He reached out, wrapped his hands around mine, and gave them a gentle squeeze. “I won’t let them anywhere near you.”
I shook my head and pulled my hands away. He didn’t get it. I’d seen what happened to people who crossed the Savage Bones. The club valued loyalty above everything else and had created an army of devout soldiers who’d blindly follow their directives, including my brother.
Six sighed as he shifted from the chair to sit next to me on the bed. The mattress sank under his weight, and I slid closer to him. “I know you’re scared, Ginger.”
Hearing my name rumble low and deep from his chest sparked something warm and tingly in the bottom of my belly. I glanced up at him, dragging my gaze across the thick scruff on his chin, over his full lips and up to those dangerously dark eyes.
His hand came up to cup my cheek. The rough pad of his thumb swept over my jawline. “I won’t let them hurt you again, Little Deer.”
His gentle touch broke something inside me. The dam holding back the torrent of emotions gave way as I stared deep into his eyes. Tears overflowed my lids and coursed down my cheeks. I hated myself for being weak, but I was helpless to stop it.
Being careful not to bump my arm, Six shifted to pull me close. I leaned into him, so tired of trying to hold myself together. With my cheek resting against his chest, I breathed him in. He smelled just like I thought he would—like pine needles and wood smoke. Reminded me of sitting around a campfire on one of the camping trips my family had taken way back before my parents died. Way back before my brother became a member of the Savage Bones.
Six smoothed his palm over my hair while he mumbled soft, soothing words I couldn’t make out. It didn’t matter what he said; it was the way he said it. His heart thumped a steady rhythm under my ear, and I selfishly tried to draw on his strength.
“It’s going to be okay. I promise.”
I wanted to tell him not to make promises he couldn’t keep, but I didn’t want to give him a reason to pull away. Instead, I tried to convince myself I could believe him. I’d been holding everything in for so long, trying to be brave and keep up the tough-as-nails front.
“Tell me what they did to you.” He rubbed small, slow circles over my back. Every brush of his fingers seemed to wear away at my resistance. “I need to know, sweetheart. Please.”
It was the “please” that did it. That and the way his voice took on an almost pleading tone, like he really cared. I couldn’t bear to look at him while I talked, so I leaned in and closed my eyes.
“My brother got involved with Savage Bones a while ago. I was away at college, so I didn’t know how bad it was until I came home for Christmas my senior year.”
“How long ago was that?” Six asked.
“Two years.” Seemed like half a lifetime though. It was hard to remember the girl I’d been back then.
He nodded. “Go on.”
“Our parents died while I was in high school, so when I went off to college, Bryson sold the house we grew up in. He bought a trailer and parked it out on some land where the Savage Bones had a whole compound. That’s where I stayed when I went home.” My stomach tightened as I remembered pulling up outside the old, dilapidated single wide trailer. It smelled like mildew, and forty years of cigarette smoke had seeped into the walls.
“I heard they own some acreage in Nevada. Is that the place?”
Nodding, I braced myself to get through the next part of the story. “He used the money from the sale of the house to buy a motorcycle and the trailer. I don’t know what he did with the rest of it, but I’m pretty sure he gave most of it to the club. He wanted to belong somewhere.”
“They probably made him a bunch of promises they didn’t intend to keep. The Bones have a reputation for that.”
“Yeah.”
“What happened when you went back to school?” Six asked.
“I never went back. Bryson got hurt on a ride for the club and I stayed to take care of him. That’s when…” I tried to swallow around the lump that rose up in my throat.
Six pulled back and looked down at me. His eyes had gone soft around the edges. “Take your time. I’m not going anywhere.”
A shiver raced through me. I wasn’t sure if it was because he’d pulled away and I missed his warmth or if my nerves were too frayed to go on.
“Looks like you’re cold again. Scoot up and I’ll get you tucked in under the covers.” Six got up from the bed and waited for me to move so he could pull back the comforter. Once I had my head on the pillow and he’d pulled the bedspread up to my chin, he sat down on the edge of the bed. “Do you feel up to keep talking?”
I bit down on my lip and nodded. Having him close helped. I knew he only wanted me around long enough to get what info he could. Despite the promises he kept making that he’d keep me safe, he’d probably toss me out on my ass as soon as he got what he needed. The men in my life were all the same in that regard.
My desire to keep the people of Mustang Mountain safe warred with my need for self-preservation. It would be impossible to insure both.
Six reached out and brushed my hair back from my face. As much as I’d been trained to hate anyone with a Mustang Mountain Riders patch, I wanted to turn into him and pull from his strength. With the fire burning in his eyes, he looked like he’d be capable of taking on the entire Savage Bones club all by himself. I wanted to tell him everything, just on the off chance he’d find the bastard who’d marked me as his own and make sure he’d never touch another woman again.
“I know you don’t trust me, and I’m sorry I haven’t given you enough of a reason to yet.” Six nudged my chin up until we locked eyes. “I swear on my patch that I’ll find whoever hurt you and make sure he pays for what he did to you, Little Deer.”
