“If there is anything connecting Amy to Morgan, my IT person will find it,” I assured them. I didn’t want to think about Amy or what Aunt Raven had done to the nurse. Whatever it was, it wouldn’t have been enough to appease my need for vengeance. But I knew better than to question Aunt Raven. She had sharp instincts that had kept her alive through the fucking war and everything else that had been thrown at the MC and her personally. There was a reason we called her the Angel’s Halo queen.

  “Update us as often as you can,” my dad said, wrapping an arm around Mom’s waist. “I’m taking your mother home. She didn’t sleep last night.”

  “Be sure to eat, honey,” Mom reminded me. “I’ll tell Nishia goodnight and see you both tomorrow.”

  Nodding, I bent to accept her kiss to my cheek. “Don’t worry, okay? I’ve got this place covered.”

  “I’ll never stop worrying. About you. Nishia. Sanctuary. All three are too important to me—and you. It doesn’t matter about me, but I’ll fight tooth and nail to protect everything you hold dear, Jack.” She gave me a one-armed hug before allowing Dad to nudge her toward the stairs, calling over her shoulder. “I love you, honey.”

  “Mm,” I grunted and heard her soft laugh as she climbed the steps. She knew what each of my grunts meant, and that one told her “I love you too.”

  Uncle Spider, who’d been quiet the entire time, pushed off the wall he’d been leaning on while he’d listened to us. “Until this is figured out, we’ll increase security here. I’ll arrange a schedule with all the brothers and make sure there are at least two of us here at all times, not including Jack. They’ll patrol the fence line. Even if there are security cameras all over the place, there are too many blind spots. Amy would have known. Maybe she relayed that to Morgan. Maybe she didn’t, but we shouldn’t take the chance.”

  “Good thinking,” Uncle Bash agreed with a nod. “Let’s implement that now, but have three brothers running patrols at night. Especially whenever Jack is at the bar working.”

  “On it.” The enforcer had his phone in hand, already making the arrangements. “Jack, I’ll send you a copy of the schedule, so you know who to expect on the premises at all times. But if you need something, you reach out. Backup will be here within minutes if we’re needed.”

  I glanced over at the wall behind him, my gaze flickering to the hidden panel that would open the secret room full of extra supplies. The basement not only had my apartment, but some supplies as well. Shelves stocked with canned foods, toilet paper, cleaning supplies, and everything else imaginable for an emergency like a storm or uninvited guests. But the secret room held an arsenal of weapons and ammunition that I could use to defend this place against an entire army and not have to worry about running out of bullets.

  None of the staff or residents knew about that particular room. Amy wouldn’t have known to tell Morgan about it, and if the motherfucker so much as stepped onto Sanctuary property, I would fill him with an entire wall of ammo. I wanted to engrave his name into the shells, so I would know which cartridges were the ones I’d emptied into him and keep them for souvenirs.

  Maybe I would turn them into necklaces for Nishia and my mother so they could wear the proof that Clint Morgan could never harm either of them. I’d fill him so full of holes, he’d be more shredded than Swiss cheese by the time I was done. There would be so many bullet casings I could make Nishia an ol’ lady’s MC cut, marking her as mine so no one would ever question how important she was to me, especially not her.

  When she was stronger, I’d bring her down here, not only to show her my apartment, but to let her see the secret room. I’d make sure she had the passcode and that she knew how to close the door from the inside. Reid and Elias had come up with the plans for the safe room, so I knew it would withstand a bomb going off, even if it was right beside the door. There would be no getting into that room if someone was inside. Nishia would be protected even during an earthquake.

  After some Russian dickhead had come for Tavia Volkov, sending all the women to Uncle Spider’s house to hide in their panic room, only for the bastard to be waiting with a gun to Monroe’s head, Uncle Bash and my dad had made sure everyone had their own panic room. When we’d started the renovations on Sanctuary over a decade ago, that was the first thing Dad and I had thought of to make sure Mom was protected if something ever happened while she was there.

