Chapter 14
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
ZAVIER
I pulled up out front of the school, parking the car and walking towards the front doors to the main office. Noah was slouched in his seat, his tie loose, blazer torn, and blood on his shirt.
The woman behind the desk blinked at me, waiting for me to speak, and I realized I looked like some piece of trash that blew in off the street.
“Hey. I’m picking up Noah,” I said with a smile, her eyes widening a fraction before she started typing away on her keyboard.
“Of course. I need you to sign these forms for me,” she said as she printed something and handed them over with a pen, my eyes scanning the page.
“Just sign it, dude. She’s just making sure you’re not a fucking kidnapper,” Noah joked, appearing beside me. “I thought Slash was coming?”
“He’s dealing with something more problematic than you, can you believe?” I deadpanned. “Where’s your bag?”
“In my locker. Can we stop for burgers on the way home? I’m fucking starving,” he grunted, and I wanted to shake him.
“Can you watch your mouth? And no, we’re not stopping on the way home. Reid learned that lesson with you the last time he took you to school. This is a quick trip, and no one has time for your rebellious bullshit right now.”
“Doesn’t Raven put out? Man, you’re?—”
“I will one hundred percent risk prison for beating up a minor if you don’t watch yourself,” I warned, signing the paper and handing it over to the woman. “Can I take him to his locker to get his bag?”
“Sign in here,” she sighed, pointing to an iPad on the counter, telling me to sign out when we were leaving, before I grabbed Noah’s wrist and tugged him out into the courtyard.
“Dude, what the fuck is your problem today?” Noah bit out, shaking me off.
“My problem? I’ve had two hours of sleep. My house burned down. My girlfriend and Reid are currently mourning, and I can’t fix it for them. Would you like me to continue?”
“Kind of, yeah.”
“Well, Beckett got arrested, I still have the mafia after me, and Mikey just got shot. Can you do me a solid and please behave until we get out of here?” I demanded, his eyes going wide.
“Wait, back up. Beckett got arrested? Is Mikey okay?”
“You’ll probably see it on the news. Beckett shot a gun in front of a bunch of cops and reporters this morning so we could leave without reporters following us,” I scoffed, looking around with a scowl. “Where’s your locker?”
He motioned for me to follow him, his voice quieter. “And Mikey?”
“He’s fine. Just a bullet to the leg. Talk to me, dude. You’re acting cagey all the time, from what I’ve heard, or you’re being a prick. If something’s bothering you, tell someone. Are you being bullied? I can scare them right now for you if you want.”
He chuckled, leading me into a building and through some hallways. “Nah, it’s fine. I can handle myself.”
“Clearly,” I said dryly, motioning to the blood on his shirt. “Who’d you fight with?”
“Matt.”
“Isn’t he your friend?”
I didn’t know a lot about Noah, but I heard shit. Matt and Noah regularly got into trouble together.
“Was,” he grunted, stopping in front of a locker and opening it.
“Let me guess. This is about a girl?”
“No. This is about the fact the fucker owes me money. Why would we fight about girls?” he snorted.
“Usually, when guys fight, there’s a girl involved,” I replied, and he slammed his locker and slipped his bag over one shoulder.
“Well, not us.”
He didn’t talk as he stalked ahead of me back towards the administration building, almost cracking the damn iPad as he signed out. I eyed him as I signed to state I’d left too, not talking to him until we were both in the car.
“How much money does he owe you?” I asked as I started the car, keeping my eyes on the rearview as I reversed out of my parking space.
“A couple grand,” he mumbled, his face in his phone. “Do you follow Ry or Tempest on their Onlyfans? She did this really skilled?—”
I snatched his phone and tossed it gently onto the floor at his feet, trying not to lose my temper. This kid just wanted people to react, and I had no idea why.
