Chapter Ten
The thunderstorm that rolled through while they’d slept left the town shimmering, like it was trying to cast aside the seedy underbelly and start fresh. Puddles were scattered all over the streets, mirroring the gloomy sky and the thick gray clouds.
God, Percy really needed to get out of his head. It was spinning from Santiago biting him.
The engine revved a few times, the motorcycle slowing to turn into Sin & Steel’s parking lot.
Out front, dozens of bikes lined the curb like a showroom under the dreary sky. Percy had on a jacket, the air cooling once the storm had passed.
As soon as Santiago parked, Percy hopped off, rubbing his palms over the fabric of his jeans. Cars passed, splashing through puddles, clueless and uncaring of how badly Percy’s hands shook.
“Hey.”
Turning, Percy glanced at Santiago, massive and sexy and so damn protective. Had the guy really proclaimed his love? Jesus. “Yeah?”
Santiago joined him, then tucked his fingers under Percy’s chin, studying him. “We good?”
A bubble of hysterical laughter erupted from Percy’s throat. “A wolf just mated me, said he loved me, and now I’m standing in front of the place that completely wrecked me. I’m simply fabulous.”
Shit. Pull yourself together. Or hell, fall apart. Percy really didn’t give a rat’s ass right now. He was dealing with so many things, he could spin the wheel on a game show and wherever the needle landed, it would only be pointing to one of his many issues.
“We don’t have to be here, carino . No one said you have to face this right now, if ever.”
“Nonsense.”
He waved away Santiago’s hand. “This is your world, your people. You bit me, so now I’m a part of it. Besides, I need a drink.”
He spun on his heel, but only made it as far as the entrance.
If you don’t work past this, Tito wins.
Percy squared his shoulders and walked through the door.
Then took a step back, right into Santiago who had to have been right on his ass.
“We can go,”
he said softly to Percy. “No harm, no foul.”
“No,”
Percy snarled. He’d been telling the truth when he said he was tired of feeling broken. He was going to reclaim his life, even if he had to claw his way through his fears.
That didn’t mean Percy was all bravado now. Sure as hell wasn’t. But if he didn’t take back what was stolen from him, he would always feel lost.
“Can you put your hand on my back?”
he whispered to Santiago. “Give me a little push?”
“I did plenty of pushing an hour ago,”
he said in a low tone. “We can do a quicky by my bike if you want, sexy.”
“You’re a menace,”
Percy hissed, only to realize Santiago had slowly moved them inside as they talked.
Percy looked around and saw just three guys, counting Matias, who was behind the bar, acting like he didn’t see them at the entrance.
That made no sense. There was a row of motorcycles out front. Did everyone suddenly have to use the bathroom at the same time?
He glanced up at Santiago. “What did you do?”
“Me?”
Santiago guided Percy toward the bar. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“Do I need to unleash crazy on you?”
Percy wasn’t an idiot. This place should be packed. Instead, it looked deserted. His jaw tightened when he spotted Elijah peeking around the corner. “Get your ass out here, bestie!”
Percy smacked his hand on the counter. “Tell me what’s going on right now.”
“I need a bourbon,”
Elijah said to Matias as he passed him.
Bullshit. The last time his best friend had ordered one, it’d nearly taken him out. Folding his arms, he glared at Elijah. “Why does it look like a ghost town? The last time we stepped foot inside this place, it was loud music, a wall of muscular tattooed men, and an amazing night of pool.”
“We didn’t want to overwhelm you.”
Elijah slid onto the stool next to him. “This is your first time back here since…”
He shrugged, glancing away.
Aww. Percy was going to melt all over his best friend. That was so sweet, but also unnecessary. “Have I told you how much I miss knocking your balls inside the pool table?”
“Pocket,”
Santiago groaned. “ You pocket balls.”
Elijah snickered because he knew what Percy was doing. “Tell everyone to come out, unless we’re playing a spirited game of hide and seek. If that’s the case, I need a Cosmo,”
Percy announced loudly. “Cosmo!”
Matias glared at Percy.
“Might I have a Cosmos, my dear fella.”
Percy chuckled.
Matias’s features softened. “Coming right up, Perce.”
Santiago sat down behind Percy, leaned in close, and whispered into his ear, “We doing okay?”
“Swear, I’m okay. Just using a little levity to ground myself.”
He placed his hand on his mate’s cheek, giving him a quick kiss. His mate. Percy needed a few drinks before he unpacked that massive ball of unbelievability.
He was mated to a furball. Maybe he was the one who needed a bourbon. It was not only funny, but overwhelming, and he was clinging to levity right now.
“Love you,”
Santiago whispered into his ear.
Percy opened his mouth, ready to confess his love for Santiago, when the room began to fill with men, boots and chairs scraping across the floor. Matias reached under the counter and the next thing Percy knew, the music was blasting through the place.
