“My boys,” I sob, my whole body shaking. “Someone took my boys.”
Memphis rubs circles on my back as I cry. “The guys will find them. I promise.”
“I said such awful things to him,” I choke out, wiping uselessly at my tears. “I told Dread it was all his fault. I was so horrible to him.”
“He knows you didn’t mean it,” Memphis assures me, squeezing my shoulder. “You were scared. He’ll understand.”
I shake my head, crying harder. “You didn’t see his face. I hurt him. God, I’m such a bitch. What if they don’t find my boys?”
“Don’t talk like that,” Cora says firmly. “Trust your man to bring your boys back safely.”
“He’s not my?—”
“He is,” Memphis cuts me off. “Whether you’ve made it official or not.”
Cora rises from the booth and returns a moment later with a glass of amber liquid. “Here, drink this. It’ll help calm your nerves.”
I take the glass with shaking hands and throw it back in one gulp. The liquor burns a fiery path down my throat, making me gasp.
“Holy crap,” I wheeze, my eyes watering. “What is that?”
“Kentucky’s finest bourbon,” Cora says with a small smile. “Chief’s favorite.”
She slides back into the booth across from me, her face suddenly serious. “I know what you’re going through right now.”
I wipe my nose with a napkin that Memphis hands me. “You do?”
Cora nods, her eyes distant. “They grabbed Beckett and me at the mall. Beckett’s my son. Chief and I adopted him.” A small smile tips up her lips. “Anyhow, this crazy asshole held a gun to my side and marched us through the service corridors and shoved us in the back of a van. They took us to a warehouse across town. He beat me viciously when I tried to protect Beckett. Asshole pistol-whipped me, and I lost consciousness.”
My hand flies to my mouth. “Oh my God.”
“Don’t ask me how, but we got out.” She shakes her head and continues, her voice barely above a whisper. “The fear in Beckett’s eyes still haunts me to this day.”
I reach out and grab her hand, offering her support.
“Spike kept talking about using me to make Mason suffer before he killed me, and in those moments, I truly believed I was going to die there.” Cora takes a deep breath. “But the club was coming for us. Even if we hadn’t gotten out on our own, they would have found us. These men—our men,” she declares firmly. “They’ll walk through hell in gasoline boots to keep us safe.”
My heart aches for her. I can’t believe what she went through.
Without thinking, I get up, go to the other side of the booth, and slide in next to her, wrapping my arms around her.
“I’m so sorry that happened to you,” I whisper.
She returns the hug, patting my back gently. “I’m telling you this because I want you to know that Dread will find your boys. The Saints take care of their own.”
A tiny sliver of hope blooms in my chest. “Do you really think so?”
“We know so,” Memphis says from across the table. “That’s what these men do.” A haunted look moves behind her eyes. “They protect their family.”
“But I’m not—we’re not family,” I protest weakly.
Memphis and Cora exchange a look.
“Honey,” Memphis says gently. “Dread wouldn’t be with you if you weren’t already his in his mind. That’s how these men work. It sounds crazy, but once they decide you’re the one. That’s it for them.”
Cora nods. “And once you’re theirs, you’re family. That includes your boys.”
I think about how Dread told me that the boys and I are his now.