  It was a huge room, but we had so many weapons that there would only be enough room for a few people to fit comfortably inside for a long period of time. There was an emergency kit with bottled water, nonperishable food, blankets, and first aid supplies. Whoever had to use the panic rooms would be comfortable for days.

  Unless they needed to use the bathroom. I frowned, wondering how long it would take Barker & Reid Construction to install a toilet. I didn’t want Nishia to have to hold her natural bodily functions if she was ever in a position to need to hide in there.

  All of that filtered through my mind in a matter of seconds before I blinked at my honorary uncle and MC enforcer, acknowledging that I’d heard what he said and accepted it. “Mm.”

  “Ben will double patrols as well,” Aunt Raven informed me. “I’ll make sure he has a deputy nearby at all times.”

  “I’ll have my IT connection update our computer systems, add extra firewalls, and change all the passwords,” I mused aloud, and they all nodded in agreement.

  Amy had had access to too much personal information on every resident within Sanctuary, as well as the staff schedules. I’d have to take care of that too. Plus, we would need to hire a new nurse to take Amy’s position so no one was overwhelmed.

  Whoever took over her job, I’d get Mieke to do a thorough background check on. We always did one to make sure it was safe for our residents to be close with them, but apparently Amy had slipped through the cracks.

  I wouldn’t make the same mistake twice.

  I wouldn’t risk my little fairy’s life to anyone, even people I’d known for years. Pulling my phone from my pocket, I fired off a quick text to Mieke.

  Me: I want a more detailed background check on every member on Sanctuary’s payroll. Apparently the original ones were too basic. We missed something, and someone turned out to be dirty. Nishia’s life was put in danger, and that is unacceptable. I want to know everything to date on every person we employ.

  She was quick to respond, the three dots popping up almost immediately after I’d hit send.

  Genie: On it. I’ll send you reports as I finish with each staff member. Anyone in particular you want me to focus on to begin with?

  Me: Start with the medical staff before hitting the rest. Anyone who has access to our medications and comes into contact with Nishia daily.

  Genie: I’ll have everything from their great-great-great grandparents to their financials to you ASAP.

  I felt irritated that I would have to wait for the information on every person on staff, but Mieke was already doing other shit for me as well. That didn’t matter, though. For the first time in my life, I didn’t have the patience to wait, watch, and listen. I needed answers now, damn it.

  Nishia was too important for me to waste even a second.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

  nishia

  “Your leg looks like it’s part robot now,” Molly commented after thoroughly examining the boot the orthopedic surgeon had put on me during my appointment earlier.

  The thing was huge, going from just under my toes to my knee, and felt like it weighed as much as me, although that probably had more to do with the fact that I’d been mostly carried all over Sanctuary by Jack during the last week. I’d enjoyed being in his arms, but now I felt like I was as weak as an infant, even though the walking boot weighed less than the cast the doctor had cut off.

  My doctor warned me I would feel like that for a while since I hadn’t used the muscles in my leg much. Physical therapy would follow after I was completely out of the walking boot, as well as the new cast that had also been replaced on my hand and wrist. But at least I would be able to go to and from the bathroom a lot easier now instead of having to ask Jack or one of the other residents to help me throughout the day.

  I flexed my toes when Molly cautiously touched one toe. Delaney had painted them for me the day before, saying I needed pretty toes since they were always on display. Pretty toes gave a girl confidence, she’d told me as she’d dabbed the bright orchid pink on my nails. Since our first meeting, she’d stopped by to see me at least once a day.

  After her initial visit, I thought she was just doing it when she volunteered, but Suzanne told me that Delaney only helped out a few days a month or if the staff needed a little extra assistance. I’d learned quickly that if I was in need of any information about the goings-on within Sanctuary, Suzanne was the person to talk to. She seemed to know everything about everyone, maybe even more than the counselors, nurses, and doctors.