Then he spotted Suero. Shit. Percy needed to apologize to the guy. He’d only been trying to connect to something he’d never had, and Percy had jumped down the man’s throat.
He slipped off the stool, Santiago’s hand falling away from his back. Percy weaved his way around the men, counting to ten in his head to calm his nerves.
“Good to see you again, Percy,”
a few men said, though he couldn’t remember their names. He smiled tightly, telling himself to keep moving. When he reached where Suero stood—his shoulder against the wall, glancing at his phone—Percy cleared his throat.
Suero’s gaze slowly slid toward him, causing Percy’s heart to pound even louder than the music. Or so it seemed. “I wanted to say I was sorry.”
“What?”
Suero cupped his ear.
“I wanted to say I was sorry,”
Percy yelled.
The guy shook his head, pointing toward the ceiling, like he was saying the music was too loud to hear over.
With a growl, Percy yanked the guy down to him, his fingers curled into Suero’s shirt. “I wanted to say I was sorry for acting like a douche!”
Percy screamed just as the music shut off and everyone turned to stare at him.
Santiago was across the room in seconds, knocking men out of his way, his sharp teeth bared.
Slowly, Percy let Suero go, running his hand over the guy’s shirt to try and wipe away the wrinkles he caused. “Oops.”
The corners of Suero’s mouth turned upward, then he winked. “Heard you the first time. Couldn’t let you off that easy, though.”
“I—!”
Percy deflated. “I deserved that one.”
He narrowed his eyes. “Just don’t be asking my mom to bake you any cookies,”
he whispered.
“Too late.”
Suero chuckled. “She invited me over Friday night for bad movies and junk food.”
Don’t cuss him out. Don’t take the bait.
The music resumed, but a lot of the men still watched them. Percy inched backward, pressing his back into Santiago’s chest. His mate curled an arm around Percy. “You good?”
Percy looked at Suero. The guy was being a shit, but there was something in his eyes that pulled at Percy. “Yeah, we’re good. My long-lost brother was just telling me about some cookies my mom was baking for… us .”
He stopped himself from being petty and saying “me.”
Despite how badly he wanted to throw hands over his mom.
With a roll of his eyes, Percy reached for his phone as it buzzed in his back pocket. His mom was calling. Seriously, did she have some kind of sixth sense that alerted her whenever she became the topic of conversation?
"Hello?" he answered, but the cacophony of blaring music and boisterous chatter from the crowd around him drowned out her words. “Hang on, Mom.”
He weaved his way toward the door, keeping the phone pressed to his ear. His hip bumped a table and he cursed, then winced when he remembered his mom was on the other end.
Finally, he made it outside. The cool air greeted him, a welcome break from the stifling heat in the tavern. He took a deep breath. “All right, I can hear you now. What did you say?”
“Jacob,”
she said in a low, hoarse voice. “Need you.”
Percy’s world spun violently, his heart pounding, his grip on his phone so tight his fingers cramped with pain. “Where is he now?”
he demanded.
Silence. Not a sound came from her side of the call, just an eerie quiet.
“Mom!”
He raced back inside, bumping into men as he made a beeline for Santiago, who was in conversation with Suero.
Santiago’s massive frame absorbed Percy’s impact as he stumbled into him, pointing urgently at his phone. “My mom. She groaned Jacob’s name and said she needed me!”
Percy was on the verge of tears, desperate to reach her.
Suero was out the door, his face a lethal mask of rage.
Matias killed the music and stepped out from behind the bar. “We ride.”
The bar erupted into motion, men abandoning their seats and rushing toward the exit, engines roaring to life seconds later.
Santiago seized Percy’s hand then they sprinted outside, all the while Percy praying for his mother’s safety.
And that Jacob was found. He was fed up with his father tormenting his mother. If Jacob harmed a single hair on Macey’s head, Percy was going to kill him.
* * * *
Santiago swore under his breath as he noticed the swirling lights in his side mirrors. No way in hell was he going to stop for whatever bullshit Deputy Gilmore wanted to stir up. The son of a bitch would have to give chase, because Santiago was determined to reach Macey.
The police car attempted to overtake him, but Santiago accelerated, maneuvering around a cement truck pouring concrete at the intersection. He took a series of turns down different streets, which added a few minutes to his time, but he’d successfully shaken off Gilmore.
By the time he pulled into his driveway, his entire pack had arrived. Percy was off the motorcycle in seconds, racing toward the front door. Suero emerged, blocking Percy from entering.
“Get the fuck out of my way!”
He tried again, only for Suero to block him once more.
“You can’t go in there,”
Suero said gruffly, but Santiago heard the pain in the man’s voice.
God, no.
“She’s my mom!”
Percy shoved at Suero’s chest again and again. “Get out of my way!”
Santiago rushed the steps, grabbing his mate around his waist. “Listen to him, carino.”
“Why?”
Percy shouted, then stiffened. “No, no, no!”
