I close my eyes briefly and blow out a breath. “I’m not, I’m fucking exhausted and I’d rather hold you in my arms in bed while I explain. Now, will you do that if I flip that goddamn mattress?”
She lightly nods her head and I rip everything off the bed and flip the mattress. She helps me put it back together and I grab her, pulling her down on the bed with me. I pull her to my chest and kiss her. “Thank you.”
“Talk,” she says.
I chuckle, but she gives me an elbow to my ribs and I quickly stop. “I’m sorry, babe. Was this your old man? Probably. Is it because of us? No.”
She jerks her head up and looks at me, surprise clear on her face. “Why do you say that?”
It’s club business, I shouldn’t tell her anything. She has no right to know. Brooks would have my dick if he knew I said something. But, the hope in her eyes is hard to deny. Plus, maybe if I give a little, she’ll give a little more.
“It wasn’t just my mom. It was a few, a lot honestly, of the members' families. We still don’t know what the fuck any of it means, but it’s not us, babe. It’s something to do with the club. Finding out what the fuck it is, that’s another story.” She visibly relaxes and I run my thumb across her cheek. “You were that scared?”
“Z, he’ll kill us. I thought he was sending a message through your mom. The way Brooks was looking at me, you yelling at me, Kace telling me I’m safe here. I got scared and pissed.”
I lift one side of my mouth in a smirk. “So I heard.”
“I didn’t think. I took out all my anger on her. Kace is worried this is gonna cause problems with Brooks. I’ll talk to him, I’ll explain it was all me.”
“No you won’t. Kace and I will handle it. We already talked about it.” I kiss her temple and search her eyes. “What do you mean, the way Brooks was looking at you?”
She blows out a breath, which fans across my bare chest. “It was a disgusted look. A look like I am the enemy. He’s not okay with this, Z.”
That son of a bitch. I’m gonna rip his heart out. He’s putting me in this fucking position, making shit worse. “Until we knew it wasn’t just my mom, I guess he probably did think it was your fault. I’m sorry, babe.”
“I need to go back to work tomorrow,” she says after a few minutes of silence.
“I told you, you aren’t a hostage. You can come and go, but I’ll be honest, I don’t like the idea with this shit going on.”
“You still think it’s my father, I need to show my face. If I’m not there, the questions will start and he will send them looking.”
I fucking hate it. I don’t want her in the middle of any of this. I already said too much, shit that shouldn’t leave our crew. I need to trust she won’t betray me and trust we are right that it’s not because of her. Because, if she goes there tomorrow and anything happens to her, I will kill Kingsley. I won’t think twice.
I hold her tighter, feeling my body starting to relax. “Okay, babe.”
I’ve been up for hours, watching her sleep. She looks so peaceful and I fucking hate that she’ll be going back to her club soon. As if she hears me, she begins to stir and opens her eyes.
“Morning,” she rasps.
I lean over and kiss her lips lightly, tucking her hair behind her ear. “Morning, gorgeous.”
She sits up and grins. “I need coffee.”
I laugh and pull her to me. “Okay, let's get dressed and go out there for some coffee.”
When we get out, everyone is here. I walk to the small kitchen and grab two mugs, filling them with coffee. She adds her milk and sugar, while I sip mine black. I watch her, her dark brown hair swinging around as she moves, her deep blue eyes fixated on the task at hand. Those full, plump lips as she takes her first sip. Fuck, she’s sexy.
“Can I grab some coffee or will I get another elbow to the ribs?” Kace asks, walking up to us.
She looks up at him, sorrow on her face. “I’m sorry, Kace. It won’t happen again.” She hugs him and he wraps his arms around her. “Unless you deserve it,” she mumbles.
The three of us laugh and I pull her to my side. I love that Kace and Harper have a relationship, but seeing someone else’s hands on her, even my best friend’s, it’s not something I can handle.
“Brooks is here, looking to talk,” Kace says, his eyes flicking between mine and Harper’s.
I feel her tense next to me, but I rub my thumb on her shoulder trying to get her to relax.
“Harper has to get to work soon, when she leaves,” I reply.
He nods and leans against the other small counter. “You two good?”
He’s worried. He’s worried this is all gonna blow up in my face. We fought it out last night because he wants me to stop. I told him it’s not possible, especially now. If Kingsley is coming at us, going for innocents to send a message, I need to know why. As much as I don’t want Harper to go, I’m hoping she might hear something and feel the need to share it. After I told her something last night, I’m really fucking hoping she returns the favor.
“Isn’t this cozy?” Brooks says, grabbing a mug.
“Morning,” Harper says.
I watch him closely to see if I notice what she said last night, but he gives her a wink. “Morning, Harper. I hope you slept well.”
“Sure did,” she says, turning her back to him. “So, I’m…” she stops talking and grabs my hand. “Can I talk to you in private?”
I laugh when Kace holds up a
