8. Chapter Eight
Chapter Eight
Wrenley
Max’s arm is slung across my waist, heavy and warm.
Liam’s hand rests against my thigh like a silent claim.
They’re draped around me like armor, and for the first time in a long time I feel safe.
But I also know better. Whatever’s out there, it’s coming.
I can feel it, thick in the air like a storm coiling just beyond the horizon. I refuse to be caught off guard again.
I slide out from between them as carefully as I can, inching toward the edge of the bed. Max murmurs something in his sleep, low and unintelligible, and Liam shifts slightly, his brows twitching like he senses my absence even in unconsciousness. I pause, holding my breath.
When neither of them stirs further, I move again, stepping over Hugo, who lifts his massive head to look at me, ears flicking in lazy confusion.
“Shh,” I whisper, bending down to scratch behind his ears. “Stay with them.”
He gives a short huff of agreement, then lowers his head again.
I grab one of their shirts from the floor, and pad to the door, slowly opening it. Just before I slip out, I glance back. They’re tangled together in the sheets, limbs overlapping, chests rising and falling in quiet rhythm. My entire world, laying there in that bed.
I’ll protect you. I don’t care what it costs me.
I close the door behind me with a soft click making my way down the hall, bare feet silent against the floor. The house is dark and still, but I know I’m not the only one awake.
I open Margot’s door to find exactly what I expected, chaos in still life.
Margot, Elais, and Riot are sprawled naked across the bed like a crime scene. No blankets. No shame. Just limbs and skin and glitter from last night’s party still clinging to Margot’s cheeks. I shake my head, a silent laugh catching in my throat.
Walking to Elias’s side, I kneel and gently tap his jaw. “Elias,” I whisper.
He stirs, blinking faintly. “Mmmph…what—”
I clap my hand over his mouth. “Come with me. Quietly. Don’t wake them.”
He nods, mouth still covered. I release him and stand, watching as he carefully removes himself and grabs a nearby pair of sweatpants.
As soon as we’re in the hallway, he opens his mouth to speak, but I raise a finger to my lips “Shh.”
That’s when I hear it, Max’s voice, low and firm through the closed bedroom door.
“Hugo, bleib.” Stay.
I freeze. No footsteps. No creaking floorboards. Just silence again.
I wait a beat. Nothing. I glance at Elias and nod.
Whatever Hugo heard, it didn’t sound the alarm.
He’s just waiting, probably wondering why the hell I’m creeping around at dawn.
I motion for Elias to follow me again, and we move quietly down the hall toward the war room.
I know we’re already playing someone else’s game, and I refuse to play fair.
“You know,” Elias mutters, stifling a yawn as he slumps into one of the war room chairs, “The last time you woke me up this early, you had just been shot, and we started planning total annihilation.”
I lean against the edge of the table. Arms crossed. “Yeah… well. This might be even crazier.”
Before he can ask what I mean, the door creaks open and Wrecker walks in holding a coffee mug that looks comically small in his massive hand.
Elias squints at him. “What the hell are you doing up?”
Wrecker just grips the mug tighter like it might shield him from whatever is happening. “I swear this fucking house is haunted. I couldn’t sleep. Kept hearing noises, footsteps. Whispering.” He shudders, then adds flatly. “Also, Elias, I think you sleep with your eyes open.”
Elias flips him off, and I can’t help the small giggle that slips out. God, I needed this.
“Okay,” I say, straightening. “I need to know if you can get your hands on trackers.”
Elias blinks. “Trackers? I mean… yeah. I’ve got some. Why?”
“Not the usual kind,” I clarify. “I’m talking about an implanted one. Subdermal. For the family.”
Wreckers chokes on his coffee. “Umm. Wow. This is not how I planned to start my morning.”
Elias gives me a long, slow look like I’ve officially cracked. “Jesus, Wrenley. That’s… a big ask. You sure you want to go that route?”
“Can you get them?”
He leans back, sighing. “Couple hours tops. But good luck convincing everyone to actually let me cut them open and insert metal under their skin.”
“Leave that part to me.” I flash a sharp smile. “You just make sure it’s clean and trackable.”
I turn to Wrecker. “I need a car ready. You’re taking me to Doc.”
He blinks. “Or… I can go get her. Whatever you need.”
“No.” I fix him with a look. “You’re taking me. Or I go alone.”
