He pins me with his gaze. “And I’m gonna make this really simple, Shadow.”
I sit forward, hands clasped on the table. “Go on.”
“You need to claim her now. Publicly. Officially. No confusion and no bullshit drama. Everyone needs to be clear on Remi’s place in this club.”
I give a stiff nod, knowing she’s going to fight me on this.
“Hell’s Avengers are joining us for a run tonight. It’s the perfect opportunity,” he continues. “Stand up in front of every man and lay claim out loud. No hesitation.”
I exhale slow through my nose. “Does it need to be so . . . public?”
“It’s the only way, brother. I’ve no doubt she’s still got shit hiding in her closet. And that’s gonna resurface at some point, so you need eyes on you when you make this announcement, so it gets heard by all the right people. It’ll spread far and wide, protecting her. You want her to stick around, then lay claim cos I ain’t bending the rules for you anymore.”
Grizz sits forward. “I just wanna say, brother. I watched you those days she was gone. I watched you stop being you. I watched you damn near break. You couldn’t breathe without her. It doesn’t sound like you gotta a choice to me.”
Ripper nods. “Same.”
I let my eyes drop to the table for one slow second, then I look Axel dead in the eye.
“She’s mine.” It comes out low, steady. No tremor. No hesitation.
Axel’s mouth tips just enough to show approval. “Good. Then you’ll say it again tonight, loud enough for every bastard in that room to hear.”
I stand, and the chair legs scrape the floor. “It won’t be a problem.”
Then I leave to find her. I take the stairs two at a time, expecting to see her where I left her. Curled under the blankets, breathing steady, safe. But the bed is empty. The bathroom is empty too. The closet door is open, and a wet towel is discarded on the floor. My pulse spikes. I check the hallway, then the rooms on either side.No Remi.
My boots hit the stairs hard on the way down. She wouldn’t have left. She’s got nowhere to go. And surely, she wouldn’t get far in her condition.
My jaw is already clenched when I hit the kitchen doorway, sagging in relief when I see her. She’s sitting at the breakfast bar with Kasey, a plate in front of her. Hands wrapped around a mug like she’s trying to warm herself from the inside out.
She looks small, but she looks present, awake. There’s even a smile tugging at her lips as Kasey says something to her. Relief hits me so hard, it turns into something rough. I step forward. “Why weren’t you in bed?” It comes out sharper than I mean it and Remi flinches.
Kasey stands, already bristling. “She’s fine. I got her something to eat. She woke up shaky, and I didn’t think you’d want her passing out alone upstairs.”
“This isn’t your responsibility,” I snap.
Kasey’s brows go up. “No one said it was. I was helping out.”
“It’s my place to look after her.” I hear my tone. I hate it once it’s out, but I don’t pull it back.
Remi immediately folds in on herself. “I’m sorry,” she blurts. “I should’ve waited. I wasn’t thinking. I didn’t mean to make anything worse. I just . . . I got hungry. I should have asked you. I’m sorry. I’ll go back upstairs. I’ll get out of the way.” She pushes her chair back so fast, it scrapes loud across the floor.
Kasey looks at me like she wants to break the nearest mug over my head. “Fix your tone,” she murmurs low before squeezing Remi’s arm and walking out.
Silence settles heavy between us. Remi won’t look at me. She stands there shaking, her hands twisting together like she is waiting for a punishment.
I sigh, releasing the tension I felt, and take a careful step towards her. I gently take her hands in mine and dip down to catch her eye. I offer a smile. “Sorry, Rem. It was my fault and I shouldn’t have been abrupt. I panicked when I saw you were gone. You didn’t do anything wrong.”
“I should’ve waited.”
“No, you did right. This is your home now, and you can move freely around it.” I take a breath and then decide on honesty. “I was scared,” I admit. “When I saw you weren’t there, I thought you’d ran. I thought I’d lost you again. I overreacted.”
She lifts her eyes. “I thought I was supposed to stay out of the way.”
“You stay where you feel safe,” I say. “Even if that’s not with me in that second.” She exhales, long and shaky. “Kasey did right. You did right. I was the one who messed up.” She blinks, and I reach out, brushing her cheek gently, avoiding the bruise. “Come here,” I murmur.
She steps into me without thinking, resting her forehead against my chest. I wrap my arms around her, steady and certain.
