CHAPTER TWELVE

SIX

A Couple of Days Later

The call I’ve been waiting for from Shotgun just isn’t coming, and it’s making me even more nervous. I know Rebel made it to Phoenix. Phantom has checked in with me, but I’m anxious that I haven’t heard anything from Rebel or Shotgun. Either it means she didn’t tell Shotgun everything, so he isn’t mad. Or she did tell him everything, and he is plotting my death as we speak.

Sitting at the bar, drinking, I wait for Scout to come and brief me on how the rest of the shipments are progressing. So far, everything else at the club is running smoothly, especially since I called a Church and demanded all illegal shit was to be taken off club property immediately and sent straight back to the distribution center—where it is supposed to be handled.

Now, it’s just my personal life that’s taking a dive headfirst into a royal pit of despair.

Amber steps up beside me, placing her hand on my arm with a weak smile. “I am so sorry that Thayleah and the kids left. Is there anything I can do for you?”

I don’t need this fucking shit right now.

In fact—fuck it!

Time to action this bullshit.

“Amber, you need to move out. We have an almost furnished apartment. The essentials are there. I don’t believe Bradley will be a threat to you. There’s no reason for you to be here anymore because the kids aren’t here. It’s time for you to start making it on your own.”

Her eyes well with tears. “But I thought—”

“What? What did you think, Amber?” I snap back at her.

She stands, her face falling in disappointment. “I thought we had a connection. Right back at the gas station, I felt it… didn’t you?”

Oh, for fuck’s sake.

I roll my eyes, puffing out my chest in utter annoyance. “Amber, my Old Lady has been gone a matter of days, and you’re trying this on, now? Get the fuck out! You’re lucky I’m even giving you a place to stay at this point.” I turn away from her to make my stand. I know she is still behind me. I can hear her breathing quicken like she’s panicking, but I won’t help her this time. Turning back around, her hand braces the bar near my drink, and her face is pale, but I don’t care. “Are you fucking deaf? Didn’t you hear me? Get. The. Fuck. Out!” I yell, and her body jerks as she glares at me, then races off toward the bedrooms, I’m assuming to grab her shit.

I’ll give her half an hour.

If she’s not gone by then, I’ll kick her out myself.

I don’t have the patience for this shit, nor the tolerance. I’m not in the fucking mood right now to babysit a woman who can’t take a motherfucking hint. A woman who is partially responsible for my family not being here.

Spinning back, I reach for my glass, desperate to feel the burn that the whiskey will bring. It’s the only thing that makes me feel anything at the moment other than undeniable fucking rage and resentment. Throwing back some more of the amber liquid, my sister, Prinie, cautiously approaches, taking a seat beside me. “Well… that looked intense,” she quips.

Huffing out an obnoxious laugh, I throw back the rest of my drink, then slam my glass to the counter. “I finally told her to get the fuck out. I’m sick of her bullshit.”

Prinie grins, her eyes widening in delight. “About damn time. Though, I hope your dumb ass hasn’t left it too late.”

Craning my neck to the side, I sigh. “Yeah, I fucking hope not.” I devour the last of my drink and slide it across the bar toward Nessie. She picks it up and takes the glass toward the dishwasher.

“Look, I know shit around here is tense, and I know Thayleah leaving was hard. But she will come back. She’s the First Lady of this club. She has to come back.”

My chest squeezes tighter, my breath becoming a little shorter at the thought. “What if she doesn’t? Come back… I mean,” I put my fears out there for my sister to hear.

Prinie grips my hand, looking me in the eyes. “She will. She adores you, Koda. She loves this club. Once Amber is gone, she’ll feel better.”

I cough a little, my throat feeling tight. “But it’s not just Amber. It’s the club as well. She thinks the kids aren’t safe here. And I can’t tell her she’s wrong. They’re never going to be completely safe here. Are they?”

Prinie sighs. “That’s the price we pay. But out in the real world, kids are never really safe, either. No one is ever truly safe. There are dangers lurking everywhere. Just here, they’re a different kind.”

Amber storms into the clubroom, her eyes blazing as she hefts her luggage, throwing a final glare in my direction. “Thanks for nothing, Six. You reap what you sow,” she spits, striding toward the door as if she’s tossing a match behind her, ready to watch the place go up in a raging inferno.

I scoff, the sound coming out rougher than I intended, and shake my head, the muscles in my neck suddenly pulling tight, sending sharp, stabbing pain shooting down my spine. I reach up, trying to rub away the tension, but it doesn’t help. “The lack of gratitude for the shit I’ve done for that woman is fucking astounding,” I grumble, my voice barely hiding the anger simmering beneath. But even as I speak, something feels off, like a pressure building inside my chest, too tight, too heavy.

Prinie, standing close, shrugs, her voice barely audible. “People did try to warn you, Six.”

I force a laugh, but it sticks in my throat, turning into a cough that rips through my lungs like I’ve swallowed fire. What the hell is happening? The coughs won’t stop, and my chest feels like it’s being crushed. Panic flares inside me. I try to pull in a breath, but it’s like the air isn’t reaching my lungs. I freeze, my wide eyes locking onto Prinie’s, attempting to tell her something’s seriously wrong without words.

She must see it because her face goes pale as she rushes toward me, her hand hitting my back, trying to help.

But it’s no use.

I can’t breathe.

My chest seizes, the muscles in my neck and shoulders knotting so tight I can barely move.

And then—boom—my legs give out.

My body spasms, jerking uncontrollably as I collapse onto the floor. It’s like my body isn’t mine anymore, every muscle locking up, my limbs twisting and tightening as if they’re being torn apart from the inside. My vision blurs, and all I can feel is pain.

Pure, relentless pain.

“Jesus! Zero, Nessie… someone call 911!” Prinie’s voice is a high-pitched blur, and she drops down beside me, her hands on my shoulder, trying to calm me, but her touch is barely noticeable through the agony flooding my system.

I’m burning up, every inch of me on fire. My skin is drenched in sweat as I try to focus on anything but the searing pain. My thoughts slip to Thayleah and the kids, my heart racing with fear.

I can’t leave them.

I can’t leave them like this.

“Koda, I’m here, I’m right here.” Prinie’s voice is trembling now, her hand gently lowering me onto my side as my body convulses, muscles so taut I feel like I’m being torn apart. My jaw locks, teeth grinding so hard it feels like they’ll crack under the pressure. Every limb is rigid, locked in place, while the spasms continue to rack through me.

I can’t breathe.

I can’t fucking breathe.

My chest tightens, oxygen slipping away faster than I can drag it in. My vision tunnels, black creeping in from the edges, and I catch something—someone shouting—before it’s drowned out by the sound of my own rapid heartbeat.

It’s Nessie —someone says she’s down too.

I don’t even have time to process what that means before everything goes dark.

The pain fades, swallowed by the blackness that takes over completely.

And suddenly, I can’t feel anything anymore…