Chapter Nine
The pub was nice, and Has arrived about fifteen minutes after me, which was enough time for me to sink a beer and let the last of the anger seep out of me.
I was always quick to anger, but it usually dissipated pretty damn quick.
Unless it involved that prick, Grease. Honestly, I couldn’t really remember what I hated him for, but at this point, backing down seemed like the pussy way out.
He seemed to feel the same way about me, so why bother.
“Hey man, oh my god, who’s the little darlin’ in your lap?”
“That’s what she said,” I muttered with a grin, passing a sleepy Nixie to him, “I’ll get you a beer while you get to know Nixie.”
I watched him for a moment to make sure he had a good grip on her, because fuck me, I’m like a nervous parent with her, and then I headed to the bar, and bought two beers for us.
I knew I shouldn’t have more than one and drive, but I figured I could crash in one of the rooms here if need be and head home tomorrow.
Has wouldn’t have more than one, but he’d stay and talk as long as I needed.
I missed him every day now I lived away from him, but he had Elise now, so he wasn’t exactly lonely without me.
“Okay, why Nixie?” He asked when I set his beer in front of him, and realised he had no intention of passing my baby back to me just yet.
For some reason, instead of snapping at him, like she’d done with both Harley and Micro, she’d snuggled right into his arms. That said a lot about him as a person, I was sure, because dogs had better instincts than us.
They could tell an asshole on sight, or scent. Whatever.
“Nix, like Phoenix. I’m not real imaginative,” I said bashfully, as I took her back now and settled her in my lap again. She was so warm that I’d missed her while he held her.
“I like it, and stop that shit. You know you’re a fucking smart, creative guy. Someone’s done a number on you today, and on top of what the bitch did, I’m betting it’s fucking with your head.”
I shrugged. “Harley made his opinion of me clear today. The thing I don’t get is why he’d choose to invite me into his business if he thinks I’m such a cunt.”
Has sipped his beer, glancing at the pup in my lap again.
“Dogs like good people, and she’s happiest with you, so that should tell you who you really are.
And if that doesn’t do it, hear it from me.
You’re better than everyone realises, including yourself, so you need to try and remember that.
You wanna talk about what he said? Just so I can point out how he’s wrong and stupid? ”
I grinned at Has, really fucking glad I’d called him of all people to my rescue. He had a calmness about him that comforted me faster than… well, maybe not as fast as Nixie, but fast.
“He was just warning me off a woman, that’s all. Like it’s his fucking right. Like I’m some asshole who’s gonna fuck her and break her heart.”
Has paused mid-sip of beer and swallowed, his eyebrows lifting.
“You’ve met someone? That’s great. What’s she like? Also why the fuck does he think it’s anything to do with him?”
I fucking loved this guy. Look how on my side he was. God, I missed that feeling. Being at the new chapter was like being thrown into a brand new family, only nobody liked each other, and nobody gave a shit. I’d missed actual brotherhood.
“She’s his old lady’s cousin, but she’s not just that. I mean, she’s a fucking person, right? And she’s not his business. He needs to keep his fucking…”
I trailed off, because Has had frozen, his face suddenly drained of blood, and his hand trembled as he unsteadily set his beer down. What the fuck. He looked like he’d seen a ghost, and as I glanced around me, I didn’t see anyone who stood out as being any kind of threat or anything.
“Has?”
He was blinking so slowly, sluggishly, like he was in a trance, and it was freaking me out.
I tried that thing people do, where they wave a hand in front of a person’s face, but he was just fucking gone.
He wasn’t in the room with me, and I had no idea what was going on, or how to help him out of it.
“Has? What’s up?”
Nothing. Silence. Cold silence, paleness. Stillness. He was like a statue. Like a… like he was frozen in fear. I grabbed my phone, pondering for a moment, because who was the best person to call? His old lady? His closest brothers?
I lifted the phone to my ear and a little relief warmed my chilled body as he answered.
“Pres? It’s Rocket.”
Reacher cleared his throat, and I heard him murmur something in the background.
“Hey brother, what’s going on? You okay?”
I’d even missed him, and it surprised me, but I felt a connection to him that I’d never felt, and probably never would feel, with Micro.
“Uh… I’m with Has, and something’s wrong. Like scarily wrong.”
A sharp intake of breath filled my ear, and the minimal sounds I’d been picking up in the background ceased.
“Wrong? Define wrong for me, son. What’s going on?”
“Uh… we’re in a bar, and he’s gone white as a sheet. He’s practically fucking catatonic. I’ve never seen him like this. He’s scaring me.”
Reacher cursed, and called out to someone to get Ice.
“Take a look around you, Rocket-”
“I did that already-”
“Listen to me. You’re looking for someone older, probably fifties or sixties, wealthy looking. Stuck up, maybe. Powerful. Look now and tell me.”
Huh. Was it some relative of Has-Been?
I glanced around the bar again, and this time my gaze fell on two men in a booth across the bar from us.
They were dressed in suits that looked expensive, at least to my untrained eye, and they were sipping champagne, and talking loudly among themselves.
Something told me it was them, or one of them at least. Something chilled me when I looked at them, but what the fuck would I know?
