Page 85 of The Marriage Mistake

“Does someone want to hurt us?”

Jack crossed over to where we stood and put his arms around both of us. Until his palm slid across my shoulders and brought me in against his chest, I hadn’t realized how much I needed it. We stood in a little huddle, leaning on him.

“No one’s going to hurt you,” Jack rumbled. “I promise.”

Darby gulped, and a moment later she nodded and squared her shoulders. “I’ll pack my things.”

Once again, I was struck by her toughness. I looked at Jack and noted the lines around his mouth, the tension at the corners of his eyes. “Go,” I told him. “Do your thing. I’ll take care of Darby.”

His shoulders dropped, and he pressed a kiss to my temple. “Thank you,” he murmured, then ducked out of the room again as another car rumbled outside. Judging by Jack’s calm reaction, I guessed it was one of his brothers.

I turned to face Darby, who had an assessing look on her face. She looked just like her grandmother right now, which was slightly terrifying. “You and my dad like each other,” she said, and the way she said the word “like” had layers of meaning.

Yep—tough and perceptive. Just like I’d thought the very first time I’d met her.

I swallowed, at a loss. Not sure what exactly I was supposed to say to that—Jack and I hadn’t talked about “us” or broached the topic of talking to Darby—I decided to go with the truth: “Yeah.”

She stared at me for another second, then nodded like it was a done deal. Then she turned to her closet. “I’m gonna wear my red jeans today, but I want to bring my sweatpants too.”

We packed her clothes and toiletries, then showered and got ready for the day. By the time we went downstairs, the room was full of Mars men. They greeted the two of us, then went right back to work on their computers. I decided the best way for me to help was to provide enough food to keep their brains running smoothly.

I made a vegetable frittata, a big stack of pancakes, and a packet of bacon, and I listened.

“Single motorcycle,” Jack rumbled.

“There,” said Bennett. “Look at his cut.”

I knew, from the biker gang-related media I’d consumed, that a “cut” was a leather vest with the gang’s insignia on it. The only biker gang around here was…

“A flaming skull,” Knox growled. “The Reapers. We need to talk to that asshole Cash.”

Knox was talking about Cash Bridges. I knew he was a member of the Reapers Motorcycle Club; I’d seen his name come up during my research about Marswood Harbor. He and his gang had featured prominently in my risk assessment of the town, since they seemed to be the main criminal element in the area. He was in a couple of articles in local newspapers and on some property and business registration documents. He seemed to be the leader of the biker gang.

An idea sparked.

Jack swore. “I thought we had a truce.”

“We did,” Gideon said, and I glanced over my shoulder and down the hallway. Gideon stood in profile, a dark look on his face. I couldn’t see any of the other brothers.

The food was ready, so I got Darby to help me bring the platters out to the living room, where the brothers were. One of them had procured a piece of plywood, which was resting against the wall beside the broken window. I set my platter of bacon down on the coffee table, and Bennett immediately grabbed a piece, snatched a pancake from Darby’s serving plate, wrapped the bacon in the pancake, and took a bite. He groaned. “That’s good shit,” he said.

“Swear jar,” Darby informed him.

Bennett groaned, then reached into his back pocket for his wallet and slapped ten dollars into her outstretched palm.

“Thank you,” Knox rumbled as he helped himself to a piece of frittata.

I smiled. “It’s so you don’t go start a biker gang war and get yourselves killed on an empty stomach.”

Jack’s gaze met mine. His jaw tightened. He didn’t think I was very funny.

I looked at the men and straightened. “Alternatively, I could tell you what I learned about the Reapers Motorcycle Club while I was researching Marswood Harbor. It involves a clubhouse on the coast, a new business registration, and an asset that is actually a liability. Fascinating stuff.” I tilted my head. “If you’re into that kind of thing.”

Knox, who had been sitting on my favorite armchair, leaned back. He looked at me with piercing eyes, and it reminded me of the very first time Jack and I had met. Like he was seeing me for the first time. “How did you get this information?”

I shrugged. “I’m very curious and very careful. I did a full risk assessment on the town before I came here.” Jack arched a brow at me, and I couldn’t resist adding, “I also did one on you.”

Of course, he already knew that. But it still made his shoulders ease and the tiniest hint of a smile curl his lips.