He gives a chin lift over to Ivy who throws a piece of corn bread at Shadow’s head—it bounces off as she looks away innocently, trying to hide her smile. “It’s to do with my sister. She went missing for a while. Cash helped me find her.”
I don’t know anything about it, and I’m not one to pry. “She’s a handful.”
He smirks. “You can say that again. Some say I let her get away with too much, but when she first got here, she was nothin’ like this,” he goes on. “Bein’ around the club and people who care about her brought her back from a dark place. We’re a family, just like the Rebels, we look after our own.”
“Respect that. And Becca? What’s the plan?”
“Got friends in low places already makin’ sure we have an exit plan. One thing’s for sure, don’t trust the fuckin’ cops. Bit ofa coincidence that her whereabouts were compromised before, don’t you think?”
“Willow weeded out a lot of the corrupt ones some time ago,” I say. “But there’s always gonna be dirty cops no matter what you do. Worth lookin’ into.”
“Gotta be someone on the inside,” Bane observes. “The way they bugged everythin’ down to some fuckin’ coin in her purse, that shit is hardcore.”
“After the footage Sawyer told me about, this fuckin’ cheesedick Ryan is in on it for sure.”
“A cover-up?”
“Worse: bribery. Thanks to him, people died. No matter what he thought he was doin’, he should’ve turned it in. He’s a fuckin’ piece of shit. When I found Payden, she was hidin’ in a fuckin’ cupboard, curled up with a look on her face I’ll never forget.”
“That shit’s rough. Listen, you take all the time you need. We’re headed out soon to get Becca.”
“You’re really gonna do this?”
“Worst case scenario? The cops will think it’s the same crazy gunmen who snatched her and they’ll bark up all the wrong trees.” This man is afraid of nothing, least of all getting caught kidnapping a woman in witness protection. So much for safety. At least she’ll be better off here than with the cops.
“You need a hand?”
Bane shakes his head. “Got some Rebels headed our way. We’ll be fine. You stay and look after your woman.”
I give him a chin lift as we pound hug. “Appreciate it.”
I head towards the table. Declan is telling some story that has everyone in stitches. It’s good to see Payden laughing. She’s nothing like her brother, but I see the family resemblance. He cares about her, and that’s all that matters to me. If I have to step out, then I know he’ll protect his sister in my absence.
Like a siren calling, her head turns and our eyes lock. She nods as I motion outside with a small nod toward the door. I need some air for what I’m about to tell her…
“Tell me about your ex,” Payden says, snuggling into my side when we’re lying in bed. “The one you don’t want to talk about.”
We didn’t get a whole lot of talking done after hearing her confession. We came right back to bed and she rode me until we were both spent.
Dozer is in his bed on the floor next to us, snoring contentedly.
I sigh. “There’s hardly anythin’ to tell.”
“Cryptic. Give me something.”
I look up to the ceiling, feeling strangely comfortable. Talking about exes isn’t usually my thing, but I want her to know. I feel weird having secrets from her. “I’ve only ever had one really serious relationship, and I ended it.”
“Why?”
“No matter how I say this, you’re gonna get the wrong idea.”
“Try me,” she challenges.
I sigh again. “I didn’t feel it. The thing. I wasn’t in love with her and it felt wrong to keep stringin’ her along when she wanted kids and a family. I couldn’t give her that. She said it didn’t matter, that we could adopt—which I was open to—but I knew deep down she really wanted her own kids.”
“So you let her go?”
“It never would’ve worked. She would’ve resented me in the end, and I don’t think I’d make a good father.”
