All the ladies are gathered there handing out food, bottles of water and coffee to the men.
“It’s a new day, Savages,” a woman calls out from Reaper’s side. “Now we can finally breathe. Thank you, my dear family. And thank God no one on this side met an untimely end.”
Another wave of cheers rings out, and Reaper holds a hand up. “And thank God we brought home a new member. Layla, welcome home, sweetheart.”
I only have a second to secure my glasses on the bridge of my nose before I’m passed around and hugged by anyone and everyone. I hear names, but my brain doesn’t register them. I’m too caught up in the feeling of having a family.
Dawn is a slow blush of gold through the kitchen windows, gilding the polished floors and the leather sofas piled with club jackets. Everywhere I look, there’s proof of survival and happiness.
The ladies pull me into a tight huddle as they all talk about Veles and the Vultures. They share the stories about what they and their men went through in order to fight against the men who kept me as their hostage.
I tune out the chatter a moment so I can gather my thoughts. There’s a battered coffee table stacked high with some romance novels in front of me. All that man meat and the sexy title makes me want to take up my writing habit again.
The men kick off their muddy boots by the door, and laughter echoes through the halls. I drink it all in, letting the sounds and scents soak into the battered places inside me that still don’t believe I’ve made it out of hell.
Beast is across the room, surrounded by his brothers, their voices low and fierce as he recounts what happened last night.
I look on as Reaper leans in, tattooed arms folded, nodding as Beast describes the Russians, the fight, Veles’s last moments. The others listen, their attention unwavering—not just as soldiers, but as brothers. Pride for Beast shines in their eyes.
I guess Beast is to the part where I either ask about shooting a man in the balls or where Veles had his final moments before I ended his reign of terror because all the Savages look at me.
There is awe and humor in their gazes as they take in the small book nerd with her glasses and cup of coffee like there’s no way someone like me could do what I did.
I wrap my arms around myself, half in awe, half in disbelief that this is real, too. This strange, dangerous family has opened its doors to me. My heart swells and pinches all at once. I don’t know how to belong in a place like this, but watching Beast with his brothers, the way they care, the respect in every word, every slap on the back makes me want the same.
Tears burn hot behind my eyes as I watch Beast. I blink hard, trying to hide them, but too late. Beast glances over, instantly reading every emotion on my face. He crosses the room in three long strides, takes my hands, and pulls me close until I’m wrapped up in the security of his chest, his scent, his presence.
“Hey. None of that, baby,” he whispers, brushing the tears from my cheeks with his thumb. “You’re safe here. I promised you, didn’t I?” He presses a kiss to the corner of my eye, then another to my forehead. “No one’s ever going to hurt you again. You have me and an entire army backing you. Trust me.”
For a second, all I can do is cling to him, soaking up the safety I never thought I’d find in this lifetime. Around us, the brothers go quiet, watching with soft grins and a few pats to my shoulder.
I catch Harlow’s gaze from where she stands with Cipher. Her smile is warm, fierce, and full of understanding. She crosses the room, wraps me in a hug so tight it knocks the air from my lungs.
“What he said. Understand?” Harlow says, her voice thick with the same emotions I’m feeling. “You’re a damn miracle. I’m so glad you made it home.”
“Thank you,” I whisper, blinking back fresh tears. “For not giving up on me and fighting to help find me. It was touch and go there for a while.”
“You’d do the same,” she says, squeezing my shoulders before stepping back.
Then the floodgates open. Charli, with her wild curls and wicked sense of humor, winks at me and presses a fresh steaming mug of coffee into my hands. The club candy surrounds me with excited chatter, gossiping about weddings, babies, and the last wild party at the compound. I spot Everly and Isa laughing with Phantom and Ash.
Err…I hope I got their names right.
Even Arabella, with that steel in her spine, gives me a nod of approval.
It feels like being wrapped in a blanket of belonging. Like every wound is being sewn closed, stitch by careful stitch, with hands that know what it means to be hurt and to heal.
The front door opens, and a woman walks in. Her presence shifts the mood to a more serious tone as she walks to the center of the living room.
She’s taller than me, a heart-shaped face, jet black hair pulled back in a nice braid that accentuates her perfect cheekbones. She has a cream shirt that she has loosely tucked into a nice pair of black jeans. Her boots are nice too, but what has my attention is the badge hanging around her neck.
She turns to Storm and throws the man a wink. “Good to see you, old friend.”
“Detective.” Storm nods at the woman but I can sense a thin layer of friction between the two.
Charli walks up and offers her a cup of coffee, which means the woman can’t be all bad, right?
She surveys the room, then finds me in the crowd.