“Stop watching your foster brother fuck his girlfriend on the internet. It’s weird,” I grunted, making sure it was safe before pulling out onto the road. “And secondly, drop the bullshit. You want me to take you seriously? Then stop dancing around the conversation and just talk to me. You’re so lucky, you know? You’ve been placed in a family that genuinely loves you. You’re stressing them out on purpose, and they have so much going on right now. If you’re feeling lonely, tell them. Being a menace and acting out for their attention isn’t the way to go about it. Rory would drop everything for you if you said you needed her. So would the guys. Hell, if you want company, we can game or something. What the hell is eating at you?”
He winced as sounds of Tempest moaning filled the car, and he bent forward to grab his phone and turn the video off.
“I can’t talk about it.”
At least I knew something was going on.
“Why not?”
“People will get hurt,” he answered tightly, putting me on high alert.
“Someone’s threatening you?”
“Not me. I’ve got it handled,” he snapped, but his voice cracked and his concern shone through. He was terrified of whoever this person was.
“You don’t think your family could handle some bully at school? You know your foster mom is a fucking psychopath with a hobby of scaring people, right?” I asked slowly, his face falling.
“It’s not some kid, Zavier.”
I went to reply, but the back window suddenly shattered, and I wanted to curse at myself for not being more aware of our surroundings. I should’ve seen someone creep up on us.
Noah practically curled into a ball in his seat, a startled noise leaving him as he covered his head with his arms on instinct.
He was probably getting flashbacks from when he’d been forced into a fucking teenage army for that wannabe gangster guy in Kensington.
“Hold on, I’ll get us out of here,” I promised, putting my foot down harder and managing to get my phone out of my pocket, instantly dialing Slash.
He answered almost immediately, pausing mid greeting when he heard gunshots.
“Where are you?” he barked, the sound of him slamming a door in the background as he must have practically ran out of whatever room he was in.
“Main road. No idea who, I was just talking to Noah when the fuckers shot the window out,” I explained, flicking my gaze to the rearview. “Do I detour and try to lose them?”
“No, you come straight here. I’ve got enough guys here to handle it if they’re stupid enough to follow you.” He shouted orders to someone about getting ready for company, and something about Cruz.
“Cruz is watching?” I asked, feeling better if his eyes were on me.
“He’s trying. Something’s blocking his signal, he’s being kicked out of all the cameras he tries to access,” he said with frustration. “Caden’s on the phone with him, but right now, you’re blind. Is it just one car?”
“For now. This has to be Stefano’s guys, right? Their hacker could easily block Cruz’s access,” I answered, taking a corner a little faster than I liked, but I wasn’t going to slow down and risk them getting ahead of us to possibly cut us off.
Car horns blared as we wove between traffic, but our tail stuck to us like glue.
“They’re fucking dead, that’s what they are,” Slash bit out. “Don’t worry about breaking any laws, Lopez. Get your fucking ass here and don’t get my kid killed.”
Noah’s head popped up at hearing that, and I handed him the phone. “Here, talk to Slash until we get there so I can focus on driving.”
He snatched it from me, and I tried really hard to not listen to Slash trying to calm him down. It felt private, and I knew Noah’s trauma wasn't likely to be something he wanted to talk to me about.
The car followed relentlessly as I sped through town, narrowly missing cars. I wasn’t like the guys, I didn’t enjoy the thrill of racing on the road like this. Too many things could go wrong.
The car lurched forward as we were rammed from behind, and I struggled to keep control. If I crashed and Noah got hurt, I was definitely going to get my ass handed to me by Rory. She scared me more than Slash did.
“Glovebox,” I ordered, thankful that Noah wasn’t so lost in his fear that he didn’t hear me, and he only hesitated for a second before grabbing the gun and handing it to me.
This stretch of road was straight, and now that we were leaving the main street, traffic was thinning out.
“Cover your ears,” I warned, knowing the gunfire might trigger the poor kid more, but needing to do something to try and deter the assholes from following.
Best case scenario, I hit a tire and they spun out.
