Chapter 24 Bones #2
“No.” I shake my head. “We absolutely would have worked. We would have been a disaster. But it would have been our disaster. Don’t ever think for a second that I would have preferred you chained to this town instead of out there, being a star.
Never.” The truth runs hot under my skin.
“I am so goddamned proud of everything you did. I watched you chase that dream until you broke the sound barrier, and I was happy to wait. I was happy to love you from here, for as long as it took.”
Emma half-laughs, half-sniffs, rubs her face hard with her hands, and sits up so fast water sloshes onto the floor.
“Why are you always so fucking noble? Can’t you just be a selfish asshole for once, Bones?
Just tell me you wished I’d stayed. Tell me you wanted me here and you resented every second I was gone.
For once in your goddamn life, tell me you’re mad at me. ”
I stare at her, this mess of salt and anger and beauty, and I want to reach through all the years of missed chances and pull her back to me.
“Of course I wanted you here,” I say, low and rough.
“But I wanted you to want it, too. If you’d come home for me, you’d have fit yourself into a box just to make me happy, and that would kill me.
So yeah, I missed you. I hated not having you here.
But I wanted you whole, even if I couldn’t have you at all. ”
Her face crumples and she covers it with her wet hands, shoulders shaking. I reach in and pull her up, water and all, wrapping my arms around her as she sobs into my shirt.
“I’m sorry,” she gasps. “I’m sorry I left. I’m sorry I wasted all that time—”
“Stop.” I hold her tighter. “You didn’t waste anything. You lived your life. You became exactly who you were supposed to become. And now you’re here because you’re ready to be here, not because someone forced you.”
“But what if I’d never come back? What if I’d just—”
“You were always going to come back, swan.” I shift so I can look at her.
“You said it yourself earlier. You’re the girl who comes home.
It’s in your marrow, remember? In your blood.
You’re the club princess. You were always going to come back, Emma.
” I press a kiss to her forehead. “And now you’re here. And I’m not letting you go.”
She wraps her arms around my neck, not caring that she’s getting me soaked. “Promise?”
“Promise.”
We stay like that for a minute, then there’s a soft knock on the door.
“Everyone decent?” Maggie’s voice.
“Depends on your definition,” I call back.
The door cracks open and Maggie peers in, taking in the scene—Emma half in the tub, me soaked and kneeling on the floor. “Well, this is a picture. Come on, let’s get her out before she turns into a prune.”
Between the two of us, we get Emma out of the tub and wrapped in a towel. Maggie ushers me out while she helps Emma dry off and get into the clean clothes she brought—a Stoneheart MC t-shirt and a pair of sweatpants.
I wait in the bedroom, changing out of my wet shirt into a dry one from the stash in the dresser. When they emerge, Emma looks cleaner but exhausted, leaning heavily on Maggie.
“Into bed with you,” Maggie says, guiding her over.
I help Emma lie down and we prop pillows under her leg, elevating the ankle. Maggie examines it carefully, re-wrapping the compression bandage with expert efficiency.
“Swelling’s not as bad as I feared,” she says. “But you need to stay off it. Ice and elevation for the next few days at minimum.”
She brings ice packs wrapped in towels and settles them around Emma’s ankle, then places pain meds and water on the nightstand.
“Take these now,” Maggie orders.
Emma swallows the pills without argument.
“I’ll check on you in a bit,” Maggie says, then looks at me meaningfully. “Stone’s waiting downstairs when you’re ready.”
I nod, and she slips out.
I kick off my boots and climb onto the bed next to Emma, careful not to jostle her leg. She immediately turns into me, resting her head on my chest.
“You’re leaving soon,” she says quietly. It’s not a question.
“Yeah. But not until you’re asleep.”
“I’m not a kid, Bones. I know they need you downstairs. You don’t have to wait.”
“I want to.” I wrap my arm around her, holding her close. “Just let me have this for a few minutes.”
She’s quiet for a while, her breathing starting to even out as the pain meds kick in. I think she’s asleep when she speaks again.
“The man from the meeting. Carlos. That was his name.” Her voice is drowsy, slurred slightly. “One of the other guys called him that. In the warehouse.”
My hand stills on her back. “You remember his name?”
“Just that. Carlos. I never forgot it.” She shifts slightly against me. “Does that help?”
“Yeah, swan. That helps a lot.”
She’s quiet again, and this time her breathing deepens, becomes regular. I wait another ten minutes to be sure she’s really out, then carefully extract myself from the bed. She doesn’t stir.
