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He snatches the box out of my hands with the ferocity of a tiger and turns, running back towards the cottage before he calls over his shoulder, “Okay, two is good.”

Raya and I laugh, watching him as he disappears back inside the house with his treats in hand before she turns back to me, her expression serious.

“Lay it on me.” There’s a guardedness in her posture and her eyes that wasn’t there a moment ago and I sigh.

Fuck.

I hate this.

“He was released from jail first thing this morning…”

“What?” she asks, cutting me off. “They kept him overnight?”

I nod, running a hand through my hair. “We’ve got a friend down there who was able to pull some strings, give us a little breathing room but it was short lived.”

“Wow.” Her voice is little more than a whisper as her shoulders slump ever so slightly. “I’m just surprised that they managed to hold him at all.”

“I don’t think we’ll catch another break like that. Max had to call in favors to make it happen,” I tell her and she nods, acceptance replacing the fear.

“You’re probably right.” She sucks in a breath, straightens her shoulders and nods. “So, what now?”

I stare at her for a moment, my mind blank. This isn’t the reaction I was expecting from her. I was prepared for tears and fear and anger but this calm acceptance and desire for a plan is throwing me off. But then again, I haven’t told her the worst part yet.

“Uh… I need you to know I don’t say this lightly but… I think we need to get you as far away from here as we can.”

Her gaze shifts to the trees across the road and she take one deep breath before nodding, almost to herself. “I need to run.”

“Yeah,” I answer, a grit in my voice that wasn’t there before. “I don’t know how we make that happen yet but I think that’s the best thing for you and Joey because Derek is not going to stop.”

“Okay,” she says, turning back to look at me. There is a resolve in her eyes that stops me in my tracks. I hate that this is the only goddamn option in front of her. I wish, more than anything, that I could come up with some other plan that didn’t involve her leaving her entire fucking life behind. But more than anything, I wish she’s get mad at me right now for suggesting this or demand another idea. Anything other than this easy acceptance.

“I’m sorry, Raya. I know this is…”

Reaching out, she places her hand on my arm and shakes her head. “This isn’t on you, Rooster. And it’s not the first time I’ve had to uproot my life either. I’ll figure it out. I always do.”

“No,” I say, my gut tightening at her words and just how damn flippant they are. “We will figure it out. The club is here for you and that won’t end once we get you away from Derek. You’re not alone in this.”

Her lips press into a thin line and a single tear wells up in her eye as she nods and pulls her hand away from my arm. “I’m going to go see what that little monster is up to. Let me know when you guys have more a plan.”

“We will,” I tell her but she’s already turning back to the cottage, her arms crossed over her chest, almost like she’s hugging herself. I’m frozen as I watch her spine snap straight and her chin lift in defiance as she steps into the cottage and closes the door behind her.

No.

Fuck this shit.

The engine of my bike roars to life beneath me and I back out of the driveway before peeling out, spraying gravel out onto the road behind me. There has to be something better than shipping her off and wishing her all the best.

How would we keep tabs on her?

How would we know, for certain that she’s safe and Derek didn’t decide to follow them?

How do we make it so she can actually build a goddamn life and be happy?

I shake my head as the clubhouse comes into view through the trees ahead of me. My grip on the handlebars tightens painfully, the urge to spring into action almost driving me to the brink of insanity. But there is nothing to do. I have no options, no brilliant plan to end this whole damn thing. Other than putting bullet between Derek’s eyes and apparently, that’s frowned upon.

As I pull into the parking lot, my mind turns to updating my brothers. Storm spoke to me before I left this morning and he wanted an update as soon as I returned so I turn my focus to doing just that but tension is still thrumming under my skin like a current. Inside, a few of my brothers are milling around the bar and the pool tables. Jumper calls out to me but I ignore him, turning for Storm’s office and letting my knuckles pound against the wood of the door.

“Yeah?” he calls and I open the door, stepping inside. Storm glances up from the papers in front of him before tossing them down and leaning back in his seat.