Chapter Twenty-Nine
“Um, I thought you guysshould know,” Dax’s voice from the doorway made Hawkeye turn in his direction.The prospect stood in the doorway, looking nervous.
“What’s up?”Raven said.
“Just thought you’d want to know that all three women just went out and got in a club pickup.”
“Shit.”Hawkeye stood.His heart raced.It wasn’t safe for Delilah to be off the compound alone, or at least he wasn’t sure it was.She’d said no one would come looking for her, and that might be true, but what if there was even a single Royal Crow out there who knew what they’d done?They might come take Delilah, hurt her, as revenge.
Raven pushed himself to his feet as he scrubbed one hand over his face.“Which direction did they turn out the gate?”
“They didn’t leave.If they had I wouldn’t be here.I’d have texted you and I would be behind them.They went farther into the compound.”
The ache in Hawkeye’s chest eased.At least on the compound they’d be safe, or they should be.But where had they gone?He took a deep breath and forced himself to let it out slowly.Dagger was standing, too.The three men exchanged glances.
“Which one do you think started it this time?”Dagger asked as they filed out of the room and toward the door.
“I’m going to say not Delilah.At least not yet.I think, in time, she’ll relax and be comfortable enough around us to instigate shit, but she spent too many years getting slapped around for looking at someone to shake it all off this soon.”
“It’s probably Taylynn.We were talking about the houses earlier.”He turned to look at Dagger.“Have you taken Andy down to see where they’ll be building the houses?”
Dagger shook his head.“There’s nothing to see yet.I didn’t see a point.”
“That’s probably where they are.”Raven said.He clapped Dagger on the shoulder.“Always give your woman a chance to look at something, especially if it’s where she’s going to be living.You’ll learn.”
Outside they each went to their bikes, Hawkeye didn’t bother with a helmet as he started the machine, pulled out, and headed toward the area they’d cleared for the first group of houses.They were working on fencing off the compound but hadn’t gotten the fence finished yet, so he would feel better about her safety once he laid eyes on Delilah.
As he rounded a curve in the road and spotted the pickup parked to one side, the three women standing to one side, he took an easier breath.Still, he kept going, pulling to a stop behind the truck and dismounting, Raven and Dagger only a few steps behind.Unable to stop himself, when he reached Delilah, he tugged her into his arms, wrapping his arms around her shoulders and hugging her tight for a moment before loosening his hold and just enjoying the feeling of her there with him.He didn’t tell her it wasn’t safe for her to leave like that.He didn’t want her scared to be here or do what she wanted.Plus, he wouldn’t do anything she might consider a reprimand or getting in trouble in front of others.Anything like that could be done in private, unless it was for her safety.He wouldn’t compromise her safety to keep from hurting her feelings.
“What do you think?”Raven asked once all six of them stood staring at the cleared space where the first house would be built.
No one spoke for a moment, then Delliah spoke up, her voice soft, but clear from where she stood in front of him, his arms still wrapped around her as she leaned her torso back against his chest.
“I think it’s beautiful.I love the trees, I love that you’re building a community to take care of each other and make sure those you love are safe.”
“And do you feel safe here, Delilah?”Raven asked.
“I do.I don’t know if it’s that you rescued me and the others from the Crows, or if it’s something else, but I do feel safe here.”
“If given a choice of where to go, anywhere in the world or stay here, which would you choose?”
She took a deep breath and let it out slowly before licking her lips.
“I’m not sure how to answer that.I know what I want, but I don’t know that I’ll be able to have it.”
Raven frowned.“Why not?”
“I’ve asked a couple of times for what I want.Someone keeps telling me I don’t know what I want and I can’t make that decision yet.”From the way her head tilted downwards he assumed she was looking at the ground.
“I’m not saying you can’t have it, little dove.I just want you to be sure before you make a permanent decision,” Hawkeye kept his voice soft as he spoke in a whisper so only she would hear him.
