Chapter 15
Eight hours was a fucking long time to wait for something Rose had been dreading for years. The moment Keys told her Ghost had called Poison, the countdown had started. She knew where the Non Cras was, and knew exactly how long it would take Poison to arrive.
By mid-afternoon, the light through the clubhouse windows had darkened like the universe sensed the approaching storm.
Oscar graduated from the play area to Keys’ lap, where he was conducting an elaborate diplomatic summit between Baxter and a new stegosaurus that seemed to involve a territory dispute.
Keys, ever patient, was trying to help Oscar form an uneasy peace treaty between the warring dinosaurs.
Rose watched them with devastating love and aching trepidation.
She kept getting up to pace before sitting back down for a solid five seconds before getting up to pace again.
The VDMC continued to hang around, venturing in and out of the clubhouse at leisure, though she did notice that none of the club kids were brought around.
Feeling like she had an uncontrollable itch that she could not shake, Rose didn’t know if it was better or worse that she knew Poison was coming.
She’d have felt blindsided if Keys had not told her, but holy hell, the wait was torture.
Keys kept offering for them to go do something, even to take Oscar to the park, but she declined it all.
Nothing was going to settle her nerves at this point.
At half past four, the sound of motorcycles filled the parking lot.
Rose froze mid-stride. Around the room, conversations ceased.
Scissors straightened from her position at the bar where she was talking to Jigsaw, Scooby, and Poker.
For a single second, Rose thought about running.
Out the back door, and just away. But Keys was right, she’d been running too long.
Maybe loving Keys wasn’t the catalyst that brought her into the light.
Maybe confronting her past, her sister, was what would draw her from the shadows.
Rising from the couch, Keys handed her Oscar before wrapping his arms around both of them. Rose leaned into the comfort of his touch as the glass double doors burst open.
It honestly was a wonder they did not break.
Poison stormed through them like she was waging war against the building itself.
Dyed red hair, leather cut, blue eyes doing a rapid sweep of the room until they landed on Keys.
Maybe it was the way her breath caught in the afternoon sunlight, but Rose could have sworn her big sister just breathed smoke out of her nose.
The moment Poison took a step in Keys’ direction, he moved to position himself between Rose and Poison. Fear gripped Rose as she realized her sister’s intention, as well as Keys’ instinct. Clutching Oscar tighter in her arms, Rose stepped out from behind Keys’ lean frame.
“Poison, stop!”
Their eyes met.
For exactly one moment, Poison went completely still.
And Rose saw it then, underneath the fury, underneath the weeks of grief and searching, and the particular damage of being lied to by everyone she trusted, she saw her sister.
The sister who’d been more cop than family, an authoritarian figure Rose had felt shunned by for nineteen years.
Through the hurt and the pain, Rose saw something deeper, something she hadn’t expected—guilt.
Then Poison’s eyes landed on Keys again, and the moment was over.
* * *
Poison’s fist was already raised when Keys shouted, “Wait!” in such volume that it actually halted her. Knowing he didn’t have much time, he quickly took his glasses off and handed them to Rose before taking a giant step to his left. “Okay, continue.”
Keys had known this was coming since the moment Ghost made the call to Poison in Church.
He’d spent the intervening hours thinking about little else while eating lunch with Rose and Oscar, then holding Oscar through the dino diplomatic summit, and the seemingly never-ending afternoon of his brothers looking at him like he was a dead man walking.
If he’d been alone, Keys had no doubt they would have practiced their eulogies they meant to say at his funeral in front of him.
Thankfully, they had enough tact not to in front of Rose and Oscar.
Rose was such a nervous wreck that it honestly helped calm him because he had to be calm for her. No doubt she was thinking of running, and if he even hinted that he was right behind her, she’d be out the door without delay.
Ghost was right, though. He’d started this fight, and it was his responsibility to see it through—even if that meant facing a very pissed off Poison.
Poison’s fist connected with his jaw, and fucking hell, that hurt.
He’d been learning to fight with Cage and Angel, and working out with Jigsaw, Poker, Starbucks, and whichever other of his brothers was free during that time.
He’d taken a hit or two, or five, over the years, but damn.
