“Thank you,” I reply. I am curious to know more, but it would be impolite to ask something so personal of someone I’ve only just met.
He nods and slopes off again, melting into the shadows. I have a feeling Judge is going to make a habit of making me jump by inadvertently sneaking up on me.
I look around, considering the room that’s to be mine for god knows how long. I have no idea how long we’ll need to stay here, and I’m too afraid of the answer to ask.
“There are clean towels in the ensuite. The rest of us will share the one in the hall. If you’d prefer one of the rooms withtwin beds, Rex and I could switch with you, but we figured you’d be happier in here,” Cole kindly offers.
The thought of the two burly men sharing a bed tickles me, and then unbidden, I imagine the two of them in bed with me, not sleeping, and my cheeks flush scarlet. What the hell is wrong with me? The shock must have rendered me temporarily insane for me even to imagine something like that. For starters, I’m not going near Rex ever again, and I also doubt two macho bikers would want a threesome, especially not with a single mom under their protection.
“Thank you,” I reply, banishing the thought from my mind. “For everything. I know you didn’t have to do any of this. In fact, why did you? When you heard Zeke was planning to kidnap me, why did you care?”
“Well, from a basic human decency point, we can’t let him run around committing shit like that without consequence, so morally we felt obligated to intervene, and from a more selfish perspective, if Zeke wanted you so badly, we wanted to know why and to make sure he didn’t get his hands on the thing he desperately wanted.”
“So I’m a pawn in your turf war.”
The last thing I want is to become embroiled in a war between two rival biker clubs. It’s not the kind of life I want for Mia. As soon as it’s safe, I’ll take her as far away from here as I can.
“We won’t use you or put you or your kid at risk. We’re here to protect you, not use you, Lena,” he says softly.
I believe him.
“I’ll leave you two to get settled in. I’m going to go and make some food. Do you want anything?” Cole asks.
I shake my head, feeling bone weary all of a sudden. “No. I think I’ll just climb into bed and go to sleep.”
“Alright then, shout if you need me.”
I gently place Mia on the bed, tucking the covers over her and watching her innocent face, peaceful in sleep. I hope that today’s events haven’t traumatized her too severely. I’ll kill Zeke myself for causing her distress, for taking away some of that precious innocence. I head into the bathroom, and when I see the large claw-foot tub, I decide to draw myself a long, hot bath. I wash my hands in the sink first, frantically scrubbing off the blood that stains them. Big Joe’s blood. I hope the guys are right and that he’ll pull through. I finally allow myself to cry, silent sobs wracking my shoulders.
I’m soaking in the tub when I hear my bedroom door open. I immediately spring out of the water, panicked.
“It’s just me,” Rex says softly, and my heart rate slows.
I wrap a towel around myself and exit the bathroom. Rex is standing beside the bed, a plate with a sandwich on it in his hand. He’s lost in concentration, watching Mia sleep.
His daughter. Our daughter.
Does he know? Can he sense that she’s his?
“Why are you here?” I ask, my voice coming out harsher than intended.
“I thought you might be hungry,” he says, holding out the sandwich.
“I already told Cole I’m not.”
“Okay, well, I’ll leave it here, just in case.” He places the plate down on the bedside table. He walks out the door, thenturns back to face me. He hesitates before asking the question I dreaded to hear. “Is she—”
I cut him off before he could finish it, telling myself the lie isn’t as bad if he didn’t ask the question fully. “No. Mia isn’t yours.” I know it’s a horrible thing to do, that he deserves to know, but I can’t face telling him the truth yet.
“Then whose?”
“Just some guy. It doesn’t matter. You’ve no right to ask me anything about my love life,” I snap.
“Why did you leave, Lena?” he asks, pain and anger in his eyes.
“Surely you couldn’t expect me to stay?” I ask incredulously. “Look, there’s no point in reopening old wounds. It’s in the past, let it stay there.”
He looks as if he wants to fight me on this, but then he seems to consider my words and nods. “Okay. You know, despite everything, it’s good to see you, Lena,” he says softly.
