“So, there’s this tour that does the three things in one for just over twenty-five dollars,” Jovie states.
I walk over, taking the brochure from her, then lean in, planting a kiss on her temple. “Sounds perfect.” I pull back, glancing down at the brochure. “Do we need to book?”
Jovie nods as my cell starts to vibrate on the table.
We all glance at it.
I rush forward, Zero’s name is flashing on the screen, so I answer quickly. “Pres… I still haven’t heard from Ethan. Is there any news?”
“Slow down there, cowboy, there’s a reason for that.” He chuckles down the line.
My eyes widen as I take a seat at the table, not liking where this is going. “Zero, tell me nothing’s happened to Ethan or my fucking kids!”
Jovie has concern written all over on her face as she stands, then walks over to me.
Zero exhales. “A heap of shit has been going down the last few days. We’ve been working ‘round the clock to try to find a way to get you home. Ethan’s cell was tapped. Neon found an intricate bug hidden inside it, so Ethan couldn’t call you. It was the only way to keep you safe.”
“What do you mean was the only way?”
“We’ve had Finley working solidly on your case. You know how much she hates the Baron, and she’s been able to get to the fucking truth. She discovered the name of the cop the Baron was leaking false information to, and she turned him in. Finley informed the cop he was the one who was distributing cocaine throughout Houston and provided the cop with evidence of his shipments. Sure, we might have supplied the Baron with the cocaine in the first place, but the cops don’t need to know that, and there’s no trace, anyway. All they have been made aware of is that the Baron was then shipping and distributing. He’s going to have years added to his sentence…” Zero pauses for a few seconds, then continues, “… Kevlar, the warrant for your arrest has been lifted. Y’all can come home.”
I let out a booming laugh, catching everyone off-guard. I turn to Jovie, and she smiles. “Pres, I have a couple of tag-a-longs coming home with me.”
“Talk to me, Kevlar. What the fuck are you on about?”
“I rode to New Orleans, pres. Don’t worry, Hurricane knows I’m here, but that’s beside the point. While here, I met a few people, two of whom are a couple of women on the run.”
Zero groans. “Kevlar, with all your shit going on, do we have fucking time for more drama?”
“Zero… Jovie has family after her. They tried to attack her in San Antonio. I’ve offered her my protection.”
“Sounds like she has all kinds of trouble attached to her—”
“Which is why we need to help her, pres.”
Zero grumbles under his breath. “Fine, two rooms?”
“Yeah.”
“When will we see you?”
Glancing over at Savanah and Jovie, who are hanging off my every word, I state, “Tonight. We’ll leave right away. I want my own bed, and I need to see my kids.”
“Right. I’ll get shit prepared. And Kevlar…”
“Yeah?”
“If trouble comes knocking, I’m holding you fucking responsible.”
“Got it!”
Zero doesn’t say anything else, simply ends the call.
Jovie walks to my side. “We’re leaving?”
“You still wanna come to the club, right?”
Jovie looks at Savanah, then back to me. “You honestly believe the club can protect us?”
“Yes. My president, Zero, will want to know who we’re protecting you from exactly. So, you’re gonna have to open up.”
Jovie tenses but nods her agreement. “Okay. Sure. I’ll tell him when we get there. We’ll go pack our things and meet here in fifteen.”
I pull her to me, and nervousness swarms my body at the thought of taking Jovie home because I’m not sure how to handle her around my kids. But I don’t want her to know, so I lean my forehead against hers, then softly kiss her.
Savanah scoffs out a laugh. “I hope all the other bikers are as fit as you are, Kevlar.” She grabs Jovie’s hand, pulling her away from me toward the door. “C’mon, let’s pack, so we can get on the road.”
Jovie beams, then she rushes off with Savanah. “I can’t wait.”
I watch her leave, then turn to my duffle bag on the counter and get to work, even though my mind is racing a million miles a minute. What the hell am I doing? Effectively bringing a woman home to meet the family. Is this all too fucking soon? Emma’s been gone only three years, and while this thing, whatever it is with Jovie, is pretty damn fresh, I don’t want to be jumping into something when I still hold Emma in my heart. But then again, who am I kidding? Emma will always be in my heart. Maybe this is all wrong? Maybe I should just leave without them? Would that be so bad?
Letting out a long groan, I run my hand over my head. “Don’t be an asshole,” I mumble to myself.
I can’t leave Jovie here to fend for herself. She’s in danger and needs my help—the club’s help. I might be going back and forth on starting something up with her because of my love for Em, but I can’t turn my back on Jovie, not now, not since getting to know her. Leaving her to a fate of God only knows what, at the hands of her family, whoever they are.
Shoving all my shit in my bag, I glance out at the murky Mississippi and take a second to simply breathe. “Why is this so fucking confusing, Em?” I murmur.
Then, without warning, a gentle breeze wafts through the open balcony door, making the curtain sway up and out like a balloon. The bottom edge of the curtain slides along the small coffee table, taking my voodoo doll with it. Swiftly, it lands on the floor by my feet.
Then just like that, the breeze is gone.
My pulse quickens as I bend down, picking up the little purple and black doll, that same intense feeling I got from it before seeps into my soul once more as I stare at it.
Sniffing, I weakly smile. “Thanks, Em… I fucking miss you.”
What the hell?
Clearing my throat, I place the voodoo doll in my bag, take in a deep breath, and nod. I need to clear my damn head.
It’s time to go home.
The girls are all packed into Jovie’s car. I stocked them up on snacks and drinks, then I loaded Savanah’s GPS with the clubhouse location in case we were separated. The plan was that once we start the journey back to Houston, we were not stopping. With a target on Jovie’s back, it’s too fucking dangerous. So, as I check over my shoulder, Savanah waves at me, letting me know she’s ready, then I pull back on my throttle and start the journey back to Houston. My momentary lapse in judgment in my room seems to have evaporated, and I’m in a better headspace now. I think whatever was going through my mind, thoughts of leaving without them and fuck knows what else, was just a blip of me being uneasy. Perhaps anxious that Jovie could mean something to me one day. But for now, I’m going to take in the knowledge that I’m going home to see my kids, back to my brothers, back fucking home, back to what I know. That makes me happier than anything else right now.
Knowing Jovie’s watching my ass as I ride makes this all the more fun. She might be enjoying the view, but me knowing she is enjoying the view makes this ride all the better. The one thing I am a little curious about is how the club is going to take to these two women.