“You know what I mean,” I say, suddenly flustered. I reach for the door handle, letting my foot fall to the garage floor. He doesn’t let go of my hand.
“I know what you mean. My baby sister is hard not to love,” he says, easing my embarrassment.
His thumb brushes over my captive hand, calming my racing heart.
Of course I was talking about Mila.
Of course I was.
Chapter Sixteen
Rage
The pulse beats quickly in her neck as I keep her hand hostage in mine.
Tonight, when we were holding each other, I felt something I had never felt with a woman. A certain comradery, I guess. Kind of like what I feel with my brothers, but more than that. It’s a feeling I haven’t felt since my dad was alive.
I knew there was something about her the moment I laid eyes on her, but tonight I saw her as my person. That proverbial soulmate who I thought was as elusive as Santa or the Easter Bunny. But here she is, sitting right beside me.
I’ve done a lot of work on myself over the past few years, knowing I needed to be a better man for Mila. I sat through a lotof shitty feelings to get where I’m at, and meeting Serenity feels like some sort of divinely timed event.
I feel like I could share anything with her, and she wouldn’t judge me. I feel like she would still love me.
Yes, I think she loves me. I know that sounds crazy; she hasn’t given me one ounce of indication she’s interested in me, but nonetheless I feel her love at a soul level.
If she ever leaves, it’s going to hurt like a son of a bitch.
I release her hand, and the connection lessens but it doesn’t go away. My mind begins to clear a little, and I realize I’ve been holding her captive. “Would you check on Mila for me while I say goodbye to the guys?”
“Yeah sure.”
She remembers to take the music box I gave her, clutching it close to her chest as she hurries inside.
I calmly step in behind her, turning my focus on Cub and the text he sent me earlier.
“He wants our next shipment directed to him or he’s bringing his whole crew up here to cause problems for you while you’re going through Mila’s custody hearing. He also wants Serenity back.” He takes a deep breath. “I know she seems sweet, but who else could have told him? Tiff left town before the shit went down with your sister.” He grabs my cut, giving me a shake to wake me up.
I push his hand away. “It’s not her.”
“You sure about that?”
The twins speak up on Serenity’s behalf. “We searched all her shit. How would she be communicating with him?”
Cub shakes his head. “I guess it could be someone outside of the club. Maybe a hospital worker or something, but he knows she’s here with you. He knows both of them are. He wants her back. He wants her returned with the shipment.”
We’re all quiet as we think about it.
“He has all the leverage now that he knows about Mila,” I say, grinding my teeth.
“No way is Serenity involved. She was going to kill herself before going back to them,” Cole argues.
“Unless it was all an illusion.” Cub waves his hands in the air like a magician.
Soft voices filter down the hall.
“Call a meeting for tomorrow night. Ask Wizzard to drop by in the morning. Tell him I want every fucking name involved in Savage’s chapter. From their prospects to their patch bunnies. I want bank accounts, travel movements, anything he can fucking get.”
The three of them stand. “This stays with the officers for now. Like you said, he could have found out about Mila from someone outside the club, but I want to make damn sure we don’t have any rot coming from inside.”