood.

Ember.

The woman who’d lit me on fire just to watch me burn, she’d been the one in danger this time. Rome had snapped. Gone too far. And I hadn’t been there to stop it.

“Why the hell would he do that?” I asked.

Rachel shrugged. “Maybe because she told him the truth. Or maybe because he knew you still mattered.”

That hit me right in the bruises. I sank back into the bed, covering my face with one arm. “This is a fucking mess.”

“Yeah,” Rachel said quietly. “It is.”

The silence stretched thick between us.

Then I dropped the arm and looked at her. “But you’re still here.”

Her eyes met mine. “For now.”

My chest squeezed. “Rach, I never meant to…”

“Don’t,” she cut in. “Not unless you mean it. Not unless you know what you want.”

“I do,” I said, hoarse. “I didn’t before. Not really. But seeing you here… waking up to you…again and again. You’ve always been here for me.”

She sniffed, blinking fast. “You need to heal. Not make promises you’ll break again.”

“I won’t break this one.”

“You might.” She stood, pacing. “You didn’t pick me. Not when it counted.”

“I was trying to do right,” I said, throat tight. “I thought Ember was pregnant. I thought I had to do something about it.”

“You thought.” Rachel spun on her heel, fury flaring in her eyes. “You let yourself fall for her the second you thought she was carrying your kid. Meanwhile, I am pregnant. There’s no guessing. No paternity test needed. And you still looked at her like she was something special.”

I sat there, helpless, stripped down and exposed in a wisp of a hospital gown and a paper-thinner excuse.

“I know,” I whispered. “I know I fucked up. I thought I could keep it all separate. I thought I could be two men.”

“You can’t,” Rachel snapped. “And I won’t share.”

“You won’t have to,” I said.

Her eyes searched mine. “Why not?”

“Because I’m done pretending Ember was more than what she was.”

She blinked.

“She was the match,” I said. “But you were the wildfire.”

Rachel didn’t smile. Didn’t cry. She just sat back down beside me, shoulders stiff.

“I’m not waiting forever,” she said. “You get one shot. One clean shot to make it right.”

“I’ll take it,” I said, gripping her hand.

Just then, the door opened and Pagan leaned in.

His face was grim.

“You good enough to hear something heavy?” he asked.

I nodded.

Pagan stepped in, looked between me and Rachel, then said, “Rome’s been picked up by Kingpin and Irish. Club business. But it’s gonna get ugly. Ember wants to press charges.”

Rachel sucked in a breath.

I frowned. “Is she sure?”

“She’s talking to Kingpin now,” Pagan said. “And there’s more.”

“What?”

Pagan rubbed the back of his neck. “She doesn’t know if she’s keeping the baby.”

I swallowed hard. “Shit.”

“Thought you’d want to know.”

“Thanks,” I said, and he left.

Rachel stood slowly.

“Where are you going?” I asked.

“To call my mom,” she said. “Tell her I’m not going anywhere after all.”

My heart thudded in my chest.

She paused at the door.

“You said I was the wildfire,” she said, voice softer now. “Don’t forget what happens when a fire catches.”

Then she was gone.