Vengeance #2
“That’s between you and her,” Bowie simply said.
“I’m Dante’s son.”
“And she’s Savage’s daughter,” Bowie said, his gaze turning sharp. “Neither of you are responsible for the men who came before you. You’re responsible for what you do next.” They were Savage’s words—the words from the letter. Vengeance swallowed against the pressure in his throat.
Bowie placed a hand on his shoulder. “Take care of my girl.”
“I will,” Vengeance promised. “And take care of yourself while you’re at it.
She’s going to need you.” Vengeance nodded.
Bowie handed him a set of keys and a folded paper map.
“No phones after you leave. I’ll make contact through a supply drop every two weeks.
There’s food, medical equipment, weapons, and cash at the house. ”
“What about the clinic?” Vengeance asked.
“I’ll handle it,” Bowie assured.
“Dante’s men—” he started.
“Will be expecting you to show up there.” Bowie’s smile was cold. “But they won’t be expecting me.” He turned away before Vengeance could argue. “I’ll get you patched up before you leave for the safehouse, but then, you two will be on your own.”
Chloe opened the SUV door. “You’re bleeding.”
“I noticed,” he mumbled.
“Get in,” she ordered. He obeyed—not because of the pain, but because Chloe reached for him. Once he was seated, she pulled his shirt aside and examined the reopened wound. Her hands trembled. “Doc would know how to fix this.” Her voice broke when she said his name.
Vengeance covered her hands with his. “I’m sorry.”
She looked up. “For what?”
“He died because Dante followed me.”
“No.”
“Chloe—”
“Dante killed him,” she said.
“If I hadn’t come here—” Vengeance started.
“He would’ve found another way to hurt you,” Chloe insisted.
“You don’t know that.”
“Neither do you.” Tears filled her eyes.
“Doc told me Dante hunted us here, and that he knew what he was getting himself into when he agreed to come get us. He said that he didn’t regret that decision either.
Vengeance stared at her. He wanted to believe that, but he wasn’t sure he knew how.
Chloe leaned forward and pressed her forehead against his. “We’re still here.”
“Barely,” Vengeance said. “What happens next time?”
“We’ll worry about next time when it happens.
Right now, we’re still here.” Outside, Bowie closed the rear doors of the other SUV containing Doc’s body and the Royal Bastards began mounting their motorcycles.
Within minutes, the group would separate.
Bowie would take Doc home and prepare for war.
Vengeance would disappear into the mountains with Chloe—alone.
There would be no club protection, no Doc, and no one to stand between them and whatever came next.
Chloe squeezed his hand. “You promised you were right behind me.” He remembered the dark staircase, her frightened eyes, and the promise he hadn’t been certain he could keep.
“I did,” he whispered.
“You kept it,” she said.
“This time.”
She frowned. “You’ll keep that promise every time.
” Vengeance looked toward the mountains beyond the windshield.
Dante had escaped with pages from Savage’s journal; a mysterious file connected to Vengeance’s mother waited somewhere beyond their reach, and beneath the floor of Doc’s abandoned clinic lay evidence powerful enough to frighten the former leader of the Dragons and current head of the Black Veil Syndicate.
The war wasn’t over. Hell, it had barely begun.
But when Chloe rested her head against his shoulder, Vengeance understood something Savage and Doc had spent years trying to teach him.
Survival wasn’t only about escaping the people who wanted him dead.
Sometimes it was about finding someone who gave him a reason to live.
He tightened his fingers around Chloe’s, and Bowie opened the door to the SUV.
“This is Butcher, and he’s going to patch you up before you leave for the safehouse,” Bowie said.
“Yeah, the name Butcher isn’t very comforting, man,” Vengeance said. “Are you sure he’s going to be able to fix me up?”
Bowie and Butcher both laughed, and Vengeance couldn’t help but smile. “Have a little faith,” Bowie said. “He’s not as bad as his name would let on.” Vengeance nodded and got out of the SUV.
“Be back in a minute, honey,” he said to Chloe.
“I’m coming with you,” she insisted.
“You don’t need to watch me get sewn up again, Chloe,” Vengeance insisted.
“Bullshit—where you go, I go,” she said.
God, she was adorable when she was stubborn, not that he’d tell her that in front of her father.
Bowie seemed to take a new interest in watching the two of them together, and the last thing he needed was for her dad to figure out that he had the hots for his daughter.
In just a few minutes, they’d be on their way to the safehouse, and he could tell her how he felt about her then.
For now, he needed to keep his head in the game and get her to safety because for the next two months, he and Chloe would have no one but each other.