He groans, handing me his coffee. “Fuck. Okay, okay. Just lemme grab my shoes.”
“Appreciated.” I sip his coffee but before he can walk off, I glance at both of them “You keep your mouth shut. Both of you. I’ll tell the others soon enough.”
As Wrecker is leaving Max and Liam step inside, shirtless, sleep-warm and barefoot. I barely stifle a smile. Max crosses his arms over his chest, eyebrows raised. “Imagine my surprise when I woke up holding Reaper instead of you, Sparrow.”
Liam’s expression is dry. “Oh yeah? Imagine mine, when I woke up with your face nuzzled in my neck.”
I can’t help it, I giggle, hand pressed over my mouth, Elias lets out a bark of laughter, already dragging his chair closer like he’s watching the best episode of reality TV.
“Please,” Elias says through wheezing laughter. “I will pay money to see that. Do it again and let me take pictures.”
“You know what makes it funnier?” I tease, glancing between the two of them. “They were both naked.”
“Sparrow,” Max growls out, half-hearted and amused.
Liam just laughs and crosses the space between us, pressing a soft kiss to the top of my head like it’s the most natural thing in the world.
Elias has fallen out of his chair from laughing.
“What do we owe the pleasure of being up so early?” Max asks, eyeing me with that knowing tilt of his head.
“No big thing,” I say breezily, walking past them to the door. “Just need to run an errand.”
“Wrenley—” Liam starts, but I cut him off.
“Wreckers taking me,” I assure them. “I’ll be back soon. Just… keep everyone here, okay?”
Max and Reaper exchange a look, but neither stop me. Not yet. They trust me. They don’t know what I’m about to ask of them. But I will protect them. I have to. Even if it means burning a few more secrets to the ground.
The drive is quiet, but I notice Wrecker glancing at me a little too often. His hands flex on the steering wheel, and he keeps adjusting the rearview mirror like we’re being followed, which we aren't. He's nervous.
“Okay, spill it. Why are you so twitchy?” I ask him with a pointed glare.
He shakes his head, adjusting the rearview mirror again. “I’m not twitchy, it’s just early. What if she’s sleeping? No one likes getting woken up at the ass crack of dawn, we could go get food and come back later?”
“There’s nothing to worry about, Doc knows we come to her at all hours. It’s fine.”
Wrecker shakes his head no but doesn’t push it any further. When we pull up in front of Doc’s house, I’m out of the car before he’s even fully parked. I walk straight to the door, boots crunching gravel. Wrecker slowly follows behind, like he'd rather be anywhere else. I knock twice.
The door swings open and there, standing in nothing but a towel, is Torque.
“Torque?!” I blurt.
He freezes, eyes going wide. “Fuck,” he mutters.
I see his gaze lift, straight past me, to Wrecker, who’s now standing sheepishly behind me.
“Really, man?” Torque growls.
Wrecker throws up his hands. “She’s a tiny terror, and I’m scared of her, okay?” What did you want me to do?”
Before either of them can argue further, Doc leans around the corner, towel-drying her hair, looking completely unfazed.
“Well, this secret’s shot to hell,” she says casually, stepping into view. She’s in pajamas and a coffee in hand.
I smirk, crossing my arms. “You could’ve told me you were dating Doc.”
Torque rubs the back of his neck, grumbling something about ‘privacy.’
“And why don’t you bring her around?” I continue, raising an eyebrow. “She already knows how crazy we all are.”
Torque sighs. “I just wanted to live in the bubble a little longer.”
Doc snorts. “Well… POP!” She turns her full attention to me. “What can I do for you Wrenley?”
I glance over my shoulder at Wrecker, who’s still pretending to study the porch floorboards, then back to her. “I need you to implant subdermal trackers into everyone. The whole family.”
That gets me two looks. One from Torque, shocked. And one from Doc, measured.
“Everyone agreed to this?” Torque asks, incredulous.
“Not exactly,” I say with a small shrug. “I haven’t told them yet. I figured having Doc there to do it instead of Elias, they might not back out.”
Doc sips her coffee, nodding. “Smart. Honestly, we should’ve done this months ago.”
Torque throws his hands up. “Really?”
Doc just laughs and shrugs. “Let me get dressed. We’ll meet you there.”
As she turns to head back inside. Torque looks at me half grumpy, half amused. “You’re going to be the death of all of us.”
I grin. “Maybe. But at least we’ll know where the bodies are.”