“Is that your way of telling me I look awful in the mornings?” I narrow my eyes at him, messing with him.
His eyes get big, and it’s taking everything in me not to burst out laughing watching him squirm. “What? No, you always look beautiful. What I meant was that I heard you pacing in your room last night. I was going to come up, but I wasn’t sure if you wanted any company.” I can’t help but smirk and laugh under my breath when he narrows his eyes at me.
“Ha ha, very funny.”
My shoulders deflate. “Yeah, it wasn’t my best night's sleep. I just kept waking up thinking maybe Bailey needed something. Or thinking maybe the stepdad was out there. It’s just been a lot, you know.”
Joker pulls me into his arms, wrapping me in a hug. It is starting to be one of my favorite places to be. It takes a minute for my shoulders to relax and just let him hold me. “It’s going to be okay, Madison. We will take care of Bailey like she deserves. I already spoke to Blade this morning, and since Bailey doesn't have any other family to take her in and there’s no way I’m putting her in foster care, she’s ours, angel. We just have to sign some paperwork to make it official. And that stepfather of hers will get what’s coming to him. I can promise you that.”
My body stiffens at his words. What does he mean together? I voice my thoughts. I pull back, well, as much as he will let me. Not that I’m complaining, I love being in his arms. “What do you mean, together?” I have a feeling I already know, but I need to hear the words.
“We are in this together, Madison. Bailey will be yours as much as mine. We will give her a loving family and let her be a kid, as she deserves. You're mine, Madison. You know it, I know it, so there’s no sense in fighting this. I know you want this just as much as I do. You're my ole lady angel.”
Oh, Lord! Joker has claimed me, and I know from talking to the other girls it’s huge because it’s for life. I knew Joker liked me, but I never knew it was to this extent. Or maybe I was too scared to see what was in front of me this entire time. I raise my eyebrow at him. “You're not even going to ask?” Hey, just because I’m giddy on the inside and would be stupid enough to say no doesn’t mean I’m going to give up giving him shit.
He chuckles at me and brushes a piece of hair from my face, letting his touch linger. My body betrays me, and I shiver. “Oh, angel, there's no asking when you already know you're mine. So why fight it? Haven't we wasted enough time with you telling me no?”
He’s not wrong. I decided a while ago that I was going to give him a chance, and last night sealed it for me. But worry gnaws at me. Is this moving too fast? What happens when everything with Bailey ends? What then?
“I can see you trying to come up with every scenario in your head of how this isn’t going to work, and, yeah, I might joke around a lot, but with you I’m all in. Just don’t give up on me yet. Let me prove to you that I’m in this for the long haul. Let me show you the real me.”
He has a vulnerable look in his eyes that I’ve never seen from him. He’s always the happy jokester in the group. But right now he’s showing me a side I don’t think many get to see. I can run and hide from him, or I can take a leap of faith like he wants me to and see where this goes. “I would like that Joker.” I can feel a blush on my face as he graces me with the most beautiful smile, making my insides jump.
He wraps his arms around me as he steers me towards the kitchen, bending down and kissing the top of my head. “I knew I’d eventually wear you down; it was only a matter of time. Admit it, angel, you just can’t resist all this sexiness.”
He starts rubbing his abs, making me roll my eyes. “You just had to ruin it, didn’t you?” I walk out of his arms, hiding the smile on my face.
“You love it, angel.”
I walk further into the kitchen to see Bailey eating with Hawk. She sends me a little wave as she stuffs her face with pancakes, making me laugh. “Good morning, guys. Where did all this food come from?” I make a coffee and take my first sip, turning around to face everyone.
“Hawk went down to the diner and picked up some food since you didn’t have much in the fridge.”
“Yeah, I haven’t had time to go to the store since I was busy at the bakery. Oh, was Avianna working?” She’s such a sweet girl, but you can tell something is going on with her, that maybe she’s running from something.
“She was. Though I walked in to some fuckers trying to mess with her, so I stepped in.” Hawk says with a growl, making my eyes widen.
“Crap, I hope she’s okay. I always got the sense that she was running from something.” I gnaw on my lip in worry.
Hawk’s look darkens at the mention. “Don’t worry, Mads, I'm going to make sure nothing happens to her from now on.”
Oh, shit, I think Avianna just got claimed by Hawk, and she doesn’t even know it yet. I look at Joker, and he slightly shakes his head, so I drop it. I turn to Bailey to see her looking at all of us. “So, Bailey, how did you sleep?”
“That was the most comfortable bed ever.” She smiles at me.
“Good, I’m glad. So what time do you think we are going to the compound?” I notice Joker and Hawk exchange a look, one I don’t like, and I know they don’t want to say anything around Bailey, so I look back at her. “Hey Bailey, why don’t you head upstairs and getready? There are extra clothes in the bag for you that they brought over last night.”
We watch as she gets up and heads upstairs before I turn to them. “Okay, tell me what’s going on since you clearly didn’t want to say anything in front of Bailey.”
Joker runs his hands through his hair, frustrated. “Hawk saw Leo in town while he was getting food. Crow sent us his picture last night while you guys went to sleep, so we know what he looks like. It could be random, and he’s just looking, but I don’t like it, so as soon as Bailey is ready, we are moving out.” Joker hands me his phone with Leo’s picture, and just the sight of him makes me angry after all he’s done to Bailey and God knows who else.
I hand the phone back. “I’m going to grab my bag. I will be right back.” I don’t look at either of them, needing a moment to myself. As I walk upstairs, I can hear the guest shower running, knowing Bailey is still getting ready. I walk into my room and head over to my safe in my closet, punching in the code. Once the door opens, I grab my handgun and an extra magazine while strapping it to me, and I know for a fact Joker is standing behind me watching my every move. I smelled him as soon as he walked into my bedroom.
I close my safe and turn around to see him leaning against the door, watching my every move. I expect him to say something about why I armed myself, but all he does is shake his head and laugh. “Expecting trouble, Momma Bear?”
“Just being extra careful. I know you guys are more than capable of protecting us, but I always like to be prepared, and now that we know Leo is out there looking for her. I just need this right now, Joker.” Besides shooting practice, I never had to use this gun. I don’t like going into this blind, and we don’t know how far Leo is willing to take this to get Bailey back, so I’m not taking any chances.
He walks over in two strides and has me in his arms, pulling me into his chest. “I promise we will keep her safe. Leo isn’t even going to be able to have a chance to get close enough. I can tell you that much, and if he does, I will deal with it. He’s as good as dead.” His body vibrates with anger, and I know he will do everything he can to make sure we are safe.
