Page 17 of Rough Love

Mia slept a lot better after Fiona had said she’d send more men to them for back up. There was a heavy feeling in her chest about what the Omens could be up to and she knew they would need all the help they could get, especially considering what had happened the last time they had made their presence known. She tried not to think back to the days when she was taken or when Sage had been trapped. The image of being tortured by the Omens still haunted her. The days when Sage had been gone always came back to her mind when she let herself get too emotional, and she didn’t want the Omens to get the best of her. The Omens were definitely cruel and heartless people who clearly didn’t have any empathy for others which made Mia sick to her stomach. For the first time in a long time, Mia cuddled up next to Sage as they fell asleep together, completely content.

Neither of them had any dreams that night; they had no doubt in their minds that everything would work out in the end and for once they rested easy.

Mia woke up the next day without any memory of having had a bad dream which she was grateful for. She felt that no matter what happened she was ready and would take down anyone who would do anything to try to hurt her. She had proved to herself time and time again that she was a lot stronger than she had ever expected and she knew that in the face of her enemies she would fight until her last breath. Sage shifted beside her as she moved to draw him closer to her, his body warm and comforting next to hers.

“Good morning,” Sage said half asleep.

“Did I wake you?” she asked. She had tried to be as gentle as possible when she moved.

“No, no, I’ve been on the verge of waking up for a while,” he replied as he stretched. The atmosphere around them felt lighter than it had for a while and although they were still concerned about the Omens, they felt more positive about the situation.

“Why don’t you stay in bed while I make us some breakfast?” Sage asked. Even though Mia loved cooking, she appreciated him making the effort for her.

“That sounds wonderful,” she replied. She watched Sage get up and leave while she snuggled further into the bed. She knew she would have to get up eventually but she decided she would enjoy the moment while it lasted. She could hear Sage in the kitchen and decided to have a shower while she waited. There wasn’t much time for them to waste before the new arrivals would arrive and she wanted to be at the club for when they got there. As she got out of the shower, Mia could hear Sage whistling as he walked down the hallway and back into the room.

“Mia?” he called from the bedroom.

“I’m just getting out of the shower, I’ll be out in a minute,” she called back.

She looked at herself in the mirror and noticed that although she felt different, she didn't look very different. She felt as if the growth she had gone through should show more on the outside because she wasn't the same person she had been months before. Her life had gone from one extreme to the next and she wasn't sure which one was better. She loved her life but she was unsure of what to do next. There was going to be a war and she knew that but what would happen after that was so unknown it scared her.

She dried herself off and wrapped her bathrobe around her as she entered the bedroom again. Mia was welcomed by a delicious scent of food as she saw Sage had sat down on the bed with a tray that had a huge pile of pancakes stacked on a plate with maple syrup and coffee. She couldn't help but smile as she took it all in. He had gone further than she had thought he would and he had done it all for her.

He smiled at her as she placed herself on the bed across from him. She reached over and picked up the cup of coffee that she knew was hers because it had milk in it while Sage liked his coffee black.

"While you were in the shower I received a message from Adam. Apparently, the guys from Pine Hill have arrived and want to meet at the club," Sage said.

"We should probably go soon then, shouldn’t we?” she asked as she placed a few pancakes on her plate and cut into them.

“We can go after breakfast. It sounds like they want a huge party and its not even noon yet!” he exclaimed. Mia wanted to laugh at Sage's reaction and it was so easy for her to remember why she loved him. It wasn't about his looks or anything like that. It was about who he was as a person. She almost felt compelled to tell him that she loved him but she held herself back, still unsure about the future. Once they had both eaten enough, Sage went and showered quickly before they made their way to the bar.

“What do you think could happen with the Omens?” Mia asked as Sage drove them to the bar. She turned to look at his face as his eyes stayed glued to the road.

“I honestly don’t know. I can’t seem to think what they could be up to, especially considering they involved Laura’s name. None of it makes any sense and that scares me the most,” he replied. Mia could tell that he was being genuine about his feelings and although it scared her a little, she could respect the fact that he wasn’t trying to sugarcoat the situation for her. They all knew something big would happen.

“At least we’ve got some back up now,” she said with a small smile. Sage smiled back at her in return.

“I’m hoping we won’t need it but anything is possible at this rate,” he said and even as he said it Mia knew that they’d probably need the back up because she had had a bad feeling in her chest for days. They drove in silence the rest of the way to the club and as they got closer they both got nervous about what lay ahead of them but once they arrived at the club Mia felt that being with the new recruits would help relax both her and Sage.

When they walked through the doors, they were welcomed by all the Screaming Demons and the party was already well underway. Mia decided to join in on the fun but decided not to drink at the same time. She felt it would be a good way to get to know all the new recruits and make them feel welcomed. Sage soon joined in and danced with Mia. For the first time in a long time, they were having fun and for a while, they were both distracted from the trouble that could be happening very soon. The room was filled with laughing and joking and everyone was dancing. It feels good to laugh again, Mia thought. Sage wrapped his arms around Mia as they danced. He pulled her close to him protectively and she rested her head against his chest listening to his heartbeat as they danced. They felt as if they were wrapped up in their own little world for a while, away from all the drama where it was just the two of them. It felt good and they wished it could stay that way. Mia could see Adam from the corner of her eye and noticed he didn’t look as happy as everyone else.

“Something’s up with Adam,” she whispered to Sage as they continued to dance. Sage looked around the room until his eyes landed on Adam who stood still against the bar as he watched the crowd dance around him.

“Let’s go talk to him,” he said as he took her hand and led her over to Adam. She followed willingly.

“Hey, Adam,” Sage said as they got to him. He looked at them with a small smile.

“Hey, guys. There’s quite a crowd today,” he replied as he looked around the room. Both Sage and Mia nodded their heads in agreement.

“One big happy family,” Mia said. She noticed the worried look on Adam’s face and started to feel a little uneasy.

“Adam, what’s going on? You don’t look so happy today,” Sage asked. It was clear he had picked up on Adam’s expression.

“It’s the Omens. They have 23 people and they’re coming for us, man. I’ve received news that they were the ones who contacted the law enforcement officers and they haven’t stopped. Yes, they’ve been off of our backs but they know everything,” Adam said.

Mia didn’t like what she heard. It didn’t sound good for the Screaming Demons at all.

“What do you think we should do about this?” Sage asked. The party around them was still going and no one was paying attention to their conversation.