  It was effortless to understand why. Suzanne was easy to chat with. The other residents turned to her more often than the staff if they needed help with something or simply needed to unload. I hadn’t confided in her myself, but I’d witnessed her nurturing the others throughout each day.

  Delaney and I had become good friends overnight, which was new for me. I’d never had any friends growing up, yet suddenly I had several. Jack and Delaney were the closest, though, the ones I’d slowly realized actually would do anything for me if I just asked. It was a nice sensation, knowing someone cared for me.

  I liked it.

  Maybe a little too much.

  My emotions were too close to the surface to comprehend this new switch from having no one to having others who genuinely worried about my well-being. I tried not to think too hard about it. When I did, I couldn’t wrap my mind around it.

  Why the fuck would anyone care about me?

  Molly touched one of the buckles on the walking boot. “This looks like a button. If I push it, will your leg come off?”

  “Nope.”

  She blinked at me for a moment as if she was trying to determine whether I was lying. “Really?”

  Smiling, I nodded. “Really.”

  “Huh,” she said, sounding disappointed. “It would have been cool if it did.”

  Not knowing how to respond, I just shrugged. I didn’t want to think about what might have happened if I had lost my leg. It was hard enough to get around with the cast on; I wouldn’t know what to do with a prosthetic.

  “I like the new cast on your hand. It’s my favorite color!”

  “It’s pretty, right?” Even to my own ears, I sounded unsure. I’d had plenty of options, and maybe I should have gone for a more adult color. But this one had matched my toes, and it was the first time I’d been able to pick the color I wore without having to worry about how much it might cost. Anything pretty or cute always seemed to cost more, even at the thrift stores I’d shopped at a few times.

  “It’s beautiful,” Molly said with an emphatic nod. “Can I draw on it?”

  “Sure, but only one picture. We should leave room for others if they want to draw or sign their name.”

  “Okay,” she said and ran to grab her art supplies.

  I nearly snickered when her one picture took up two-thirds of the top of the cast. When she was done, she dropped her marker and beamed up at me. “Pretty?”

  I inspected her picture. A little orange sun, a generic brown house that she’d told me was Sanctuary when she was drawing it, and a rough-looking black stick-figure bicycle that was really “Mr. Jack’s motorcycle,” according to her, because she thought it was cool.

  “Very,” I assured her with an approving nod. “Thank you for your attention to detail, including some of my favorite things.”

  “You’re welcome!” She placed the black marker back in the box and hopped up from the love seat where she’d been keeping me company since my return from my late-afternoon doctor’s appointment. “I’m going outside to play now. See you at dinner?”

  “Maybe,” I hedged. With my teeth still wired shut to keep my jaw mostly immobile, I didn’t have a lot of options. Everything Marcy cooked looked and smelled delicious, and my stomach grumbled in protest that I didn’t get to eat any of it. I either had a smoothie, protein shake, or some kind of broth for any meal. As soon as the wires in my mouth were gone, I was going to go on a binge and eat anything put in front of me.

  “Okay. See you later.” As if she understood my reasons for not giving her a definite answer all too clearly, Molly gave me a hug and skipped out of the room.

  “Knock knock,” Delaney called as she caught the door before it could close behind my last visitor. “I heard you got the best color cast.”

  A little self-consciously, I lifted my arm. “You like?”

  “Love it,” she said, her hands signing the words as she spoke them. I was starting to pick up a little American Sign Language just from hanging out with her. During our second visit, she told me about how she’d lost her hearing, and I’d had to blink back tears. Each day, she told me a little more about herself. The way she so fearlessly opened up to me, a complete stranger, had encouraged me to tell her a little about myself as well.

  “Ronan broke his arm last year when he fell out of the tree at Raven’s house. Thankfully, it was a clean break and didn’t require surgery. Ugh. I was a mess, but Max was worse than me. Don’t let his reputation fool you. He’s just a big teddy bear. That man cries more often than I do.” She rolled her eyes. “I wanted Ronan to get the pink, but he said it was too girly.” She huffed, making my lips pull up in amusement. “Of course, he had to go for the red. I was so disappointed. Boys.”

