Chapter Twenty-Six

NYCTO

Suddenly, the blasting of more weapons roars through the clubhouse, taking mine and Andrés’s attention. Andrés lowers his weapon as Hawk and the Miami brothers swarm in, shooting everything to high hell. Energy swarms through me as Andrés grumbles and glares at me, then takes off.

I need a gun.

Something to kill that fucker with.

Reaching around the bar, I search for the hidden Glock, checking it’s loaded.

My eyes meet Hawk’s, and he smirks. I dip my chin in thanks, then turn, taking off after Andrés. He runs toward the stairs to the lower bunker where the girls are located. Fear almost cripples me, but I won’t let it win. Instead, I run faster, putting all my energy into getting to him before he can do any damage.

My feet race down the stairs faster than I thought possible, my gun at the ready, but when I enter the lower bunker, the air is stripped from my lungs as a gunshots echo through the hall. All oxygen leaves me as I snap my head in that direction, hoping like hell I’m not too late. The girls are screaming their lungs out, and the thud of a body collapsing to the floor has my skin turning cold. I round the corner to see a woman on the ground, a single bullet wound to a mangled head of brown hair. Freya.

Instant relief hits me, which is a shitty emotion to feel when a member of your club is lying dead before you.

But it’s not Eva.

That’s all that matters.

Rushing down inside the Chamber, my eyes lock onto Eva, but I don’t have a second to run for her before she lashes out, racing for Andrés. His gun is still up from shooting Freya. Eva is screaming obscenities at him in her native tongue—“ Tú maldito co?o! ”—while Trix and Stacey push Ivy behind them. Pepper is white as a sheet and can’t seem to take her eyes off Freya.

“Eva!” I yell, rushing for her before she gets to him, but it’s too late. Andrés turns, grabbing Eva as she tries to throw a fist at his face, but he simply ducks out of the way. She drops to the side with the force of the miss, and he grabs her waist, pulling her back to him in a tight grip, aiming his gun at her head while Ivy and the club girls cower in the corner. With the barrel of the gun against her temple, Eva raises her hands in defeat. The glare Ivy sends him makes me concerned she’ll try to take him on next. I shake my head subtly, warning her to back down as I slow my approach and raise my hands.

“Let her go, Andrés,” I call out, taking slow, purposeful steps into the room.

“Did that once before. You think I’m gonna do it again so easily?”

“You and your lackeys are outnumbered. There’s no way you’re making it out of here with her.”

“Then I’m not making it out of here at all. It’s with the sisters, or I die trying.”

Andrés edges forward, and I step into his path, stopping him. “Get your fucking hands off her.”

He moves his gun from Eva’s temple to wave it around like a madman while keeping a firm grip on her with his other hand, his focus solely on me. “You think I won’t shoot you in front of them all? Then what? How will you save your precious cargo then, Nycto?”

“You don’t have to do this, Andrés. You can walk away… pretend you never saw them.”

“But I did. I did see them, and I know their worth . Do you? Do you understand how rare they are?” My brow furrows. “You knew the price for them was more than double normal. You didn’t question it at all? Surely, you’re smarter than that.”

I glance over at Eva, a shudder running over my body. Shit. I knew Andrés’s girls normally sold for around fifty thousand. Why hadn’t I considered that maybe there was a good reason, and it wasn’t just some asshole tax for losing the packages in the first place?

“What’s he talking about, Nycto?” Eva murmurs.

“It’s eating at you now, isn’t it?” Andrés goads. “Crawling under your skin, clawing at you to find out.”

I grit my teeth. “Shut up, Andrés.”

“Tell me,” Ivy calls out.

Fuck.

Andrés cackles. I have no idea what the reason is, but knowing it could be worse for them. Sometimes shit is better off unknown.

“You’re sisters. You’re special for the same reason… but also slightly different.”

Ivy figures it out before I do. “Genetics?”

“Exactly.”

“How could our genetics possibly be of use to you? Medical research? Unless… you want our blood.”

That sounds like some real bullshit right there.

“ Golden blood ,” Andrés whispers.

“Ivy? We may need someone to explain,” Eva adds.

Ivy steps toward her sister. “You and I have Rhnull phenotype. Our blood is incredibly rare and effectively makes us universal donors.”

