17-Crow
1154 Words
After gaining a few hours of sleep, I shuffled down the stairs and headed toward the kitchen. Smothering a yawn as I stepped into the room, I was surprised to see Crow standing at the counter, pouring a cup of coffee.
Glancing up at my entrance, and without a pause in filling his cup, he reached over, slid a second cup over and filled it as well. Then, with a shift of his hips, he carried both to the table, gesturing with one for me to have a seat.
"Thanks," I murmured, taking a seat across from him.
Crow took a long draw of his coffee, his eyes never leaving mine. "You okay?" he asked, his voice a low rumble.
"As okay as I can be, I guess," I replied, taking a sip of my own. The warmth spread through my body, a bit of comfort in the face of the cold reality. "How’s the investigation going?"
He grimaced. "Not well. The cops are useless. They're more worried about keeping us in line than finding the ones who did this."
I knew he was referring to the age-old feud between the Renegade Riders and the Serpents. The tension between the two gangs was notorious, and it seemed like every year brought a new round of bloodshed and destruction.
"I need to get Leo his medicine," I said, setting the cup down. "Can you take me to a pharmacy?"
Crow nodded. "Rouger will take you. He's waiting outside."
"Thank you," I breathed, feeling a weight lift from my shoulders.
"Ocean," he began, his voice gruff. "You're part of this now. Whether you like it or not. And I'm not going to let anything happen to you or Leo."
The sincerity in his eyes was enough to make me believe him.
Minutes later, Rouger and I were on the road, the wind whipping through my hair as we sped away from the sanctuary of Crow's mansion.
"You know, you don't have to do this," I yelled over the engine. "I can handle myself."
He glanced back, his sunglasses reflecting the sun. "Orders from the president, darlin'. Besides, I don't trust you not to go off half-c****d and get yourself killed."
The way he said it made me smile, despite the dire situation. The gang had accepted Leo and me without question, and I couldn't help but feel a bit of camaraderie with these rough-and-tumble men.
When we pulled into the pharmacy parking lot, I climbed off the bike and Rouger handed me a piece of paper with a list of medications. "Make it quick," he said. "We don't know who's watching."
The pharmacist's eyes widened when he saw the list and the urgency in my face, but he nodded, working swiftly to fill the prescription. As I waited, I couldn't help but think about the events of the past twenty-four hours. My life had gone from a somewhat normal existence to a world of chaos, danger, and secrets.
The door chimed as I stepped out, the small bag of medication clutched tightly in my hand. Rouger was waiting, leaning against his bike, his eyes scanning the area.
As I approached, he straightened up and took the bag. "Let's go," he said.
And with that, we were off again, racing back to the safety of the Crow's house.
"You know, Rouger," I began as we hit the highway, the wind beating against my back, "I never pictured my life turning out like this."
He smirked over his shoulder. "You and me both, darlin'. But we play the hand we're dealt, right?"
I couldn't help but laugh a little. It was a strange comfort, his casual acceptance of the chaos surrounding us. "Right," I agreed.
When we arrived back at the mansion, Crow was waiting, his arms crossed over his broad chest, his expression unreadable. Rouger handed me the bag of medication with a nod.
"Got what you need?" Crow asked.
I nodded, my eyes flickering to the bag before returning to meet Crow's. "Yes, thank you."
"Good," he said, his eyes flickering to the bag before he turned and headed back into the house. "We've got business to attend to."
The gravity of the situation hit me like a ton of bricks as we followed him into the living room. The TV was on, showing the news, the charred remains of my house on the screen. The reporter was talking about the fire, the shots fired, and the ties to the Renegade Riders. My heart pounded in my chest.
"Crow," I began, my voice shaking. "What am I going to do?"
He turned to me, his eyes hard. "You're going to survive. And I'm going to find out who did this. When I do, they're going to wish they never heard your name."
The determination in his voice was like a balm to my soul. For the first time in what felt like forever, I didn't feel quite so alone.
But as the day turned into night and the tension in the house grew thicker than the smoke that had once filled my lungs, I couldn't shake the feeling that we were playing with fire. And the more I thought about it, the more I realized that fire had a way of spreading—consuming everything in its path until there was nothing left but ash and regret.
And in that moment, I knew that no matter how much I tried to deny it, I was falling for Crow. The man who was not only the leader of a dangerous gang but also the father of my best friend. A man who was as much a part of this chaos as the flames that had taken my home. But as the night grew darker, so did the look in his eyes.
"You can't just go around starting s**t with every Tom, d**k, and Harry," I said, my voice a mix of frustration and concern. Crow was like a ticking time bomb, and I didn't want to be around when he went off.
"I'm not starting s**t," he snapped, his eyes flashing with anger. "I'm finishing it."
I sighed, knowing full well that he had a point. The Serpents had crossed a line. "I just don't want to get in the middle of this," I whispered, my eyes pleading with him to understand.
He took a step closer, his hand coming up to cup my cheek. "You're already in the middle of it, Oceano. You've been in the middle of it since the day you walked into the Murder of Crows."
I closed my eyes, feeling the warmth of his hand, the roughness of his thumb brushing against my skin. When I opened them again, he was looking at me with a fierce tenderness that made my heart race. "You and Leo are under my protection," he said, his voice low and intense. "That's not going to change."
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