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He squared his jaw and turned to Ace. “I wanna bring Imogene in.”
He raised his brows. “To our meeting?”
“She was the one who talked to Eden. It was Eden reaching out to her. So yeah, let’s bring her in.”
Cross didn’t even wait for a response from Ace. He opened the door and spoke to the prospect. A minute later, Imogene was standing in the doorway. Jekyll slipped past Ace and Cross, rested his hand on her back, and led her to the middle of the room. She was uneasy.
He could only imagine what she was seeing from the members. The intense aura from Ace hadn’t faded when she walked into the room. If anything, it had heightened.
“When you talked to Eden, she wanted Cue to stop asking about her at Satan’s?” Jekyll asked.
“Well, she didn’t say that exactly.”
“What did she say?” Cue asked.
“That she appreciated you trying to protect her, and she didn’t know why you were doing it, but she was thankful. But it wasn’t helping, so she just wanted you to stop.”
Cross stepped closer. “She talk about them hitting her?”
She shook her head. “No but that was my first thought. Eden shows signs of someone who has been abused.”
“Fuck,” Cue muttered, cupping his jaw. “Why do you think she stays?”
Imogene shrugged. “Because she doesn’t have anywhere else to go. Since I’m here so much with Jekyll, I offered her to stay at my apartment. I thought maybe considering her situation that Inez would be okay with it. But when I mentioned it, Eden said no.”
“You offered her a safe place, and she turned you down?” Jekyll asked, and she turned, looking up at him.
“She said she wouldn’t pass a background check.”
Fuck! This was bringing a whole new light to the Eden situation.
“She say why?” Ace asked, and Imogene shook her head.
Ace walked around the table and pointed to the door. “You can go.”
She stiffened under his hand. “You’re not going to send her back there, are you?”
Cue wouldn’t allow it. Neither would Jekyll and the other brothers in the room. For everything they’d done, hurting women had never hit their radar. He wrapped his arm around her hip and walked her to the hallway. She spun in his arms.
“Maybe Inez will let her stay without a background check.” Her voice was shaky, and she pressed her hand on his chest. “I’ll vouch for her. That’s a thing, right? If she does anything wrong, I’ll take full responsibility for her with Inez, I promise.”
“You don’t even know Eden.”
“I know enough,” she whispered. There was no missing the fear in her tone.
He clasped his hands around her jaw and pressed his lips against hers. This woman was too good for him, his club, and most people.
“I’m gonna take care of this. Trust me?”
She nodded, and he waited until she disappeared down the hallway before entering the room again. No one was talking. If he had to guess, they were all processing what Imogene had just said.
“We taking a vote?” Jekyll asked. “’Cause she’s got mine to stay. It’s like Ghost said, she’s gotta know more than we do. We use that to our advantage, and she earns a safe place until we can move her. Everybody fucking wins.”
Ace sighed, looking around the room. “Any objections.”
There was none.
“Where’s she gonna stay?” Gent smirked. “’Cause I have no problem taking in a temporary roommate.”