Free Forgiven: Ryder and Sawyer 3 (Fallen Idols Motorcycle Club Book 9) by Savannah Rylan

 
    ONE
    RYDER
     
    Axel and I pulled up on Cruz, who might as well have gotten a can of spray paint and written “guilty” across his fucking chest. Stupid son of a bitch.  We had found him in enemy territory, and all he could say for himself was “I can explain,” yet he hadn’t said a single word since.
    “I’m waiting,” Axel barked. “You better fuckin’ explain because right now you’re looking pretty goddamned guilty standin’ in Las Almas territory when you’re supposed to be at the Raven’s Nest.”
    Cruz’s eyes darted to me like I was going to get him out of this fucking mess. I shook my head. He was shit out of luck because the kid was still keeping secrets, and I had no idea what the hell was really going on. Axel was hell bent on getting the truth out of him.
    Ever since Paige was attacked, he was on a warpath, and the fact that Cruz was there that night, with little explanation, was already a warning flag in Axel’s mind. If Cruz was going to walk out of here alive, he needed to open his mouth and start talking. Now.
    Axel’s eyes turned dark, and, by the way his fists clenched and his jaw ticked, I knew he was two seconds away from either pummeling Cruz’s ass or pulling out his gun.  
    I wanted to say fuck it, and beat the shit out of him because, despite what I wanted to believe, I knew he was working with Las Almas. I had put my neck out there for him one too many times, and I was done. The kid needed to learn a fucking lesson the hard way. Besides, I had better things to do. There was a bottle of Jack with my name on it at the Raven’s Nest.
    As I turned back to my bike, I caught a glimpse of Cruz. The desperate look in his eyes, and the panic in his stance had me grumbling as I stepped between him and Axel.
    I made a promise and I kept my word. It wasn’t his fault his sister was a heartless bitch. Besides, Cruz had always been like a little brother to me, and I still felt an obligation to him, even if he was a complete and total fuck up.
    “Axel, calm the fuck down, and at least hear what he has to say before you beat the shit out of him. Cruz, talk now . And it better be fucking good, or I won’t stop him next time.”
    Cruz nodded, but he still didn’t speak. Axel cracked his neck from side to side, getting ready to act, and I didn’t blame him. I was losing my fucking patience, too. Cruz’s lips parted, but no words came out. He ran both hands through his hair and cursed under his breath.
    The theatrics were getting on my last fucking nerve, so I took a step back to make my point. Cruz threw his hands up in defense. “Wait! I just…I don’t know where to start. It’s a fucking shitfest.”
    “You need to figure it out,” I warned, wondering how deep of a hole he had dug himself into.
    “The beginning is usually a good spot,” Axel advised through clenched teeth. “Or the middle or the end. I don’t fuckin’ care where you start, but you better start somewhere.”
    “Right. Okay.”
    “No, fuck that. I don’t care about the beginning,” Axel growled. “Tell me why you were at Paige’s house that night? And I want the fuckin’ truth this time.”
    Cruz pushed his fingers to the bridge of his nose as he took a deep breath. He glanced back up, his eyes looking right past me to Axel. Regret and remorse clouded his features. “I fucked up. I—” Cruz’s words were cut off by the roar of a bike’s engine. It came on us loud and fast.
    Through the darkness, my eye caught the glint of a gun, but before I could react, before I could do anything, the shot rang out, slicing through the silence of the night, as Cruz crumbled to the ground.
    Life went into slow motion. It was as if I forgot how to move. Axel pulled his gun, and lit up the night with every round he had. I dropped to my knees, my heart battering my chest as I cradled Cruz’s head in my lap. Blood soaked through his shirt, and I pressed my hand to the wound, hoping and praying he was still alive.