'I know how this one ends

Lying in the gutter spitting teeth at the sidewalk'

"You know you can always talk to me if you need," Charlotte says to me as she sips on her vodka and moves her body side to side in the booth. Lillie and Jace are on the dance floor and Tyson and Tate are at the bar.

"What do you mean?" I ask a little paranoidly. My mind buzzes with fears that she somehow found out about The Lost Souls.

She stops moving and looks at me sincerely. "I know when you asked me about self-defence, that there was more to your story than you told me...if it's something to do with your ex..." She begins but isn't sure if she has crossed a line. The alcohol has definitely given her confidence. Or maybe Tate is helping her to be more open. "If it is him..." She continues on. "I'd hope you would tell me, or at least tell Tyson. I know if he is anything like Tate that Chad should be very afraid."

"What do you mean by that?" My eyes travel to find Tyson, but he is still talking happily with Tate at the bar.

She shrugs, "those boys know how to fight," she says simply.

My mind flashes to the night when the two bikers broke in, Tyson wasted no time hitting one in the face; even though he was completely disorientated from sleep. He also took a beating better than anyone I have ever seen, like he was use to the pain, like it was easy for him.

"Tyson told me about the orphanage with Tate and Jace..." I say carefully, and my mind begins to wonder about all of their pasts. Pasts that Charlotte clearly knows. Well, she at least knew Tate and Jace's.

Charlotte nods, but her eyes hold pain. "They went through so much together, they still are fighting the battles of their childhoods now, psychologically they probably always will."

I now picture Tyson sitting on the ground having a meltdown, there is so much I don't know about him. How bad was his childhood? I mean, I guessed having a bikie father couldn't have been very pleasant, but what actually happened? Although I have never pressured him to tell me about his past, it dawns on me that he knows so much about me and I know so little of him. "It's not my ex, I was just in a situation where I felt completely helpless and I couldn't stand it," I offer genuinely.

"I understand," and her face tells me that she truly does.

"Charlotte, when we were kids, I always just thought you were really shy, but now that I have seen you with Tate; I know that it was sadness. I can tell how happy you are now, how much you have changed...if you ever want to tell me anything I'm here. It will always be a safe space with me," I reach for her hand and give it a comforting squeeze.

Her eyes water but she stops herself from crying. "Thank you...maybe someday I will tell you about it, but I really am happy now."

Lillie comes back over and squeezes into the booth with us, her cheeks are flushed from all the dancing. "Where are the boys?" Charlotte asks.

I automatically look to the bar but they have gone.

"Tyson wanted a smoke," Lillie says. "What are you guys talking about?"

"Oh just the boys," Charlotte says.

Lillie nods her head. "Jace's therapist thinks we might be able to start sleeping together again."

I look at her with a confused expression, one that she picks up on. "Jace has terrible nightmares, ones that can end with him being physical, so we don't sleep in the same bed;" Lillie tells me.

"I'm so sorry," I say quickly, my heart breaking for whatever these boys have been through.

Before Lillie has time to answer, Chantelle stumbles over to us. I immediately fill with rage and discomfort, that is until I see her eyes. Eyes that she can barely keep open. She practically falls into my lap. "Bella, I think someone has done something to my drink," she says groggily but there is a fear to her voice. My head quickly darts up and I see a group of five boys slide into the booth down from us, their greedy eyes following Chantelle.

As my eyes fall on them though, they all pretend to not be noticing us. "Bella I'm sorry- please don't leave me though-"

"I'm not going to leave you," but her eyes are closed now. I look up to see Lillie full of rage, she goes to get out of the booth but Charlotte stops her.

"There are five of them," she points out.

"I can count, I'm just going to talk to them."

"Please just wait for the boys," Charlotte pleads with Lillie.

"Yes, when they come back in let's get her to a hospital." I look down to Chantelle, whose eyes flicker up to me every now and then, but they seem too heavy for her to constantly keep open. I stroke her hair softly.

I see them walking back to us and relief fills me. "What the fuck is she doing here?" Tyson nods to Chantelle in my lap.

"Those guys spiked her drink," I point to them inconspicuously.

Tyson's face turns from annoyance to dark.

He turns and begins heading over to them, "Tyson!" Jace tries to stop him but the look he had when his face darkened, told me he wouldn't. Tate and Jace follow after him.

I look back to Charlotte worriedly, her face returns the same concerned expression. When I look back to the boys Tyson is talking to them, I can't hear what they are saying, but I can guess. Tyson is accusing him and the guy sitting closest to him is holding up his hands denying it. But then two of the friends sitting further back laugh, it's quickly but it's enough for everyone to notice.

This is all a joke to them.

If I blinked, I would have missed it. In one fast movement, Tyson smashes the guy's head closest to him against the table. The others get up quickly to defend their dazed friend. As his face rises, I see the blood pouring down his nose. "Tate!" Charlotte calls, getting up quickly. The four left begin throwing punches, but I can see now firsthand what Charlotte was talking about. Our boys really can fight.

Lillie keeps Charlotte with her as we watch our boys dodge punches with ease, it feels like only thirty seconds before they have all of them on the ground, writhing in pain.

"Jace!" Lillie calls, grabbing his attention. She then points to the other side of the busy club; I didn't even notice the two huge bouncers making their way over to us. The three of them rush back, Tyson quickly scooping Chantelle in his arms before we rush out the back of the club and into the warm night air.

"We are going to take her to the hospital, catch up with you guys later?" Tyson says.

"Of course," Jace breathes.

"Thank you," Tyson says to them both.

"Always," Tate answers.

"Goodbye," I give Charlotte a quick hug before we run in different directions.

Tyson and I run two streets over as I get the Uber app up. "One minute away," I say calmly, even though everything that just happened was anything but calm.

Tyson doesn't have a scratch on him, but the coldness that crept along his face as he smashed that guy's head into the table is haunting.