Chapter 22
Chapter Twenty-Two
ROWAN
“ H ere, let me help.” Sadie slid an arm around my waist, her dark hair brushing my shoulder.
Every movement was deliberate, careful not to press against the raw scar just beneath my ribs. It was still tender from the fresh stitches. With a small groan, she eased me onto the couch, the leather cool against my skin.
I felt like a fucking useless piece of shit.
Down time wasn’t my favourite thing in the world, but when I had a five-foot-four dark-haired nightmare bossing me around every five fucking minutes, I decided it was either take a break from the club for a few days, or deal with Sadie’s attitude.
I chose to take a couple of days. The club could manage without me for a little while.
What I missed the most was the fresh air as I cruised the open roads on two wheels.
And truth be told, I didn’t mind having Sadie fussing around me, propping up my pillows, and making sure I’d eaten. Didn’t mind when she leaned too close, either, and I caught the scent of lavender and vanilla, her perfume inviting me in.
If I hadn’t already been in love with her, I definitely was by that stage. I still hadn’t said the words out loud, but something had changed between us. I could see it in the way she looked at me, the way she fucking smiled at me like she used to all those years ago.
I remembered what it was like to be surrounded by Sadie Cooper. As much as I had no intention of ever giving that up, telling her the truth about how I really felt was too much of a risk in my fragile state. I preferred my heart inside my body, not stomped on by her boots when she fled again.
So, I was determined to hold on to the small thread she was offering—it was just a matter of time before that snapped as well. It was easier getting shot than letting her see how much I needed her.
“Thanks Firefly,” I said, letting my head fall against the back of the couch.
She tilted her head, studying my position on the couch. “Are you sure you’re comfortable? Do I need to call Dr. Martinez? Maybe he needs to check the wound just in case.”
I held a hand up and pinched the bridge of my nose with the other as I braced myself for the surge of her overprotectiveness. “Sades. I’m fine. Please stop fussing, okay? If I start bleeding out, I’ll let you know.” My tone was half-amused, half-pleading in the hopes she’d take a hint.
I knew she meant well, but fuck.
She narrowed her eyes and gave my shin a playful kick—just enough to send a jolt running through me at the touch of her skin on mine.
“Not funny, Rowan. You almost died.” With a sigh, she dropped onto the couch beside me, sliding in close and draping her leg over mine, the familiar weight of it making it hard to breathe.
She bit her lower lip. God, I remembered that.
My fingers ached to drag it free and kiss her again.
“You scared the shit out of me,” she said, her voice low, almost a whisper.
“I know.” I wrapped an arm around her shoulders and tugged her against my good side. She didn’t resist, just melted against me, sliding under my arm like it was the most natural thing in the world. Her cheek settled against my chest. “I’m sorry. I hate sitting around and feeling useless.”
“It’s okay.” She traced lazy circles on my stomach with the tip of her finger, each spiral sending a small wave of warmth through me.
“And I’m sorry if I’m being . . . overbearing.
I just . . .” Her words faltered, and she swallowed hard.
“I just… I can’t lose you. Not after everything.
” She lifted her head, forcing me to look into those hazel eyes of hers. “Rowan . . . I?—”
I pressed a finger to her lips. My heart rate spiralled into dangerous territory. I leaned in, ever so slightly, and Sadie’s eyes danced between mine. Fuck. I was going to kiss her for real. None of that fake shit.
That was until a sharp rap on the door shattered the moment.
We both stiffened, the silence crackling in the air. Sadie sprang upright, blood draining from her face as she crossed the room and yanked open the front door. Her shoulders sagged as though all the air was escaping her lungs. She folded her arms over her chest.
I knew without looking who exactly stood on my doorstep.
Her father.
Perfect fucking timing.
Sadie stepped back and stared at the floor while John stepped inside the living room.
“Rowan.” He nodded his greeting. The sound of his voice turned my stomach. I figured he’d track me down eventually, especially after the shooting. “Sades,” he said, placing a hand on Sadie’s shoulder in a fatherly gesture. “Can I have a moment alone with Rowan?”
Her gaze shot to me, and I nodded. “Fine. I’ll be right upstairs,” she said quietly, her thumb brushing my thigh as she passed me.
The touch was a silent anchor in the storm she was leaving me to face.
