Chapter 35
Devyn
The next morning, I found myself looking around the hospital room at my family’s worried expressions.
Sighing, I tried to keep a smile on my face.
I’d been terrified when they’d brought me in last night.
Not for myself, but for my baby and my sister.
Thankfully, Dr. Natalie had gotten an ultrasound done almost as soon as they brought me in, plus a bunch of bloodwork.
Everything looked good. Well, good for the baby, and no permanent damage to me.
Despite all the smoke and some minor burns, we were both okay. Thanks to Bolo.
I’d spoken to him and gotten permission to have this discussion with my family. Ruck and the rest of the club had okay’d it. They knew there was a chance that my family may not keep their secret.
Bolo also knew there was a chance they may not accept him any longer, or his presence in my or our son’s life. Still, he was encouraging me to do this so that my family could be protected moving forward.
“I’m so, so sorry about your house,” I told Sophie, my voice catching a little as I had to swallow back a sob.
It was still husky from having sucked down so much smoke last night.
I was in a hospital room—Dr. Natalie had insisted I stay overnight for monitoring—and my family was surrounding me.
Sophie had been discharged about twenty minutes ago, and now they were all waiting with me in my room until I was allowed to leave.
Having them surrounding me made me feel a little safer.
Bowers was dead, I’d watched Bolo kill him, but that didn’t mean my body wasn’t still in fight or flight mode.
It didn’t mean I wasn’t still jumping at every little sound while I was alone.
Thankfully, Bolo had been allowed to stay at the hospital with me, once the police had released him from the crime scene. Which meant I wasn’t alone much.
“Why are you apologizing?” Dad asked, confused.
“It’s only a house,” Sophie said at the same time with a shake of her head.
“Bolo saved my life. I can’t thank him enough.
” She gave me a determined nod and an encouraging look.
None of us had been expecting this. How could we have known that a police detective would set fire to her house and try to kill us?
That wasn’t exactly normal. Then again not much about my life was normal anymore.
She put a reassuring hand on my shoulder.
“Besides, I hear that you might know a good home builder.” That made me smile.
Thankfully, her house was insured so it wasn’t like she’d lose out on much. Other than all the irreplaceable personal mementos. Still, I guess it really was just stuff when compared to being alive.
Bolo had mentioned that Ruck was securing a place for all of my family to live until they were finished dealing with The Collective.
That was another reason they needed to know what was going on.
They were going to need to go into hiding with me.
That was going to be fun to explain. All of this was.
Cringing a little, I metaphorically stiffened my spine.
“About that,” I said, answering Dad. “There’s something I need to tell all of you.
” I looked around at the rest of my family again.
Bolo had stepped out, though I knew he hadn’t gone far, so that I could explain to my family what had happened alone.
He’d wanted to stay, be there for me and help shoulder the blame, but I knew my dad was going to be pissed. And with Bolo here he wasn’t going to hear a word I said. It was better that I tell them alone.
Mom and Dad frowned, casting twin looks of concern at each other. “What is it, sweetheart?” Mom asked.
“The reason I’m apologizing about her house is because I’m part of the reason it was set on fire.”
All of their eyes widened. They all started peppering me with questions. Sophie reached out and took my hand, holding it in both solidarity and to lend strength. She knew I was nervous about this. I didn’t want to disappoint my parents and I knew, on some level, I was about to.
I finally held up my free hand, causing them to fall silent, and let the words pour out.
All of them. I explained about Bolo. About his club.
How they helped people, but that meant that they often ended up the target of bad people.
That they ‘dealt’ with those people. I’d used his way of phrasing that because it was just easier to hear than, ‘hey, my biker boyfriend kills people’.
I explained about The Collective and that the MC had taken down a part of their money laundering operation, which caused them to retaliate.
That we hadn’t known Bowers was working for The Collective and the MC had thought sending me to Sophie’s house for a couple of days had been the safest course of action.
I told them that Ruck was going to send us to a new place, one The Collective couldn’t find us in, so that something like this wouldn’t happen again.
“It wasn’t safer,” Dad snapped, interrupting me. “They still found you.”
