My stomach flips, like something awful is finally over.
“Thank you,” I say again, and I mean it with my whole soul.
“Don’t thank me. Be ready to pay up someday. You owe me.”
I turn and head for the door, and bend down when Bandit trots over. His tail thumps like he’s been waiting for me.
“Bye, buddy,” I whisper, scratching his ears. “Be good. And feel free to bite the pint.”
That makes a few of the guys behind me laugh.
I kiss the top of his head and stand, walking back toward my truck. I can feel Grave watching me as I go. When I glance back, he’s shaking his head slowly, like he still can’t believe any of this actually happened.
Neither can I. I think I probably just escaped being murdered.
The drive home is a blur. By the time I pull up to the apartment, my hands are still trembling as I park my truck in one of the empty bays.
The truck door flies open before I even shut the truck off.
Ollie’s there, pacing like a caged animal. His radio’s clipped to his cargo pants, boots still on, hair messed up like he’s been running his fingers through it.
“Where have you been, Poppy?” he demands, panic written all over his face.
“I’m sorry,” I say quickly. “I went to the biker club.”
His face drains of color. “Did they hurt you? What happened. Was it your dad?”
“I’m okay,” I rush out, stepping toward him. “I swear, I’m okay.”
He grabs my arms, checking me like he doesn’t believe his eyes. “Did anyone touch you? Why do you have a tire iron tucked in your pants?”
“No,” I say firmly. “Ollie, listen to me, this is a good thing.”
He’s breathing hard, eyes wild. “What the hell, Poppy?”
“I went there on my own,” I say. “I talked to the president. I told him everything about Sully. He’s going to help us by keeping Sully away from us.”
His jaw clenches. “Why would you go there alone at night?”
“Because I had to. He’s not going to leave us alone.”
He squeezes his eyes shut as if he might scream. “You could’ve been killed.”
I whisper, “But he’s done now. We’re under protection, now.”
That stops him cold.
He opens his eyes slowly. “Protection?”
“They’re done with him,” I say. “They’ll make sure he leaves us alone.”
Ollie stares at me, shock and fear and something else battling across his face. Then he pulls me into his chest so hard my feet almost lift off the floor.
“Don’t ever do that again,” he says, voice rough. “Don’t ever scare me like that.”
I bury my face against him. “I didn’t know what else to do. I wanted him to leave us alone.”
He holds me tighter, one hand cradling the back of my head, like he’s grounding both of us.