I forced a tight smile, but the awkwardness wasn’t because of her. She knew that.
Sadie disappeared up the staircase, and the silence she left behind stretched tight and loaded. I took a moment before focusing on John, letting him stand there an extra second or two in his own impatience. After all, I had to prepare myself for whatever bullshit was about to fly.
John didn’t hesitate before launching in with his attack. “What the fuck have you gotten my daughter into?” he said, lowering his voice, his eyes darting to the staircase.
I dragged a hand down my face, taking my time with it. “Well, good morning to you too, John.”
Should have guessed he wasn’t there for pleasantries.
I sniffed, the living room still filled with the scent of antiseptic and coffee. One of my hoodies—Sadie had barely taken it off the previous two days—hung over the armrest next to a half-eaten muesli bar. Normal stuff.
“Don’t be a smart arse, son,” he said, his words dripping with disdain. “I’ve known you since you were born. Have some goddamn respect.”
It was laughable that he still thought he could pull that card on me. I scoffed and sat up straighter, the couch leather groaning under me as my stitches bit into the tender skin just beneath my ribs.
“Respect?” I lifted an eyebrow. “You want to talk about respect? How about not coming into my home on a goddamn Saturday morning throwing around accusations like I fucking owe you something.”
Desperate bastard. He couldn’t stand losing his grip on her, maybe because deep down, he knew he never had it to begin with.
I could practically see him choking on it.
Even as I sat there, the urge to tell him to go fuck himself crawled up my throat.
Instead, I took a deep breath and let the silence hang between us.
John clenched his jaw so tight I thought his teeth might shatter. He crossed his arms over his chest. The veins in his forearms bulged like he was holding back the urge to swing. If I’d been standing, maybe he would’ve.
“Sadie’s asking questions,” he said. “Ones she shouldn’t be asking. She’s been to the damn council to get plans from six years ago. What have you got her digging into?”
I rubbed my hands over my jeans, giving myself a moment to consider whether I wanted to throw him out on his arse, or give him an answer.
He didn’t deserve one, but there I was, feeling a little more generous than usual seeing as I wasn’t dead and Snake was holed up in a prison cell where he couldn’t get to Sadie.
“She’s a grown woman, John,” I said. “I can’t control her any more than you can. Trust me, I’ve tried. She walks to the beat of her own drum. Always has. Try to steer her, and she’ll burn the map just to prove she can.” Just like a fucking firefly.
Heat spread up my chest. It was exactly the reason I was in love with her. But all that aside, I knew John too well—not that he’d admit that. He wasn’t going to get off this train until it derailed, so I played the next card I had, knowing it would sting.
“Maybe she got the idea from her mother. Ever think about that? Or were you just hoping Sadie wouldn’t find out what Patricia was up to before she died?”
That landed. He shifted his weight. At least he was thinking, not hurling bullshit like it was going out of fashion.
John shook his head. “This has Ridge Riders written all over it.”
Not sure what crime he was trying to pin on me.
I sat back again, resting my arms on the back of the couch.
“Maybe,” I said, sniffing. “Your wife was digging into the club. And the goddamn Mayor. She knew more than you did.” I threw the words at him, giving him a taste of the truth he seemed so fucking desperate to deny.
“Maybe that’s something you should have been aware of considering your position in this town.
Or were you just trying to bury that information with every other skeleton you’ve helped us place in the ground?
Don’t act all high and mighty now, John. It doesn’t suit you.”
He didn’t flinch. The bastard was stone cold. Or he was even more clueless than I’d thought, and that was saying something. He was losing ground, and now he was digging his heels in.
“I want you to leave Sadie out of whatever it is you think you know,” he said, jabbing a finger in my direction.
He adjusted his black belt around his growing middle, shifting on his feet.
The pressure of his own little world was crumbling around him, and there wasn’t a single thing he could do about it.
“If she gets hurt, I’ll take the whole club down. ”
We had one thing in common. I didn’t want Sadie anywhere near that bullshit any more than he did, but it didn’t matter what I wanted. She was going to keep digging, with or without me. I’d already resigned myself to that fact, so I was going to glue myself to her side.
The difference between John Cooper and me? He wanted to own her. Chain her down. I just wanted her to be free, even if that meant burning the world to keep her safe.
“I won’t let that happen,” I said, crossing my arms over my chest as if I could shield myself from his accusations and strip him of his power in one motion.
