18-Crow
1073 Words
The gravity of his words settled over me like a heavy blanket. I knew he meant it—Crow was a man of his word. And in that moment, I realized that no matter how hard I fought it, I had come to rely on him. On his strength, his protection, and the strange comfort that came from being near someone who understood the chaos that was my life.
The rest of the night was spent in a tense silence. Crow took calls, made plans, and occasionally looked over at me with a furrowed brow. A few of the bikers came and went, their faces a mix of anger and determination. It was clear that the Serpents had made a grave mistake by coming after Leo and me, and the Riders were going to make them pay.
As the hours ticked by, I couldn't help but think about Mel. I hadn't talked to her since the night of the fire, and I knew she had to be worried sick. But what could I say? That her father had taken us in and that I was now caught in a world I had sworn to stay away from?
When my phone finally buzzed with a message from her, I jumped. "You okay?" it read. I took a deep breath, my thumb hovering over the screen. What was I supposed to tell her? That her dad was playing knight in shining armor, and I was playing damsel in distress? That I was falling for him despite the mess I was in?
With a heavy sigh, I typed back, "We're safe. At Crow's."
Her response was almost immediate. "What the hell happened?"
I bit my bottom lip, contemplating what to say. "Long story," I wrote. "Can't talk now. I'll fill you in later."
"Be careful, Oce," she responded. "I love you."
"Love you too," I sent back, my heart aching with the weight of our situation.
The next morning, I found myself sitting in the kitchen, nursing a cup of coffee, as Crow and Rouger discussed their next move. The smell of bacon and eggs filled the room, and my stomach grumbled in protest of my lack of breakfast.
"You should eat something," Crow said, not looking up from the map spread out in front of him.
"I'm not hungry," I replied, staring out the window.
Rouger snorted. "Bullshit. You're always hungry, darlin'. It's part of your charm."
I rolled my eyes at his teasing, but the tension in the room was undeniable. We were all walking a fine line between trust and betrayal, love and loyalty. And as much as I wanted to believe that we would all come out of this unscathed, deep down, I knew that was a pipe dream.
"Look," I began, setting my coffee cup down. "I need to know what's going on. You can't keep me in the dark, not anymore."
Crow's gaze met mine, his expression unyielding. "What's going on is you and Leo are coming to work with me. We'll set him up a place in the bar. And then, you're going to pretend nothing happened."
"Pretend?" I echoed, my voice incredulous. "My house is gone, my life is in a shamble, and you want me to pretend nothing happened?"
Rouger leaned back in his chair, folding his arms behind his head. "It's the best play right now, babe. Low profile, keep Leo safe, and let us do the dirty work."
"But what if whoever it is goes after the bar?" I demanded, my voice shaking with fear.
Crow's eyes grew dark, his jaw clenching. "They won't," he said with a confidence that made my stomach flutter. "Not if I have anything to say about it."
"How can you be so sure?" I pressed, my voice rising.
He turned to me, his eyes locking onto mine with a fierce intensity. "Because I'm going to make sure of it," he said, his voice low and deadly. "I won't let anyone hurt you."
The air in the room seemed to thicken as we stared at each other. The words hung in the air, heavy with meaning and unspoken emotions.
Melanie burst through the door, her eyes wide with shock. "Oceano!" she rushed to us, wrapping her arms around me. "Are you okay?"
I nodded, my eyes welling with tears. "Yeah," I managed to say, my voice choking. "We're okay."
Mel looked at Crow, her gaze accusatory. "What's happening?"
Crow's expression was unreadable. "They're staying here," he said simply. "For now."
Mel's eyes widened, and she pulled back to look at me. "What's going on?"
"Someone burned down our house," I said, the words still not quite real. "The cops think it's gang-related."
Her hand flew to her mouth, and she stared at Crow. "You think it was the Serpents?"
He nodded. "Looks that way."
"But why?" she whispered. "What could they possibly want with Oceano?"
After a few seconds of silence, Crow muttered, "It was a warning to the Renegades."
"But why?" I questioned, still not understanding the depth of the situation.
"Because of your father," he said, his tone tight.
"But I didn't even know Phoenix!" I spat.
Crow's gaze was hard, his voice cold. "It's not about you knowing him, Oceano. It's about what you represent. You're his daughter, and to the Serpents, that makes you a target."
"But why now?" Mel demanded, her voice shaking.
Crow leaned back in his chair, his arms folded over his chest. "Because her mother's dead, and I'm the only thing standing between her and the legacy he left behind."
The words hit me like a ton of bricks. My mother's death was still a sore spot for me, a wound that hadn’t quite healed. But now, it seemed, her passing had made me vulnerable in ways I had never imagined.
"We can't just hide out here forever," I said, pushing back my chair. "We need to get our lives back."
Crow's eyes met mine, his expression unyielding. "You're going to stay under my protection until I know it's safe."
I just gaped at him.
With a sigh, Crow ran his fingers through his hair. "Look Oceano, I'm giving an inch letting you come back to work at the bar. Don't expect a mile."
I knew arguing would get me nowhere, so I nodded stiffly. "Fine."
Rouger leaned back in his chair, a knowing smirk playing on his lips. "That's a girl."
- Writer