Eva’s gaze snaps to Ivy as does everyone else’s in the room. Andrés sighs in contentment.

“So smart. So pure. Ivy, this is why you’re worth more than your sister. You’d make excellent breeding stock for the right buyer. You wouldn’t believe what some people will pay for a virgin.”

Ivy’s face turns bright red as she wraps her arms around herself. Ivy was the higher-priced one? Not Eva?

“That’s none of your damn business,” Eva yells, her fists clenching at her sides. She jerks away from Andrés, but he merely tightens his hold on her. “My sister’s sex life is nothing to you, you pervertido repugnante! ” You repugnant pervert!

Andrés cackles from deep in his belly—he finds Eva amusing. He pulls Eva against his body, and that movement makes me see red. It takes everything in me not to launch at him and punch his cock into the middle of his fucking torso. “That’s literally my job… to know everything about the women I sell. And that little car accident you had left your medical records wide open. We know Ivy’s the full package. Brains, beauty, and ready to bed.”

“Christ,” I murmur under my breath.

“ Bastardo, ” Eva yells, resuming her struggle.

He presses his gun into the side of Eva’s temple. His eyes, however, fixate on Ivy. “Ivy, come with me, or I shoot.”

“Like hell you will,” I blast.

Andrés inches forward, his finger twitching on the trigger.

Ivy hesitates but steps willingly into Andrés’s arms. He quickly shoves Eva away from him, causing her to stumble slightly with the force of his thrust. “I’ll just take this one, then. The proceeds of your sale will more than make up for my investment. You seem attached to the sister, Nycto, so keep her. A show of good faith.”

“Good faith? You think I’m gonna let you walk out of here alive with Ivy?” I grunt.

“I think you don’t have a choice.”

My gun aims directly at Andrés, while his points at Eva. I have only one second to decide, so I do. “Fine. You win, Andrés. Take the girl.”

Eva gasps. “No… Nycto, no. How could you ?”

I lower my gun.

As Andrés moves off, Eva’s eyes well, overflowing with tears as she whispers, “No… no.” Trixie holds her tightly, making sure she doesn’t go after Andrés. Eva glares at me, the hatred in her eyes palpable.

Andrés edges past me, and as he does, I raise my gun slightly and pull the trigger. The bullet slams into his thigh. He drops to the floor, screaming, and his gun goes off in the process. I rush in and pull Ivy away, grabbing his weapon and kicking his knee for good measure. He wails in pain as I aim both guns at his head.

Andrés’s pleading eyes lock onto mine. “Just kill me, Nycto,” he pants out in a pathetic plea.

I snicker. “I have something much, much better planned for you. You won’t get out of this so easily.” I turn to Ivy. “I’m gonna need your room for a bit.” I grab him forcefully and drag him into the Cell, leaving a trail of blood in his wake, then use the attached cuffs to cuff him to the pole. I slam the brick wall shut, entombing him inside.

“Eva?” Ivy whispers.

“Ivy?” Her whispered whimper catches my attention. Red has bloomed across Eva’s chest, soaking her shirt. She looks at her blood-soaked hands, then falls to the floor, limp as a discarded ragdoll. Her hand clenches to her chest as she gasps for air. My heart slams hard, then stops a beat as fear cripples me. Before I can move, Stace is there, pressing hard on Eva’s chest as blood pools beneath her body. Ivy’s there next.

“We need to see the wound,” Ivy says, ripping off her shirt. “On the count of three, remove your hand so I can see, then use this to slow the bleeding. One, two, three.”

Eva’s eyes meet mine as the blood runs away from her like a goddamn river. “Fuck, Eva, stay with me!”

I can’t look away from those gorgeous brown eyes, her usually tanned skin paling. Meanwhile, Ivy seems in complete control. “Stace, on three, roll her on her side toward you so I can check for an exit wound. One, two, three… no exit wound. Shit .”

She’s been shot in the upper chest. We have to get her to the hospital. How close did it get to her heart? Snapping out of my stupor, I focus on what we need to do next.

“Stacey, keep pressure on the wound,” I say. “Trix, Pepper, I don’t fucking care who, race ahead and find Nerve if he’s still alive. Fuck . If you find him, tell him I’m coming in hot. Ivy, stay close.”

