Lazarus (The Henchmen MC 7)

It was his trigger.

And the finger on it was set to hair.

Beside me, likely feeling the sparking energy coming off a man who was outwardly contained, Bethany stiffened and lowered her face when he moved in in front of us.

His hand reached out, snagging her chin and angling it up, turning it to the side slightly so he could get a better look. He released her when she lifted her chin slightly, obviously deciding to not be embarrassed over something that wasn't her fault. His finger traced down her nose and dropped before his gaze shifted toward me.

"I'm in."

I didn't need to ask.

I knew exactly what he meant.

And I was happy for the backup.

"Come on, angel." Cyrus was the next to speak up, reaching down for Bethany's free hand and pulling her slightly. "Let's go settle you in and let these guys grunt at each other and beat their chests in private."

Bethany's eyes went to me, eyes a little worried. Likely, for me. But a smile pulled at her lips as Cyrus let out a whining "come onnnn" and dragged her toward the hall.

My breath exhaled out of my nose, making my chest feel somehow heavier as I turned to the bar. It felt like facing the firing squad- every last one of them unreadable, seasoned in dark and ugly, unflinching.

It was Pagan who broke the tense silence.

"Are you guys just going to keep making googly eyes at one another all night or is someone going to fucking say something?"

To that, Reign's lips twitched slightly, obviously being a fan of Pagan's brand of fearless outspokenness.

"You walked out of a run with the Polish who we're on shaky ground with as is." His tone, as it often was, was matter-of-fact.

I was vaguely aware of Lo, Janie, and Alex walking in, steaming cups of coffee in their hands, watching the interaction like a movie.

"I did," I agreed, jut as matter-of-fact. That was the case.

"We heard both Edison and Pagan talked you into leaving," Cash cut in.

"I understand the rules here."

"Those rules would be?" Repo asked. From experience, I knew he was the hardest to please of all my higher-ups. His ideas of loyalty and tradition were absolute and unbending. While Renny might have been a button-pusher and dirt-digger who made everyone else nervous, I had nothing to hide and didn't give a fuck what he found out about me. Repo was who was more likely to make me sweat. He was a favorite of Reign's and was often the one in charge of probates.

"Brotherhood before everything."

"I'm sure you're aware that rule has been bent many times," Repo said, nodding. "Even by me."

He and Maze had been a forbidden thing- the order passed down from Reign. But Repo hadn't been able to follow that one.

"We get that shit comes up in life," Reign cut in. "Ghosts come back to haunt the present or some asshole steps on your shoe or, as is most common with this mother fucking club it seems, women come around with their own special brand of trouble. When that goes down, it's easy to forget that they are the reason for the brotherhood. It's not just about business. It's about family. I'm not mad because you needed to come back here and check on your girl. But I'm not happy that you didn't realize that you should have come to me about it. Not for permission, but fucking backup."

"I didn't realize when I left that she had gotten herself into trouble," I defended. "And it wasn't my place to let you in on her personal struggles. All due respect, Reign, but you can't expect me to betray her so I can be loyal to you."

"Aw, someone write that one down." Lo, the hopeless romantic she was, was all swoony-voiced. "Seriously. We need to tell Beth that one sometime."

Reign snorted at that, but he was smiling.

"I get that. And now that you know she's got trouble?" he prompted.

"Now I need to ask her if I can let you in on what she's been through."

"I'm an addict," Bethany's unmistakable voice broke a silence after my words, making me jump. Looking over, I found her standing in the hallway, eyes big, lips trembling, hands curled into fists.

I knew how hard those words were. Especially the first time. They burned like battery acid on the tongue. I couldn't imagine how it felt to stand there in front of a room of people you barely knew, but knew you would have to face daily, whose respect you wanted, and find those words.

"She's not an easy woman to distract," Cyrus said from behind her shoulder, raking a hand down his beard. "And I'm charming as fuck," he added with a smirk.

"Lazarus found me in one of my more glorious moments, OD'ing on the pavement beside Chaz's bar. He took me back to his place and he helped me withdraw. He thought I was relapsing. That's why he came back."