“Farrah, I grabbed you some clothes,” I called out, rifling through my dresser for underwear and pajamas. When she didn’t answer, I turned to find her standing exactly where I’d left her in the middle of the room. “You want some pajamas?”

She was looking at me—aware of everything that was happening—but it was like her body had just stopped working, except for the tears running down her face.

“I’m going to help you into these, okay?” I asked, hoping she’d push me away and ask if I was a lesbian. “Okay, well if you don’t mind then neither do I,” I told her with a shrug of my shoulder.

I unwrapped the towel and ran it over her head once, but she was beginning to shiver, so I dropped it on the floor behind her and started stripping her. I unclasped her bra and pulled the straps down her shoulders, leaving it stuck to her breasts with water as I pulled the oversized sleep shirt over her head. When that part was done, I finished stripping off her bra and pulled her underwear down her legs, thankful she stepped out of them with little prompting.

When I’d just finished getting my smallest sweatpants over her hips, there was a small knock on the door. As I turned toward it, a familiar head popped through, taking in the scene before walking completely into the room.

“Gram,” I sighed in relief before rushing to her. “Did Cody call you?”

“Yep. Told me my baby needed me, so here I am,” she told me gently, kissing my forehead before turning to Farrah. “Get some clothes on, Callie Rose, you’re gonna catch a cold in that towel.”

I hurriedly threw one of Asa’s t-shirts and a pair of yoga pants on as I watched Gram lead Farrah to the bed. She’d grabbed my hairbrush off the dresser on the way over, and once Farrah was seated, she stood behind her and started brushing.

“Asa’s out there climbing the walls, Callie,” Gram informed me, running her fingers through Farrah’s hair. “I’ve got things handled in here.”

Oh, God. I’d forgotten how good it felt to have Gram take control of a situation.

“Thanks, Gram,” I told her quietly, walking out the door and shutting it quietly behind me.

Chapter 53

Grease

“Give your brother the phone!” I yelled at Callie as I stomped into my boots and left my room.

I’d been lying on my bed in my underwear, looking at fucking apartment ads, when she’d called. I’d immediately scrambled into some jeans when I heard her scared voice on the other end of the line.

“Grease, fuck! It’s bad, man,” Cody hissed, his voice low. “Echo was bringing Farrah over and Cal went out to meet them. I didn’t see it. I was in the bathroom when I heard the shots and came running.”

“Is your sister okay?” I asked as I raced through the clubhouse looking for Poet or Slider. Where the fuck was everyone?

“Yeah, she wasn’t hurt.” He paused. “Echo’s dead, though.”

“What the fuck?” I roared, pausing in disbelief. “What the fuck happened?”

“I have no goddamn idea. When I came out of the apartment, Echo was fucking down, and Callie was wrestling with Farrah on the stairs.”

I finally found Poet and Slider outside having a smoke. I wasn’t sure why they did it, but if they were smoking together they always stepped outside to do it.

“Prez, we’ve got fuckin’ problems,” I yelled, practically running toward him. “Cody, I’ll send some boys to you and call you back.”

I hung up the phone as I reached the men and took a second to control my emotions.

“Some fucker killed Echo in Callie’s parking lot, with Farrah and Callie fuckin’ watching,” I told them as I flipped open my phone. “I don’t think they knew who it was.”

“Are the girls okay?” Poet asked calmly, but the twitching of his fingers gave a different impression.

“Callie’s brother says they’re fine,” I answered, listening to Michael’s phone ring repeatedly before hanging up.

“We need to get some of our boys over there—Echo’s fuckin’ dead in her driveway,” I told them both, but Slider was already on his phone.

“We’ll get some men over there, boyo, calm down.”

“Fuck that! Some fuck just shot down a brother in my woman’s fuckin’ driveway!” I roared back, completely losing my shit. “She fuckin’ watched it go down, and she’s not strong enough for that shit!”

“I think the girl will surprise you,” Slider commented as he shoved his phone back in his pocket. “I’ll head out with you and we’ll take some of the boys. Be ready in ten.”

He turned and walked back into the building as I gaped at his retreating back.

“Don’t forget that his daughter was there, too. Don’t matter how well he knows her, that’s still his blood, yeah?” Poet warned me quietly, patting me on the back as he passed.

It didn’t take ten minutes to leave—it took seven—and by the time we rode out, I’d talked to Cody and found out that brothers from the Sacramento Chapter had already showed up. I heard sirens in the background as he hung up, and I hoped that no one did anything stupid.

I was so scared out of my mind, wondering what shape Callie’d be in when we got there, that I couldn’t focus on anything but that and ended up making the drive on autopilot.

It reminded me so much of another time I’d raced south to get her that it felt like déjà vu.