“I’ll give them a call after I call Esparza,” Lucifer states, nodding.
“What if it doesn’t have anything to do with the protection run?” Tormentor asks.
“We dig and see who the fuck was behind it,” I state, my tone harsh and biting even to my own ears.
Whoever the fuck was behind this fucked with the wrong club this time around. No way in fuck I was playing around. I’ll put them in the ground where they belong right after I slit their motherfucking throat.
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
Della
After spending most of the day with Amelia and helping her make her soaps for tomorrow, I’m finally alone with my thoughts. It’s not that I haven’t enjoyed being with my friend helping her. It’s just that I need a moment to myself.
Though it probably isn’t a good thing to be alone with my thoughts for long.
My mind keeps wandering back to yesterday. Shadow had gotten the call as I laid in his arms, falling asleep after we’d spent the evening wrapped up in each other’s arms, exploring one another.
When the call came in, it was the first time he had ever gotten a call like that when we were together. I wanted to ask a million questions. I still do, but I remember his words about club business. I heard enough to know that that’s what it was about. I also knew that Rodeo Roundup had been hit with a Molotov cocktail. Amelia had been there, and now we were both here at the ranch, so Shadow knew we were safe.
I haven’t heard from him, and I get why I haven’t, but it still sucks. Usually, if I’m not with him, I get a few texts from him, just checking in with me.
As much as I wanted to reach out to Shadow, I haven’t. I don’t want to distract him from whatever he’s doing. I know the club is important to him, and I won’t bother him while he’s working.
This doesn’t mean I’m not worried about him. I want to know what he’s doing. That he’s staying safe. That nothing will happen to him. The very thought of him being hurt in any way, shape or form hurts me.
I try to shove the thoughts away and move to Maddox’s office to distract myself. I need to be thinking of something else entirely. Work will help me with that. It’s Friday, and I know there’s always something for me to do when it comes to the admin side of the ranch. Though, I’ve pretty much kept on task with it all, making sure to work on the books daily so nothing gets behind.
It takes a bit to manage getting my mind on task, but I finally do until a clearing of a throat breaks through. I lift my head to find Shadow standing in the doorway, leaning against the frame.
“Hey.” I smile brightly at him, taking in all that is my man. Tall, broad shoulders, sinfully sexy with his beard and shaved head. The way he has his arms crossed makes his arms look even bigger. “I didn’t think I’d see you today.”
“Why’s that?” he asks as I get up from behind the desk and move to him. His eyes lock with mine.
“Because I know you’re handling club business,” I answer.
“That why you haven’t reached out to me?”
“What?” I whisper, confused by his question.
“Baby, haven’t heard from you since I left you in my bed,” he states something I already knew.
“I didn’t want to bother you while you were working,” I confess. Unsure now if that was the right thing to do or not.
Shadow’s expression softens as he pushes off from the doorframe and reaches for me, tugging me fully into his front. He keeps one arm locked around me and lifts his other hand to cup my face, his thumb gently strokes the apple of my cheek. I love the way his eyes seem so gentle when he stares down at me. It makes my heart flutter and desire flow through me from head to toe.
“Little mouse, you’re never a bother to me,” he says, his voice deep and gravelly. “Doesn’t matter what the fuck I’m doing, I want you reaching out to me. Even if it’s a fuckin’ text saying what you’re doing or that you’re okay.”
I lean into his touch, my eyes closing as I memorize the feel of the rough calluses on his palms against my skin. “I just didn’t want to distract you. I know what’s going on is serious.”
“It is,” he agrees, his blue eyes darkening. “Regardless, it doesn’t mean you can’t reach out to me. I need to know you’re safe, baby. It’s why I had Maddox send someone to get you. So I knew you were safe here at the ranch while I handled business with my brothers. That being said, I will reiterate this to you. I want to hear from you. Even if I don’t respond, I’ll at least know you’re safe.”
I wrap my arms tighter around his waist, pressing my face against his chest. He smells like leather, motor oil, and what is uniquely Shadow. When I’d gotten picked up in the wee hours of the morning, I’d made sure to grab one of his shirts to sleep in because I didn’t know what was going on at the time, but I had a feeling I’d need it.
“I’m sorry,” I whisper against his chest. “I didn’t think about it that way, but I should’ve.”
Shadow’s hand moves to the back of my head, his fingers tangling in my hair as he gently tugs, forcing me to look up at him. The intensity in his eyes makes my breath catch. Beautiful, dark orbs that seem to see so much more than they should.
“Don’t want you to apologize, just understand that this is something I need from you. You can’t know something unless it’s something we talk about. I should’ve told you when I left you in my bed, to reach out to me, but I didn’t, that’s on me.”
