Ace added, “I’ll start peeling apart the flow of money. Shell corps, nonprofit fronts, crypto laundering—whatever he’s using, I’ll find it.”
I sat back in my chair and exhaled slowly. The knot in my gut hadn’t loosened yet, but it was a start.
As much as I wanted to crawl back into bed with Maren, I knew she wouldn’t get any rest if I did. So I spent the morning working in my office. It wasn’t even eleven when I got a callfrom King. I was needed on club business, it wasn’t optional, I couldn’t wait, and it meant leaving the fucking clubhouse.
I left her a note on the nightstand and forced myself to leave. That same knot tightened at the thought of not being here when she woke up, but it still wasn’t gripping me as it had before meeting with King and the others.
Maren was safe here.
She wasn’t protected by just me anymore.
Now she had an army behind her.
8
MAREN
Iwoke slowly, stretching beneath sheets that smelled faintly like Lucas. I kept my eyes closed and let the memory of last night wash over me. The feel of his mouth on me, how much I’d enjoyed following his lead, and the satisfaction in his eyes when he learned it was my first time.
When I shifted, I expected to brush against solid heat, but the space beside me was empty. His side of the bed was cool to the touch.
When I realized he hadn’t just slipped out a minute ago, my eyes snapped open.
The confidence I’d been feeling after last night was quickly replaced by concern. I couldn’t help but wonder if he’d left because I did something wrong, or if he regretted touching me.
Last night had been incredible for me, but maybe he thought it was a mistake now. That could be why he’d just made me come with his mouth and told me to go to sleep.
Pushing myself upright, I clutched the blanket to my chest as I glanced around the quiet room. Then I finally saw the folded slip of paper resting on the nightstand.
My fingers trembled when I reached for the note and unfolded it.
Left on club business. Stay at the clubhouse.
If you leave the room, wear the cut.
-L
After reading it, I only had more questions. Like why he didn’t wake me up before he left, how long he’d been gone, and why he wanted me to stay here when he was gone. More importantly, did he really leave his cut for me?
At least there was an answer waiting for me on that last one. I glanced over at the chair where he’d left it last night and gasped when I spotted the dark leather hanging over the arm.
He really did want me to wear his cut.
It made it easier to believe Lucas hadn’t brought me here just because he wanted to sleep with me.
Wrapping the sheet around me, I slid off the mattress and padded over to the chair. My fingers traced over the patch that announced to the world that he was a Hound.
This leather vest was sacred to Lucas. Being told to wear it felt bigger than the orgasm he gave me last night.
Except it didn’t erase the fact that he’d disappeared this morning. With my lack of experience, I could be reading too much into everything.
So I smoothed my thumb over the stitched patch one last time before letting my hand fall away, hoping last night hadn’t meant more to me than it did to him.
My thoughts only spiraled more as the day wore on. Probably because I spent most of the day hiding in Lucas’s room, unsurehow the other Hounds would react if I wandered downstairs. I didn’t know anyone here, and the idea of bumping into one of them without Lucas beside me made my stomach twist.
Hours passed in silence while I tried to fall back asleep.
Nobody checked on me, and Lucas didn’t return.