“We nearly lost you both,” Mom added, her voice broken with tears.
The guilt was pounding in my head, causing a massive headache to build.
Or maybe that was from all the smoke I’d inhaled.
“I know. There wasn’t a lot of time,” I explained.
“We had to move fast once The Collective attacked the clubhouse. But we really didn’t think they’d have time to come after me.
” I didn’t say it was because the rest of the MC was probably out there right now killing those Collective members.
“But Bowers was working for them and all on his own at the same time. We didn’t know he was going to go crazy and burn the house down.
He’s a cop. I figured at most he’d arrest me or something.
It still doesn’t make sense why he did that, but Bolo made sure he won’t try again. ”
In what little time I had had to think, I couldn’t come up with a reasonable theory as to why he set the house on fire. What would he have gained? I sensed he was a little unstable, but not this. Maybe he was just so deep in with The Collective that he lost his grip entirely. We’d never know now.
“This is insane,” Dad said with a shake of his head, bringing me back to the conversation. His voice was a mix of disbelief and fury. He closed his eyes, searching for patience while Mom rubbed his forearm in a soothing manner. “You knew about all of this? The whole time?” he finally asked me.
I nodded, but otherwise stayed silent. Not the whole time, but long enough. That little detail wouldn't help right now.
“You knew,” he said again, “and yet you chose to stay with him?” He gave me an incredulous look. “This is so fucking dangerous, Devyn!”
“I know,” I told him, my voice firm. He was allowed to be mad. And scared. I sure as hell was, but that didn’t mean I was going to be made to feel bad. I’d made my choice knowing full well what I was taking part in. “You don’t understand these guys, Dad.”
“I don’t understand them? You just told us they’re vigilantes! And everything they get involved in has the potential to blow back on you!”
Nodding, I swallowed hard. “I know that.” My sisters were staying silent. Whether they supported me or not, this was the time for our parents to voice their concerns. “They do everything they can to protect their families-”
“Sure as shit could have fooled me,” he barked, interrupting me. “You and Sophie nearly got caught in that house. You both almost died, along with our grandson.”
I opened my mouth, then shut it again. Explaining this to Dad wasn’t easy. “What’s my other option, Dad?” I raised my eyebrows at him. “Leave Bolo?” He scowled at me. “Raise my baby alone? Never let him meet his father? How is that fair to any of us?”
“It’s not like he owes some parking tickets, Dev,” Dad said, doing his best to soften his tone because Mom was practically rubbing a hole through his skin as she stroked his arm.
She was trying to soothe him and calm the situation down.
Dad rubbed his hand over his face then grabbed Mom’s hand and squeezed, getting her to stop the repetitive motion.
“I know,” I replied. “And this is…a lot. Trust me, I thought about this a lot before I decided to make things work with Bolo. He would’ve let me walk away if that’s what I decided.”
“You haven’t known him very long, Baby,” Mom said in a soft tone.
“That’s true, but…” I squeezed Sophie’s hand for moral support. “I love him.”
Dad sighed and sat back in his chair. “Of course you do.”
He’d said it in a neutral tone so I wasn’t sure what to make of the sentence. Was it said in a resigned way? In understanding? Or was he being condescending? I was guessing one of the first two because, even when mad, my father wasn’t the kind to belittle us.
I bit my lip. “I knew full well what it meant to join this kind of life. I spoke to the other women who are with these bikers. There’s only two, but both were in life threatening situations before they met the guys, and the MC saved them.
They and their families are only here now because of these men. ”
“How are we supposed to trust that they can keep you safe?” Mom asked.
Smiling at her, I reached over with my free hand and patted hers. “Mom, all these guys are former military. They’re all more capable of protecting me than the cops would be.”
“Except they’re putting you in danger to begin with,” Dad pointed out.
“Maybe this time. And maybe again in the future. But I also know I have a whole group of highly trained men willing to go to war for me and my baby. For all of you.” I looked around and judging by the looks on my younger sisters’ faces they weren’t nearly as against this as my parents.
It was my declaration of love that had won them over. I was sure of it. They were softies.