The door swings open, and she pops her head inside. “I just wanted to see if you’re okay.”
“Why wouldn’t I be?”
Her expression softens as she slips inside, closing the door behind her. “You know, with what happened and everything.”
“I’m okay.” At this point, I have no idea if it’s a lie or not. I’m more than happy to bury the reality of what happened this weekend in favor of enjoying myself with my guys instead of thinking about just how serious the situation is.
“It’s okay if you’re not, too.”
“Seriously, Riv, you don’t have to worry about me. When you grow up in the club, you kind of get used to all the drama and violence.” I shrug, ignoring the butterflies in my stomach.
Not the good kind.
“You were kidnapped, Sadie. That’s not exactly usual club drama.” Her brows knit. “If you need to talk—”
“I said I’m fine,” I snap, harsher than I intended. But I don’t want to talk about it, because if I do, I remember how it felt to be tied up in that warehouse with Justin leering at me. And remembering makes me feel weak, something I’m not well-versed in.
“Okay,” she concedes, hurt lingering in her eyes, so, I add, “Thanks, I appreciate it.”
She gives me a small smile.
“Come on,” I say, “I heard there’s coffee.”
“Thank God, I need it.”
“Didn’t sleep well?”
We head downstairs together, and River shakes her head. “I’m a little on edge after everything.”
“You know the guys won’t let anything happen to you, right?”
“I know. I just… I didn’t expect all this.”
“It’s not so bad.” I meet her gaze. “The club and everyone in it, it’s one big family. You’ll never be alone here, River.” She swallows, a flash of grief in her eyes. She rarely talks about her mom, but I know it’s got to have been hard on her. “Listen, the same goes for you. If you ever need to talk—”
“I know, Sadie Ray. I know.”
“Girls,” Dad booms from the kitchen. “You gonna stand out there all day bitchin’ or come eat something before Stray and Pacman clean up?”
Laughing, I start for the kitchen, but River grabs my arm. “Yeah?” I ask.
“I don’t know exactly what’s going on with you and… the guys, but I’m glad Rhett has you.”
My brows knit together and I’m about to reply when she slips past me and disappears down the hall, leaving me standing there, wondering what the hell she means.
I find everyone in the kitchen. There’s a huge spread of pastries again, courtesy of the bakery on the next block over.
“I’m quite capable of cooking, you know,” I say, making a beeline for the coffee machine. Dane tracks my every move, his gaze like phantom fingers down my spine. I cast him a sultry look over my shoulder and he cracks a smile.
“Mornin’,” he mouths.
“Morning.” I grin, rolling my eyes when his drop to where my t-shirt rides up my stomach.
“We need to go over a few things,” Dad says. “Get over here and sit.”
“Not this again,” I grumble, dropping into a chair. River joins us.
“One chance, Sadie Ray. You get one chance. You get a ride to school with Dane or Jax. You go to class, you don’t wander off campus, and at the end of the day, you ride back with them to either here, the clubhouse, or Dee’s. No sneaking off, no giving the guys the runaround. I mean it—”
“Jesus, Daddy, you make me sound like a spoiled brat.”
Dane splutters his orange juice everywhere and even Pacman snickers. I shoot them both a death stare. My dad gives me a pointed look that has me suppressing a smile. We all know he’s right—I am the club princess, after all.
“I know this is serious, but I need to stay in school.”
“Follow the rules and we shouldn’t have a problem.”
“Fine,” I mumble.
“Same goes for you, River. You stick with one of the guys at all times.”
“I will.” She ducks her head, blushing. But since Jax isn’t here, I’m sure it’ll go over Dad’s head.
“Right,” he drains his coffee and pushes out of his chair, “I need to head to the shop. Stray, Pacman, you get first shift. Rhett and Jax will meet you at the school.” His eyes find mine again. “Behave.”
Rolling my eyes, I wave him off. Dane snorts and I flip him off across the table.
“He has a point, Sadie, girl.”
I poke my tongue out at him, flaking apart a croissant. “We should probably head out soon.”
“Are you nervous?”
“No, why would I be?”
He lifts his shoulder in a small shrug. “Evan might have talked.”
“I doubt he’s stupid enough to come after me when I’ve got guard dogs.”
“Guard dogs, huh?” Dane drags his bottom lip between his teeth. “I can be the dog, you can be the pussy.”
Pacman chokes on his breakfast at that, and I ball up a napkin and throw it at Dane. “Asshole.”
“Yeah, but you love me.”
His words strike me like a physical blow. I don’t love him. Or Rhett or Wes. We’ve barely established what we are or what this thing is between us. But now the words are there, in the ether, taunting me.
If we keep down this road, it’s likely my feelings for them will grow. I already care about them—each of them. And I know they care for me, in their own ways. But can it truly work, the four of us together?
I guess only time will tell.
The rumble of the bike as Dane drives to school drowns out my thoughts. Which is fine by me, because I don’t want to think about what happened.
I want to forget.
Dad and the guys will handle it. They’ll find Darren Creed, and when they do, they’ll make him wish he’d never looked twice at me.
But by the time we pull up outside school, my nerves get the better of me.
“You good?” Dane asks over his shoulder as he cuts the engine.
“Yeah.” I smile, but it’s tight.
He nudges me off the bike, following me. Gently taking the helmet and hanging it off the handlebars, Dane stares down at me. “We can always go back to the compound or your house, just say the word.”
I shake my head. “I need to do this.” My eyes dart away, but Dane slides his finger under my chin and forces me to look at him.
“You don’t have to prove anything, Sadie, girl.”
“I know.”
“And you know we won’t let anything happen to you.”
“But you’d still rather I was locked up at home.”
“It isn’t like that, and you know it. We just want you safe. And I don’t want to have to get in between Rhett and Henley’s guys if they start causing shit.”
As if on cue, the familiar rumble of Rhett’s bike draws our attention, and we watch as he drives toward us. The second he stands, he swings his leg over the chassis and approaches. “Everything good?”