A gunshot burst through the air, and my gaze whipped to the sound as Spyder held his gun to the sky. The Hellraisers scattered didn’t even bother picking up their wounded. So much for brotherly love. Furious revving of engines and the smell of burning rubber flooded my senses, and I trembled under the weight of eyes. Panting viciously, I clenched and released my jaw as injured parties struggled to escape, but the dude Nicole had crushed had passed out at some point.
“Rook!” Snarling nastily, I grabbed Rook’s arm when he tried to go after the shaky riders, and he glared fiery at me. “That’s enough. They’re gone.”
Jerking his arm from my grip, he rolled his shoulders and shook his head viciously, and I licked my teeth. The red haze lifted from my mind, and I stretched my arms over my head to arch sharply and shake myself out. Rubbing my jaw on the way over to Spyder, I nodded gratefully, but he frowned darkly through his thick beard.
“My car!” Nicole’s cry snapped me out of my daze, and my gaze swung to her as she scrambled to her feet with her painting. Huge tears streamed down her face, and she rushed over to her car to flitter over her missing mirror and broken back window. “Oh, my God. Oh, my God! My insurance doesn’t cover vandalism! Oh, my God!”
“Nicole—” But she was hysterical, so I walked over to grab her and pull her to my chest. Rubbing her head that way she liked seemed to help, but she trembled, and her tears didn’t slow or shrink. “Nicole, relax. It’s okay. We’ll fix it, free of charge. Just relax and take some breaths, baby.”
“What’s wrong with those people! They . . . that guy . . . the . . .” Sputtering through gasping breaths, Nicole twisted in my arms to squeak in horror. “That guy!”
“Stop!” Holding her cold cheeks in my palms, I forced Nicole to look at me, and she tensed with a hiccup. “Stop, Nicole. It’s okay. They’ll come back for him, and you’re not gonna get in trouble for running his dumbass over. Let’s go in the back and get you a drink.”
“What does that mean? Not get in trouble? He’s gonna say I ran him over and the police wi—” Thumbing her lips to shut her up, I shook my head before wrapping an arm securely around her waist. Davey emerged from the side of the house with a huge tarp to cover her car with, and I nodded in thanks as we passed him.
“Sit.” She was so stiff that her knees cracked when she sat in the plastic chair, and I nodded in satisfaction. Grabbing a beer for myself and a fruity thing Hailey had brought for Nicole, I sat next to her as she shivered, clutching her painting for dear life. “Just breathe. You did nothing wrong, and we’ll fix your car for you. Okay? It’s alright.”
“N-no, it’s not! What? Why? What just happened?” I winced when her voice cracked, and she set the painting against the chair leg to snatch the small can and guzzle it down. Blustering a choking sigh, she shook her head and shivered violently, blinking hard while I tried to figure out what to say.
“I didn’t think they’d be that bold. I’m sorry, Nicole.” She cast me a wild look, and I grabbed her hand to squeeze comfortingly. “I don’t start problems, but I do finish them. Hopefully, they’ll back off. Saint George Hellraisers . . . I hope they realized that they shouldn’t do anything stupid again, but they’re idiots, so . . .”
“H-how can you be so . . . so . . .” Faltering heavily, Nicole frowned at me as accusation flared in her eyes. “You said they were regular idiots, not that they would throw themselves in front of my car idiots!”
“I underestimated their stupidity, baby. I apologize. It won’t happen again.” My promise firmed my tone and her emotions, and Nicole practically stabbed me with her gaze. “I promise.”
“Did you and Rook get into some trouble in Vegas or something, Bruiser?” Tensing as I twisted at Spyder’s tone, my mouth dried as I shook my head under his expectant gaze. “What was that?”
“Minter teaches it to us. Well, drilled it into us is more like what he did. That way, we’d never be outmatched even if we’re outnumbered.” Spyder appraised me critically as I chuckled darkly, rubbing the back of my head awkwardly with my free hand. “He made it up himself after getting the snot beaten out of him with his brother. They were doin’ a deal and got ganged up on. Everyone in the business has to pass that shit before we’re allowed to do deals ourselves. The bigger guy takes the defensive, and the smaller the one offensive.”
“Right . . . we’re gonna talk about this later. I don’t wanna make more trouble on my mom’s birthday. Although, I do appreciate you stopping by with a gift, Nicole. It’s very nice of you.” She sorta hiccupped in reply as Spyder shifted his attention, and I nodded as I sat back in the chair. He shot her a smirk, barely visible under his beard, and she managed a rattling breath. “I wonder if it can top my gift for once.”
“Th-thank you for having me.” Sniffling harshly, Nicole rubbed her palms together before picking up the canvas to hold it out, face down. “I hope she likes it.”
Spyder smiled before taking the canvas to the present table, and I tilted my head to stare at Nicole intently. Gradually, her tears stopped, and her breathing evened out as she sunk deep into the uncomfortable, hard chair. She lifted her can to her lips before realizing it was empty, and I arched a brow quizzically when she