Adrenaline soars through me as I bend, hoisting Eva up into my arms.

All three club girls run off ahead of us as Ivy and I race toward the stairs.

“C’mon, Eva, you’re gonna be okay,” I tell her.

Ivy’s eyes flood with tears as we take the stairs together. Her sister means everything to both of us. We can’t lose her now, not like this.

We reach the top of the stairs, and Nerve rushes over with Trixie. “Put her on the table,” he instructs.

Trixie pushes the condiment shakers off the table, and they clang on the floor as I lay Eva down flat. My muscles tense as I watch her limp form, knowing there’s absolutely nothing I can do to help her right now.

Nerve shoves me out of the way and steps in to assess her. I step back, running my bloodied hands through my hair as everyone rushes over to see what’s going on. Luckily, the fighting up here has stopped. Ivy moves to my side and wraps her arms around my waist, tears streaming down her face and her bottom lip trembling as she watches on. Normally, the move would make me uncomfortable, but right now, I could do with some comfort.

We all stand back as Nerve works on Eva. “I can’t do this here, Pres. The bullet is in too far. We have to take her to my clinic.”

“Do whatever you have to. You know how fucking important she is to me.”

His eyes meet mine. There’s nothing but reservation in them, and it scares the absolute shit out of me.

I grit my teeth, needing to get my point across. “Let me be clear, Nerve. You save her. It’s not an option. Save her .”

“Spark, grab the cage. I need transport now,” Nerve calls out. He turns back, packing gauze from the bar’s first-aid kit into her chest.

I walk over and stand above her head, leaning down to look into her eyes. Smoothing my hands down her cheeks to calm her, I try to ignore the streaks of blood left in their wake. “You’re gonna be fine, chiquita . Nothing will happen to you. You have to believe me.”

A fat tear rolls down her face. Her breaths are shallow but fast, her eyes glazed.

I lean down, pressing a kiss to her forehead. She’s pasty. I hate the fact that all I can do is stand here, holding her. “I got you, Eva. I got you.” I just need Spark to hurry the fuck up with the transport. “What’s the ETA on the fucking—”

That’s when I hear tires screeching outside the bunker. I clench my eyes, relief flooding through me. I lean down, my eyes meeting Eva’s. “Help’s here, chiquita. Just hold on.”

Spark rushes in with Whiskey at his side. They clear a path, pushing bodies out of the way to get to us. “The cage is ready, Nerve,” Spark advises.

“Your med gear is all inside,” Whiskey adds.

Nerve pushes me out of the way as Whiskey hands Nerve some kind of medical machine. “Sorry, Pres, we need room to move.”

I stand back as they get to work. They hook sticky patches onto her chest, the machine registering her heartbeat as I stand back with Void and Ivy watching on helplessly.

“Fucking hell. I did this,” I murmur as they hoist her onto a makeshift stretcher.

Ivy wraps her arm around me. “You deflected the gun, Nycto. You couldn’t have known it would go off.”

“No, I brought this damn war down on us. If I didn’t give in to Eva and take her to the damn beach, we wouldn’t have been made. All these deaths, maybe even Eva’s, are on me.”

They begin moving her out of the clubhouse as Ivy and Void say nothing to defend my realization.

They say nothing because I am right.

This is all on me.

We follow Nerve, Spark, and Whiskey out to the cage.

Whiskey and Nerve load Eva, and Spark looks at me. “You coming, Pres?”

As much as I want to go, need to go, I am their president, and there’s so much shit happening here that I need to deal with first. Nerve is a fully qualified doctor, with nerves of steel. I trust him with my life, so I trust him to make all the right decisions for Eva. And she’ll have Ivy right by her side. I’ll make sure of it.

“Ivy, you need to be there. I trust you to make all Eva’s medical decisions. I have to make sure everything is okay here, then I’ll meet you guys at the clinic as fast as my bike will carry me.”

“You sure, brother?” Nerve asks.

“No, but it’s for the best. Nerve, you watch over her, and Ivy? I’m trusting you. ”

He grips my shoulder. “I got her, brother, but we’ve got to go.”

