Chapter Three
Wrath
Ten minutes after my phone call from Blade, I’m striding towards the office inside Inferno’s. I know Blade; I know he wouldn’t have called me down here unless it was important. Blade’s fucking resourceful and will always handle everything he can before he’ll call anyone else in. The fact that it’s me, his President he’s called, is telling. What the fuck am I about to walk into?
When I got off the phone and told Flame, who’s not only an Enforcer like Blade but also my husband, that I needed to come down here because Blade asked, he was immediately concerned. That’s how rare something like this happens. We all know Blade wouldn’t be calling for no reason. That’s the reason I’m not here alone. Flame’s with me. My husband is nothing if not protective, and I can’t blame him after everything we’ve been through. I’m just as protective of him. We’ve had enough close calls lately. Letting each other go off into unknown situations isn’t something either of us is comfortable with. Kidnappings and near-death experiences will do that.
Trying the office door, I find it locked. Which concerns me; I know Blade is in there. I was told when I got here by one of my employees working the doors. So why the fuck is it locked? Grabbing my keys, I unlock the door, take a fortifying breath, and enter. Flame is right behind me.
I don’t know what I was expecting to find, but it certainly wasn’t Blade sitting on the couch next to some woman I’ve never met before, talking. Hearing us enter, Blade glances in our direction and gives me a tight smile.
“What’s going on, Blade?” I ask as I walk towards the desk and perch on the edge.
“Prez, this is Sera.” He stops, looking a little nervous.
What is it about this woman that”s making him nervous? It’s clear to me that she’s the reason I’m here, but why? I’ve never met her before that I’m sure of.
“Sera, the one perched on the desk is Wrath, and by the door is his husband, Flame.”
“It’s nice to meet you both.” She says, making sure to look us both in the eye.
“Are one of you going to tell us why we’re here?” I ask a little impatiently.
They glance towards each other, shrugging and having some sort of conversation with their eyes. What the fuck? They”ve just met and are already communicating without using words. This situation is getting weirder by the minute.
“Okay.” Blade says, turning his attention back to us. “Sera is your sister.”
Wow. What? Wait a second, did he just say she’s my sister? That gets my feet moving, and before I know it, I’m standing in front of her, taking in all her features, and I can see it in her looks. Other than her blonde hair, she has so many features that match mine.
“The rest, Blade.” Flame grits out from the door.
So focused on Sera, I failed to notice Blade is still tense as fuck, and I know that means there’s more. Neither of them speak, though; Sera just clicks something on her phone.
By the time the recording is finished, I’m ready to go out and cause a major bloodbath. Patricia and Sabbatini are fucking living on borrowed time if I get my hands on them. Fucking scum of the earth, both of them. Flame isn’t happy with what he’s heard either; he’s pacing the room.
”Well, that’s going to go down like a led fucking balloon with Dad and Shadow.”
“That’s a fucking understatement, babe. Your brother might be a jokester a lot of the time, but we both know how much family means to him.”
“I know. I need to make sure he doesn’t go off the deep end when he finds out.”
“There’s an easy way to ensure that, Prez.” Blade says, chiming into the conversation.
“Wreck.” We all say in union.
Sera looks at us all in shock before she starts laughing. Once she’s stopped, I explain to her that Wreck is Shadow’s best friend, and if anyone is going to be able to stop Shadow from doing something crazy, it will be him. Even me being Shadow’s twin has nothing on the bond he has with Wreck.
“What about Dad?” Sera asks anxiously.
“Dad will take it in his stride; it’s who he is. His focus will be on you until the time comes to deal with them two.”
Sera”s eyes shine with something I can only describe as longing; it doesn”t take a genius to figure out she’s probably never had a parent treat her the way they should. It makes me all the more grateful for my Dad, but I can’t help but feel for Sera not having him growing up. I know I can’t change my sister’s past, but I can sure as fuck make sure she’s surrounded by family that cares about her in the future.
“Right, plan of action. I need to go and talk to my Dad and Shadow. Flame, can you take Sera back to our place? No offense, Sera, but you look shattered.”
”Just a little; I haven’t slept since I overheard that conversation yesterday.”
”Yeah, you need to go and rest. Go on; Flame will take you home.”
She stands, but before she leaves, she leans over and kisses Blade’s cheek, whispering something only he can hear. Whatever she says causes a smile to break out across his face. I’m relieved when I see it. Blade has been through hell, and seeing Sera make him smile is fucking great. Hopefully having Sera around will help Blade after all the shit he’s dealt with lately. I hate how he’s been hiding out to avoid conflict. He might not have said anything, but I know him. He’s keeping his distance from The Clubhouse to try and make things easier for me. It’s something that I know I’m going to need to address if it carries on, but maybe with Sera’s arrival, Blade will be around more. They seem to have some understanding and connection between them already.
Once they’ve left, I go and flop down next to Blade. I need a minute to figure out how to tip my Dad and brother’s worlds upside down. I never thought I’d be in this situation, that’s for sure. I’m not complaining, though. I like the fact that Sera’s here, and I’m going to get the chance to get to know my sister. Hopefully, she’ll choose to stick around even once we’ve dealt with her problem.
By the time I get home, it’s well after midnight, and the house is quiet. More than likely, everyone’s in bed and asleep. The only person who is more than likely still awake is Flame. No doubt waiting to speak to me in private.
As I enter our bedroom, I find him in bed, flicking through his phone. He looks up as soon as he hears the door close behind me. His blue eyes light up at the sight of me. I”ll never grow tired of seeing that look in his eyes every time he looks at me.
“How’d it go?” He asks as he places his phone on the nightstand and runs the other hand through his messy blonde hair.
“Exactly how we thought it would.” I say as I start stripping out of my clothes, disregarding how hard I”m getting watching my husband relax in our bed. “How was Sera when you got back?”
“Good. Need to get rid of the car she arrived in, though. She switched hers before she got here, but we both know it won’t take Sabbatini long to figure out what vehicle she ended up with.”
“She was smart to do that.” I can’t help but feel a little proud that she even thought to do that. It certainly should make it harder for Sabbatini to find her. At least until he bribes whoever sold her the car she drove here. I have zero doubts that he will.
“Yeah. She seems like she’s had a hard life.” Flame comments, sounding sad. No doubt thinking about the fucked-up shit that happened to him growing up.
”Yeah, but I’m sure she’ll tell us about it all when she’s comfortable.”
Flame hums and pulls the covers back so I can climb in bed next to him. I don’t waste a minute climbing in next to him and resting my head on his chest over his heart. Ever since he almost died, I have been falling asleep listening to his heartbeat. It reminds me that he’s still here, alive and well. As much as I want to do something about how hard I am, I ignore it. After tonight”s revelations, I just need to feel Flame”s arms wrapped around me and get some sleep. Tomorrow is going to be a busy day.