Then again, this was Poison. To have expected her to pull her punch at the last second would have been an insult.
Keys’ head snapped sideways as he stumbled, and for a moment, his vision did something interesting, but he managed to stay on his feet.
Barely. He straightened and righted himself, but never did he consider raising his own fists against her.
Beyond that she was a club president that he’d wronged, she was also a woman.
Sparring with Angel and Tally was one thing, but to actually try to punch a woman?
Keys didn’t care how sexist it was, there was no fucking way he was doing that.
“Poison, stop!” he heard Rose scream.
Keys caught Jigsaw’s eye across the room.
“Get them out of here!” he shouted. In his defense, while he knew this was coming, he truly thought Poison would wait until after she spoke to Rose to do it.
Otherwise, he would have never told the Riley brothers to stay away or allowed Oscar to remain in the clubhouse for the Non Cras’ arrival.
Unfortunately, Keys did not get a chance to see if Jigsaw listened before Poison struck again.
In the solar plexus this time, because Poison had a mean streak.
Keys gasped and stumbled, nearly throwing up as he fought for breath.
She did not wait for him to stand up this time.
Her fists connected with his jaw, his floating ribs, his liver and kidneys, and his nose.
The only time he moved to defend himself was when she went after his balls.
“You son of a bitch!” she spoke between her hits. “You had her! You had her this whole time and you said nothing! While I was tearing this country apart! Searching for her! Not knowing what to believe or who to trust! Thinking she was in danger—and she was right here this whole fucking time!”
The gut again. His lip split on the next one, and he heard Rose make a sound. Cursing Jigsaw for not listening to him, Keys tried to find her through his blurred vision.
“Poison.” That was Ghost’s authoritative voice. “That’s enough.”
Keys saw Poison’s fist coming at him again, but suddenly another hand was there. Breathing heavily, pain radiating through every inch of his body, Keys clung to his ribs as he stared up through his one good eye at Ghost.
As grateful as he was for Ghost’s interference, he was a bit surprised by it. He’d expected to have to take worse. Poison had needed somewhere to put two weeks of grief and betrayal, and Keys had been the right target.
He would never be sorry for choosing Rose. But he was sorry for the pain he’d caused others as a byproduct of that choice.
His president gently lowered Poison’s bloody fist as he stepped forward. “That’s enough,” he repeated sternly. “There’s a child in this room.”
Poison froze, the fury melting off her like ice. Almost frantically she turned, searching for Rose and Oscar. Ghost, for good measure, stepped between Poison and Keys, but Keys couldn’t have cared less at that point. Where were Rose and Oscar?
Across the room, he finally spotted Rose.
She no longer held Oscar, and Jigsaw had an arm blocking her advance.
Keys wasn’t happy she’d stayed to witness his punishment, but he was grateful it seemed Oscar hadn’t.
As the ringing in his ears lessened, he heard the echoes of Oscar’s cries from outside.
Keys wasn’t sure who had him, but at least he was safe.
“Rose.” Poison spoke her sister’s name like a reverent plea. Her hands were covered in blood, both her own and Keys’. She looked like she hadn’t showered in more than a day, and she had a coating of road dust all over her.
But Rose didn’t even look at her. She tried to move forward several times, but each time Jigsaw blocked her.
When Keys felt steady enough on his feet, he made his unsteady way towards her.
Seeing this, Jigsaw moved out of Rose’s way.
She came flying at him, hard enough where they would have landed on the floor if Ghost hadn’t steadied Keys.
Rose clung to him for barely a second before her hands were everywhere on him, none too gently checking him for injuries.
Keys groaned. “Baby, baby, stop, I’m okay…”
But she just kept frantically searching. “Why did you do that? Why did you let her do that? Are you okay? Do you need a doctor?”
“I’m…” Keys winced. “Well, I’m clearly not fine—your sister packs a wallop—but I will be. Where’s Oscar?”
“Outside,” Rose said shortly. Without taking her hands off Keys, she rounded on Poison. “How could you do that to him?”
“He lied to me!” Poison shot back at her. “He knew you were alive, and he lied to me!”