“But he didn’t?”
“No, he didn’t. He kidnapped Bailey and threatened her. Alexei and his team rescued her. That’s how James ended up in jail. The entire motorcycle club was swept up and scattered. Many of them went to jail.” Kayla bit her lip. “That’s why I was scared the other day at the salon. I’m pretty certain the guy who harassed me on the street was one of them.”
“Oh, honey,” Chloe said. “I’m so sorry. Do you think they’re still looking for you?”
Kayla considered what to say. “It’s possible. I think it will always be possible. That’s why I can’t stop looking over my shoulder.”
“I completely understand. It was the same way for me when I left Alabama. Travis was a militia leader, and he was determined to get me back and make me pay.”
“What happened to him?” She knew he was dead, but she didn’t really know how it’d happened.
Chloe concentrated on feeding Ana. Then she looked up, her eyes flashing. “Ryan shot him. He had to do it—but I wish like hell it was me who’d done it.”
She should be shocked, but she wasn’t. “I understand that. I really do.”
Chloe looked stricken then. “Honey, please don’t tell anyone I said that. About Ryan, I mean. I’m sure that’s supposed to be a secret or something.”
“I won’t, Chloe. I promise.”
Chloe set the spoon down and wiped Ana’s mouth with the bib. She reached over and squeezed Kayla’s hand. “Thank you. Anytime you need to talk about what happened to you, or how you feel about your ex, you can always talk to me. I understand how you feel and where you’re coming from.”
Kayla squeezed back. “I know you do. Thank you.” She finished the bagel and got up to get the coffee pot. “I really like working with you and Avery and JoJo. It means a lot to me that y’all took me in,” she said as she refilled their cups.
“I’m glad you’re there. I love Avery and JoJo a lot. But you and me—well, we’ve made some bad choices in men and we’ve managed to survive. Not the usual bad choice like a guy who cheats or freeloads, but a really bad choice. The kind that could kill you. You don’t ever forget what that’s like. But when you find the guy who’ll slay those demons for you, you gotta surrender your heart and know he’ll take care of it.”
“It’s not easy though, is it?” Kayla asked.
Chloe smiled wistfully. “No, it’s not. But it’ll happen. I know it will because it did for me.”
“I’m so happy it did. You and Ryan are perfect together.”
“Maybe you and Zach are too. I hope so.”
“Honestly, I hope you’re right. Time will tell.”
When Neo got home from work, it was quiet in the house. Too quiet. He’d liked having Kayla and Ana there. He knew he hadn’t really experienced any full-tilt baby fits, but having Ana in the house had seemed right somehow. She was cuter than heck, and her little laugh was infectious. Hell, the way she screamed “Za!” in response to the word pizza cracked him up—and made him feel fiercely protective of her.
Just like he felt fiercely protective of Kayla. He’d been attracted to her from the beginning, and he’d lusted after her plenty. But he hadn’t really known her. Still didn’t, but she was opening up more than she had in the past and it really showed him who she was inside.
Kayla was a lost little girl in some ways. He knew some of her childhood because he’d heard it from her and from Camel when he talked about Bailey. Bailey was four years older and she’d done a lot to shield Kayla when they were children, but they’d still suffered from having drug addicted parents who cared about their next fix more than they cared about their children.
They’d moved around a lot. When Bailey was sixteen, she’d had to take care of her and Kayla both because her parents were either dead or useless by then. Neo couldn’t imagine the strain on Bailey, or the fear it caused both her and Kayla.
Add in a psychotic boyfriend who got Kayla pregnant and kept her prisoner with lies, then his threats to Ana, and what’d happened when he went looking for Kayla but got Bailey instead, and it was no wonder Kayla didn’t trust people.
Neo wanted to make her feel safe. He wanted it now more than ever. He wanted Kayla to smile, and he wanted her to take care of Ana without the fear in her eyes that he saw there sometimes.
And yeah, he wanted her. But that would wait until the time was right.
He went upstairs right away instead of going to his room, and he walked through the kitchen and living room, then into the master, looking for signs that Kayla and Ana had been there. Other than a wet towel on the rack in the bathroom, everything looked like it had before she’d arrived. Kayla had made the bed, tidied up the kitchen—including the coffee pot—and removed all traces that she and Ana had ever been there.
Neo stood in the middle of the master bedroom, staring at the bed and the spot where he’d set up Ana’s crib, and felt strangely empty inside. He walked across the hall to the other upstairs bedroom. It was small, but it would be a perfect room for Ana. It had a twin bed, a night table, and a dresser, but he imagined a white crib, sunny colors, and a rocking chair by the window. He could see it all, almost as if Kayla’s decorating shows had taken root in his brain.
For half a second, he considered going for paint and surprising Kayla with a room makeover, but then he realized she