John huffed out a humourless laugh. “How can you know that for sure?” He leaned in, his voice hard, daring me to make a promise I couldn’t keep.
“I’ve seen what happens when the Riders get involved, Rowan.
Nothing good ever comes out of it. Christ, I’ve got Snake sitting in a jail cell waiting for his fucking execution. ”
I knew he was right about the club but admitting that to him would be like handing him a loaded gun and begging him to shoot. I’d already been shot once. I didn’t plan on it happening again.
“That may be true, John,” I said. “But you have my word. Nothing will happen to Sadie as long as I’m next to her.
And if you do your part and keep Snake locked up, then we won’t have a problem.
You’ve got a murder weapon, and now evidence he tried to kill me.
That should be enough. All you have to do is get him to Long Bay. ”
The truth was, I didn’t know if my word was worth a damn thing. Not after the blood on my hands. Not after the lies I was still untangling. But if I didn’t have that—my word—I had nothing but the hollow ache in my chest and a pile of bad intentions.
When you wore a patch, your word was all you had, and the arsehole knew that as well as I did.
He rubbed his forehead, staring at the ground. “Yeah, because it’s that easy.”
A light breeze split the curtains, stirring the dust, and striping John’s face like prison bars. He was hiding behind something, I just didn’t know what .
“There’s more, isn’t there, John? Why do I sense it’s going to be your lies that’ll get her killed?” I let the questions hang in the air.
He didn’t answer, which told me more than I wanted to know. Hell, it didn’t take much to scare me, but I couldn’t shove down the chill that crawled up my spine. He was hiding something from Sadie, something dangerous.
Finally, he cleared his throat. “Just . . . make sure she’s safe.
” He met my eyes, his face tight, worry etched into every line.
He looked every bit the broken man, one who didn’t know what to do next.
Or maybe he knew all too well, and it was killing him.
“No matter what.” With that, he turned his back on me and disappeared out the front door, head down.
The silence that followed was heavier than the conversation.
Sadie appeared at the bottom of the stairs as soon as the door slammed shut. I hadn’t even gathered my thoughts or steadied my breathing.
“What did my father want?” she said, skipping the small talk.
She didn’t move towards me, just stood there like she was afraid if she came closer, the truth might physically knock her on her arse. Not that I blamed her.
I ran a hand through my hair, an attempt to buy myself some time. She wouldn’t let up, I knew that much.
“He wanted to talk about Snake’s case,” I said, forcing myself to meet her eyes. “I made a deal with your old man.” Each word fell out heavier than the last.
Sadie’s eyes narrowed. “About?”
“Before the shooting, your father found a print on the murder weapon from those cult killings,” I said, waiting for the coin to drop. “It matches Snake. ”
Sadie’s eyebrows shot up, and she tensed. “And you didn’t think to tell me this before?”
I scrubbed at my jaw, the weight of her accusation pressing down on me. “It’s complicated, Sadie.”
“Complicated?” She scoffed, her hazel eyes darting over my face. “Try me.”
I groaned, letting my shoulders relax slightly. “Your father was going to make sure the evidence stuck, and I made plans—or rather Bear made plans after I was shot—to make sure Snake never made it out of prison alive. The shooting just held things up a little.”
Sadie’s face paled, and she frowned. “You were planning his execution?”
I let out a heavy sigh, rubbing my hands together. “Yeah, I was. Snake’s been gunning for my position for years, always looking for a way to take me down. And now, with the proof that he tried to kill me . . .” I trailed off, meeting Sadie’s wide-eyed gaze. “It was the only way, Firefly.”
Sadie’s mouth fell open, and she shook her head like she couldn’t quite believe what she was hearing. Never said I was the good guy in her fairytale.
I needed her to know the truth, even if it cracked the fragile thing somehow holding us together.
I stood and closed the distance between us, ignoring the pain shooting through my side. “But it wasn’t just about the club, Sades. It was about keeping him away from you.”
She swallowed hard, her gaze falling to the floor. “I didn’t ask you to do that for me.”
“You didn’t have to.” I reached out, gently tilting her chin, half expecting her to pull away.
But she didn’t.
“You’d kill for me?” she whispered.
I ran a thumb over her bottom lip. “I’ll do anything to keep you safe.”