Noah jumped as I tried to aim behind us out the shattered back window, firing some shots and making them jerk the car to the side to avoid my line of fire.
Driving and shooting was a pain in the ass, but I wasn’t about to ask Noah to shoot for me. I wasn’t sure about the rules of him touching guns, and I wasn’t risking him actually killing someone and having that on his conscience.
I divided my attention between the road ahead and trying to shoot behind us, and I’d never been so happy to see the road that led to the Shed before.
“We’re almost there,” Noah said, and I wasn’t sure if he was reassuring himself, or updating Slash.
I was practically sideways as I turned into the parking area for the Shed, not even bothering to switch the car off before yanking the emergency brake on and bailing out of the car, running around to Noah’s side to drag him out.
He froze as gunshots sounded and cars sped in after us, and I shielded him with my body as I fired back, trying to drag him towards the door where Slash and some of his guys all spilled out to cover us.
“Go!” Slash barked, and I dropped the gun and focused on getting inside, not knowing what to do other than head into the office where it was quieter and the door locked.
Noah was shaking like a leaf and crying in the far back corner of the room, so I hugged him tightly to my chest, trying to ground him. I’d seen Raven like this before, so I knew the security of someone else could sometimes help.
He fought me in a panic for all of two seconds before clinging to me, his body jolting with every gunshot that sounded outside.
“You’re okay,” I murmured, not letting him go even after it became silent.
He was breathing so rapidly that I was worried he’d hyperventilate.
The door handle rattled, making him flinch, but he relaxed a little as Slash spoke. “It’s me. Open up.”
Noah wouldn’t let go, so I had to shuffle us across the room to unlock the door, finding Slash and Caden both there.
“You’re not hurt?” Caden asked, inspecting Noah, who shook his head. He still wouldn’t let me go, and I wasn’t even sure if he was aware he was still clinging to me.
I lifted my hand to stroke the back of his head, only making him burrow into me even more. He didn’t resemble that cocky seventeen-year-old anymore, he looked more like a terrified middle schooler who just needed his mom.
“You’re okay,” I repeated, his breathing starting to even out.
“You’re bleeding,” Slash stated, and I glanced at my arm to see blood dripping down my bicep. Noah pulled away with a jerk, his eyes going straight to it.
“You got shot because of me?”
“We got attacked because of me,” I corrected, not wanting him to blame himself. “I told Slash I’d keep you safe, and I meant it. I’m sorry I put you in danger.”
“No, you don’t understand. Those are the guys that have been bothering me,” he said with panic, his shaky hands reaching out to push the sleeve off my arm to see better. “I should’ve just told you. I didn’t think they’d?—”
“Slow down,” Slash said calmly, his eyes pinned on Noah. “What guys?”
Noah swallowed, embarrassment flooding his face. “They show up at school regularly. They’ve been trying to get me to talk to them about crew stuff. I didn’t tell them anything though, I don’t even know much.”
“Why didn’t you tell us?” Slash’s voice was calm, but I could sense the rage burning below the surface.
“I thought I had it handled. I just kept telling them to go away, then I started changing the times I arrived or left school so they couldn’t run into me. They were so much like Lincoln, but I wasn’t going to let them trick me like he did. I had to prove to myself that I didn’t need help,” he croaked out.
“Noah, I can admire your bravery, but I will also tell you how stupid that was. Those guys aren’t wannabe gangsters like Lincoln. It’s the Italian mafia. How long have they been bothering you?”
“A few months,” he said awkwardly, his eyes on my arm. “Shouldn’t you patch that up?”
“Lopez won’t fucking die, he’s had worse,” Slash grunted, and I rolled my eyes.
“Thanks, dude.”
“Don’t dude me. You want to be helpful? Go help out there so we can talk to Noah,” he sighed, motioning to my arm. “There’s a medical kit behind the bar. Go patch yourself up if it’s not too bad.”
I got a better look, seeing it was only a surface wound. “Looks fine. I’ll leave you guys to it.”