Thank you, Ivy mouths, then they both turn and jump up into the back of the cage. I stand at the back, looking on as they work on her. “I’ll be with you soon, Eva. Hold on.”

Spark edges past me, closing the door and shutting her from my view. My stomach rolls with nerves. Every part of me wants to be in there with her. It’s killing me, but I need to be club president right now. I’ve failed on that front, and I need to make sure things are taken care of before I can do anything else.

The cage takes off, and I kick into gear. The quicker I get this shit done, the faster I can be by her side.

As I hurry back inside, walking past the rubble, I take in the state of my clubhouse. The main entry to the bunker is demolished. There are bodies everywhere.

Crow’s body catches my attention. He was walking to the bar for a beer, and the falling debris landed right on him. I bend down, brush some of the dust and building crap from his cut, then place my hand on his patch. “I’m so fucking sorry, brother.”

My chest squeezes, remembering all the good times I had with Crow. Of all the shit he gave me. Of all the laughter we shared. He may have been old, but his time wasn’t up, not by a long shot. Now he’s dead, and I know who is to blame. His club president. Me.

Rolling my shoulders, I make my way over to Hawk. It’s a somber scene as the Miami brothers gather around their fallen brother, Spite. A single bullet wound penetrates his skull. My stomach falls at the heavy loss Miami must be feeling.

I feel their loss too.

Fuck.

I slide in beside Hawk. “Brother…”

Hawk turns, glaring at me. “Tell me this shit is worth it, Nycto. Tell me her pussy is worth all these lives.” He gestures at the men, ours and Andrés’s, strewn over the floor. “If you ain’t gonna Old Lady this bitch, so help me God, I’ll gut you right here.”

I’d be lying if I said I hadn’t thought about making Eva my Old Lady. Maybe it’s time I made this shit official. We haven’t talked about it—I’m not even sure if she wants the life or if she understands what it means to be an Old Lady, but I want this. I want her by my side. No one understands me more than Eva.

But I need her to see me—all of me—before I ask this of her.

I’ll need to show her the darkness.

“She’s worth everything, brother,” I say to Hawk. “It kills me that we both lost men today for a war I started, but Hawk… to me, she is worth it.”

His nostrils flare, but he grips my shoulder. “I sure fucking hope so.”

I glance at Spite. “He was a good man.”

“The fucking best.”

Silence falls over us as we bow our heads for our fallen brother. Spite is dead because of me. He gave his life for Eva, hopefully my soon-to-be Old Lady, and for that, I am forever grateful. Just like Crow gave his life. He’s been a member of Tampa Defiance longer than any of us. We’ll give him a proper send-off for an honorable death, just like Hawk will for Spite.

My eyes shift to Hawk. “I owe you. Big time. How did you know?”

“Torque. He gave me a kick up the ass, reminded me of our years of friendship. Sent me up here to keep an eye on your asses after your call to him. Make sure you didn’t cause any more trouble. ’Course, when we got here, your bunker was already blown to shit. You need a keeper, Nycto. Right now, I’d like to punch the fuckin’ dumb outta you.” He shakes his head. “Dealing in the flesh trade. Christ.”

“Yeah. I deserve it.”

“We’ve both lost men today. How ’bout we start with a fuckin’ beer instead?”

I dip my chin, and we turn toward the bar, where Stacey is wiping it down like we’re not surrounded by a fucking bomb site. “Stace, beers for Miami, and keep ’em coming.”

“Sure thing, Pres.”

“Gotta admit…” Hawk stands next to me, throwing his arm around my shoulders. “That was one hell of a fight, brother.”

“Yeah, but next time, I’ll come in and save your ass.”

He lifts his beer to clink with mine. “Deal. Hope your woman pulls through.”

“Me too. I hope you understand. I need to roll out of here.”

Hawk dips his chin. “You care about her.”

“More than I ever thought possible.”

“Go. Be by her side. We’ll help with cleanup. This place has sure gone to shit since you moved in, brother.”

Despite all that’s on my mind, I can’t help but chuckle. “Fuck, Hawk, I appreciate—”

“Shut the fuck up. Just go.”

I exhale, dipping my chin in a gesture of thanks, then hightail it the fuck out of there.