The last thing we needed was Ruby spreading rumors around Mustang Mountain that we were holding a woman against her will.
“Who did you hear that from?” I stalked toward her as irritation swelled in my chest.
“Everyone’s talking about it. I brought some food from the merc and a few things that might be just her size. No telling what kind of women’s clothing you might have around here.” Ruby popped the trunk and started handing me bags of food and other supplies.
“She’s not a hostage.” Technically, we were holding her at the club for her own safety. But also, technically, we weren’t allowing her to leave. It was for her own good, though. We didn’t make a habit out of holding women against their will.
“So, she’s staying with you for her own protection?” Ruby’s penciled-in eyebrows arched over eyes that had probably already seen too much.
“You could say that.” She had a way of twisting words around. I’d seen her do it to some of my MC brothers, though thank fuck she’d never set her sights on me.
“She’s lucky to have you looking out for her, Six. Maybe she’ll even find a love connection while she’s here.” Ruby pulled the last bag out of the trunk. “Your brother never thought he’d find love, but less than a month later, he’s married and celebrating the first day of his honeymoon with his new bride.”
“That’s not what’s happening. Ginger doesn’t want our help. She won’t tell me what she was doing in the woods last night or why she was running from the Savage Bones. I can’t get her to open up.”
Ruby patted my arm with her free hand. “Let me talk to her. You don’t exactly have a gentle approach.”
I didn’t have much of a choice but to follow Ruby into the clubhouse. She walked through the front door like she owned the place. Technically, she once had. The founders of the club purchased the old brothel building from her when they formed the Mustang Mountain Riders. She hadn’t been using the building before then, but had bought it from the family who owned it when they left Mustang Mountain for southern California.
“Hey, Ruby.” Ace waved and got up to help carry bags into the kitchen.
Ruby stopped at the table and held her hand out to Ginger. “I’m Ruby. I brought you a few things that ought to fit you better than what you’ve got on. Do you want to try them?”
Ginger looked at me like she was asking for approval. I nodded, and she got up and followed Ruby back toward the bedrooms. Ruby was safe, just a little overwhelming. The woman had a heart made of gold and was always the first person to offer a helping hand to anyone in need.
Ace came up and took one of the bags from my arms. “Everly didn’t get any info out of her. Think Ruby might have a better shot?”
“I don’t know. Hopefully she can pick up on something. Right now we’re sitting ducks, just waiting for someone to start target practice. We need to get in front of this threat so we can neutralize it before it becomes more serious.”
“If anyone can do it, it’s you.” Ace clapped a hand to my back then turned to put the groceries Ruby brought away.
I sure as hell hoped he was right.
CHAPTER6
GINGER
I wouldn’t admitit to anyone, especially Six, but spending time with Everly and Ruby had eased my mind a bit. Seeing the way the guys treated the women—like they cared about them and valued their opinions—was so different than what I’d experienced at the hands of Savage Bones. Even so, I still didn’t trust Six completely. Maybe bringing in the women and having them pretend to be happy was all part of his plan to get me to crack.
Still, it was nice to be surrounded by people who at least seemed to care about each other. I couldn’t remember the last time someone said a kind word to me or offered to help me with something.
As the afternoon faded into evening, I struggled to keep my eyes open. Bear heated up a lasagna one of the guy’s wives had made and I almost faceplanted into my salad. I’d offered to help clean up, but Six shook his head.
“You need to rest. Come on, I’ll make sure you get settled.” He waited for me to follow him down the hall then opened the door to his bedroom and gestured for me to enter the room first.
“Am I supposed to spend another night in your bed?” The sass in my tone sounded harsh, but I couldn’t help it. He hadn’t done or said anything to make me feel uncomfortable, but I sensed he was holding back. No telling what he might do if he got tired of waiting for me to give him whatever information he thought I might be keeping from him.
He walked ahead of me and flipped on the lamp next to the bed. “I’m not letting you out of my sight until you tell me what you know about the Savage Bones. The people you met today—Everly, Ruby, and all of my MC brothers—their lives are at risk.”
My heart stuttered, making my pulse skip a few beats. Even if they’d been pretending, they’d shown me more kindness in a few hours than I’d received since my brother got involved with the Savage Bones. I didn’t want to be responsible for something bad happening to any of them.
I sat down on the edge of the bed and pulled Six’s flannel shirt tighter around my shoulders. Ruby had brought a bag full of women’s clothes that would probably be a much better fit, but being wrapped in Six’s shirt made me feel safe. The scent of pine and woodsmoke clung to the soft flannel. I wondered if I ever got close enough to him to tell, if his skin would smell the same way.
“What do you want to know?” I lowered my head and inhaled the soothing scent, hoping it would fill me with strength.
Six lowered himself into the chair next to the bed. “Anything you can tell me.”
“They’ll kill me if they think I’ve ratted them out.”
