The tears are back, wanting to push forth, but I resist them. “Hayes, I’m a threat to you—”
“There’s a threat to me, regardless.”
My eyes flick between his. “You mean, the damage is already done.”
“If this is the worst-case scenario, then yes.” He stares at me with so much love that I want to stay forever and drown in it. “I regret nothing about what we’ve done, Leeva. My only regret is not telling you how much I love you all those years ago, so all the pain and your loss could have been avoided.”
My tears won’t be denied any longer. “I don’t want to lose you, but I can’t be the cause of something happening to you either.”
He thumbs away my tears. “You’re my endgame, little dove. My reason for breathing. My reason for living.” He kisses me again. “I’ll take care of it, I promise. Just don’t try to run. I can’t be distracted with that worry while I figure out a way to end this, so we get our happily ever after. Can you promise me that?”
“Yes,” I choke.
“Good girl.” His kiss is firmer this time, filled with all the love he’s had for me in the past and all the love he’s promising me for the future.
I cling to him when he rests his forehead on mine. “Put your mask back on.”
If no one knows what Hayes and I are wearing tonight, we might be able to slip out unnoticed.
I do as he says. He puts his mask back on, nods at Riveria, then takes my hand. With his other hand, he pulls his gun from the back of his waistband, ready to use it if needed.
However, no one attacks or tries to stop us. We actually don’t encounter anyone—attackers or staff—except for the security guard manning the back door. He eyes Hayes’ gun but nods and steps out of the way, likely having been given an order to do so by Riveria.
A black SUV with dark windows idles right outside the door. The SUV’s back door opens, and I’m funneled into the vehicle, taking only one step onto the concrete, protected by the open door on my right and Hayes blocking my body on the left.
“Directly to her house,” he orders the men inside, then says to me, “I love you, Leeva. Never forget that.”
Then the SUV door shuts, Hayes is gone, and we’re speeding away.
My lip quivers, so I bite it to make it stop as I pull off my mask and face my transporters. The man beside me in the back seat has broad shoulders and looks muscular. With the look of his long legs, I know he’s tall. He has dark hair and a scar that runs through his eyebrow to the top of his eye. The man driving appears to have a smaller, leaner build and a scar running down his cheek.
“I’m Dom,” the guy with the scarred brow introduces himself and motions to the driver. “My second-in-command, Hugo.”
“Hello.”
My voice sounds weak, so I clear my throat. Hayes is likely marching straight into danger, possibly into the line of fire, so the least I can do is not come across as a teary-eyed, weakwoman. I might not have been born and raised in the MC life like Hayes, but I was still immersed in it, even if only on the periphery. And I won’t wilt like some trembling flower.
“Hello,” I say more confidently. “I appreciate you helping us out.”
Dom settles into the seat, observing me with a smile. “I never got the pleasure of meeting you before. It’s nice to finally meet you.”
Neither he nor Hugo looks at me suggestively or judgmentally after picking me up from a sex club while I’m carrying a mask and wearing a scandalous dress. Dom pats my hand that’s clutched beside me on the seat. “Just relax; we’ll have you home in no time.”
“Thanks.” I try to do that, all while battling my panic that I won’t ever see Hayes again, along with my panic that I’ve just signed his death warrant.
Chapter 38
Army
TheCouncilisallcrowded up in Digits’ tower. He hates having his space invaded, but he’s sucked it up for now and is madly multitasking while we discuss possibilities. For most, multitasking is a sin and splits focus, but Digits is an anomaly, and he thrives on it.
“Razor was at Hedon,unmasked,” Pix argues with Ash. “He didn’t give a shit if it was discovered he was there. Let me kill the fucker already.” She’s coiled, ready to explode.
“He could’ve been there, not knowing it was our club,” Ash counters.
She’s damn near vibrating when she hisses, “He didn’t use his name so he could sneak his way inside.”
I go over to her, wrap my arm around her shoulders, and she eases slightly. Not as much as if Digits had touched her, because he has always been able to settle and calm her best. But with the tension between them, if Digits tried right now, Pix would likely stab him.