I went to leave, but Slash stopped me. “Thanks for getting him back here safely. I didn’t even think about the fact that you’re currently mafia bait, so I’m sorry for putting you in that position.”
“It’s fine. I can't hide forever. I did that with my father, and I sure as fuck won’t be doing it again. We’ll get them,” I said confidently, making him nod as he stepped out of my way.
“We will.”
Noah looked freaked out about me leaving, but I gave him a reassuring smile as I left and shut the door to give them privacy. It wasn’t like they were going to start yelling at him, they were just worried.
I moved behind the bar and grabbed the medical kit, starting to clean myself up when Skeeter and Rory walked through the door, Skeeter making a beeline for me. He shoved me, not hiding his anger.
“What the fuck were you doing with Noah?” he snarled, and Rory stood back with her arms crossed, waiting for an answer.
“Just following orders. Slash told me to pick him up from school, he got suspended,” I answered as I caught myself on the bar, grabbing some antiseptic wipes to clean up the blood.
“Why would he fucking send you? Look what happened!”
“Skeet!” Slash snapped as he yanked open the office door. “Get in here.”
“I’m not finished with you,” he growled at me as he stalked off, Rory eyeing me.
“You want to tell me what happened? Slash called to tell me you guys were chased by the mafia, and from the state of Logan’s car, I dare say they shot at you.”
“Logan’s going to kill me,” I muttered. “I thought they attacked us because of me, but I’m not too sure now. Noah admitted they’ve been giving him some shit at school, trying to pry information out of him. It’s why he’s been getting to school late and keeps getting suspended on purpose. He’s trying to avoid going.”
Her face blanked for a moment before she flicked her eyes to the office door. “The mafia have been stalking my damn kid and he didn’t tell me?”
“He didn’t know who they were. I think it’s a trauma response. He was saying that he wanted to prove to himself that he could handle it. He’s still dealing with shit in his head from Lincoln. He’s also had a falling out with his buddy Matt, so he’s probably extra defensive right now.”
“What happened with Matt?” she groaned, raking a hand through her hair.
“Owes Noah money, he claimed. It might have been bullshit, but I’m not too sure. I don’t mean to overstep, but I think he’s really struggling right now, and with everyone so busy, he’s lonely,” I said slowly, hoping she didn’t lose her shit at me for poking my nose in their business, but she sighed.
“I’ve been so busy lately, I just figured he’d be fine. I forget with all my kids not living at home, that he’s on his own. My kids always had each other, but he doesn’t even really have friends over. Matt’s been over a few times, but they tend to hang out elsewhere usually. He talked to you about it?” she asked curiously, making me shrug.
“Not a lot, but he started to in the car. He was being a bit of a prick so I scolded him a little.”
She chuckled, reaching out to grab a bottle of liquid. “You don’t get shot often, do you? Use this stuff. Stings like a bitch, but you’ll clean it way better than those wipes.”
“I try not to, no,” I deadpanned, turning slightly when she motioned for me to do so she could see better. She grabbed some of the gauze to catch the extra liquid, and I hissed a little as she tipped some of the antiseptic liquid onto the wound.
“Told you. Leave the car here, we’ll fix it for you since it was Slash’s order for you to go in the first place,” she assured me, pressing the gauze to my arm and making the sting worse. It was hard not to flinch. “How’s Raven? And Reid? I’m sorry I couldn’t be with them more, but I really needed to set a fire under the cops asses to make them work faster.”
“They were both sleeping when I left. The fact that I haven’t heard from them tells me they’re probably still sleeping too. I should find my phone, I think Noah left it in the car.”
She was quiet as she bandaged my arm, seeming to be deep in thought.
“One of the guys outside said you used yourself as a shield to get Noah inside. Is that when you got shot?”
“I’m not too sure. I didn’t even realize I’d been hit until Slash noticed I was bleeding.”
