Something in her voice finally reaches him. He exhales sharply, nods once, then wraps his arm around her shoulders.
“We’re going to our room. Put some ice on this.” His voice is still tight with anger, but he’s containing it for her sake.
They disappear into the clubhouse, Stray’s protective arm never leaving his wife’s shoulders.
Diesel runs a hand through his dark hair. “You get a look at these guys?”
“Switchback’s cousin was one of them,” Viper replies, lighting a cigarette. “The other guy, big fucker with a neck tattoo, I’ve seen him around Ashford.”
“They say anything?” Diesel asks, glancing at me.
I wrap my arms around myself. “They said to tell Havoc they’d see him soon.”
Diesel and Viper exchange a look that makes my stomach knot. Before they can say more, the compound gates burst open with a screech of metal. A Harley roars through, moving so fast it nearly tips when it skids to a stop.
Havoc leaps off, not even bothering to properly park. His silver hair is windblown, his eyes wild as they search the lot and lock onto me.
Havoc rushes toward me, his face a storm of emotions. Before I can speak, he pulls me into his arms, crushing me against his chest. His heartbeat pounds beneath my cheek, rapid and frantic.
“Fuck,” he breathes into my hair. “Fuck.”
His hands move over me, checking for injuries, fingers trembling against my skin. When he’s satisfied that I’m physically unharmed, he cups my face between his palms. The look in his eyes steals my breath—raw fear transforming into fierce relief.
“I’m fucking sorry,” he growls. “I should have been there. I should have?—”
He cuts himself off, crashing his mouth against mine in a bruising kiss that tastes like terror and desperation. It’s not gentle or controlled like his usual kisses. This is primal, a man reassuring himself that I’m real, I’m here, I’m safe.
When he pulls back, his thumbs brush my cheekbones. “Are you okay, baby? Did they hurt you?”
I shake my head, my own emotions bubbling to the surface now that he’s here. The shock that had kept me numb begins to crack.
“I’m okay,” I whisper. “They didn’t—Viper got there in time.”
Something dark and violent flashes across his face. He presses his forehead to mine, our breaths mingling in the space between us.
“I swear to fucking god,” he says, voice low and deadly, “I will hunt down every last one of those Forsaken bastards. They put their hands on what’s mine.” His fingers tighten on my face. “I’ll make them pay. They’ll beg for death before I’m done.”
The intensity in his eyes should frighten me, but instead, it makes me feel protected. Cherished. This isn’t just club business anymore—this is personal to him in a way that reveals exactly how much I mean to him.
20
HAVOC
“Church,” I tell the boys once everyone’s gathered in the clubhouse. “Now.”
Diesel’s the first to get up and saunter over to our private meeting room, the rest of the members right on his tail.
I pull Sasha closer one last time, gently kissing her forehead. “You gonna be okay without me, baby girl?” I ask just loud enough that only she can hear. No need to embarrass her.
Her cheeks flush anyway, her head turning to where the other old ladies are chatting at the bar. Viper told us how protective Lucy was. Maybe I should talk to Stray, see if he’d wanna patch over to Briar Fork and stay on permanently.
“I’m fine. Actually, I want to go see Bluebell. If that’s alright?” she asks timidly.
“Of course that’s alright,” I answer immediately. “You can go anywhere you want on this compound. And we’ll handle this shit, I promise you, Sasha. You’ll be able to live a normal life outside here as well.”
She gives me that look. The one that tugs at a heart I thought was hollow until she walked into my life. Or rather, back into it as an adult. It makes me feel like I can fucking slay a dragon for her.
“I know. I trust you, Daddy,” she murmurs, pressing her lips against mine.
