“Are you saying I should be worried still?” she asked in a wary tone.
Part of this wasn’t her business, and yet, in his eyes, the attack madeallof it her business. Cutting the security monitors wasn’t a random act. As hard as it was to believe that there was a rogue brother in the Riot MC, Punc thought Yak was right. Somebody had targeted Punc a few weeks back, and then they attacked Ava… the only reason it looked like a robbery gone wrong was because Yak and Turk interrupted it.
He pulled into Savannah’s driveway, put his CR-V in park, and looked at her. “I’m saying, the cops could be wrong. While you’ve been in the hospital, I’ve had a buddy watching the house at night since your sister was here alone.”
Savannah’s lips pursed and she looked to the side.
“I told her he’d be watching,” Punc added.
She looked to him. “I’m glad you did. She doesn’t need to worry about… why somebody is sitting outside our house, but your buddy is one more person I’m indebted to because of this.”
He leaned toward her. “You’re not indebted to my buddy.” After a beat, he gave her a smirk. “You might be indebted to me, though.”
“Punc, this is serious. I’m supposed to take care of Catalina, and I didn’t even think—”
Before she could work herself up any further, he grabbed her hand. It felt right and fit perfectly with his. “Your sister’spretty smart, Savannah. That vicious dog you have will definitely protect her if me or Brian fall down on the job.”
Her brows furrowed. “We don’t have a dog.”
He shook his head. “I didn’t see it, but I heard it barking at me. She had to put the dog away when I came to tell her you were in the hospital last Sunday.”
Her eyes lit with understanding. “Oh, I bet she borrowed our neighbor’s dog.”
He leaned back. “See. That’s a smart move.”
Savannah laughed. “Right. Until someone busts inside, and Nome jumps on them to lick their fingers, not bite off their hand.”
His head shook reflexively. “I’ll ignore someone naming their dog after a garden gnome, but most people would be terrified of that bark.”
“He has a vicious bark, but Nome is short for metronome because of his tail wagging at such a fast rhythmic speed. I suggested calling him Metro, but nobody else liked that,” she shrugged.
“Let’s get you inside. Nobody rests well at a hospital. I’m staying on your couch. Don’t let your sister do anything crazy until we know for sure that the threat’s taken care of.”
They walked up the path to the front door. “You don’t need to worry about that, Punc. Me and Cat aren’t prone to doing anything crazy. We’re rather boring.”
“Right” he muttered, his skepticism clear.
9
Ziggy or Iggy
Savannah
Underthecircumstances,Lucywas wrong. Sleeping in my own bed wasn’t better than sleeping at the hospital. Without the constant interruptions from nurses checking up on me and the other random hospital sounds, my brain was free to serve up memories when I should have been dreaming.
Thankfully, I didn’t relive the attack itself, but those frightening moments leading up to it were vivid in my mind’s eye. Though not vivid enough because by the time I woke up in the morning, I kept tripping over a name Prime had mentioned when he talked to Ghost.
Was it Ziggy or Iggy?
Punc’s warning that the threat might not be random made me more apprehensive. I’d trudged out of my bedroom at quarter to eight, hoping to find Punc still on the couch, but he wasn’taround. The only sign he’d even slept on the couch was the expertly folded set of sheets stacked on the coffee table.
Why would he sneak out without saying goodbye?Every time I thought I could read what was going on with us, it seemed I was wrong.
I considered texting him about what I’d remembered, but maybe my mind was playing tricks on me.
Even though I didn’t trust my memory, and there was the chance I might be overreacting, my gut said I had to let someone know what I’d remembered.
My stomach pitched and I felt a wave of nausea at the thought of Prime.