  Sitting without hesitation, she took my arm and inspected Molly’s artwork. She traced her thumb over the bicycle. “Does Molly want to learn to ride a bike?”

  I snickered at her question. “No. That’s supposed to be Jack’s motorcycle.”

  “Of course it is. My bad.” She grabbed the box of markers and lifted a brow. “May I?”

  “Go for it.”

  I watched as she wrote her name all swirly and pretty with the blue. “There,” she announced approvingly. “Now I’m part of you too.”

  Her words warmed me, and I settled back, getting comfortable for our visit.

  “Where’s Jack?”

  I shrugged, trying and failing not to think about the man who occupied my mind ninety-five percent of the time. Jack was always close, and that only fed my obsession with him. Or maybe it was an addiction. I wasn’t sure which, but what I did know was that Jack was dangerous to my heart in more ways than one. “He escorted me back and then got a call. I guess he went to return it in private, because he didn’t answer.”

  “Probably work-related,” she excused. “That’s the only time Max doesn’t take a call in front of me.”

  “Max won’t take calls about a vehicle in front of you?” I asked with a frown. Her husband co-owned the local garage with his dad and Jack’s grandpa. At least, that was what I’d been told.

  “I meant MC work,” she amended. “He never discusses MC-related jobs.”

  My frown only deepened. “Why not?”

  “Because he’s an overprotective asshole who loves me.” She laughed. “He still thinks I won’t understand.”

  Her answers only confused me more, but before I could ask what she meant, Delaney started telling me about her son’s coach. “Poor guy flirted with me once, and now Max won’t even let me drop Ronan off for practice. I told him I wasn’t going to sit around the house waiting all evening and came to see you. Am I making a nuisance of myself? Are you tired of me yet?”

  “Of course not!” I exclaimed in disbelief. “I look forward to you coming over.”

  She grasped my free hand and gave my fingers a squeeze. “Now that you can get around without Jack carrying you everywhere, we can go shopping. Do you want to go to the mall with me? It’s a bit of a drive, though. If you’re not up to it, we can go to WomanLand. Mila and River’s store has everything, but there are more options at the mall. Plus, we can get smoothies and maybe catch a movie.”

  “I don’t have any money. Maybe once I get a job, I can come with you.”

  She cocked her head at me. “Jack said you just started college back in New York. I thought you would just sit out the rest of this semester and transfer to Trinity.”

  My heart lurched at the thought of losing my scholarship and not getting to finish college. I hadn’t allowed myself to think about it often. There were so many other things to worry about, but I ached, thinking about the college education I would miss out on after working so hard to get there.

  “I doubt Trinity would accept me, and I don’t have a way to pay for college right now. Maybe I’ll work for a while and save up for community college.”

  “Like Jack is going to let you pay.” She scoffed. “I’m sorry, but he’s even worse than Max, and I honestly didn’t think that was possible. Besides, Sanctuary has a scholarship program through Trinity. As a resident, you could apply to cover courses and books that will help you get a job in any field. It just doesn’t cover housing or meals. What were you studying?”

  “I was getting my core classes out of the way before I made up my mind. But I was leaning toward accounting.” She made a face, and I found myself smiling again. “Yeah, it’s boring but stable. Especially if I could have gotten into a good financial firm.”

  “If that is what you’re passionate about, then take accounting courses. But if your heart isn’t in it, then pick something else. There are infinite options. I took a few classes at Trinity. They have excellent programs. But it’s Trinity, so how could they not be? They’re ranked with Harvard.”

  “I didn’t know that.”

  “Their law department is a huge deal,” she affirmed. “Gracie sits on a committee or two for it. According to Max, most of the money her grandfather left her was put into scholarships for Sanctuary.”