“Why did you do that?” she asked, taking a step back to inspect her handiwork before lifting her gaze to mine. “You could’ve died, you know?”
“I wasn’t really thinking of that, to be honest. He was terrified and froze. I had to get him inside. Slash trusted me with a job, and I wasn’t going to fuck it up. I should’ve had my head on a swivel in the car, but I got distracted by my conversation with Noah. I’m sorry, I didn’t realize we had company until they started shooting,” I winced, her face softening.
“Hey, you did good. You’re not part of the crew, but you still risked your life for my family. Thank you.”
“He’s a good kid. A little lost, but he’s good. I’m really glad he found you guys,” I answered, not realizing we had company until I was almost knocked over by a blur of blue hair.
“Are you okay?” Raven demanded, tightening her grip on me as I dropped a kiss to the top of her head.
“I’m okay. Sorry, I meant to be home before you woke up.”
“Beckett called and said you were chased. Wait, is that your blood? You got hurt?” she asked, the panic in her voice rising as she stepped back and saw my arm, her eyes flashing to mine.
“Just a graze. I was picking Noah up from school for Slash and we got attacked on the drive back.”
“Is Noah okay?”
“He is, thanks to Zavier,” Rory replied, starting to clean up the mess and put the medical kit away.
The others appeared, and I instantly cringed. “Logan, I’m so sorry, man. The car?—”
“Fuck the car, are you okay?” he asked, his eyes raking over me for damage.
“Rory’s going to fix the car,” I said to make sure he knew it was going to get repaired, earning a scowl from him.
“I appreciate that, but like I said, fuck the car. It’s just a car, Lopez. As long as you’re okay, that’s all that matters.”
“Aw, you do love me,” I joked, and he gave me a lopsided smile.
“You know I do, baby.”
“Since you seem healthy enough to flirt and have a bromance,” Rory started dryly, giving me an amused look. “I need to go and check on Noah. Mikey’s got your keys, so we’ll return the car when it’s fixed.”
“Shouldn’t he be sitting down? Didn’t he get shot?”
“No rest for the wicked, Lopez. You should know that,” she said seriously, saying goodbye and heading in the direction of the office, looking back at Raven. “Cops should have some information for me soon. I’ll let you know the second I find out anything.”
Raven nodded, leaning into me as if making sure I was still there, then Rory was gone.
“You can’t seriously want this?” Raven mumbled into my chest, and I knew exactly what she was talking about.
“Crew life isn’t just about getting shot at, and to be honest, this isn’t crew problems, this is mafia problems. Chances are high they would’ve chased me today regardless if I had Noah or not. I was probably the target the entire time,” I reminded her, glancing around looking for Ander.
Why hadn’t he come too?
“He’s helping them identify the bodies outside,” Reid said, answering my silent question. “I can’t even nap without one of you assholes going out and almost getting killed.”
“Wasn’t my intention,” I huffed. “How did you know it was safe to even come here?”
“We didn’t,” Reid shrugged, his eyes dropping to Raven, who was still snuggling into me. “And half of Cruz’s cameras aren’t working. Logan asked Drake about it and he said a lot are offline.”
“Antonio’s making moves then,” I grumbled, motioning to the door. “Let’s go. Sorry for freaking you guys out.”
“It’s not your fault, dude,” Logan promised as we started walking out, Raven dropping her hand into mine firmly. I could tell she was upset, but she was trying so hard to calm herself.
It sounded selfish, but maybe there was a chance that she’d be okay with me joining the crew? She was obviously working through her trauma, and it wasn’t like being part of a crew meant constant gunfire.
Ander raised his chin in silent question to ask if I was okay, and I nodded, letting him finish his conversation with Mikey and some of the guys while we grabbed my phone from Logan’s car then climbed into the Challenger and waited for him.
Logan sat in the driver’s seat, letting me sit in the back with Raven and Reid. Both of them still looked like shit, but at least neither had the shakes anymore.