Chapter 15 - Lucy
Lucy
I’d barely leaned in when Link whispered something I couldn’t quite catch, gesturing towards the corner sofa. My pulse tripped, nerves tingling with curiosity. Part of me wanted to hear him out, and part of me wanted to forget the mess in my head for one damn night and get lost in him.
But then the air shifted, and loud boot steps thundered our way.
I looked up, and there he was. Jay. Striding through the room like a storm, his jaw tight, eyes locked on me like I’d done something wrong.
Gabby was left behind on her barstool, lips parted in shock, her little victory parade crumbling as he strode away from her.
“What the hell are you—”
“Not here,” he snapped, low enough that only I caught it but sharp enough that Link straightened, frowning.
I blinked at him, anger flaring to cover the confusion. “Excuse me? Since when do you get to—”
His hand closed around my wrist, firm, not cruel but unyielding. The heat of his skin seared through me, and my breath hitched in spite of myself.
Link’s gaze darted between us, brows rising like he was putting two and two together.
Jay didn’t even look at him. Didn’t look at anyone but me. “We need to talk.”
Before I could tell him to go to hell, he tugged me across the room, straight towards the couch in the far corner, close to the front door. My boots scraped against the floor, every step daring me to pull away, but I didn’t.
He sat me down on the edge of the beat-up sofa, the one with stains I was trying not to think about, then crouched in front of me, forearms braced on his knees.
“You shouldn’t be here. Go home,” he said quietly.
“You said to stay.” My voice was tinged with exhaustion.
A hint of a smile tugged at his lips. “I also said you wouldn’t last a week.”
I looked up at him. “You trying to make sure of that?” There was no way I was going to let him get rid of me.
Before he could answer, a waft of perfume drifted between us.
Gabby.
She draped herself across the arm of the couch, all easy curves and painted lips. “C’mon, Reaper,” she said sweetly, nails tracing up his arm. “It’s late. Let’s go to bed.”
Jay didn’t even look at her. “Not now, Gabby.”
Her smile faltered enough for me to notice. “You’ve been running yourself ragged—”
“I said not now,” he repeated, voice harder.
Silence stretched until she let out a small huff and straightened. Her eyes slid to me, quick and sharp, before she sauntered off towards the back rooms. I watched her go then turned back to him.
“Don’t worry, Jay. If you’re sick of me being underfoot, I’ll take Link home with me instead. At least he doesn’t look like he wants to crawl out of his own skin every time I’m near.”
His head snapped towards me, eyes flashing, the storm back in full force. He leaned in, close enough that his breath brushed my cheek.
“You so much as touch Link, I’ll put him in the ground myself.”
I smiled. “Sounds a lot like jealousy.”
His jaw flexed, knuckles whitening against his knees.
“Don’t flatter yourself. This isn’t jealousy.” His voice dropped, low and dangerous. “It’s my job to look after you.”
“Fuck you, Jay, you asshole. I can look after myself. I didn’t need you back then, and I certainly don’t need your protection now.”
Jay stayed crouched in front of me. Up close, he looked rough, older, and as exhausted as I felt. I noticed a small cut near his temple that I hadn’t seen earlier.
“You don’t have a clue what you’re doing, do you?”
“I know how to listen.” I sat upright.
He smiled, but it was bitter. “You know how to look like a spirit in your brother’s clothes. That’s not the same thing.”
I hesitated. “You knew him better than I did.”
It was true. Growing up, Caleb and I had been really close, but as soon as he got in with the club, he became more distant, barely showing up at home and eventually not answering my calls.
Jay’s jaw tightened. “No, I just knew the version of him that stayed long enough to bleed.” He moved to sit next to me on the sofa.
We sat in silence. I had no idea how to reply to his last sentence. Was it true that nobody ever got to know the real Caleb? Not the man who was supposedly his best friend and not even me?
“I tried to get him out,” Jay said eventually. “Before he left. Before it got bad.”
I leaned forward, elbows on my knees. “Is that why you voted no for him coming back?”
His eyes bored into mine, his brows raised.
“Gabby told me. She couldn’t wait to tell me, actually.”
He sighed and shook his head. “Yeah, because I thought loyalty equalled silence, but it turns out, silence gets people killed.” He looked at me then, fully turning to face me. “You should go,” he said. “Come back when the sun’s up. Or don’t.”
I stood and walked to the door. “You said I wouldn’t last a week,” I said, hand on the knob.
“I meant it,” he replied but didn’t turn to look at me.
“Then you’d better start betting against me.” I didn’t wait for him to reply, I opened the door and stepped out into the cool, fresh night air. It hit my face like a slap. I let the door swing shut behind me, breathing deep, trying to shake Jay’s voice out of my head.
You won’t last a week.
“You shouldn’t be out here alone.”
I turned and saw that Link had followed, hands shoved in his pockets, grin tilted.
“I can handle myself,” I said.
“Sure, you can,” he said easily, “but I’m walking you out anyway.”
I almost refused, but the stubborn set of his jaw told me it wasn’t up for debate. At least he wasn’t telling me to go back inside and play nice.
We made it halfway across the gravel when the shadows shifted near the fence. Two men stepped forward, their patches catching the faint glow of the clubhouse sign.
Fangs.
“Well, well,” one drawled. “Dead Knights letting strays wander loose?”
Link stopped, his body slightly angled in front of me. His voice dropped low. “Go back in, Kane. I got this.”
The taller Fang sneered. “Got what? She’s not yours.” His eyes slid to me, slow and deliberate. “But she could be ours.”
My stomach turned, but Link didn’t flinch. “Back off. You don’t want this fight.”
The Fangs laughed, the sound scraping across my nerves. One stepped closer, and then another shadow peeled from the darkness, heavier, sharper, broader shoulders, and fury carved into every line.
Jay.
His hand clamped around my wrist, pulling me back a step behind him. “Touch her,” he said, voice low enough to curdle blood, “and you’ll lose the hands you’re so eager with.”
The taller Fang barked a laugh as he stepped closer. “What’s the matter, Reaper? Don’t feel like sharing Lucy?”
Jay’s hand dropped from my wrist and shot out, fast as a whip. His fist cracked across the Fang’s jaw with a sound that made my teeth ache. The man stumbled back, spitting blood and curses.
The second Fang lunged, but Link cut him off, his shoulder slamming into the man’s ribs. Gravel crunched under boots as the two locked up, snarling like dogs.
I stumbled back a step, heart hammering.
Jay didn’t hesitate. He grabbed the first Fang by his kutte and drove him hard against the fence, chain links rattling under the impact. His voice was a snarl, savage, unrecognizable. “You ever breathe her name again,” he spoke low and menacing, “and I’ll make sure you never breathe at all.”
The Fang’s hands clawed at Jay’s grip, eyes wide, face turning red. For a heartbeat, I wasn’t sure he’d let go.
That was what terrified me most. Even with fear tightening my throat, some buried part of me still felt it—the rush, the relief.
Safe.
With him.