Page 27 of Xane

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

–XANE –

The car speeds off and I instantly shrug out of my leather cut, kicking the tire wrapped around Balta’s upper body so I can get him to fuckin’ roll.I slap at the fire with my cut until someone throws a bucket of water, quickly followed by another.Zora is suddenly kneeling beside him and thank fuck the fire is out.

“Ambulance is on its way,” Fawkes states and shakes his head at the scene in front of him.“Motherfucker, I can’t believe the bitch set him on fire.”

“Well, she did, and we need to get the tire off,” Zora snaps while she checks Balta’s vitals.

I’m standing there staring at her because I have no clue how to help.All while she’s completely switched to work mode and is trying to help a man who was just set on fire.

“Prez, a little help,” Malic rumbles, a pruning shear in hand.

Balta is being awfully quiet while we cut away the tire.His skin is black and pink, curled right off him on some spots and it looks painful as hell.An ambulance appears a few minutes later and Zora rattles off details while they load him onto the stretcher.We all stare at the ambulance as it drives off.

“Neo,” I bellow and point at the ambulance.“Follow them and give me an update as soon as you have one.”

Neo nods and jogs in the direction of his bike.

Zora reaches for my hand to link my fingers with hers before she whispers, “I don’t think he’s going to make it.The skin is the largest organ and he had burns on eighty percent of his body.Not to mention factors such as shock and sepsis.”

“Fuck,” I grumble and lean in to place a kiss on the top of her head.

She doesn’t shy away from my closeness but instead leans against me.We both need support within this moment.I guide her in the direction of the clubhouse and once inside it’s Roux who waves me over.

He’s holding up a photograph and states, “Luisa fucking Mendoza, Prez.How the hell did we miss this shit?”

I rub a hand over my tired eyes.“Because she hasn’t shown her face so no one made the link.Now we damn well know why they hop from town to town and why they need the money.”

“All because of this woman?”Zora asks.

Though, I’m proud to have her jumping in with her skills as a doctor, and not shying away, but this kind of information isn’t meant for her ears.I don’t mean to be disrespectful, it’s more in the lines of the fear it will invoke and how it could cause a huge setback.

“More like her brother, he’s...”

I snap my fingers to cut Roux off.“Get all the brothers in here, right now, dammit.”

Turning to Zora, I soften my voice and tell her, “I have to make a quick call to Spence and talk things through with my club brothers.”

She frowns and turns those blue-green eyes on me.“Why don’t you want me to know these details?”

The dullness over the past few days is replaced by a defiant spark, until it slowly fades when she says, “Never mind.I’ll be in your room.”

“Wait.”I reach for her and this time she does rip her hand away.

Not shying away from my touch or from fear, no...she’s pissed.I shouldn’t like it, but I’d rather have her pissed than back in her shell.

“Fine.I’m trying to protect you, okay?”I sigh.

She narrows her eyes.“Protect me from what?Hearing details about the woman who just torched a man?About those she’s connected with including the one you have tied up in the basement who put me through my own personal hell for days on end before you stepped in and ended it?I can handle more than you think, Grayer.Even if all of you consider me broken and incapable of handling stuff.”