Chapter 11 #2
I felt someone brush my hair away from my face, the fingers more slender than Lee’s, and then a soft pair of lips touched my forehead. Shaw. He didn’t say a word but remained close, his forehead resting to mine.
“Did you guys get her stuff?” Lee asked.
Huh?
“Shaw got me in. Found whatever I could of hers and shoved it in this hockey bag,” Meredith said. “I’m gonna check on Amelie, then bring you guys some of Haldon’s sweats to change into. You all okay sleeping out here?”
“We’ll be fine,” Vail said from somewhere close by.
“Like old times…” His voice was gentle at those words, his tone completely different than it had been since I arrived back here.
In the background, I could hear everyone quietly shuffling around, and I peeked through my lashes to see that they’d moved the coffee table aside and were laying out several quilts onto the floor as cushioning from the hard surface.
Haldon appeared in a pair of sweats, his chest bare and what seemed like tribal markings tattooed over his chest and upper arms. He was carrying an armload of pillows and extra clothes for the guys to change into.
Behind me, Lee stirred, carefully moving me into his arms and lifting me before I felt the soft touch of the blankets beneath me. I rolled onto my side, cradling a pillow beneath my head, feeling so perfectly safe and… it was weird, as well as nostalgic. Vail was right. It was like old times.
I laid still, halfway between asleep and awake, my brain slowly trying to register what was happening.
“Who was that one guy?” Haldon asked suddenly, and for some reason, a chilly silence followed his question. “The biker that showed up with the Beasts? He wasn’t wearing a cut like the others...”
“I don’t fucking know,” Vail murmured, sounding perturbed.
Who the hell were they talking about that even Vail seemed scared?
“Whoever he was, he didn’t give a shit that we were just high school kids.
Seeing him grab Bryce and…” Vail's voice grew tight, his stony demeanor faltering fast. “I actually felt bad for that fucker. I know he was Hunter’s closest ally, but holy shit…”
A pair of footsteps came back into the room. “You guys talking about that scary-ass motherfucker who used the chainsaw on-”
“Yeah,” Haldon quickly cut her off, sounding sick. “That guy…”
More silence followed until finally, Meredith spoke again, though she sounded severely shaken, “If Elias has guys like that working for him… even with Maverick and his guys backing us, what can we do?”
“Fucking survive, and fight like hell to save as many as we can,” Vail sighed heavily, “I know it’s dangerous as fuck.
Hell, I don’t blame anyone for backing out.
Especially you guys… you both have a kid to think about.
But, if the cops can’t do anything or those fucking assholes in City Hall…
then it’s up to us to defend our own. Girls keep getting taken, and I’m sick of everyone turning their heads away just because they’re from Harley. ”
Everyone was quiet until Haldon murmured, “Let’s all get some rest, yeah? I’m beat, and Amelie has been getting up early in the mornings. Thank fuck for Mamie...” I could hear his footsteps padding away down the hall.
“I agree. Rest up, guys, we’ll talk tomorrow, alright?” Meredith said gently. “Tonight wasn’t a failure. That fact that we tried is more than anyone else has done.”
“Night, Mer,” Lee said, and her footsteps disappeared down the hall.
As I laid there, I could feel the guys shifting around me for a few minutes, the sounds of material telling me that they were changing. As much as I wanted to have a look, I didn’t want to be caught eavesdropping. So I laid as still as could be, breathing softly, hoping I was convincing enough.
“Shaw, I know you want to but…” Vail’s voice trailed off a little, and it worried me how disturbed he sounded, “... but I need her tonight.”
Shaw remained quiet for a few seconds before his gravelly whisper broke the silence, “Go ahead, brother.”
I felt the blankets shift a little, and then a pair of arms were wrapping around me, rolling me over and pulling me in.
Vail held me tight, turning my face into his neck so that he could bury his nose into my hair.
He took a deep breath and released a long, shuddering sigh.
His body was tense for a moment before he finally relaxed.
I felt him cover us with a blanket, and I sensed the other two settling in around us.
For a long while, no one said anything. We just laid there, like we’d done so many times before, safe together once more.
“Vail,” Shaw rasped.
“Yeah?” His voice was sleepy, relaxed, and for once, sounded content. I nestled in a little closer, feeling like I was home in his arms.
Shaw paused for a moment before whispering, “We’re keeping her now, right?”
From behind us, I could hear Lee suck in a sharp breath, then stop, as though he was holding it as he waited with anticipation for an answer.
I felt Vail’s lips in my hair, his nose lightly skimming along my temple, before he breathed, “Yes.”