He tore himself away from Santiago, stumbled down the steps, then braced his hands on his knees as he swayed. Then he vomited, collapsing onto his hands and knees, and began to sob.
“She’s not dead,”
Suero said. “You just don’t need to see her like…that.”
Santiago rushed inside then froze. Fuck! Macey lay on the living room floor, clothes torn, her face battered to the point you couldn’t even tell it was her. Splattered blood stained the walls and floors, furniture was overturned, with stuff broken all around.
Matias entered, inhaling sharply. “ Jesús Cristo .”
Suero stood to one side, his fists clenched so tightly his knuckles turned white, his voice trembling with barely contained fury. “I called an ambulance,”
he said through gritted teeth. “I’m going to find him and rip him apart.”
Matias nodded, eyes fixed on Macey. “Tell everyone to hunt him down. I want him brought to the tavern once he’s found.”
Santiago had never heard Matias’s voice carry a mix of anger and anguish. He knew how his alpha felt. Santiago wanted to make Jacob suffer slowly. Macey was barely five feet tall, maybe a hundred and twenty pounds. She was a dainty woman who stood no chance against someone as brutal as Jacob.
Turning away, Santiago walked out, taking a deep breath. Now he understood why Suero had stopped Percy from entering. That scene inside would have haunted his mate forever.
Santiago’s lip curled as Deputy Gilmore rolled through the sea of motorcycles, deliberately parking dead center in the street. Wrong time to stir the wolves. If he was looking for a fight, he’d just cracked open the gates of hell.
Behind him, Matias stepped out of the house.
“He tried to stop me on my way here,”
Santiago said, eyes locked on Gilmore as the deputy climbed out, glancing at the bikes like their very presence insulted him. “I didn’t stop.”
Matias slowly descended the steps, each stride deliberate and coiled with power. Santiago fell in behind him. The last thing he needed was Percy catching even a whiff of this bullshit. His mate was already dealing with too much.
Matias crossed the yard, and Gilmore turned to face him.
“That many bikes on the street is illegal.”
Gilmore’s chin raised, fingers resting on his utility belt.
The side of Matias’s mouth twitched. “Is that so?”
“Your gang needs to move them, or they’ll get ticketed,”
Gilmore continued, briefly glancing at Santiago before focusing back on Matias.
While Gilmore was acting his usual arrogant self, Santiago noticed a hint of hesitation in the cop’s eyes. Understandable when surrounded by over two dozen men.
An ambulance arrived behind the police car, the driver’s eyes widening at the sight of the crowd.
“Looks like you’re the one blocking access, deputy,”
Matias said, stepping closer and lowering his voice. “I suggest you move your cruiser. Now.”
Gilmore huffed, his biceps flexing. What a little bitch.
“Get off my fucking property!”
Percy shouted. “That ambulance is for my mom! Nobody wants you here, you—”
Santiago quickly covered Percy’s mouth, though he felt tempted to let him loose on the deputy.
“Are you seriously gonna block the ambulance just to write tickets?”
Elijah asked, his fists clenched.
The pack started closing in, forming a circle around Gilmore. The deputy glanced around, then snorted. He turned and walked back to his car, slamming the door before driving off, pausing just long enough to glare at Santiago before heading down the street.
The ambulance eased to a stop out front. Two paramedics hopped out, circling to the back of the rig to haul out a stretcher, red lights pulsing.
Neighbors began stepping out of their homes, straining for a glimpse of the commotion.
They wouldn’t see shit.
Macey’s house sat too far back from the street, tucked behind a patchy lawn and flanked by Santiago’s place, which blocked the view from the west. Luckily, the house on her other side was vacant. Across the road, there was a parking lot for some office rentals that’d been sitting empty for a year thanks to a health code disaster.
Macey’s porch action? Basically invisible from curbside.
The paramedics crossed the yard, the pack moving aside for them. Suero met them at the steps and led them inside.
“That pendejo is really pushing it,”
Santiago growled, still fuming over Gilmore’s power trip.
“There’s a time and a place.”
Matias glanced at the pack. They began to disperse back to their bikes, on the hunt for Jacob.
Santiago knew Matias was right, but it didn’t lessen the anger simmering in his gut. He took a deep breath, trying to center himself. He sent up a silent prayer to the universe, to whatever gods might be listening, that Macey pulled through.
When the EMTs came out with Macey on the stretcher, Santiago joined Percy and wrapped his arms around him. “Please, don’t look,”
he urged. Percy clung tightly to him while Matias blocked Elijah’s view of Macey’s condition.
“We’ll follow them,”
Santiago assured Percy, aware that he would eventually have to face seeing his mom. But for now, Santiago wanted to shield him for as long as he could. He also felt a burning desire to hunt down Jacob and return the favor. He should’ve punched him harder that day on the porch. Knocked his head clean off his shoulders.
He still might get the chance once Jacob was found and brought to the tavern, though Santiago wasn’t so sure if it was Suero who found him first.