Page 28 of The Biker’s Second Chance (Chrome Creed MC #2)

CONSEQUENCES

JAYNE

T he clubhouse feels wrong tonight. Too fucking quiet.

Usually there’s music, laughter, the shuffle of boots and the crack of pool balls echoing off the walls. But tonight? Tonight it feels like the whole place is holding its breath.

Nisa is pacing the main room, back and forth, her nails digging into the soft skin of her arms. She’s got that mask she wears so well, the calm, collected one.

But her eyes betray her. They keep darting to the door, sharp, quick glances like she’s expecting it to blow open at any second.

She’s terrified, she just hides it better than I do.

Me? I’m a fucking mess. My legs won’t stop bouncing, my hands twist the hem of my shirt until the seams stretch. Every second drags like an hour, and the silence only makes it worse.

“They’ll be fine,” Nisa finally says. Her voice is steady, but her shoulders are too stiff, her steps too sharp.

“Don’t bullshit me. You’re terrified too,” I snap before I can stop myself. My throat burns, my chest tight.

She exhales, slow and measured, like she’s trying to breathe calm into both of us. “Yeah. I am. But you falling apart doesn’t help either.”

I bite my lip hard enough to taste blood.

She’s right, but it doesn’t stop the hurricane tearing through my chest. Xavier’s voice echoes in my head, smooth and mocking, promising blood, promising pain.

His threats weren’t vague. They were specific.

Personal. He knows now. Knows about me. About Spike. About the club.

And all of it is because of me.

I ruined everything.

Before I can spiral any deeper, the sound hits me.

Engines. The low, rolling thunder of the brothers’ bikes pulling up outside. The floorboards vibrate under my feet, and relief hits me so hard I nearly collapse. They’re back. They’re alive.

“They’re back,” I whisper, more to myself than to Nisa. My lungs finally unclench, just enough to let me breathe.

Nisa stops pacing, her eyes locked on the door, her jaw trembling.

I move toward it just as it swings open.

The brothers file in. Boots heavy against the floor. But the air shifts instantly. Thick. Suffocating. Not the rowdy noise I expect after a run. No laughter. No sharp-edged jokes. Just silence.

And then I see them.

Four of them carrying something. No, not something but someone.

A body.

My chest caves in. The scream rips out of me before I even know it’s coming. “No! Oh god, no!” My legs buckle and I hit the ground hard, clawing for air. My vision tunnels, black creeping in at the edges. I can’t lose him again. Not like this. Not fucking like this.

“Jayne!” Nisa’s arms catch around me, trying to hold me up, but I fight her off. My body jerks forward like maybe if I get close enough, I’ll wake up from this nightmare.

But then I see the face on the corpse.

Not Spike.

Zero.

The air leaves my lungs in a rush. My stomach lurches, bile burning my throat. Tears blur everything, but I still see the blood, the limp weight of him as they carry him deeper inside. His kutte torn, his skin pale. Lifeless.

My knees slam into the wood floor and I can’t move. My body refuses. I press a shaking hand to my mouth, choking on sobs.

And then I see him.

Spike.

He walks in behind them, and he’s covered in blood. His kutte is splattered, his jaw tight, his eyes dead. He doesn’t say a word. Doesn’t have to. His gaze finds mine, pins me in place.

It’s not my blood on him. It’s Zero’s.

And it’s my fault.

His shoulders are rigid, like steel barely holding together. He doesn’t stop, doesn’t hesitate, just follows the others until they lay Zero down. He stands there for a moment, chest heaving, fists clenching at his sides. Then, without a single word, he turns and heads down the hall.

His boots echo against the floorboards, heavy and final. He doesn’t look back. But I feel the weight of what’s in his eyes, even as he disappears into his room.

I want to run after him. To throw myself against his chest, to tell him I’m sorry. To tell him I’ll fix it. But my legs won’t move. My guilt keeps me nailed to the floor.

This was never supposed to happen.

One of them is dead because of me.

Because I dragged Xavier’s mess into their world.

I glance at Nisa and see tears running silently down her face. She doesn’t bother hiding them anymore. Nobody could. Not after this. The room is silent except for the shuffle of boots, the heavy breathing, and the raw grief hanging thick in the air.

Leo stands at the edge of it all, his face a mask of steel, but his eyes are dark. Broken. He doesn’t speak, doesn’t bark orders. He just stares down at Zero’s body, his jaw locked so tight the muscle jumps in his cheek.

I can’t even look at the others. Rumble’s face is ashen, his hands trembling. Lash keeps pacing like if he stops moving he’ll break. Creek just stares at the wall, eyes glassy, his fists clenching over and over.

And me?

I’m drowning.

The guilt claws its way up my throat until I can barely breathe. Zero’s gone. A good man. A brother. He’s dead because of me. Because I couldn’t leave it alone. Because I thought I could take on Xavier.

I thought I could save those girls.

Instead, I killed one of the same people who was trying to protect me. No matter how they spin it I know the truth. This is my fault.

My eyes blur, hot tears spilling over, but I don’t wipe them away. I don’t deserve to.

Nobody has to tell me what happened out there. I know. Xavier’s hand is all over this. And the blood soaking Spike’s kutte? That’s on me too.

I feel Nisa’s hand grip my arm, steady but trembling. “Jayne,” she whispers, like maybe she can pull me out of the pit I’m falling into.

But I can’t look at her. I can’t look at anyone.

Because all I can think is how selfish I’ve been.

How the fuck can I ask them to do this for me now?

How can I look Spike in the eye and ask him to keep fighting for me, for my cause, when it’s my problem that got Zero killed?

I wanted to help those women. I wanted to make a difference. But all I’ve done is bring death to the only family I’ve ever had.

And I don’t know if any of them will survive what comes next.