Chapter 19
Emily
The engines hit the lot just after ten. Tessa’s halfway out of her seat before I realize the throaty roar of motorcycles means our men are back. When I follow them, I realize Queenie is already on the front porch, watching them roll in. She has a tense, anticipatory look about her. The one that tells me Rock probably called and told her they were near. I can’t imagine how many times she’s come out to greet him after a mission. Probably hundreds. I come beside her and slip my hand into hers. I don’t know why I did that. Maybe because I’m worried and don’t know exactly what to expect.
Surprised, she turns to me with a smile and grabs both my hands. “Don’t worry, Rock said no one got hurt.”
I don’t realize that I’m tearing up until she gives me a quick hug. “One day you’re gonna learn my boys can take care of themselves. That’s the day you’ll stop letting your fear and anxiety get the best of you.”
I wipe my tears away with the backside of my hand as she stands beside me with one arm draped around my shoulders.
They roll in like the badass biker horde they are. Granted, they’re sweaty and tired. Their bikes look like they have been ridden through a muddy swamp. And Forge barks from the sidecar. The moment I spot Onyx, I stop looking for anything else.
He’s covered in road grit. Forearms smudged dark, a nick just under his jaw. His cut is hanging open. But he takes a second to unbuckle his dog before searching me out in the crowd. And when his eyes land on me, everything else fades away.
It takes me a second to realize the other old ladies have all gone out to meet their men. That’s when I get my feet moving and rush out to him. Onyx steps right into me and his massive arms wrap around me. I can’t help but laugh with happiness and relief when he lifts me off the ground and twirls me around in a circle, like I weigh nothing.
“You’re finally back,” I say softly. “I missed you.”
“It’s good to be home. How about you? You holding up okay?”
“Of course. I spent the better part of the day with the old ladies. It made the situation more bearable. I wasn’t just left in your suite, waiting and worrying as the minutes ticked by.”
He leans in and presses his forehead against mine. “You’re wasting your time worrying about me, Em. There ain’t nothin’ Charles fuckin’ Brennan can do to hurt me that better men haven’t tried.” Pulling back, he thumps his chest with one oversized fist. “But I’m still here and most of them are crippled or dead.”
I slide one hand up to trace a long, thin scratch that runs across his cheek towards his jaw. “You’re hurt,” I murmur.
He grins, playfully swatting my hand away. “I got caught by a tree branch. It’s nothin’.”
“Are you hungry?” I ask him. “We have food ready for you.”
Draping his arm around my shoulders, he jerks his chin towards the clubhouse. “I’m fuckin’ starving. There are only so many damned protein bars a man can eat before he wants to start throwing them at people.”
“How was the hunt for Brennan?”
He makes a low sound in the back of his throat that sounds like annoyance mixed with amusement. “I didn’t expect Sliverwood to be so large. We covered a lot of ground today and didn’t search half of it.”
“How far did you ride?”
“Past Turner Ridge. Looped north until the trail washed out. We had to backtrack twice. Saw maybe six people all day, and they didn’t seem to like strangers.”
“What were they like?”
“Rural and tight-lipped until they found out who we were looking for. Then they were all kinds of helpful. They all seemed to think Brennan was the family fuck-up.”
“Did Forge catch anything?”
“Not a damn thing.”
Glancing back at Forge, I tell him, “She’s a good girl and deserves a reward anyway.”
“I agree,” he tells me, tugging me close for a quick kiss.
When we head into the clubhouse, I snag a cold bottle of water out of a huge cooler as we walk by and hand it to Onyx.
He takes it with a quiet, “thanks,” drains half in one go, then tugs me back under one arm.
We slide into chairs at the family table. Onyx assures me, “We’ll head out again tomorrow. I’m not giving up until we find that asshole.”
