Page 91 of Rune
With that, we got back into our cars and I reached to put an arm around Carmen’s shoulders.
“How resistant are bullet-resistant SUVs?” she asked.
“Pretty damn resistant,” I assured her. “And we will be on the move.”
“What about the clubhouse? How resistant is that?”
“It’s a cinderblock building,” I told her. “And the gate will be closed, so no one can get close. But if you want super safe, we can crash in the basement or the glass room.”
The car pulled out of the lot and headed toward the bridge.
“How would a glass room help?” she asked, frowning at me.
“That’s not normal glass,” I told her. “That is government weapons contractor glass. It could withstand basically every bullet.”
“Oh, okay,” she said, relaxing against me as she realized she could sleep safely, no matter who was coming for me or her.
“You guys don’t need to be looked over?” Spike asked from the backseat.
“No. We’re not hit. We got lucky.”
The drive back to the clubhouse felt like it took forever. When we got there, the lot was full and people were parked on the grass—likely giving Perish a heart attack.
“What’s going on?” Carmen asked.
“One of us almost getting shot triggers church.”
“Church?”
“A meeting among the club members. Usually only the active club members, but—”
“But you’re their son and nephew.”
“Exactly. Don’t worry. No one is going to be questioning you. I’ll be the one in the hot seat.”
“That’s not fair. We don’t know if this is about you or me.”
“No, we don’t. But I know all the answers you have, so I can handle this. I know the whole club can be intimidating. There’s no need to stress you out.”
She looked conflicted but rested her head on my shoulder. “Okay.”
“Okay,” I said, squeezing her thigh as Cain backed into the garage. We waited for the door to slide shut before we climbed out.
I pulled Carmen close as we followed Croft and Cain through the door. The rumble of male voices died out as soon as everyone spotted us, making Carmen tense up again.
“Just give me a minute,” I told them, nodding my head toward Carmen.
“I should be out there with you. Some of them looked kind of angry.”
“If they are, it’s just because I have obviously been keeping things from everyone. It’s not personal. Trust me, I can handle it. This is my family. Even if it gets loud, trust me, I’m good.”
“Okay,” she agreed, dropping down on the bed.
“I know this is probably pointless advice to give, all things considered, but try to relax, okay? Maybe text your sister or something. Or put some stupid show on.”
“Alright.”
“I’ll be back in a few.”