Why was it bothering me? Maybe just because they may be affecting my brother this way?
“Rocket?”
“There are two guys, drinking champ-”
“Photo. Now.” Jeez. I angled my phone to take a discreet pic and sent it to Reacher, returning the phone to my ear to listen.
“Fuck. Ice, is it them?”
Ice was murmuring something, and then other voices joined him. It was all just muffled noise to me, but Reacher yelled out for silence, and it fell like it always did when he spoke.
“Here’s what’s going to happen, Rocket. We’re on our way, but it’ll take us a while.
In the meantime, reach out to Micro, and get more brothers there immediately.
Be discreet, but don’t let those two fuckers get away.
You hear me? As soon as they arrive, get Has out of there, by any means necessary.
Tell Micro we need somewhere nearby for interrogation and retribution. ”
Fuck me. What did these fuckers do? I agreed and ended the call, casting my eyes once more over my tormented brother. He was visibly trembling, and his fist was wrapped so tightly around his beer that I feared he’d shatter the bottle, but something told me not to touch him. Not right now.
Micro answered the phone, and I turned my focus back to the task at hand.
“Pres?”
“You okay, brother?”
“No.”
I briefly explained what was happening, and Micro confirmed he’d be there with others asap, so all I had to do now was keep Has from losing his shit, and stop those two fuckers if they tried to leave.
Easy, right? I tucked my phone back in my pocket and tried to angle myself so Has was looking at me and not them.
It wasn’t much, and my ugly mug sure as hell wasn’t about to save lives, but if it broke their hold on him, at least for now, I wanted that for him.
Whatever they’d done to him had to be fucking awful for it to have done this to him.
“Brother, can you hear me?”
Has swallowed hard, his eyes almost watering with the effort to keep them open, and focused, but on what, I had no idea.
Nixie moved in my lap, whining a little like she did when she first woke, and I did the first thing that occurred to me.
I lifted her over the table, and set her on Has’ lap, hoping to fuck that he wouldn’t move and drop her, or something.
She moved around to climb up his chest, and then her little teeth were tugging at his shirt, like she could tell he was distressed, like she could feel his pain.
A ragged breath left his chest, and his hands twitched, knocking the beer over as he forced his hand away from it. I caught it and moved it aside, and watched, with the most extreme relief, as he looped one hand over Nixie’s back and cupped her against him.
“Fuck,” he finally breathed out, almost silently.
“It’s okay, brother. Help is on the way. It’s in hand.” I didn’t say more, because I had no fucking clue what was happening, but he blinked a few times and looked down at Nixie, releasing another ragged breath, and then another.
“I… fuck…”
“Just breathe, man. I have no idea who they are or what they did, but retribution is coming, yeah? We’ve got you.
” The night had started about me and my petty problems, but things had evolved now, because Has deserved my support, and he’d get it.
Whatever the hell I had going on clearly paled in comparison to his situation, because I’d never seen him like this.
I never wanted to see him like this ever again.
“Jesus. I feel… I need…”
“Just hold Nixie, brother. Let her soothe you.”
“There you are! I brought Nixie’s things for you.
” V had appeared beside our table, her eyes landing straight on the traumatised man holding my baby girl, while I wondered how the fuck to get her out of here without offending her.
I wanted her nowhere near those fuckers and whatever they were capable of, because if they could reduce a man like Has to stone, I didn’t like the idea of them even breathing her air.
My phone kept buzzing, so I dug it out again to check it, in case it was updates from Micro or Reacher.
CallToArms: Brother in distress. All brothers to location below. ASAP.
It was followed by the address of this bar. Fuck. Shit was hitting the fan big time.
There was a separate message from Ice letting me know that they were enroute, and that a location had been confirmed already.
An hour ago I’d felt like we weren’t all connected anymore, like this brotherhood was fragmented, and I’d lost what I thought I had.
Even though this wasn’t about me, seeing us all come together like this, at a moment’s notice, was a huge reminder that I was full of shit.
Maybe it was time to get my head out of my ass, because clearly there was worse shit going on than my issues.
“V, thanks for bringing Nixie’s stuff, but something’s going down, and I don’t think you wanna be near it.”
She glared in my general direction, but her focus was mainly on the stranger holding Nixie. Why was it bothering me that her eyes were on him, and not me? He needed support right now, and I didn’t. Has was the important one here.
“Don’t even try, Rocket. Clearly something bad has already happened here, and I think I’m needed.”
Has groaned, snuggling Nixie against his chest, and ignoring both of us. Wherever he was right now, at least he seemed to be suffering less.
“Is he okay?” V asked me in a hushed tone, as she leaned in close beside me. Fuck me, she smelled like oranges or something. A citrusy perfume that made me want to lick her cheek to see if she tasted like it too. Fuck my brain.
“No, he isn’t.”
She leaned closer, and fuck me, if she fell on me, I’d react like I was getting a lapdance, because I fucking wanted her. This was not the damn time though, and she’d probably slap me. Not that I wouldn’t be into that, but Has had to be our priority.
“The club are on the way,” I murmured to Has as he shuddered again and held Nixie closer. Focus on him. Keep my fucking eyes on him, not her.
“The club? What’s going on?”