“He would never,” I’m quick to reassure her. “He’d never so much as yell at you. He’s just beat me harder.”
“I doubt that. He’s known you longer and probably likes you better.”
I was gonna make some smart-ass comment, but then I realize she’s subtly asking a whole other question. “You know, your well-being and safety don’t depend on Rick. You’re my old lady. That means I’ll always provide for and protect you. We’ll have to look into getting our place. I don’t think Rick’s going to take that news very well.”
I hate that we don’t have a place of our own, something to call our own. We can’t risk going back to the apartment right now, but even that is shared with Rick. However, I realize that sitting here seeing her wearing my cut, laughing with my club brothers, and telling them all about how she claimed me is more than enough for now.
She belongs in my world. Not just because of the property cut on her back, but because she moves through this clubhouse with the same quiet confidence she brings to every other area of her life. She is a cut above every other woman I’ve ever dated and I’m proud to call her my old lady.
That’s about the time my phone vibrates in my hand with a text.
Siege: Come to my office ASAP. Bring Natalie.
I turn the phone so she can see the message. “If you’re finished with your breakfast, we should get movin’. It sounds important.”
Her eyes get big and she asks, “Do you think they figured out who hurt my brother?”
Coming to my feet, I reply, “There’s only one way to find out.”
The walk to the officers’ wing stirs a little bit of worry, no matter how many times I’ve made it. Today it feels even more tense. The noise of the clubhouse stays behind us, laughter thinning, boots fading, the rhythm of brothers at work giving way to the quieter halls where decisions get made and consequences are born.
Natalie stays half a step behind me the whole way. I don’t know exactly what Siege wants with us, but I’m prepared for anything. I hired help to keep Natalie off the roads until we can figure out who sabotaged her brother’s bike, and also to free myself up to hunt down the fuckers who hurt my best friend. I won’t give whoever did this another chance to hurt the people I love.
When we reach Siege’s door it’s already cracked open, the way it always is when they’ve invited one of us to meet with them. I push the door open and step inside, then let Natalie walk in first.
The room is already crowded by the time we enter. Siege is sitting behind his desk with his forearms braced against the top. His expression is unreadable. Rider is leaning against the far wall with his arms folded over his chest. Tank has claimed his usual spot by the window. His broad shoulders are nearly blocking out all the light. Rigs is seated with his hands laced together. Dutch taps a pen against a worn notebook while Zen scrolls across his tablet, his expression immersed in whatever he’s reading. In other words, everyone is in a holding pattern, waiting for us to arrive.
“Sit,” Siege says, with no messin’ about.
I guide Natalie towards the chairs in front of his desk. Dropping into mine, I reach over, tugging her chair closer to me. I don’t know why I did that. I know she’s perfectly safe from my club brothers who all have old ladies of their own. When Tank snorts a laugh I realize that I’m just being a possessive fucker. Natalie doesn’t protest. She settles in beside me, reaching over to grasp one of my hands in her own. Without thinking I bring her hand to my lips and give it a light kiss.
Siege clears his throat and speaks. “We’ve run down every enemy his club and Rick has ever had. We reviewed personal beefs, club business, and outside trouble. They were all dead ends. Those assholes who were cooking meth are still in county thanks to Harvey. They’re not our problem anymore and certainly weren’t responsible for what happened to Rick.”
I nod once, but my jaw tightens all the same. Clearing the obvious threats doesn’t make this easier. It makes it colder.
Natalie moves beside me, clutching my hand tighter. I can see that she’s trying to keep the poker face a lot of the brothers wear but failing miserably.
Siege jerks his chin towards Zen, who has apparently been waiting his turn to talk.
He picks up where Siege left off. “That brought us back around to Natalie’s former foster family.”
Natalie sits up straight at that.
Siege nods. “Looks like you were right.”
“So they want me back?” she says, her voice flat.
“Maybe,” Siege starts, and fixes Natalie with a look. “But there’s more to it than that.”
That gets her attention and mine too. When Zen turns the tablet so we can both see, I squint trying to understand what I’m seeing. The image is grainy but appears to show a man close to the window in the back of our building that leads to our mud room, his shoulders hunched like he was either old or sneaking around…or maybe both.
Natalie speaks up almost immediately. “I recognize him! It’s my foster father’s brother. What’s he doing here?”
I frown as I squint at the image, “What about that Samson guy? I thought he was the one who broke into my house.”
Siege clarifies, “That was our thought as well. Though it looks like when you warned him off, he scuttled back home again.”
Zen swipes to the next image. This one is clearer, showing his full face more clearly.
