I pace back and forth until the door opens and Anna stands there in a hospital gown.
We stare at each other for a few seconds before I march towards her and pull her to me. She wraps her arms around my neck, and I bury my nose in her hair. The scent of her strawberry shampoo is missing, but she still smells like my Anna. My heart warms as I hold her, and it hits me just how badly I need her.
“Can I get a look in?” asks Eva, tugging on my arm. I smile and release Anna to her friend. “Anna, I missed you so much,” she sobs.
“I’m okay,” she insists, stroking Eva’s hair from her face. “Malia’s asleep. I think all the drama has exhausted her.”
“And Reggie?” asks Eva.
Anna shrugs her shoulders and looks to me to see if I know anything. I shake my head. “I’m waiting on a call,” I say.
“You guys can go. I’m gonna be here a few more hours. They’ve taken blood from me and Malia and we need to wait for the results. They also ran a pregnancy test,” she mutters, glancing at me.
I smile stiffly. It’s not like I didn’t know they were having sex. I can hardly get mad when she was just trying to survive. “I’ll stay,” I say.
“Really, it’s fine if you want to go—” she begins but stops talking when I take her hand.
“Darlin’, I’m staying right here with you and Malia,” I say firmly and she smiles.
Malia wakes and her eyes fall on me. I get up and approach her bed quickly, hoping she doesn’t cry and wake Anna, who’s sleeping soundly in the bed next to her. “Hey, you,” I whisper.
“Riggs,” she mutters, holding out her arms. I pick her up and she snuggles against me. “Where’s Ziggy?”
“He’s waiting at home for you. He’s so excited,” I whisper. She lays her head against my chest and I settle back into the chair, pulling a sheet around her. I feel my eyes grow heavy and Malia’s light snores tell me she’s drifted back off to sleep. This feels right. My two girls are safe and there isn’t a place I’d rather be. All we need now is to get back to Ziggy.
I hear voices. I’m not sure how long I slept for, but Malia is still snoring on my chest. “The pregnancy test came back negative,” says a male voice.
“Thank god.” Anna sighs. “Thank you so much for everything.”
“This is the cream you’ll need to apply to those nasty bite marks. The police officer will come to your home address to take your statement, but we’ve forwarded the pictures of your injuries to help with the case.”
“Thanks,” mutters Anna. “So, we can go?”
“Yeah. I just want to check we have the right address before you go,” he says.
“Erm, that’s not the right one. That’s my old home address,” says Anna, and then she reels off the clubhouse address. The doctor leaves and I smile. “What are you smiling at?” whispers Anna. I open one eye and she’s looking down at me.
“You’re coming home with me?”
“Well, someone’s gotta take care of your ass.” She sighs. “God knows what kind of bother you’ll get in without me there.”
I laugh and the movement wakes Malia, who rubs her eyes sleepily. “You girls will be the death of me,” I say. “But I’ll die a happy man.”
Chapter Twenty-One
Riggs
One Month Later
I kiss Michelle lightly on the head and wrap her into a tight hug. “Take care of yourself. Work at getting your life back on track,” I say, and she nods against my chest.
“Thank you for everything, Riggs. I know I’ve been difficult, and you didn’t have to put up with that. I’m grateful,” she says. I nod in acknowledgment. “And I’ll write to Ziggy every week.”
“Yeah, that’ll be nice,” I say.
“Tell him I love him,” she whispers, and her eyes fill with tears.
“Get well again and you can tell him yourself. This isn’t forever, Michelle. Get sorted and we’ll take it from there.”
The Kings Reapers charter in Scotland will keep an eye on her for me, but she’s staying with a good friend of my dad’s. She’s got a farm there and a shop where Michelle can work. A fresh start and new friends are what she needs to get her life on track. This is her final chance. Any slips after this will be the end of the road for us and I’ve made that clear. Now the drugs are out of her system and she’s thinking clearly, maybe she’s ready to make the changes.
I watch the taxicab drive away. Anna appears by my side and slips an arm around my waist. “I love you,” she whispers.
“I love you too.” I kiss her on her head and inhale the strawberry scent of her shampoo. “I want you in the shower in ten seconds. I’ll give you a five-second head start,” I say, and she eyeballs me.
“Don’t start this again,” she grins, shuffling away from me.
“Five,” I begin to count, and she giggles.
“Riggs.” She laughs. “Stop.”
“Four . . . ” She takes off and I leave it two seconds before I run after her.
Anna screams as she dodges in and out of the brothers who stare at our very public display of chase. I knock one or two as I try and squeeze my huge body through. “Sorry,” I shout back at them. I catch her before she gets to the stairs and wrap my arms around her waist. “Not so fast, trouble,” I whisper, and she shudders in my arms. “You know how hard I am for you right now?” I ask, pushing my erection into her back. “But I have some shit to say first.”
I walk her back to the main room where I’ve gathered all of the Kings members and their families. I keep Anna in front of me to hide my bulging anatomy. “What’s going on?”