I grab my boots and put them on, then stand looking at her for a moment. She looks so young when she’s sleeping, so vulnerable. The fierce woman who stole a car and drove through pain is gone, replaced by someone who just needs rest and safety.
I’ll make sure she gets both.
I slip out of the room and head downstairs where Stone and the others are waiting.
The main room has cleared out—just Stone, Tank, Hawk, and Steel remain, gathered around one of the tables. Josie’s there too, laptop open.
Stone looks up when I walk in. “She settled?”
“Yeah. Got her cleaned up and Maggie re-bandaged her ankle. She’s asleep.”
“Good.” He gestures to an empty chair. “Sit. We need to talk about what happens next.”
I take the seat, and everyone shifts to face me.
“The man Emma saw,” Stone starts. “You said she was certain it was one of her kidnappers.”
“She’s certain. His name is Carlos—she remembered it from the warehouse. One of the other guys called him that.”
Steel immediately starts typing on his phone. “That narrows it down.”
“But you killed them all,” Hawk says, looking at me. “You made sure.”
“I thought I did.” My jaw tightens. “But apparently one got away. Or he wasn’t there by the time I arrived. Either way, he’s here now and we need to find him and put him in the ground.”
“What’s the play?” Tank asks, like he can’t wait to get his hands on something breakable.
Josie doesn’t look up from her screen. “He’s not in any of the police reports or arrest records. But since we know who’s bankrolling Summit, we can be pretty confident this guy might be Cartel.”
I look at Josie. “You ever see Vernick with him before? Or know what his connection is?”
She shakes her head. “No. But if Carlos is working for Summit, he could be doing anything—security, intimidation, off-the-books stuff. My guess is he’s the insurance policy you send in when ordinary pressure fails.”
Stone rubs at his jaw, thinking. “Do we know where he’s staying?”
“We’re hunting,” Steel says. “Checked the security cams at the town hall—he left just after Emma. Camera caught him getting into a late-model black Yukon, no plates. I’m looking for where he goes next.”
“Good,” Stone grunts. “Bones—what else do you remember about the warehouse? Anything that might tell us what this Carlos wants?”
I shake my head. “I got in and out as fast as I could. My priority was Emma. But from what I remember—the guys inside were all military or ex-cop types. Could be Carlos was the actual pro they brought in, and the others were muscle.” I spread my hands.
“Whoever he is, he’s not going to stop at intimidation.
If Summit’s sending him in, things are about to get ugly. ”
Hawk leans in. “Want me and Tank to post up at Emma’s physical therapy from now on? And keep an eye on the dance studio in case Carlos tries to grab her again?”
“Not a bad idea,” I say. “But don’t crowd her. Last thing she needs right now is more eyes on her.”
“She’ll have no idea we’re there,” Tank says. “We’ll rotate out, keep it subtle.”
Steel looks up from his phone, blue light reflecting in his glasses. “Got a ping. Yukon parked at a house on South Ridge, just past the old Peterson mill. Satellite view shows it’s still in the drive. Looks like a rental—matches a local AirBnB listing.”
He flashes his screen to us, and Tank leans over for a better look.
“Show me the listing,” Stone says.
Steel pulls it up. “Registered under a fake name, but I’m cross-referencing with credit card data. Check-in was yesterday, check-out scheduled for two days. Likely planned to be in and out for the meeting, then bail. But now that Emma saw him . . .”
“He’ll change plans,” Tank finishes. “Maybe even bug out tonight.”
“Not if we get to him first,” I say, standing.
“Sit down, Bones.” Stone’s voice is calm but firm. “We do this smart. We do this clean. No witnesses, no evidence, nothing that traces back to the club.”
I sit, but every muscle in my body is coiled tight, ready to move.
“Tank and Steel go with you,” Stone continues. “Three of you, one of him. You get in, you handle it, you get out. Hawk stays here in case Summit tries anything else tonight.”
“What about the body?” Tank asks.
“Pig farm up north,” Stone says without hesitation. “Old contact of mine owes me a favor. They’ll take care of it.”
Josie closes her laptop. “I didn’t hear that.”
“Good.” Stone looks at her. “Because legally, this conversation never happened.”
She nods, gathering her things. “I should go. Call me tomorrow about the zoning hearing.”
Stone stands, walking her to the door. They speak in low voices for a moment, then she leaves.
When Stone comes back, his expression is harder. “You three get going. Call me when it’s done.”
We head for the door, but Stone’s voice stops me one more time.
“Bones.”
I turn back.
“Make it hurt.” His expression is cold.
I nod once, then follow Tank and Steel out into the night.