22-Crow
1180 Words
The next morning, I woke up with a pounding headache and a new resolve. I'd keep my distance from Oceano, for both our sakes. I couldn't let my personal feelings cloud my judgment, not with the Serpents on the prowl and my gang's future hanging in the balance.
But when I walked into the kitchen to find her sitting at the table, her hair a wild mess and her eyes puffy from lack of sleep, all my good intentions flew out the window. She looked up at me, her gaze filled with a mix of defiance and fear, and I knew that I was in trouble. Big, gang-leader-falling-for-his-daughter's-best-friend kind of trouble.
"Good morning," I grunted, heading for the coffeemaker.
"Yeah, sure," she said, her voice thick with sarcasm. "Everything's just peachy."
I didn't dare look at her, focusing instead on the dark liquid that promised to chase away the whiskey's aftermath. "Leo okay?" I asked, my voice gruff.
"Yeah," she said, her tone softer. "He's still asleep."
"Good," I said, pouring a cup for myself. "You need to keep an eye on him."
"I know," she said, her eyes meeting mine over the rim of her mug. "But what about you? Are you okay?"
The concern in her voice was my undoing. I turned away, trying to hide the way her words affected me. "I'm fine," I said, my voice a lie. "Just got a lot on my plate."
"Yeah," she said, her voice understanding. "I get that."
For a moment, we just stood there, the silence stretching between us like a tightrope. Then, she broke it. "I'm going to get ready for work," she said, her voice small. "Thanks for letting us stay here."
"You're welcome," I managed, watching as she slipped out of the room.
The day passed in a blur of tension and unspoken words. Every time I saw her, it was like a knife to the gut. But I held firm, keeping my distance, focusing on the impending showdown with the Serpents. I had to keep her safe, even if it meant pushing her away.
That night, as the bar was closing, Rouger came to me with a look of concern. "Snake's been sniffing around," he said, his voice low. "He's been asking around about Oceano."
My heart skipped a beat. "What do you mean?"
"Just that he's interested in her," he said, his eyes on me. "Very interested."
The rage that surged through me was unlike anything I'd felt before. Snake was a snake, always slithering around, looking for a way to strike. And now he had his eyes on my girl.
"Keep an eye on her," I barked. "Don't let her out of your sight."
Rouger nodded, his gaze never leaving mine. "You got it, boss."
As the night grew later and the bar grew quieter, I found myself unable to sit still. I had to make sure Oceano was okay.
As I stomped out of the office, the whiskey in my system only fueling my anxiety, the sight of her behind the bar, serving drinks with a forced smile, made me want to roar with frustration. How in the hell could she be so oblivious to the danger she was in?
As I approached her, her eyes searched mine. "You okay?"
"Not even close," I growled under my breath, then, voice tight, I hissed, "I need you to come with me. Now."
Eyebrows shooting up, she gave a nod and followed me into my office. "What's up?" she asked.
"Snake's looking for you," I said, my jaw clenched. "And he's not going to stop until he finds you."
Her face paled, the reality of the situation finally sinking in. "What am I supposed to do?" she breathed.
Taking a deep breath, and trying to keep my emotions in check, I muttered, "You need to lay low for a while."
Oceano peered at me, "That's going to be kind of hard to do with Leo's appointments and all, but I'll do the best I can," she returned.
I didn't like the situation, but I understood.
The following days were a blur of tension and strategy. The gang was on high alert, and I couldn't help but feel like I was holding onto Oceano by a thread. Every time she was out of my sight, I was consumed by the fear that she'd be taken from me. The Serpents had upped the ante, and we had to be ready to fight back.
Mel and I had several tense conversations about her involvement with the Renegades, but she was as stubborn as her mother had been. "I'm not a child," she snapped. "I can handle myself."
"I know you can, but you're not just any child," I said, trying to keep the anger out of my voice. "You're mine."
"And what about Oceano?" she shot back. "Why aren't you treating her like a child, too? Oh wait, I know! It's because you want to f**k her!"
The words hung in the air, a grenade thrown into the room. Mel had always had a sharp tongue, but this was a new level of disrespect. I clenched my fists, trying to keep my cool. "That's not your business," I ground out.
"It is when it's my friend!" she yelled. "I can't ignore the way you two look at each other. It's f*****g weird."
"Look, Mel," I began, my voice firm. "We're all just trying to get through this. Let's just focus on keeping everyone safe."
"Fine," she huffed, stomping out of the room. "But don't think I don't know what's going on."
As she slammed the door, I couldn't help but feel a twinge of guilt. Maybe I had been acting weird around Oceano. Maybe the whiskey had made me sloppy. I needed to get my s**t together, for all our sakes.
The next day, we had a meeting of the Riders. The air was thick with tension, the smell of leather and cigarette smoke filling the room. They were worried, and they had every right to be. The Serpents had made it clear that they weren't going to back down.
"We need to make a move," Rouger said, his voice calm despite the chaos in his eyes. "We can't just sit here and wait for them to come to us."
The others nodded in agreement, their faces a mix of anger and fear. "But we can't just go in guns blazing," I said. "We need a plan."
"What about Oceano and Leo?" Mel spoke up from the corner, her voice shaking. "What if they go after them?"
"They won't," I assured her, hoping it was true. "We've got them under lock and key."
"But what if they do?" she pressed. "What then?"
I took a deep breath, the weight of her words sinking in. "Then we end this," I said, my voice cold and determined. "Whatever it takes."
The room fell silent, the gravity of the situation settling over us like a shroud. This was it. We were going to war, and there was no turning back.
- Writer
