I back up, leaning right outside of the entrance where she won’t clock me. Where I can hide and wait for Wren to come back out.
It doesn’t take very long. Mrs. Delaney leaves first, but Wren takes another few minutes. Smart.
She’s too damn smart for her own good. Too damn good at this.
But she doesn’t understand how much danger she’s in. Still. Even after being shot. Being here, out in the open, where anyone could kidnap her or put a bullet in her brain.
When Wren steps out of the dollar store, I grab her before she can see me, muffling her scream with my palm as I press my mouth to her ear.
“You’re in trouble, pretty girl.” My voice has her body relaxing against mine, and I try not to marvel in her reaction to me for very long.
Swinging her around, I march her toward my bike, and she goes willingly. When I finally turn her to face me, her eyes are wide and sparkling.
I shake my head at her before she says anything. Straddling my motorcycle, I pat the seat behind me. “On.”
She obeys. Of coursenowshe’s compliant. Does as I say.
Ask for forgiveness instead of permission because she knew the answer would be no.
But if she’d just asked…
I let out a harsh breath as her arms circle around my middle. If she’d asked, I would have brought her myself. I would have been able to ensure she stayed safe. Her sneaking out speaks volumes of her trust in us.
In me.
Then Wren’s hand smooths up my stomach to my chest—over my heart, and I can’t be mad at her. I’ll see to it that she’s punished for this indiscretion, but I can’t be mad.
She did what she thought she needed to do. It’s an admirable quality.
As we speed back, the wind filters away all thoughts other than how I plan to punish her. How Saint and Doc will help.
It needs to be more than a spanking. Mere swats obviously won’t deliver the message we need.
I almost don’t want to pull into the yard, enjoying the brief bit of humanity I feel when she holds onto me this way. With her cheek pressed against my back, her warmth feeding my muscles.
Wren has become my only weakness, and I will not let anyone use her against me.
She has to learn.
Resolve hardening, I pull up front, holding onto her arm after she dismounts. She doesn’t try to flee from me. Good.
Walking her inside doesn’t get the stares the guys usually afford her, but tension thickens the moment we step into Saint’s office.
He stands behind his desk. Doc lounges in a chair across from him. They both look at Wren with a mix of disappointment and relief that she’s okay.
Her hands go up in surrender, almost warding us off. “Before you punish me, let me tell you what happened, then you can do whatever you want with me.”
“You say that like we won’t do whatever we like with you anyway.” Saint’s eyes are dark, stormy. He’s fucking pissed now that he’s no longer worried.
I bite back a smile at his threat. It’s not like we’d ever hurt her. But we are going to torture her. Just a little.
Pink swathes her cheeks as she glances at the three of us, but her hip cocks and her arms cross. “Fine. I guess you don’t want to know what my mother had for me.”
I grin at her, letting my darker desires surface. Wren’s stand off with Saint reminds me that we will never break her. Not that I want to.
Saint touches her cheek, and she softens almost immediately. “Tell us.”
Blinking up at him, she slowly reaches under her vest and pulls out a small, ratty bunny. It’s obviously been well loved, and the way she touches it tells me that it’s hers. She flips it around and unsnaps a clasp around its neck.
